Perceived Effectiveness of Public Health Unit Partnerships With Faith-Based and Other Community-Based Organizations to Promote COVID-19 Vaccination Among Ethnoracial Communities.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore how Ontario Public Health Units (PHUs) partnered with faith-based organizations (FBOs) and other community-based organizations (CBOs) to promote COVID-19 vaccination among ethnoracial groups made structurally vulnerable during the pandemic, and to understand how PHUs perceive the effectiveness of these partnerships with these organizations.

Methods: Between June to December 2022, we distributed a cross-sectional survey to 34 PHUs in Ontario to explore how PHUs were engaging and partnering with FBOs and CBOs.

Results: Responses were received from 28 of 34 (82.

Cofactor F tail length distribution in different environmental samples.

Cofactor F is an electron carrier playing a crucial role in a variety of microorganisms during redox reactions of the primary and secondary metabolism due to its low redox potential and thus arouses increasing interest. In this study, cofactor F glutamyl tail length spectra in various habitats like manure, compost, soil, and digester sludge samples and their respective microbial communities were investigated using high performance liquid chromatography and an amplicon sequencing approach A previous study was used to identify F producing microorganisms. The highest concentration of cofactor F could be achieved in the horse manure, digester sludge, and mixed manure samples, which was approximately 100-fold higher than in all the other samples.

Facilitators and challenges in collaboration between public health units and faith-based organizations to promote COVID-19 vaccine confidence in Ontario.

Background: Equitable access to vaccination remains a concern, particularly among population groups made structurally vulnerable. These population groups reflect the diversity of communities that are confronted with structural barriers caused by systemic racism and oppression and result in them experiencing suffer disadvantage and discrimination based on citizenship, race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, spiritual beliefs, and/or gender identity. In Canada, Ontario public health units (PHUs) engage with faith-based organizations (FBOs) to improve vaccine confidence among populations made structurally vulnerable.

Exploring the associations of tobacco smoking and serum cotinine levels with selected inflammatory markers in adults with HIV in South Africa.

This study examined the associations between tobacco smoking and serum cotinine levels, an objective biochemical measure of tobacco smoke exposure, with markers of inflammation, i.e., interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin 10 (IL-10), interleukin 2 (IL-2) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in people living with HIV (PLWH).

Single-trial detection of auditory cues from the rat brain using memristors.

Implantable devices hold the potential to address conditions currently lacking effective treatments, such as drug-resistant neural impairments and prosthetic control. Medical devices need to be biologically compatible while providing enhanced performance metrics of low-power consumption, high accuracy, small size, and minimal latency to enable ongoing intervention in brain function. Here, we demonstrate a memristor-based processing system for single-trial detection of behaviorally meaningful brain signals within a timeframe that supports real-time closed-loop intervention.

Coprevalence and associations of diabetes mellitus and hypertension among people living with HIV/AIDS in Cameroon.

Background: The association between HIV infection and increased cardiometabolic risk, attributed to chronic inflammation in people living with HIV (PLWH) and/or antiretroviral therapy (ART) effects, has been inconsistent. In this study, we aimed to assess the associations of HIV-related factors with hypertension (HTN) and type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and the potential mediation effects of body mass index (BMI) in the associations between ART use and HTN or T2DM in PLWH in Cameroon.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 14,119 adult PLWH from Cameroon enrolled in the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) between 2016 and 2021.

Differential management and associations of dyslipidaemia and hypertension by glycaemic status in urban South Africans.

Background: Dyslipidaemia and hypertension care have not been reported in large samples of community-based participants with known diabetes (KD) nor compared with individuals at high risk for diabetes.

Objectives: To describe the management and associations of dyslipidaemia and hypertension in adults with KD, newly diagnosed diabetes (NDD) and normoglycaemia.

Methods: This urban population-based cross-sectional study comprised participants with KD, NDD and normoglycaemia.

Let's get high: Cladogenesis in freshwater crabs (Decapoda: Potamonautidae: ) supports the mountain gradient speciation hypothesis in the Cape Fold and Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa.

During the present study, the evolutionary relationship within a clade of mountain clade of freshwater crabs () was examined using mtDNA sequence data for species from the Cape Fold Mountain (CFM) and Great Escarpment (Drakensberg Mountain range). We undertook phylogenetic analyses, divergence time estimation, and an ancestral area reconstruction to explore the period of cladogenesis and understand the biogeographic history in this high-altitude clade. Furthermore, we applied four species delimitation methods using ASAP, bPTP, bGMYC, and STACEY on the latter clade.

The Development of Text Messages to Support People at Risk of Diabetes in Low-Resourced Communities: The South African Diabetes Prevention Programme.

Emerging evidence suggests that the addition of text messages to standard healthy lifestyle interventions may improve the outcomes of diabetes prevention programs (DPP). This paper describes the process of developing text messages targeting behavior change in people at risk of developing diabetes in low-resourced communities as part of the South African DPP (SA-DPP). The development comprised multiple steps led by nutrition and physical activity experts.

Microplastic abundance in urban vs. peri-urban mangroves: The feasibility of using invertebrates as biomonitors of microplastic pollution in two mangrove dominated estuaries of southern Africa.

Microplastic (MP) prevalence has been well documented, however, knowledge gaps exist for African mangrove forests. This research is the first to compare MP pollution (using FT-IR analysis) in an urban (Durban Bay) and peri-urban (Mngazana Estuary) mangrove forest in South Africa, across different compartments. MP pollution (typology, abundance, and distribution) was quantified in estuarine surface water, sediment and the soft tissue of three keystone species (Austruca occidentalis, Chiromantes eulimene and Cerithidea decollata) in relation to disturbances acting on these systems.

Depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms two years post-rape and the role of early counselling: Rape Impact Cohort Evaluation (RICE) study.

Survivors of sexual violence are at higher risk of adverse mental health outcomes compared to those exposed to other interpersonal traumas. To examine the trajectory of both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression as well as the role of early counselling over 24 months among rape survivors. The South African Rape Impact Cohort Evaluation (RICE) study enrolled women aged 16-40 years attending post-rape care services within 20 days of a rape incident ( = 734), and a comparison group ( = 786) was recruited from primary health care.

Management and Outcomes of Esophageal Atresia With or Without Tracheo-Esophageal Fistula Over 15 Years in South Africa.

Introduction: To determine the incidence, management and outcomes of esophageal atresia/tracheo-esophageal fistula (EA/TEF) over a 15-y period in South Africa.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of neonates with EA/TEF presenting at the main tertiary referral hospital in the KwaZulu-Natal province between 2002 and 2017 was conducted. Data collection comprised patient and maternal demographics, clinical presentations, laboratory and radiologic investigations, surgical procedures, and outcomes.

Exploring key-stakeholder perceptions on non-communicable disease care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya.

Introduction: over one third of total Disability-Adjusted-Life-Years lost in Kenya are due to non-communicable diseases (NCD). In response, the Government declared significant commitment towards improving NCD care. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the burden on the already overstretched health systems in Kenya.

Symptoms of posttraumatic stress partially mediate the relationship between gender-based violence and alcohol misuse among South African women.

Background: The association of traumatic experiences with problematic alcohol use has been described, but data on possible mediation effects of mental distress are sparse. We examined whether mental ill-health mediated the association between trauma exposure across the lifespan and alcohol use.

Method: We analysed cross-sectional data from a sample of rape-exposed and non-rape-exposed women, living in KwaZulu-Natal, with self-reported data on alcohol misuse (AUDIT-C cut-off ≥ 3) and exposure to childhood maltreatment (CM), intimate partner violence (IPV), non-partner sexual violence (NPSV), other traumatic events, and mental ill-health.

Prevalence of selected cardiometabolic risk factors in the global ART-naïve HIV infected population: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: People living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) are at increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases attributable to the effects of the virus, antiretroviral therapy (ART) and traditional risk factors. Most studies have focused on assessing the effect of ART on cardiometabolic diseases in PLHIV with fewer studies assessing the cardiometabolic risk profile prior to exposure to ART. Therefore, this protocol is for a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the global prevalence of selected cardiometabolic risk factors in ART-naïve PLHIV and their association with HIV specific factors.

Description of a new montane freshwater crab (Arthropoda, Malacostraca, Decapoda, Potamonautidae) from the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

A new species of freshwater crab, , is described from the Winterberg-Amathole mountain range in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Morphologically, Peer & Gouws, most closely resembles but can be distinguished by key morphological characters including the variation in the shape of the subterminal segment of gonopod 2 between both species. Genetically, Peer & Gouws, is placed within the clade of small-bodied, mountain-dwelling crabs including , , , , , and .

Pathways to adverse pregnancy outcomes: exploring the mediating role of intimate partner violence and depression: results from a South African rape cohort study.

Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) are common occurrences that contribute to negative maternal and child health outcomes. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that trauma exposure and depression are drivers of the better-recognised risk factors for miscarriage, abortion and stillbirths. Our comparative cohort study based in Durban, South Africa recruited women who reported a recent rape (n = 852) and those who had never experienced rape (n = 853), with follow-up for 36 months.

Prevalence and influences of diabetes and prediabetes among adults living with HIV in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: In people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV), traditional cardiovascular risk factors, exposure to HIV per se and antiretroviral therapy (ART) are assumed to contribute to cardiometabolic diseases. Nevertheless, controversy exists on the relationship of HIV and ART with diabetes. To clarify the relationship between HIV and type 2 diabetes, this review determined, in PLHIV in Africa, diabetes and prediabetes prevalence, and the extent to which their relationship was modified by socio-demographic characteristics, body mass index (BMI), diagnostic definitions used for diabetes and prediabetes, and HIV-related characteristics, including CD4 count, and use and duration of ART.

Adapting and Developing A Diabetes Prevention Intervention Programme for South Africa: Curriculum and Tools.

The South African Diabetes Prevention Programme (SA-DPP) is a lifestyle intervention targeting individuals at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this paper we describe the mixed-method staged approach that was used to develop and refine the SA-DPP intervention curriculum and the appropriate tools for local resource-poor communities. During the preparation phase, existing evidence on similar DPP interventions was reviewed, focus group discussions with individuals from the target population were conducted as part of a needs assessment, and experts were consulted.

Expanding the Pathogen Panel in Wastewater Epidemiology to Influenza and Norovirus.

Since the start of the 2019 pandemic, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has proven to be a valuable tool for monitoring the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2. With methods and infrastructure being settled, it is time to expand the potential of this tool to a wider range of pathogens. We used over 500 archived RNA extracts from a WBE program for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance to monitor wastewater from 11 treatment plants for the presence of influenza and norovirus twice a week during the winter season of 2021/2022.