Childhood Tuberculosis-Advances in Treatment and Prevention.

Tuberculosis (TB) in childhood presents a substantial global burden with nearly two million episodes of disease in children and adolescents annually. The majority of children who die from TB never receive appropriate treatment. Advancements in childhood TB treatments have been slow and there are many challenges with TB treatment in children.

Exploring reduction of prolonged binocular vision testing time: the agreement between the first and second thirty seconds within one minute of accommodative and vergence facility tests.

The study sought to compare the number of cycles (NOS) for the first and second thirty-seconds (FASTS) within 1 min of accommodative facility (AF) and vergence facility (VF) testing to explore possibilities of reducing testing time to 30 s. In this cross-sectional study, a multistage sample of school children (aged 8-17 years) was taken through ocular-visual screening. Eligible participants (586) underwent refraction, stereo-acuity measurement, AF testing using ± 2D lens flippers, and VF testing using 3 BI/12 BO flipper prisms.

Chronic respiratory disease observatory for Africa (CHEST-Africa): study protocol for the prevalence, determinants and economic impacts of asthma and COPD in Africa.

Introduction: Contemporary data on the burden of chronic respiratory diseases in sub-Saharan Africa is limited. More so, their economic burden is not well described. This study aims to establish a chronic respiratory disease observatory for Africa.

Scheimpflug-Derived Keratometric, Pachymetric and Pachymetric Progression Indices in the Diagnosis of Keratoconus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Scheimpflug Pentacam Tomography is becoming crucial in the diagnosis and monitoring of keratoconus, as well as in pre- and post-corneal refractive care, but there are still some inconsistencies surrounding its evidence base diagnostic outcome. Therefore, this study aimed at employing meta-analysis to systematically evaluate the keratometric, pachymetric, and pachymetric progression indices used in the diagnosis of Keratoconus. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (Identifier: CRD4202310058) and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement.

Characterising sources of PM exposure for school children with asthma: a personal exposure study across six cities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Air pollution is the second largest risk to health in Africa, and children with asthma are particularly susceptible to its effects. Yet, there is a scarcity of air pollution exposure data from cities in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to identify potential exposure reduction strategies for school children with asthma living in urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa.

A cross-country qualitative analysis of teachers' perceptions of asthma care in sub-Saharan Africa.

Asthma is the most common chronic respiratory disease among school-going adolescents worldwide. However, the burden of severe asthma is highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to explore teachers' perceptions of asthma care across six African countries.

Atypical Kawasaki syndrome in COVID-19 infection: a case report of a multisystem inflammatory syndrome in a child (MIS-C).

Unlabelled: The emergence of COVID-19 by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in 2019 has seen evolving data reporting infrequent infection in children and mostly mild disease for children who contract the infection. A severe form of COVID-19 in children recently reported in Europe and North America describes a multisystem inflammation syndrome in children (MIS-C), presenting as toxic-shock-like and Kawasaki-like syndromes. Data on MIS-C in Africa is being documented with recent reports from South Africa and Nigeria in black children, but information on MIS-C in Ghana is yet to be characterized.

Epidemiology of intussusception in infants less than one year of age in Ghana, 2012-2016.

Introduction: we examined the epidemiology, clinical and demographic characteristics of intussusception in Ghanaian infants.

Methods: active sentinel surveillance for pediatric intussusception was conducted at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. From March 2012 to December 2016, infants < 1 year of age who met the Brighton Collaboration level 1 diagnostic criteria for intussusception were enrolled.

Cystic fibrosis in black African children in South Africa: a case control study.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is described more commonly in Caucasian populations in whom p.Phe508del is the most common mutation. There is a paucity of data of CF in black African children.

Hospital-based Surveillance for Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis in the Era of the 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Ghana.

Background: Global surveillance for vaccine preventable invasive bacterial diseases has been set up by the World Health Organization to provide disease burden data to support decisions on introducing pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV). We present data from 2010 to 2016 collected at the 2 sentinel sites in Ghana.

Methods: Data were collected from children <5 years of age presenting at the 2 major teaching hospitals with clinical signs of meningitis.

Preliminary Genomic Characterization of Ten Hardwood Tree Species from Multiplexed Low Coverage Whole Genome Sequencing.

Forest health issues are on the rise in the United States, resulting from introduction of alien pests and diseases, coupled with abiotic stresses related to climate change. Increasingly, forest scientists are finding genetic/genomic resources valuable in addressing forest health issues. For a set of ten ecologically and economically important native hardwood tree species representing a broad phylogenetic spectrum, we used low coverage whole genome sequencing from multiplex Illumina paired ends to economically profile their genomic content.

Development of genomic microsatellites in Gleditsia triacanthos (Fabaceae) using Illumina sequencing.

Premise Of The Study: Fourteen genomic microsatellite markers were developed and characterized in honey locust, Gleditsia triacanthos, using Illumina sequencing. Due to their high variability, these markers can be applied in analyses of genetic diversity and structure, and in mating system and gene flow studies. •

Methods And Results: Thirty-six individuals from across the species range were included in a genetic diversity analysis and yielded three to 20 alleles per locus.

T cell responses to the RTS,S/AS01(E) and RTS,S/AS02(D) malaria candidate vaccines administered according to different schedules to Ghanaian children.

Background: The Plasmodium falciparum pre-erythrocytic stage candidate vaccine RTS,S is being developed for protection of young children against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. RTS,S formulated with the liposome based adjuvant AS01(E) or the oil-in-water based adjuvant AS02(D) induces P. falciparum circumsporozoite (CSP) antigen-specific antibody and T cell responses which have been associated with protection in the experimental malaria challenge model in adults.