Giving adolescent girls and young women a foothold: Economic strengthening as a key protection strategy against HIV infection in South Africa.

This paper focused on the prevention of HIV transmission for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), through a layered approach which included economic strengthening as a core strategy, especially for the most vulnerable. Based on multi-year data in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, we assessed the outcomes of an economic strengthening model developed by TB HIV Care (THC) in the Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe (DREAMS) HIV prevention programme. The methods used are primarily qualitative.

Exploring psychotic symptoms among substance-naïve individuals and recent abstainers without a psychosis diagnosis: A cross-country study across Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Africa.

Psychotic symptoms are of increasing interest in mental health due to their predictive value for future psychotic disorders. While these symptoms are prevalent in the general population, their occurrence varies globally. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and factors associated with psychotic symptoms among individuals identified as substance-naïve and recent abstainers without a history of psychosis.

A blended genome and exome sequencing method captures genetic variation in an unbiased, high-quality, and cost-effective manner.

We deployed the Blended Genome Exome (BGE), a DNA library blending approach that generates low pass whole genome (1-4× mean depth) and deep whole exome (30-40× mean depth) data in a single sequencing run. This technology is cost-effective, empowers most genomic discoveries possible with deep whole genome sequencing, and provides an unbiased method to capture the diversity of common SNP variation across the globe. To evaluate this new technology at scale, we applied BGE to sequence >53,000 samples from the Populations Underrepresented in Mental Illness Associations Studies (PUMAS) Project, which included participants across African, African American, and Latin American populations.

Pulmonary hypertension and the potential of 'drug' repurposing: A case for African medicinal plants.

Abstract: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a haemodynamic disorder in which elevated blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation is caused by abnormal vascular tone. Despite advances in treatment, PH mortality remains high, and drug repurposing has been proposed as a mitigating approach. This article reviews the studies that have investigated drug repurposing as a viable option for PH.

Cross-cultural equivalence of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) across four African countries in a multi-national study of adults.

The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) has been widely used to screen psychological distress across many countries. However, its performance has not been extensively studied in Africa. The present study sought to evaluate and compare measurement properties of the K10 across four African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.

Screening for immune biomarkers associated with infection or protection against Ehrlichia ruminantium by RNA-sequencing analysis.

Heartwater is one of the most economically important tick-borne fatal diseases of livestock. The disease is caused by the bacteria Ehrlichia ruminantium transmitted by Amblyomma ticks. Although there is evidence that interferon-gamma controls E.

Buspirone and Zolmitriptan Combination for Dyskinesia: A Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Study.

Background: Preclinical evidence suggests that co-administration of the 5-HT agonist buspirone and the 5-HT agonist zolmitriptan act synergistically to reduce dyskinesia to a greater extent than that achieved by either drug alone.

Objectives: Assess the therapeutic potential of a fixed-dose buspirone and zolmitriptan combination in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with levodopa-induced dyskinesia.

Methods: Single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled, two-way crossover study (NCT02439203) of a fixed-dose buspirone/zolmitriptan regimen (10/1.

Identification of T cell and linear B cell epitopes on African horse sickness virus serotype 4 proteins VP1-1, VP2, VP4, VP7 and NS3.

The viral proteins VP1-1, VP2, VP4, VP7 and NS3, of African horse sickness virus serotype 4 (AHSV4), have previously been identified to contain CD8+ T cell epitopes. In this study, overlapping peptides spanning the entire sequences of these AHSV4 proteins were synthesized and used to map epitopes. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from five horses immunized with an attenuated AHSV4 were stimulated in vitro with the synthesized peptides.

Characterisation of South African field Ehrlichia ruminantium using multilocus sequence typing.

Heartwater, one of the major tick-borne diseases of some domestic and wild ruminants in Africa, is caused by Ehrlichia ruminantium. The genetic diversity of E. ruminantium isolates renders the available vaccine ineffective against certain virulent isolates.

Effect of implementation strategies on pre-exposure prophylaxis persistence among female sex workers in South Africa: an interrupted time series study.

Background: A disproportionate number of new HIV infections in South Africa are among female sex workers; pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention is freely available to female sex workers in the country, but unique barriers challenge PrEP persistence. TB HIV Care, a large South African non-profit organisation that provides daily oral PrEP (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine), has implemented multiple strategies to improve PrEP persistence. We aimed to evaluate the effect of different implementation strategies on PrEP persistence in a large-scale real-world setting.

Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Wilderness Search and Rescue Operations: A Scoping Review.

Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) focuses on locating and extricating missing persons in remote settings. As unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or "drone" technology has evolved, so has the literature describing its application in WSAR operations. We conducted a scoping review of literature that describes the use of UAVs in WSAR contexts.

Gut microbiota crosstalk mechanisms are key in pulmonary hypertension: The involvement of melatonin is instrumental too.

The microbiota refers to a plethora of microorganisms with a gene pool of approximately three million, which inhabits the human gastrointestinal tract or gut. The latter, not only promotes the transport of nutrients, ions, and fluids from the lumen to the internal environment but is linked with the development of diseases including coronary artery disease, heart failure, and lung diseases. The exact mechanism of how the microbiota achieves crosstalk between itself and distant organs/tissues is not clear, but factors released to other organs may play a role, like inflammatory and genetic factors, and now we highlight melatonin as a novel mediator of the gut-lung crosstalk.

Performance evaluation of InfectID-BSI: A rapid quantitative PCR assay for detecting sepsis-associated organisms directly from whole blood.

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) (presence of pathogenic organism in blood) that progress to sepsis (life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by the body's dysregulated response to an infection) is a major healthcare issue globally with close to 50 million cases annually and 11 million sepsis-related deaths, representing about 20% of all global deaths. A rapid diagnostic assay with accurate pathogen identification has the potential to improve antibiotic stewardship and clinical outcomes.

Methods: The InfectID-Bloodstream Infection (InfectID-BSI) test is a real-time quantitative PCR assay, which detects 26 of the most prevalent BSI-causing pathogens (bacteria and yeast) directly from blood (without need for pre-culture).

Trauma exposure and psychometric properties of the life events checklist among adults in South Africa.

Trauma exposure is widespread and linked to chronic physical and mental health conditions including posttraumatic stress disorder. However, there are major gaps in our knowledge of trauma exposure in Africa and on the validity of instruments to assess potentially life-threatening trauma exposure. The Life Events Checklist for the DSM-5 (LEC-5) is a free, widely used questionnaire to assess traumatic events that can be associated with psychopathology.

Th1 and Th2 epitopes of Cowdria polymorphic gene 1 of Ehrlichia ruminantium.

Cowdria polymorphic gene 1 (cpg1, Erum2510, ERUM_RS01380) has been shown to induce 30% and 100% protection in sheep immunised by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) prime combined with DNA boost and DNA prime combined with protein boost, respectively, against heartwater infection via needle challenge. To localise its antigenic regions for inclusion in a multi-epitope DNA vaccine against heartwater, Erum2510 was cleaved into five overlapping subfragments. These subfragments were expressed individually in an Escherichia coli host expression system and evaluated for their ability to induce proliferative responses, Th1 and Th2 cytokines (interferon gamma [IFN-γ] and interleukin 4 [IL-4]) via enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot), quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and flow cytometry.

Longitudinal patterns of initiation, persistence, and cycling on preexposure prophylaxis among female sex workers and adolescent girls and young women in South Africa.

Objective: Female sex workers (FSW) and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) face a disproportionately high risk of HIV in South Africa. Oral preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can avert new infections, but its effectiveness is linked to consistent use. Early discontinuation of PrEP in this population is high, but less is known about longitudinal patterns of PrEP use, including patterns of re-initiation and cycling.

Rift Valley Fever vaccine strategies: Enhanced stability of RVF Clone 13.

Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) causes the zoonotic RVF disease, which results in substantial economic losses in livestock industries. Regular vaccination of livestock against RVF is necessary to generate long-term immunity and avoid the loss of livestock. The live attenuated vaccine based on Clone 13 virus strain has been used to reduce the negative impact of RVF disease.

Changes in subcutaneous adipose tissue microRNA expression in response to exercise training in obese African women.

The mechanisms that underlie exercise-induced adaptations in adipose tissue have not been elucidated, yet, accumulating studies suggest an important role for microRNAs (miRNAs). This study aimed to investigate miRNA expression in gluteal subcutaneous adipose tissue (GSAT) in response to a 12-week exercise intervention in South African women with obesity, and to assess depot-specific differences in miRNA expression in GSAT and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASAT). In addition, the association between exercise-induced changes in miRNA expression and metabolic risk was evaluated.

The impact of Escherichia coli contamination products present in recombinant African horse sickness virus serotype 4 proteins on the innate and humoral immune responses.

Transcriptome analysis was used to characterise the in vitro primary and secondary immune responses induced in horse peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated for 24 h with the individual recombinant proteins of a virulent AHSV serotype 4 (AHSV4) field isolate (rAHSV4 proteins) that were previously expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli). The results showed that the E.

Physical Activity and Related Factors in Pre-Adolescent Southern African Children of Diverse Population Groups.

Tailored obesity management includes understanding physical activity (PA) and its context, ideally in childhood before the onset of health risk. This cross-sectional study determined, by sex and population, the PA of Southern African pre-adolescent urban primary school children. PA was measured objectively (step count: pedometer) and subjectively (Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children [PAQ-C]), taking confounders (phenotype, school-built environment, and socio-economic environment) into account.

Resting energy expenditure of a diverse group of South African men and women.

Background: In South Africa, overweight/obesity is a public health concern, disproportionally affecting Black females. A contributory role of a lower resting energy expenditure (REE) is suggested for African Americans. The present study assessed the REE of Black and White South African adults aiming to better understand the underlying predictors to overweight/obesity and transform this into locally appropriate recommendations.