Evaluation of SaTo pans as a new latrine technology in Kisumu County healthcare facilities, Kenya.

Objectives: Innovations to improve public sanitation facilities, especially in healthcare facilities (HCFs) in low-income countries, are limited. SaTo pans represent novel, largely untested, modifications to reduce odour and flies and improve acceptability of HCF sanitation facilities. We conducted a pilot project to evaluate acceptability, cleanliness, flies and odour within latrines in 37 HCFs in Kisumu, Kenya, randomised into intervention (SaTo pan modifications) and control arms by sub-county and HCF level.

An Assessment of Household Knowledge and Practices during a Cholera Epidemic- Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2016.

From August 15, 2015 to March 5, 2016, Tanzania reported 16,521 cholera cases and 251 deaths, with 4,596 cases and 44 deaths in its largest city, Dar es Salaam. To evaluate outbreak response efforts, we conducted a household survey with drinking water testing in the five most affected wards in Dar es Salaam. We interviewed 641 households 6 months after the beginning of the outbreak.

Historical and current perspectives on blood endothelial cell heterogeneity in the brain.

Dynamic brain activity requires timely communications between the brain parenchyma and circulating blood. Brain-blood communication is facilitated by intricate networks of brain vasculature, which display striking heterogeneity in structure and function. This vascular cell heterogeneity in the brain is fundamental to mediating diverse brain functions and has long been recognized.

Substance use during COVID-19 pandemic: impact on the underserved communities.

The number of overdose deaths are on the rise all over the world. An estimate of 93,000 drug overdose deaths have been estimated in the United States in 2020. COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the drug crisis.

Genomic markers linked to resistance introgressed from to cultivated potato and their utility in marker-assisted selection.

Unlabelled: is a major threat to potato production in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Infected tubers are rendered unmarketable; hence, growers' profitability is adversely affected. Breeding for nematode resistance is a long-term process and phenotyping the segregating populations for nematode resistance is the most time-consuming and laborious part of the process.

Highly Efficient Synthetic CRISPR RNA/Cas9-Based Mutagenesis for Rapid Cardiovascular Phenotypic Screening in F0 Zebrafish.

The zebrafish is a valuable vertebrate model to study cardiovascular formation and function due to the facile visualization and rapid development of the circulatory system in its externally growing embryos. Despite having distinct advantages, zebrafish have paralogs of many important genes, making reverse genetics approaches inefficient since generating animals bearing multiple gene mutations requires substantial efforts. Here, we present a simple and robust synthetic CRISPR RNA/Cas9-based mutagenesis approach for generating biallelic F0 zebrafish knockouts.

Impact Of Supply- and Demand-Side Interventions Integrated with Antenatal Care on Use of Maternal Health Services-Western Kenya, 2013‒2014.

We evaluated whether antenatal supply-side and demand-side interventions in 10 public health care facilities (HCFs) increased the percentage of women who had four or more antenatal care (ANC4+) visits and HCF deliveries from baseline to follow-up compared with women in 10 public control HCFs in Kenya. We compared maternal registry data during baseline and follow-up periods between public intervention and public control HCFs; we added seven private intervention HCFs and five private control HCFs to evaluate an unanticipated pilot insurance program that enabled women to use private intervention HCFs. From baseline to follow-up, ANC4+ visits and HCF deliveries in public intervention HCFs were 1.

Endothelial cell-type-specific molecular requirements for angiogenesis drive fenestrated vessel development in the brain.

Vascular endothelial cells (vECs) in the brain exhibit structural and functional heterogeneity. Fenestrated, permeable brain vasculature mediates neuroendocrine function, body-fluid regulation, and neural immune responses; however, its vascular formation remains poorly understood. Here, we show that specific combinations of vascular endothelial growth factors (Vegfs) are required to selectively drive fenestrated vessel formation in the zebrafish myelencephalic choroid plexus (mCP).

A Cluster Randomized Trial of the Impact of Education through Listening (a Novel Behavior Change Technique) on Household Water Treatment with Chlorine in Vihiga District, Kenya, 2010-2011.

Despite multiple studies demonstrating the effectiveness of household water treatment with chlorine in disinfecting water and preventing diarrhea, social marketing of this intervention in low- and middle-income countries has resulted in only modest uptake. In a cluster randomized trial in Vihiga district, western Kenya, we compared uptake of household water treatment with chlorine among six villages served by community vendors trained in standard social marketing plus education through listening (ETL), an innovative behavior change method, and six villages served by community vendors trained in standard social marketing only. Water treatment uptake, water quality, and childhood diarrhea were measured over 6 months and compared between the two groups of villages.

The impact of supply-side and demand-side interventions on use of antenatal and maternal services in western Kenya: a qualitative study.

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) and delivery by skilled providers have been well recognized as effective strategies to prevent maternal and neonatal mortality. ANC and delivery services at health facilities, however, have been underutilized in Kenya. One potential strategy to increase the demand for ANC services is to provide health interventions as incentives for pregnant women.

Use, Acceptability, Performance, and Health Impact of Hollow Fiber Ultrafilters for Water Treatment in Rural Kenyan Households, 2009-2011.

Diarrheal illness remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children < 5 years in developing countries, and contaminated water contributes to diarrhea risk. To address this problem, a novel hollow fiber ultrafilter (HFU) was developed for household water treatment. To test its impact on water quality and infant health, we conducted a cluster-randomized longitudinal evaluation in 10 intervention and 10 comparison villages in Kenya, attempting to enroll all households with infants (< 12 months old).

Elimination of from viruliferous in greenhouse pot experiments through cultivation of castle russet.

Corky ringspot (CRS) is a widespread potato tuber necrotic disease caused by (TRV) infection. In the Pacific Northwest, this virus is transmitted by the stubby root nematode (SRN) within the genus . Remediating CRS affected fields is a major challenge that can be mitigated by growing plant varieties that are resistant to TRV infection.

"Ethics When You Least Expect It": A Modular Approach to Short Course Data Ethics Instruction.

Data science skills are rapidly becoming a necessity in modern science. In response to this need, institutions and organizations around the world are developing research data science curricula to teach the programming and computational skills that are needed to build and maintain data infrastructures and maximize the use of available data. To date, however, few of these courses have included an explicit ethics component, and developing such components can be challenging.

E. coli recovery from antimicrobial hand towels used in rural households in Kenya.

An antimicrobial towel designed for repeated use was developed to prevent recontamination of washed hands after drying. This field trial in Kenya found that nearly all antimicrobial hand towels and untreated control towels were contaminated with E. coli after household use.

Impact of program transfer from a non-governmental organization to a district health office: Evaluation of a program integrating water treatment and hygiene kits into reproductive health and HIV services, Machinga District, Malawi, 2010-2012.

Background: In September 2009, the Machinga Integrated Antenatal Water Hygiene Kit Program began addressing problems of unsafe water, high infant mortality, and low antenatal care (ANC) attendance in Machinga District, Malawi. In March 2011, the supporting international non-governmental organization transitioned management of the program to the Machinga District Health Office (DHO). We evaluated maternal and HIV service use before and after program transition to the DHO.

Evaluation of a Water and Hygiene Project in Health-Care Facilities in Siaya County, Kenya, 2016.

To address water and hygiene infrastructure deficiencies in health-care facilities (HCFs) in Siaya County, Kenya, portable water stations, soap, and water treatment products were provided to 109 HCFs in 2005. In 2011 and again in 2016, we interviewed staff in 26 randomly selected HCFs, observed water sources, water stations, and tested source and stored water for chlorine residual and . Of 26 HCFs, 22 (85%) had improved water supplies, and 22 (85%) had functioning handwashing and drinking water stations, but < 50% provided soap or water treatment.

Evaluation of the impact of antimicrobial hand towels on hand contamination with Escherichia coli among mothers in Kisumu County, Kenya, 2011-2012.

Poor hand hygiene contributes to diarrhea in developing countries. Handwashing with soap reduces diarrhea risk, but drying hands on contaminated towels can compromise the benefits of handwashing. In response to the challenge of keeping hands clean, an antimicrobial hand towel was developed and shown to be promising in the laboratory, but has not been adequately tested in the field.

Alternative Water Transport and Storage Containers: Assessing Sustained Use of the PackHO in Rural Haiti.

The PackHO water backpack carrier was developed to provide safe storage and relieve stress of head-loading during water transport with traditional containers such as buckets and jerry cans. We conducted an evaluation to assess both self-reported and observed use over a 6-month period between November 2014 and May 2015. A total of 866 packs were distributed to 618 households in six communities in rural Haiti, and 431 and 441 households were surveyed at midline and end line, respectively.

Assessing Potato Cultivar Sensitivity to Tuber Necrosis Caused by Tobacco rattle virus.

Tobacco rattle virus (TRV) causes the economically important corky ring spot disease in potato. Chemical control is difficult due to the soilborne nature of the TRV-transmitting nematode vector, and identifying natural host resistance against TRV is considered to be the optimal control measure. The present study investigated the sensitivity of 63 cultivars representing all market types (evaluated at North Dakota and Washington over 2 years) for the incidence of TRV-induced tuber necrosis and severity.

Diffusion of Handwashing Knowledge and Water Treatment Practices From Mothers in an Antenatal Hygiene Promotion Program to Nonpregnant Friends and Relatives, Machinga District, Malawi.

Access to safe drinking water and improved hygiene are essential for preventing diarrheal diseases in low- and middle-income countries. Integrating water treatment and hygiene products into antenatal clinic care can motivate water treatment and handwashing among pregnant women. Free water hygiene kits (water storage containers, sodium hypochlorite water treatment solution, and soap) and refills of water treatment solution and soap were integrated into antenatal care and delivery services in Machinga District, Malawi, resulting in improved water treatment and hygiene practices in the home and increased maternal health service use.

Improved Diagnosis and Treatment of Bone and Joint Infections Using an Evidence-based Treatment Guideline.

Background: Our institution created a multidisciplinary guideline for treatment of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (AHO) and septic arthritis (SA) in response to updates in evidence-based literature in the field and existing provider variability in treatment. This guideline aims to improve the care of these patients by standardizing diagnosis and treatment and incorporating up to date evidence-based research into practice. The primary objective of this study is to compare cases before versus after the implementation of the guideline to determine concrete effects the guideline has had in the care of patients with AHO and SA.

Water treatment and handwashing practices in rural Kenyan health care facilities and households six years after the installation of portable water stations and hygiene training.

Many health care facilities (HCFs) and households in low-and-middle-income countries have inadequate access to water for hygiene and consumption. To address these problems, handwashing and drinking water stations were installed in 53 HCFs with prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission of HIV programs in Kenya in 2005, and hygiene education was provided to health workers and clinic clients. To assess this program, we selected a random sample of 30 HCFs, observed the percentage of handwashing and drinking water stations that were functional and in use, and after that interviewed health providers and clients about hygiene and water treatment.

Safe Water and Hygiene Integration with Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Antenatal Services: Leveraging Opportunities for Public Health Interventions and Improved Service Uptake.

Integrating public health interventions with antenatal clinic (ANC) visits may motivate women to attend ANC, thereby improving maternal and neonatal health, particularly for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons. In 2009, in an integrated ANC/Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission program, we provided free hygiene kits (safe storage containers, water treatment solution, soap, and oral rehydration salts) to women at their first ANC visit and refills at subsequent visits. To increase fathers' participation, we required partners' presence for women to receive hygiene kits.