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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Approximately 25% of cancer patients are diagnosed with rare cancers and face unique challenges. Decentralized patient-partnered research efforts, like Count Me In provide an avenue for patients to participate in research that overcomes key barriers to address disparities in rare cancer research to accelerate discovery.
Objectives: Projects in metastatic breast cancer (The Metastatic Breast Cancer Project; MBCproject) and angiosarcoma (The Angiosarcoma Project; ASCproject) highlight disparities that exist for all cancer patients and underscore those that are compounded for rare cancer patients.
New Dir Stud Leadersh
December 2024
Recently, leadership education researchers and practitioners have raised significant concerns about the gap between the expectations of, and professional training for, leadership educators in student affairs. These professionals are frequently required to facilitate leadership learning, especially in co-curricular training spaces for student leaders. However, they are often not adequately prepared or resourced by their professional development to deliver these training experiences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMacrophages contribute to the induction and resolution of inflammation and play a central role in chronic low-grade inflammation in cardiovascular diseases caused by atherosclerosis. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are complex unconjugated glycans unique to human milk that benefit infant health and act as innate immune modulators. Here, we identify the HMO 3'sialyllactose (3'SL) as a natural inhibitor of TLR4-induced low-grade inflammation in macrophages and endothelium.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile liquid biopsy has potential to transform cancer diagnostics through minimally-invasive detection and monitoring of tumors, the impact of preanalytical factors such as the timing and anatomical location of blood draw is not well understood. To address this gap, we leveraged pet dogs with spontaneous cancer as a model system, as their compressed disease timeline facilitates rapid diagnostic benchmarking. Key liquid biopsy metrics from dogs were consistent with existing reports from human patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuropilin-1 acts as a coreceptor with vascular endothelial growth factor receptors to facilitate binding of its ligand, vascular endothelial growth factor. Neuropilin-1 also binds to heparan sulfate, but the functional significance of this interaction has not been established. A combinatorial library screening using heparin oligosaccharides followed by molecular dynamics simulations of a heparin tetradecasaccharide suggested a highly conserved binding site composed of amino acid residues extending across the b1 and b2 domains of murine neuropilin-1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Nonpharmacological interventions, such as personal protective equipment for example, surgical masks and respirators, and maintenance of hand hygiene along with COVID-19 vaccines have been recommended to reduce viral transmission in the community and health care settings. There is evidence from the literature that surgical and N95 masks may reduce the initial degree of exposure to the virus. A limited research that has studied the cost-effective analysis of surgical masks and N95 masks among health care workers in the prevention of COVID-19 in India.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Multiplex lateral flow rapid diagnostic tests (LF-RDTs) may aid management of patients with acute non-malarial febrile illness (NMFI) in rural south and southeast Asia. We aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness in Cambodia and Bangladesh of a putative, as-yet-undeveloped LF-RDT capable of diagnosing enteric fever and dengue, as well as measuring C-reactive protein (CRP) to guide antibiotic prescription, in primary care patients with acute NMFI.
Methods: A country-specific decision tree model-based cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted from a health system plus limited societal perspective considering the cost of antimicrobial resistance.
Rare cancers and other rare nonmalignant tumors comprise 25% of all cancer diagnoses and account for 25% of all cancer deaths. They are difficult to study due to many factors, including infrequent occurrence, lack of a universal infrastructure for data and/or tissue collection, and a paucity of disease models to test potential treatments. For each individual rare cancer, the limited number of diagnosed cases makes it difficult to recruit sufficient patients for clinical studies, and rare cancer research studies are often siloed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Female genital fistula, largely caused by prolonged obstructed labour, is treated by surgical repair. Preventing pregnancy for a minimum period post-repair is recommended to ensure adequate healing and optimize post-repair outcomes.
Methods: We examined contraceptive preferences and use among Ugandan fistula patients (n = 60) in the year following genital fistula surgery using mixed-methods.
Purpose Of Review: Perineal wound complications occur in up to 25% of postpartum patients. Wound complications are most common after obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) but can occur after any laceration. It is imperative that any provider caring for postpartum patients understand the best evidence-based practices to recognize and manage these complications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is accelerated by widespread and inappropriate use of antimicrobials. Many countries, including those in low- and middle- income contexts, have started implementing interventions to tackle AMR. However, for many interventions there is little or no economic evidence with respect to their cost-effectiveness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThailand faced a dilemma of which groups to prioritise with a limited first tranche of COVID-19 vaccinations in early 2021, at a time when there was low incidence and low mortality in the country. A mathematical modelling analysis was performed to compare the potential short-term impact of allocating the available doses to either the high severity group (over 65-year-olds) or the high transmission group (aged 20-39). At the time of the analysis, there was uncertainty about the precise characteristics of the vaccines available, in terms of their potential impact on transmission and reductions to the severity of infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Surgical repair has a transformative impact on the lives of women affected by female genital fistula; however, various physical, social, and economic challenges may persist postrepair and prevent complete reengagement in relationships and communities. Nuanced investigation of these experiences is needed to inform programming that aligns with women's reintegration needs.
Aim: We investigated the sexual activity resumption, experiences, and concerns of women in Uganda during the year following genital fistula repair surgery.
Dermatol Online J
December 2022
Atypical fibroxanthoma is a rare cutaneous malignancy that usually presents as a rapidly growing red papule on the head and neck in elderly white males. Several variants have been described. We report a patient who presented with a slowly enlarging pigmented lesion on his left ear that was clinically worrisome for malignant melanoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecular profiling studies have enabled discoveries for metastatic prostate cancer (MPC) but have predominantly occurred in academic medical institutions and involved non-representative patient populations. We established the Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project (MPCproject, mpcproject.org), a patient-partnered initiative to involve patients with MPC living anywhere in the US and Canada in molecular research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with sarcoma often require individualized treatment strategies and are likely to receive aggressive immunosuppressive therapies, which may place them at higher risk for severe COVID-19. We aimed to describe demographics, risk factors, and outcomes for patients with sarcoma and COVID-19.
Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with sarcoma and COVID-19 reported to the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) registry (NCT04354701) from 17 March 2020 to 30 September 2021.
The Jemez Mountains salamander (; hereafter JMS) is an endangered salamander restricted to the Jemez Mountains in north-central New Mexico, United States. This strictly terrestrial and lungless species requires moist surface conditions for activities such as mating and foraging. Threats to its current habitat include fire suppression and ensuing severe fires, changes in forest composition, habitat fragmentation, and climate change.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, preferred COVID-19 vaccine profiles, and the preferred vaccination strategies in Thailand.
Methods: An age-structured transmission dynamic model was developed based on key local data to evaluate economic consequences, including cost and health outcome in terms of life-years (LYs) saved. We considered COVID-19 vaccines with different profiles and different vaccination strategies such as vaccinating elderly age groups (over 65s) or high-incidence groups, i.
Vascular dysfunction and organ failure are two distinct, albeit highly interconnected, clinical outcomes linked to morbidity and mortality in human sepsis. The mechanisms driving vascular and parenchymal damage are dynamic and display significant molecular cross talk between organs and tissues. Therefore, assessing their individual contribution to disease progression is technically challenging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Research into the genetic and genomic ("genomics") foundations of disease is central to our understanding of disease prevention, early detection, diagnostic accuracy, and therapeutic intervention. Inequitable participation in genomics research by historically excluded populations limits the ability to translate genomic knowledge to achieve health equity and ensure that findings are generalizable to diverse populations.
Observations: We propose a novel framework for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in genomics research.
Int J Technol Assess Health Care
May 2022
Objectives: Health technology assessment (HTA) plays a central role in the coverage and reimbursement decision-making process for public health expenditure in many countries, including Thailand. However, there have been few attempts to quantitatively understand the benefits of using HTA to inform resource allocation decisions. The objective of this research was to simulate the expected net monetary benefit (NMB) from using HTA-based decision criteria compared to a first-come, first-served (FCFS) approach using data from Thailand.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Patients who have cancer have leveraged the Internet to gain a better understanding of their disease and connect across geographic boundaries with others facing the same challenges. Online cancer communities have developed into resources that highlight new research and evolving care pathways. Combined with increasing health literacy and social media, they have enabled some patients to become experts in their cancer.
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