Community responses to a novel house design: A qualitative study of "Star Homes" in Mtwara, southeastern Tanzania.

Introduction: To evaluate the impact of a novel design "Star Home" on the incidence of malaria, respiratory tract infections and diarrheal diseases among children, randomly selected households in Mtwara, Tanzania were offered a free, new Star Home. Drawing on longitudinal qualitative research that accompanied the Star Homes study, this article describes the experiences of residents and the wider community of living with these buildings.

Methods: A total of four rounds of face-to-face interviews were undertaken with residents of Star Homes (n = 37), control (wattle/daub) homes (n = 21), neighboring households n = 6), community members (n = 17) and community leaders (n = 6).

Elucidating the role of carrier proteins in cytokine stabilization within double emulsion-based polymeric nanoparticles.

Polymeric micro- and nanoparticles are useful vehicles for delivering cytokines to diseased tissues such as solid tumors. Double emulsion solvent evaporation is one of the most common techniques to formulate cytokines into vehicles made from hydrophobic polymers; however, the liquid-liquid interfaces formed during emulsification can greatly affect the stability and therapeutic performance of encapsulated cytokines. To develop more effective cytokine-delivery systems, a clear molecular understanding of the interactions between relevant proteins and solvents used in the preparation of such particles is needed.

Sustainable antimicrobial resistance surveillance: time for a global funding mechanism.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is predicted to outstrip malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis combined as the leading infectious cause of death by 2050. Strengthening the knowledge and evidence base for AMR with surveillance and research is one of the five main objectives of the WHO Global Action Plan on AMR. While recent efforts to strengthen diagnosis and surveillance have been encouraging, these are unlikely to be sustainable without continued funding support in most low-resource settings.

Population genomics and transcriptomics of Plasmodium falciparum in Cambodia and Vietnam uncover key components of the artemisinin resistance genetic background.

The emergence of Plasmodium falciparum parasites resistant to artemisinins compromises the efficacy of Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACTs), the global first-line malaria treatment. Artemisinin resistance is a complex genetic trait in which nonsynonymous SNPs in PfK13 cooperate with other genetic variations. Here, we present population genomic/transcriptomic analyses of P.