Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Metastasis to the Epidural Space: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma is the most common thyroid cancer and commonly presents asymptomatically in a patient with cervical node enlargement. The defining characteristic of metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma is its ability to spread through the lymphatic system. However, this case details a 71-year-old woman with metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma who presents initially with complaints of back pain and leg weakness.

Factors associated with mortality among patients aged 12 years and above requiring hospitalization for severe respiratory illness (SRI): Findings from the COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness evaluation in Kenya and Mali, 2022-2023.

Background: Mortality attributed to respiratory illnesses is well characterized in children <5 years. However, there is paucity of data among older populations. Here, we leveraged data from the COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Evaluation to establish the factors associated with mortality among patients with severe respiratory illness (SRI) in Kenya and Mali.

Vaginal Microbiome Research Consortium for Africa: study protocol of a multicentre prospective clinical study to evaluate temporal vaginal microbial composition associated with maintenance of reproductive health in women in South Africa and Kenya.

Introduction: The Vaginal Microbiome Research Consortium for Africa (VMRC4Africa) study is a multicentre observational cohort study. We aim to enrol parallel cohorts of 100 women from two sites in two African countries (N=200) (Desmond Tutu HIV Centre [DTHC], South Africa; Kenya Medical Research Institute [KEMRI], Kenya) to evaluate detailed temporal fluctuations in vaginal microbiota in young, generally healthy women from Southern and Eastern Africa.

Methods And Analysis: Cohorts in Kenya and South Africa will be followed up twice a week for 10 weeks to create detailed profiles of vaginal microbial community state types (CSTs; by 16S rRNA gene sequencing) and fungal communities (by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing) and to identify women with stable -dominated microbiota, with no evidence of genital inflammation, as assessed by the measurement of inflammatory cytokines.

Noncancerous Exosomes Establish a Growth Promoting Paracrine Effect on Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells.

Background/aim: Previous studies have demonstrated that breast cancer cells secrete exosomes into the tumor microenvironment, promoting tumor progression. However, the paracrine influence of noncancerous breast epithelial cells on the growth of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells has largely been overlooked. We hypothesize that exosomes from noncancerous breast epithelial cells are secreted into the tumor microenvironment, stimulating TNBC growth.

Derivation and validation of a clinical predictive model for longer duration diarrhea among pediatric patients in Kenya using machine learning algorithms.

Background: Despite the adverse health outcomes associated with longer duration diarrhea (LDD), there are currently no clinical decision tools for timely identification and better management of children with increased risk. This study utilizes machine learning (ML) to derive and validate a predictive model for LDD among children presenting with diarrhea to health facilities.

Methods: LDD was defined as a diarrhea episode lasting ≥ 7 days.

The Role of Fetuin-A in Tumor Cell Growth, Prognosis, and Dissemination.

Fetuin-A, also known as alpha-2-Heremans-Schmid-glycoprotein (Ahsg), is a multifunctional molecule with diverse roles in biological processes such as mineralization, tumor growth, and inflammation. This review explores the involvement of Ahsg in various cancers, including liver, breast, prostate, colorectal, brain, osteosarcoma, and lung cancers. In many cancer types, Ahsg promotes tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis through various mechanisms, including cellular adhesion, spreading, chemotaxis, and modulation of cell-growth signaling pathways.

Genotypic and phylogeographic insights into a pre-epidemic variant of Wesselsbron virus detected in sylvatic from Semuliki Forest, Uganda.

Wesselsbron virus (WSLV) is a neglected mosquito-borne virus within the yellow fever subgroup in the genus of the family. Despite being primarily a veterinary pathogen able to cause stillbirths, congenital malformations, and mortality in ruminants, WSLV also infects humans, causing a usually self-limiting febrile illness, or may lead to neurological complications in rare cases. WSLV causes sporadic outbreaks in Southern Africa, but findings in mosquitoes from other African countries suggest a wider distribution.

Annexin A6 modulates the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and exosomes via interaction with SNAP23 in triple negative breast cancer cells.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines are secreted via the classical pathway from secretory vesicles or the non-classical pathway via extracellular vesicles (EVs), that together, play critical roles in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) progression. Annexin A6 (AnxA6) is a Ca -dependent membrane-binding protein that in TNBC is implicated in cell growth and invasiveness. AnxA6 is associated with EVs, but whether it affects the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and/or EVs remains to be fully elucidated.

Clinical Severity of Enteric Viruses Detected Using a Quantitative Molecular Assay Compared With Conventional Assays in the Global Enteric Multicenter Study.

Background: Quantitative molecular assays are increasingly used for detection of enteric viruses.

Methods: We compared the clinical severity using the modified Vesikari score (mVS) of enteric viruses detected by conventional assays (enzyme immunoassays [EIAs] for rotavirus and adenovirus 40/41 and conventional polymerase chain reaction for astrovirus, sapovirus, and norovirus) and a quantitative molecular assay (TaqMan Array Card [TAC]) among children aged 0-59 months in the Global Enteric Multicenter Study. For rotavirus and adenovirus 40/41, we compared severity between EIA-positive and TAC-positive cases assigned etiologies using different cycle threshold (Ct) cutoffs.

Cabozantinib monotherapy for advanced adrenocortical carcinoma: a single-arm, phase 2 trial.

Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare malignancy with poor response to systemic chemotherapy. Mitotane is the only approved therapy for adrenocortical carcinoma. Cabozantinib is a multikinase inhibitor approved in multiple malignancies.

Informed consent in cancer clinical care: Perspectives of healthcare professionals on information disclosure at a tertiary institution in Uganda.

Introduction: While there have been several studies examining the understanding and quality of informed consent in clinical trials of cancer therapies, there is limited empirical research on health practitioners' experiences on the informed consent process in cancer care, especially from low resource settings. This study explored health professionals' perspectives on information disclosure during the consenting process in cancer care.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive approach was used to collect data.

Diarrhea Case Surveillance in the Enterics for Global Health Surveillance Study: Epidemiologic Methods.

Background: is a leading cause of acute watery diarrhea, dysentery, and diarrhea-attributed linear growth faltering, a precursor to stunting and lifelong morbidity. Several promising vaccines are in development and field efficacy trials will require a consortium of potential vaccine trial sites with up-to-date diarrhea incidence data.

Methods: The Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) surveillance study will employ facility-based enrollment of diarrhea cases aged 6-35 months with 3 months of follow-up to establish incidence rates and document clinical, anthropometric, and financial consequences of diarrhea at 7 country sites (Mali, Kenya, The Gambia, Malawi, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Peru).

Quantifying the Cost of Diarrhea in the Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Surveillance Study.

Background: Comparative costs of public health interventions provide valuable data for decision making. However, the availability of comprehensive and context-specific costs is often limited. The Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) surveillance study-a facility-based diarrhea surveillance study across 7 countries-aims to generate evidence on health system and household costs associated with medically attended diarrhea in children.

The Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Surveillance Study in Kenya.

Background: Although is an important cause of diarrhea in Kenyan children, robust research platforms capable of conducting incidence-based estimates and eventual targeted clinical trials are needed to improve -related outcomes in children. Here, we describe characteristics of a disease surveillance platform whose goal is to support incidence and consequences of diarrhea as part of multicounty surveillance aimed at preparing sites and assembling expertise for future vaccine trials.

Methods: We mobilized our preexisting expertise in shigellosis, vaccinology, and diarrheal disease epidemiology, which we combined with our experience conducting population-based sampling, clinical trials with high (97%-98%) retention rates, and healthcare utilization surveys.

Data Management in Multicountry Consortium Studies: The Enterics For Global Health (EFGH) Surveillance Study Example.

Background: Rigorous data management systems and planning are essential to successful research projects, especially for large, multicountry consortium studies involving partnerships across multiple institutions. Here we describe the development and implementation of data management systems and procedures for the Enterics For Global Health (EFGH) surveillance study-a 7-country diarrhea surveillance study that will conduct facility-based surveillance concurrent with population-based enumeration and a health care utilization survey to estimate the incidence of -associated diarrhea in children 6 to 35 months old.

Methods: The goals of EFGH data management are to utilize the knowledge and experience of consortium members to collect high-quality data and ensure equity in access and decision-making.

Microbiological Methods Used in the Enterics for Global Health Surveillance Study.

Background: is a major cause of diarrhea in young children worldwide. Multiple vaccines targeting are in development, and phase 3 clinical trials are imminent to determine efficacy against shigellosis.

Methods: The Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) surveillance study is designed to determine the incidence of medically attended shigellosis in 6- to 35-month-old children in 7 resource-limited settings.

Awareness, experiences and perceptions regarding genetic testing and the return of genetic and genomics results in a hypothetical research context among patients in Uganda: a qualitative study.

Background: Genetic testing presents unique ethical challenges for research and clinical practice, particularly in low-resource settings. To address such challenges, context-specific understanding of ethical, legal and social issues is essential. Return of genetics and genomics research (GGR) results remains an unresolved yet topical issue particularly in African settings that lack appropriate regulation and guidelines.

The Social Contagion Potential of Pro-Vaccine Messages on Black Twitter.

Black Americans in the US not only suffered from disproportionately high hospitalization and death rates throughout the pandemic but also from the consequences of low COVID-19 vaccination rates. This pattern of disparity is linked to distrust of public health systems that originates from a history of medical atrocities committed against Black people. For that reason, mitigation of race-based inequity in COVID-19 impacts might find more success in grassroots information contagion than official public health campaigns.