AnophelesModel: An R package to interface mosquito bionomics, human exposure and intervention effects with models of malaria intervention impact.

In recent decades, field and semi-field studies of malaria transmission have gathered geographic-specific information about mosquito ecology, behaviour and their sensitivity to interventions. Mathematical models of malaria transmission can incorporate such data to infer the likely impact of vector control interventions and hence guide malaria control strategies in various geographies. To facilitate this process and make model predictions of intervention impact available for different geographical regions, we developed AnophelesModel.

Intervention effect of targeted workplace closures may be approximated by single-layered networks in an individual-based model of COVID-19 control.

Individual-based models of infectious disease dynamics commonly use network structures to represent human interactions. Network structures can vary in complexity, from single-layered with homogeneous mixing to multi-layered with clustering and layer-specific contact weights. Here we assessed policy-relevant consequences of network choice by simulating different network structures within an established individual-based model of SARS-CoV-2 dynamics.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Rapid Evidence Review.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is caused by compression of the median nerve as it travels through the carpal tunnel. Patients commonly experience pain, paresthesia, and, less often, weakness in the distribution of the median nerve. Provocative maneuvers, such as the Phalen test and Tinel sign, have varying sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of CTS.

Efficacy thresholds and target populations for antiviral COVID-19 treatments to save lives and costs: a modelling study.

Background: In 2023 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was declared endemic, yet hospital admissions have persisted and risen within populations at high and moderate risk of developing severe disease, which include those of older age, and those with co-morbidities. Antiviral treatments, currently only available for high-risk individuals, play an important role in preventing severe disease and hospitalisation within this subpopulation. Here, we further explore the public health and economic benefits of extending target populations for treatment, and assess efficacy thresholds for a treatment strategy to be cost-saving.

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention and the spread of Plasmodium falciparum quintuple-mutant parasites resistant to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine: a modelling study.

Background: Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine prevents millions of clinical malaria cases in children younger than 5 years in Africa's Sahel region. However, Plasmodium falciparum parasites partially resistant to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (with quintuple mutations) potentially threaten the protective effectiveness of SMC. We evaluated the spread of quintuple-mutant parasites and the clinical consequences.

Ngulluk Moort, Ngulluk Boodja, Ngulluk Wirin (our family, our country, our spirit): An Aboriginal Participatory Action Research study protocol.

Globally, Indigenous children have historical and contemporary connections with government child protection services that have caused significant harm to their long-term health and wellbeing. Innovative, culturally secure and recovery focussed service provision is required. This paper describes a research protocol that has been designed by Indigenous researchers led by Indigenous Elders, to explore culturally secure care planning and service delivery in out-of-home care agencies in Australia.

Barriers to Participation in a Structured Quality Improvement Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Emergency Department Visits-A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Barriers to quality improvement (QI) initiatives in multi-institutional hospital settings are understudied. Here we describe a qualitative investigation of factors negatively affecting a QI initiative focused on reducing avoidable emergency department (ED) visits after bariatric surgery across 17 hospitals. Our goal was to explore participant perspectives and identify themes describing why the program was not effectively implemented or why the program may have been ineffective when correctly implemented.

Severe outcomes of malaria in children under time-varying exposure.

In malaria epidemiology, interpolation frameworks based on available observations are critical for policy decisions and interpreting disease burden. Updating our understanding of the empirical evidence across different populations, settings, and timeframes is crucial to improving inference for supporting public health. Here, via individual-based modeling, we evaluate a large, multicountry, contemporary Plasmodium falciparum severe malaria dataset to better understand the relationship between prevalence and incidence of malaria pediatric hospitalizations - a proxy of malaria severe outcomes- in East-Africa.

First Nations Peoples' perceptions, knowledge and beliefs regarding stillbirth prevention and bereavement practices: A mixed methods systematic review.

Background: First Nations Peoples endure disproportionate rates of stillbirth compared with non-First Nations Peoples. Previous interventions have aimed at reducing stillbirth in First Nations Peoples and providing better bereavement care without necessarily understanding the perceptions, knowledge and beliefs that could influence the design of the intervention and implementation.

Aim: The aim of this review was to understand the perceptions, knowledge and beliefs about stillbirth prevention and bereavement of First Nations Peoples from the US, Canada, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and Australia.

Design and selection of drug properties to increase the public health impact of next-generation seasonal malaria chemoprevention: a modelling study.

Background: Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is recommended for disease control in settings with moderate to high Plasmodium falciparum transmission and currently depends on the administration of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine. However, poor regimen adherence and the increased frequency of parasite mutations conferring sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance might threaten the effectiveness of SMC. Guidance is needed to de-risk the development of drug compounds for malaria prevention.

A case for ongoing structural support to maximise infectious disease modelling efficiency for future public health emergencies: A modelling perspective.

This short communication reflects upon the challenges and recommendations of multiple COVID-19 modelling and data analytic groups that provided quantitative evidence to support health policy discussions in Switzerland and Germany during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Capacity strengthening outside infectious disease emergencies will be required to enable an environment for a timely, efficient, and data-driven response to support decisions during any future infectious disease emergency. This will require 1) a critical mass of trained experts who continuously advance state-of-the-art methodological tools, 2) the establishment of structural liaisons amongst scientists and decision-makers, and 3) the foundation and management of data-sharing frameworks.

Development of WHO Recommendations for the Final Phase of Elimination and Prevention of Re-Establishment of Malaria.

The WHO recommends that all affected countries work toward the elimination of malaria, even those still experiencing a high burden of disease. However, malaria programs in the final phase of elimination or those working to prevent re-establishment of transmission after elimination could benefit from specific evidence-based recommendations for these settings as part of comprehensive and quality-controlled malaria guidelines. The WHO convened an external guideline development group to formulate recommendations for interventions to reduce or prevent malaria transmission in areas with very low- to low-transmission levels and those that have eliminated malaria.

Repurposing Know-how for Drug Development: Case Studies from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.

In pursuing novel therapeutic solutions, drug discovery and development rely on efficiently utilising existing knowledge and resources. Repurposing know-how, a strategy that capitalises on previously acquired information and expertise, has emerged as a powerful approach to accelerate drug discovery and development processes, often at a fraction of the costs of de novo developments. For 80 years, collaborating within a network of partnerships, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) has been working along a value chain from innovation to validation and application to combat poverty-related diseases.

Rapid Lewis Acid Screening and Reaction Optimization Using 3D-Printed Catalyst-Impregnated Stirrer Devices in the Synthesis of Heterocycles.

We describe the development of Lewis acid (LA) catalyst-impregnated 3D-printed stirrer devices and demonstrate their ability to facilitate the rapid screening of reaction conditions to synthesize heterocycles. The stereolithography 3D-printed stirrer devices were designed to fit round-bottomed flasks and Radleys carousel tubes using our recently reported solvent-resistant resin, and using CFD modeling studies and experimental data, we demonstrated that the device design leads to rapid mixing and rapid throughput over the device surface. Using a range of LA 3D-printed stirrers, the reaction between a diamine and an aldehyde was optimized for the catalyst and solvent, and we demonstrated that use of the 3D-printed catalyst-embedded devices led to higher yields and reduced reaction times.

Biofortified Yellow-Fleshed Potatoes Provide More Absorbable Zinc than a Commonly Consumed Variety: A Randomized Trial Using Stable Isotopes in Women in the Peruvian Highlands.

Background: Zinc-biofortified potatoes have considerable potential to reduce zinc deficiency because of their low levels of phytate, an inhibitor of zinc absorption, and their high consumption, especially in the Andean region of Peru.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to measure fractional and total zinc absorption from a test meal of biofortified compared with regular potatoes.

Methods: We undertook a single-blinded randomized crossover study (using Zn and Zn stable isotopes) in which 37 women consumed 500-g biofortified or regular potatoes twice a day.

First Nations populations' perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and myths about prevention and bereavement in stillbirth: a mixed methods systematic review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this review is to investigate First Nations populations' perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and myths about stillbirth.

Introduction: First Nations populations experience disproportionate rates of stillbirth compared with non-First Nations populations. There has been a surge of interventions aimed at reducing stillbirth and providing better bereavement care, but these are not necessarily appropriate for First Nations populations.

Targeting Oncogenic Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling in Adrenocortical Carcinoma Disrupts ECM Expression and Impairs Tumor Growth.

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare but highly aggressive cancer with limited treatment options and poor survival for patients with advanced disease. An improved understanding of the transcriptional programs engaged in ACC will help direct rational, targeted therapies. Whereas activating mutations in Wnt/β-catenin signaling are frequently observed, the β-catenin-dependent transcriptional targets that promote tumor progression are poorly understood.

Optimizing the dosing of vancomycin in patients receiving intermittent haemodialysis with low-flux filters, and the potential impact of dosing software.

Aim: Iterative approaches to vancomycin dosing (e.g., dosing when trough concentrations <15-20 mg/L) can be inadequate.

Feeding Homemade Sugar Sweetened Beverages in Addition to Breastfeeding: Survey Results from Caregivers of Infants and Young Children in Peri-Urban Lima, Peru.

Objectives: Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) is associated with childhood obesity and other negative health conditions. Feeding SSB to infants and young children (IYC) under 2 years may displace consumption of breastmilk and nutrient rich foods critical for optimal growth and development. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends avoiding added sugar (e.

Total Iron Absorbed from Iron-Biofortified Potatoes Is Higher than that from Nonbiofortified Potatoes: A Randomized Trial Using Stable Iron Isotopes in Women from the Peruvian Highlands.

Background: Yellow-fleshed potatoes biofortified with iron have been developed through conventional breeding, but the bioavailability of iron is unknown.

Objectives: Our objective was to measure iron absorption from an iron-biofortified yellow-fleshed potato clone in comparison with a nonbiofortified yellow-fleshed potato variety.

Methods: We conducted a single-blinded, randomized, crossover, multiple-meal intervention study.

Modelling to inform next-generation medical interventions for malaria prevention and treatment.

Global progress against malaria has stagnated and novel medical interventions to prevent malaria are needed to fill gaps in existing tools and improve protection against infection and disease. Candidate selection for next-generation interventions should be supported by the best available evidence. Target product profiles and preferred product characteristics play a key role in setting selection criteria requirements and early endorsement by health authorities.

Model-informed target product profiles of long-acting-injectables for use as seasonal malaria prevention.

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) has proven highly efficacious in reducing malaria incidence. However, the continued success of SMC is threatened by the spread of resistance against one of its main preventive ingredients, Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP), operational challenges in delivery, and incomplete adherence to the regimens. Via a simulation study with an individual-based model of malaria dynamics, we provide quantitative evidence to assess long-acting injectables (LAIs) as potential alternatives to SMC.

Interactions between genetic and lifestyle factors on cardiometabolic disease-related outcomes in Latin American and Caribbean populations: A systematic review.

Introduction: The prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases has increased in Latin American and the Caribbean populations (LACP). To identify gene-lifestyle interactions that modify the risk of cardiometabolic diseases in LACP, a systematic search using 11 search engines was conducted up to May 2022.

Methods: Eligible studies were observational and interventional studies in either English, Spanish, or Portuguese.

Segmental Suture Gonioscopy-Assisted Transluminal Trabeculotomy: Comparison of Superior Versus Inferior Hemisphere Outcomes.

Prcis: Analysis of efficacy, safety, and risk factors for failure of superior versus inferior 180-degree segmental gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculectomy showed no significant difference between approaches, with novel risk factors for failure identified.

Purpose: Compare the efficacy, safety, and risk factors for failure of superior versus inferior 180-degree segmental suture gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT).

Design: Multicenter, retrospective interventional cohort study of 297 eyes of 243 glaucomatous patients, which underwent superior or inferior 180-degree suture hemi-GATT surgery combined with phacoemulsification at one of 3 Canadian ophthalmological surgical centres in Calgary, Alberta or Toronto, Ontario.