Immunogenicity, safety, and reactogenicity of a half- versus full-dose BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) booster following a two-dose ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, BBIBP-CorV, or Gam-COVID-Vac priming schedule in Mongolia: a randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial.

Background: COVID-19 vaccine booster doses restore vaccine effectiveness lost from waning immunity and emerging variants. Fractional dosing may improve COVID-19 booster acceptability and uptake and will reduce the per-dose cost of COVID-19 booster programmes. We sought to quantify the immunogenicity, reactogenicity, and safety of a half-dose BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) booster relative to the standard formulation.

Vitamin D supplements for fracture prevention in schoolchildren in Mongolia: analysis of secondary outcomes from a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Vitamin D supplementation has been shown to increase total hip areal bone mineral density in healthy children and adolescents. We aimed to investigate whether supplementing schoolchildren living in Mongolia with weekly vitamin D for 3 years affected fracture risk.

Methods: We did a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial across 18 public schools in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Influence of vitamin D supplementation on fracture risk, bone mineral density and bone biochemistry in Mongolian schoolchildren: multicenter double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) of vitamin D supplementation to reduce fracture risk in children are lacking.

Methods: We conducted a Phase 3 RCT of weekly oral supplementation with 14,000 IU vitamin D for 3 years in Mongolian schoolchildren aged 6-13 years. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations and the proportion of participants reporting ≥1 fracture were secondary outcomes for the main trial.

Learning from the Implementation of the Child Nutrition Program: A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Process.

Nutrition and feeding interventions are important for children’s growth and development. Holt International’s Child Nutrition Program (CNP) is a child nutrition and feeding intervention. This study aims to describe and explore the implementation of CNP in Mongolia and the Philippines using mixed methods including qualitative and quantitative data analysis.

Vitamin D Supplements for Prevention of Tuberculosis Infection and Disease.

Background: Vitamin D metabolites support innate immune responses to . Data from phase 3, randomized, controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation to prevent tuberculosis infection are lacking.

Methods: We randomly assigned children who had negative results for infection according to the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube assay (QFT) to receive a weekly oral dose of either 14,000 IU of vitamin D or placebo for 3 years.

Risk factors for active tuberculosis in 938 QuantiFERON-positive schoolchildren in Mongolia: a community-based cross-sectional study.

Background: There is controversy regarding the relative influence of 'exogenous' versus 'endogenous' factors on the risk of progression from latent tuberculosis infection to active tuberculosis (TB) disease in children.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to identify risk factors for active tuberculosis in QuantiFERON®-TB Gold (QFT-G)-positive children aged 6-13 years attending 18 schools in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Children underwent clinical and radiological screening for active tuberculosis, and data relating to potential risk factors for disease progression were collected by questionnaire and determination of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations.

Prevalence and Determinants of QuantiFERON-Diagnosed Tuberculosis Infection in 9810 Mongolian Schoolchildren.

Background: There is controversy regarding the potential influence of vitamin D deficiency, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, BCG vaccination, season, and body habitus on susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to identify determinants of a positive QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT) assay result in children aged 6-13 years attending 18 schools in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Data relating to potential risk factors for MTB infection were collected by questionnaire, physical examination, and determination of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations.

Practical challenges and solutions to TB control in a lower-middle-income country: experiences from Mongolia.

http://ow.ly/wpjO30kA3fu.

Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Patients for Whom First-Line Treatment Failed, Mongolia, 2010-2011.

In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) was diagnosed for more than a third of new sputum smear-positive tuberculosis patients for whom treatment had failed. This finding suggests a significant risk for community-acquired MDR TB and a need to make rapid molecular drug susceptibility testing available to more people.