Methods for estimating beneficiary populations targeted by health and nutrition interventions for women, pregnant women, infants, and young children.

Utilization of maternal and child interventions is typically tracked in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) using coverage estimates from population representative surveys. These estimates cannot be directly applied to assess resource gaps in intervention delivery for which data on the population eligible is required. Moreover, coverage improvements may not necessarily reflect an expansion in utilization because of a decline in the population eligible.

Discovery of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa-specific small molecule targeting outer membrane protein OprH-LPS interaction by a multiplexed screen.

The surge of antimicrobial resistance threatens efficacy of current antibiotics, particularly against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a highly resistant gram-negative pathogen. The asymmetric outer membrane (OM) of P. aeruginosa combined with its array of efflux pumps provide a barrier to xenobiotic accumulation, thus making antibiotic discovery challenging.

Trends and Inequities in Adequacy of Micronutrient Intakes in Rural Bangladesh.

Background: Micronutrient deficiencies pose a significant public health challenge, yet limited evidence exists on micronutrient intakes over time in Bangladesh.

Objectives: We assessed trends and adequacies in micronutrient intakes and examined the changes in inequities by age group, sex, and expenditure quintile.

Methods: We used panel data from the 2011 and 2018 Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (n = 21,475 and 21,589 household members aged 2 y or older, respectively).

Computer vision-assisted dietary assessment through mobile phones in female youth in urban Ghana: validity against weighed records and comparison with 24-h recalls.

Background: Gaps persist in the data on diets and on the validity of dietary assessment methods in youth in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to costs constraints. Although computer vision-assisted dietary assessment tools have been proposed, limited evidence exists on their validity in LMICs.

Objectives: This study aimed to validate FRANI (Food Recognition Assistance and Nudging Insights), a mobile phone application with computer vision-assisted dietary assessment, against weighed records (WRs) and compare with 24-h recalls (24HR), in female youth in Ghana.

Perturbation-specific transcriptional mapping for unbiased target elucidation of antibiotics.

The rising prevalence of antibiotic resistance threatens human health. While more sophisticated strategies for antibiotic discovery are being developed, target elucidation of new chemical entities remains challenging. In the postgenomic era, expression profiling can play an important role in mechanism-of-action (MOA) prediction by reporting on the cellular response to perturbation.

Stability and cavitation of nanobubble: Insights from large-scale atomistic molecular dynamics simulations.

We perform large-scale atomistic simulations of a system containing 12 × 106 atoms, comprising an oxygen gas-filled bubble immersed in water, to understand the stability and cavitation induced by ultrasound. First, we propose a method to construct a bubble/water system. For a given bubble radius, the pressure inside the bubble is estimated using the Young-Laplace equation.

Modeling stable cavitation of coated microbubbles: A framework integrating smoothed dissipative particle dynamics and the Rayleigh-Plesset equation.

Coated microbubbles are widely used in medical applications, particularly in enhanced drug and gene delivery. One of the mechanisms underlying these applications involves the shear stress exerted on the cell membrane by acoustic microstreaming generated through cavitation bubbles. In this study, we develop a novel simulation approach that combines the smooth dissipative particle dynamics (SDPD) simulation method with numerical modeling of the Rayleigh-Plesset-like equation in an ad hoc manner to simulate stable cavitation of microbubbles at microsecond and micrometer scales.

Diet Quality Among Mothers and Children in India: Roles of Social and Behavior Change Communication and Nutrition-Sensitive Social Protection Programs.

Background: Limited evidence exists on determinants of maternal and child diet quality.

Objectives: This study examined the role of social and behavior change communication (SBCC) and nutrition-sensitive social protection (NSSP) programs on maternal and child diet quality.

Methods: Data were from cross-sectional phone survey on 6627 Indian mothers that took place in late 2021.

The Relationship of Preterm and Small for Gestational Age with Child Cognition During School-Age Years.

Background: Children born preterm and/or small for gestational age (SGA) are at increased risk of poor cognitive outcomes, particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the cognitive and academic deficits during the school-age years in children born preterm or SGA compared with those in children born term adequate for gestational age (AGA) in rural Vietnam.

Methods: Children born to women in a preconception micronutrient supplementation trial in Vietnam were classified into 3 groups: preterm AGA (n =138), term SGA (n =169), and term AGA (n = 1134).

Identifying measures for coverage of nutrition-sensitive social protection programs: Learnings from India.

Optimal child growth requires a combination of nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions in the first 1,000 days. There is limited guidance on how to measure the population-level coverage of nutrition-sensitive social protection (NSSP), which is designed with explicit nutrition goals and often provides food or cash transfers and co-coverage with nutrition and health intervention. In this study in India, we designed a questionnaire that captures seven core NSSP program elements (transfer type, size, modality, population, timing, provider, conditionalities), then used cognitive testing to refine the questionnaire, and then implemented the questions as part of a telephone survey.

Lifestyle practices and associated factors among adults with hypertension: Conquering Hypertension in Vietnam-solutions at the grassroots level study.

Background: Vietnam is experiencing an increasing prevalence of hypertension in its adult population. In addition to medical therapy, modifying adverse lifestyle practices is important for effective blood pressure control. There are limited data on unhealthy lifestyle practices in patients with chronic diseases, however, particularly among hypertensive patients living in rural Vietnam.

Effects of a large-scale alcohol ban on population-level alcohol intake, weight, blood pressure, blood glucose, and domestic violence in India: a quasi-experimental population-based study.

Background: Globally, alcohol consumption is a leading risk factor for deaths and disability and a causal factor in over 200 diseases, injuries, and health conditions. In April 2016, the manufacture, transport, sale, and consumption of alcohol was banned in Bihar, a populous Indian state. We sought to estimate the impacts of this ban on health outcomes and domestic violence.

Corrigendum to 'Defining a Dichotomous Indicator for Population-Level Assessment of Dietary Diversity Among Pregnant Adolescent Girls and Women:…' [Curr. Dev. Nutr. 8 (2024) 102053].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.cdnut.

Feasibility of Using an Artificial Intelligence-based Telephone Application for Dietary Assessment and Nudging to Improve the Quality of Food Choices of Female Adolescents in Vietnam: Evidence from a Randomized Pilot Study.

Background: Adolescent nutrition has faced a policy neglect, partly owing to the gaps in dietary intake data for this age group. The Food Recognition Assistance and Nudging Insights (FRANI) is a smartphone application validated for dietary assessment and to influence users toward healthy food choices.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the feasibility (adherence, acceptability, and usability) of FRANI and its effects on food choices and diet quality in female adolescents in Vietnam.

Deworming and micronutrient status by community open defecation prevalence: An observational study using nationally representative data from India, 2016-2018.

Background: Micronutrient deficiencies are widespread in India. Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are acquired by interaction with soil and water contaminated by human feces and lead to blood loss and poor micronutrient absorption. The current recommendation for control of STH-related morbidity is targeted deworming, yet little is known about the effectiveness of deworming on micronutrient status in varying sanitation contexts.

Utilizing surface plasmon resonance as a novel method for monitoring P-glycoprotein efflux.

P-glycoprotein (Pgp) is known for its dichotomous roles as both a safeguarding efflux transporter against xenobiotics and as a catalyst for multidrug resistance. Given the susceptibility of numerous therapeutic compounds to Pgp-mediated resistance, compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines mandates an in-depth transport assay during drug development. This study introduces an innovative transport assay that aligns with these regulatory imperatives but also addresses limitations in the currently established techniques.

Utilization of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and its linkages with undernutrition in India.

The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme has been the central focus of the POSHAN Abhiyaan to combat maternal and child malnutrition under the national nutrition mission in India. This paper examined the linkages between utilization of ICDS and underweight among children aged 6-59 months. The study utilized data from two recent rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4 [2015-2016] and NFHS-5 [2019-2021]).

"Multiplexed screen identifies a -specific small molecule targeting the outer membrane protein OprH and its interaction with LPS".

The surge of antimicrobial resistance threatens efficacy of current antibiotics, particularly against , a highly resistant gram-negative pathogen. The asymmetric outer membrane (OM) of combined with its array of efflux pumps provide a barrier to xenobiotic accumulation, thus making antibiotic discovery challenging. We adapted PROSPECT , a target-based, whole-cell screening strategy, to discover small molecule probes that kill mutants depleted for essential proteins localized at the OM.

Growth patterns of preterm and small for gestational age children during the first 10 years of life.

Background: Preterm and small for gestational age (SGA) remain significant public health concerns worldwide. Yet limited evidence exists on their growth patterns during childhood from low-or middle-income countries.

Objectives: We investigated the postnatal growth patterns of preterm and SGA compared to term appropriate for gestational age (AGA) children from birth to 10-11y, and examined the impact of birth status on child nutritional status during the school age years.

The relationships between optimal infant feeding practices and child development and attained height at age 2 years and 6-7 years.

Limited evidence exists on the long-term effects of early feeding practices on child growth and development. We examined the relationships between infant feeding practices and child height and development at ages 2 and 6-7 years. We studied 885 mother-child dyads from a randomized controlled trial of preconception supplementation in Vietnam.

Preconception Micronutrient Supplementation Affects Maternal BMI and Body Composition Postpartum: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Vietnam.

Background: Although there is growing evidence on the role of preconception nutrition for birth outcomes, limited evidence exists for its effects on maternal health.

Objectives: This study evaluates the impact of preconception micronutrient supplementation on maternal BMI (kg/m) and body composition at 6 to 7 y postpartum (PP).

Methods: We followed females who participated in a randomized controlled trial of preconception supplementation in Vietnam and delivered live offspring (n = 1599).

Serial measurements of SIRS and SEP scores to identify unique phenotypes of sepsis.

Using scoring systems in discreet microbiologic cohorts in a serial fashion to identify unique phenotypes of sepsis remains unknown. Single-center, retrospective study that screened adults who triggered the hospital's SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome) based sepsis alert into culture positive (Cx +) and culture negative (Cx-) groups. Subgroups were based on the location where the SIRS alert fired.

Inflammatory mediators drive neuroinflammation in autism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy.

Inflammation conditions are associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and cerebral palsy (CP), primarily observed in the peripheral immune system. However, the extent of neuro-inflammation and neuro-immune dysregulation remains poorly studied. In this study, we analyzed the composition of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to uncover the inflammatory mediators driving the neuro-immune system in ASD and CP patients.

Structure and Elasticity of Mitochondrial Membranes: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study.

Mitochondria are known as the powerhouse of the cell because they produce energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate. They also have other crucial functions such as regulating apoptosis, calcium homeostasis, and reactive oxygen species production. To perform these diverse functions, mitochondria adopt specific structures and frequently undergo dynamic shape changes, indicating that their mechanical properties play an essential role in their functions.