Medical device management reform, United Republic of Tanzania.

Health-care technology is central to boosting the productivity and quality of health-care systems. In many sub-Saharan African countries, however, medical device management systems are weak or absent. The aim of this article is to illustrate, using a case study, how policy reforms can help ensure policy on health-care technology is translated into everyday practice and how an integrated systems approach can enhance the operation of medical device management.

Situational analysis of hypertension management at primary health care level in São Paulo, Brazil: population, healthcare professional and health system perspectives.

Background: Government-led, population-wide initiatives are crucial for advancing the management of hypertension - a leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. An urban population health initiative was conducted against this backdrop, focussing on hypertension in the primary health system in São Paulo, Brazil. Within the frame of the initiative and under the supervision and leadership of the municipal health authorities, a situational analysis was conducted on the needs in hypertension management, marking the first phase of a Design Thinking process.

An Intersectoral Approach to Hypertension Care: Solutions for Improving Blood Pressure Control in São Paulo, Brazil.

Background: Hypertension is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and a major public health issue worldwide. In Brazil, it affects approximately 52.5% of the adult population.

Assessing the contributions of an urban population health initiative to shift political priority towards cardiovascular health: three case studies from Brazil, Mongolia and Senegal.

Background: The urban population health initiative was designed as a multidisciplinary, multisector programme to address cardiovascular (CV) disease, specifically hypertension and its underlying causes in the cities of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Dakar, Senegal; and São Paulo, Brazil. This article aims to provide an overview of the history and dynamics of CV disease policy making in the three countries, to present the policy reform contributions of the initiative and its role in the policy agenda-setting framework/process in each country and to identify the enablers and challenges to the initiative for doing so.

Methods: A qualitative case study was conducted for each setting from November 2020 to January 2021, comprised of a document review, semi-structured in-depth interviews and unstructured interviews with stakeholders involved in the initiative.

Species composition and insecticide resistance in malaria vectors in Ellibou, southern Côte d'Ivoire and first finding of Anopheles arabiensis in Côte d'Ivoire.

Background: Knowing the species composition and insecticide resistance status of the target vector population is important to guide malaria vector control. The aim of this study was to characterize the malaria vector population in terms of species composition, insecticide susceptibility status and potential underlying resistance mechanisms in Ellibou, southern Côte d'Ivoire.

Methods: A 1-year longitudinal entomological survey was conducted using light traps and pyrethroid spray catches to sample adult mosquitoes in combination with larval sampling.

Implementing a multisector public-private partnership to improve urban hypertension management in low-and middle- income countries.

Background: Cardiovascular disease presents an increasing health burden to low- and middle-income countries. Although ample therapeutic options and care improvement frameworks exist to address its prime risk factor, hypertension, blood pressure control rates remain poor. We describe the results of an effectiveness study of a multisector urban population health initiative that targets hypertension in a real-world implementation setting in cities across three continents.

Deconstructing design thinking as a tool for the implementation of a population health initiative.

Background: The translation of evidence-based practices and rapid uptake of innovations into global health practice is challenging. Design thinking is a consultative process involving multiple stakeholders and has been identified as a promising solution to create and apply implementation strategies in complex environments like health systems.

Methods: We conducted a process evaluation of a real-world example, namely an initiative to innovate hypertension screening, diagnosis and care in São Paulo, Brazil.

Assessing the Quality of Care at Primary Health Care Level in Two Pilot Regions of Albania.

The quality of care (QoC) of primary health care (PHC) services in Albania faces challenges on multiple levels including governance, access, infrastructure and health care workers. In addition, there is a lack of trust in the latter. The Health for All Project (HAP) funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation therefore aimed at enhancing the population's health by improving PHC services and implementing health promotion activities following a multi-strategic health system strengthening approach.

Dense Semantic Forecasting in Video by Joint Regression of Features and Feature Motion.

Dense semantic forecasting anticipates future events in the video by inferring pixel-level semantics of an unobserved future image. We present a novel approach that is applicable to various single-frame architectures and tasks. Our approach consists of two modules.

Methodological approaches for conducting follow-up research with clinical trial participants: a scoping review and expert interviews.

Background: Evidence-based establishment and implementation of best principles, laws and ordinances that regulate clinical research depend on the consultation and involvement of trial participants. Yet, guidance on methodological approaches to obtain trial participants' perspectives is currently missing. This scoping review therefore aimed at identifying, describing and evaluating research approaches to obtain trial participants' feedback on their views and experiences.

Fostering cardiovascular health at work - case study from Senegal.

Background: Of the 15 million annual premature deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), 85% occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Affecting individuals in the prime of their lives, NCDs impose severe economic damage to economies and businesses, owing to the high mortality and morbidity within the workforce. The Novartis Foundation urban health initiative, Better Hearts Better Cities, was designed to improve cardiovascular health in Dakar, Senegal through a combination of interventions including a workplace health program.

The consequences of compromising the EU's free movement of persons principle on Swiss research: how to survive constrained access to regional funding.

Between 2014 and 2016, Switzerland's access to some of the EU funding was limited after a referendum against mass immigration was accepted and the country refused to sign the free movement accord to the EU's newest member, Croatia. It is well documented that Switzerland has suffered from a drop in participation, funding and a decrease in consortium lead positions. However, there is no account of the consequences on institutional level.

Effectiveness of school-based preventive chemotherapy strategies for sustaining the control of schistosomiasis in Côte d'Ivoire: Results of a 5-year cluster randomized trial.

Background: Preventive chemotherapy using praziquantel is the mainstay for schistosomiasis control. However, there is little evidence on what is supposed to be the most effective school-based treatment strategy to sustain morbidity control. The aim of this study was to compare differences in Schistosoma mansoni prevalence and infection intensity between three different schedules of school-based preventive chemotherapy in an area with moderate prevalence of S.

Pharyngeal Carriage of Beta-Haemolytic Species and Seroprevalence of Anti-Streptococcal Antibodies in Children in Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire.

The pharynx of the child may serve as a reservoir of pathogenic bacteria, including beta-haemolytic group A streptococci (GAS), which can give rise to upper airway infections and post-streptococcal diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of beta-haemolytic spp. in pharyngeal samples stemming from children aged 3-14 years in Bouaké, central Côte d'Ivoire.

Risk factors for rabies in Côte d'Ivoire.

Rabies affects more than 150 countries worldwide. Côte d'Ivoire is one of the rabies-endemic countries that has recorded deaths every year since 2006. The evolution of these deaths is almost constant with an average of 18 annual deaths (annual incidence = 0.

Incorporating operational research in programmes funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in four sub-Saharan African countries.

Background: The current study builds upon a previous situation analysis of the extent to which grants from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) are being utilized to support operational research and implementation research (OR/IR) activities in recipient countries. The objective of this follow-up study was to identify approaches and pathways to implement an OR component into grants to the Global Fund, in four sub-Saharan African countries. Special focus was given to the Structured Operational Research and Training IniTiative (SORT IT).

Typology, technical efficiency and scale economy of in Dakar, Senegal.

Background: In recent years, a profound transformation has been observed in the eating habits of the populations of African cities, induced by accelerated socioeconomic and demographic growth. In Senegal, these changes have manifested in the proliferation of collective informal catering enterprises, such as the ' ', where the roasted meat of sheep is prepared and sold. The rise of the average household income has contributed substantially to increasing levels of meat consumption, leading to the expansion of the .

Insecticides Resistance Status of in Areas of Varying Agrochemical Use in Côte D'Ivoire.

Background: Insecticide resistance monitoring of the malaria vectors to different classes of insecticides is necessary for resistance management. Malaria vector control management approaches are essentially based on IRS and LLINs. However, insecticide resistance is caused by several sources of selection and in case the selection pressure is from agricultural practices, then measures need to be taken to avoid a failure of the control methods put in place.

Buruli ulcer in southern Côte D'ivoire: dynamic schemes of perception and interpretation of modes of transmission.

Buruli ulcer (BU) belongs to the group of neglected tropical diseases and constitutes a public health problem in many rural communities in Côte d'Ivoire. The transmission patterns of this skin infection are poorly defined, hence the current study aimed to contribute to the understanding, perceptions and interpretations of its mode of transmission using a socio-environmental approach. Social and environmental risk factors that may expose people to infection, and the dynamics of local transfer of knowledge and practices related to BU, were assessed in two endemic locations in southern Côte d'Ivoire, i.

Resistance Training Frequencies of 3 and 6 Times Per Week Produce Similar Muscular Adaptations in Resistance-Trained Men.

Saric, J, Lisica, D, Orlic, I, Grgic, J, Krieger, JW, Vuk, S, and Schoenfeld, BJ. Resistance training frequencies of 3 and 6 times per week produce similar muscular adaptations in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res 33(7S): S122-S129, 2019-We examined the effects of resistance training (RT) frequency performed 3 times per week (RT3) vs.

Association of riverine prawns and intermediate host snails and correlation with human schistosomiasis in two river systems in south-eastern Côte d'Ivoire.

The current emphasis of schistosomiasis control is placed on preventive chemotherapy using praziquantel. However, reinfection may occur rapidly in the absence of complementary interventions. Recent studies from Senegal suggest that predatory prawns might feed on intermediate host snails and thus impact on schistosomiasis transmission.

Effects of Vancomycin and Ciprofloxacin on the NMRI Mouse Metabolism.

The reduction in gut microbiota diversity is associated with a range of human diseases. Overuse of antibiotics has been associated with a diminished gut-microbial diversity in humans and may promote microbiota-associated negative effects to physical health, such as the metabolic syndrome-cluster of diseases and mental illnesses. There is a pressing need to deepen the understanding of the effects of antibiotics at the biochemical level.

Sex and age differences and outcomes in acute coronary syndromes.

Background: There is conflicting information about sex differences in presentation, treatment, and outcome after acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in the era of reperfusion therapy and percutaneous coronary intervention. The aim of this study was to examine presentation, acute therapy, and outcomes of men and women with ACS with special emphasis on their relationship with younger age (≤65years).

Methods: From January 2010 to June 2015, we enrolled 5140 patients from 3 primary PCI capable hospitals.