The epidemiology of very severe anaemia in sickle cell disease in Tanzania: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Anaemia in sickle cell disease (SCD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, but few studies have reported on the burden and outcome of very severe anaemia. This study described the epidemiology of very severe anaemia by determining the prevalence and incidence, investigating associated clinical and laboratory factors, and assessing outcomes in SCD.

Methods: A 10-year prospective cohort study involving SCD patients of all ages was conducted at Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania between 2004 and 2013.

Faecal microbiota and cytokine profiles of rural Cambodian infants linked to diet and diarrhoeal episodes.

The gut microbiota of infants in low- to middle-income countries is underrepresented in microbiome research. This study explored the faecal microbiota composition and faecal cytokine profiles in a cohort of infants in a rural province of Cambodia and investigated the impact of sample storage conditions and infant environment on microbiota composition. Faecal samples collected at three time points from 32 infants were analysed for microbiota composition using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and concentrations of faecal cytokines.

Hydroxyurea mobile directly observed therapy versus standard monitoring in patients with sickle cell anemia: a phase 2 randomized trial.

Background: Sickle cell anemia (SCA) prevalence remains high in sub-Saharan Africa. Long-term treatment with hydroxyurea (HU) increases survival, however, poor adherence to treatment could limit effectiveness. Whilst HU treatment adherence is currently high, this might decrease over time.

Glycemic control during TB treatment among Filipinos: The Starting Anti-Tuberculosis Treatment Cohort Study.

Poor TB treatment outcomes are observed in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) comorbidity and glycemic control throughout treatment may play a role. The objective of this study was to investigate glycemic control longitudinally among Filipino adults undergoing TB treatment using mixed-effects linear and logistic regression. Analyses were conducted in 188 DM-TB patients out of 901 enrolled in the Starting Anti-TB Treatment (St-ATT) cohort, with a median baseline glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) of 8.

Comparing disease specific catastrophic cost estimates using longitudinal and cross-sectional designs: The example of tuberculosis.

Background: There has been an increasing interest in assessing disease-specific catastrophic costs incurred by affected households as part of economic evaluations and to inform joint social/health policies for vulnerable groups. Although the longitudinal study design is the gold standard for estimating disease-specific household costs, many assessments are implemented with a cross-sectional design for pragmatic reasons. We aimed at identifying the potential biases of a cross-sectional design for estimating household cost, using the example of tuberculosis (TB), and exploring optimal approaches for sampling and interpolating cross-sectional cost data to estimate household costs.

How can tuberculosis services better support patients with a diabetes co-morbidity? A mixed methods study in the Philippines.

Background: People with diabetes mellitus (DM) have an estimated two- to three-times greater risk of adverse tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes compared to those without DM. Blood glucose control is a primary aim of managing DM during TB treatment, yet TB programmes are not generally adapted to provide DM services. The purpose of this study was to understand perceptions and the lived experiences of diabetic patients in TB treatment in the Philippines, with a view to informing the development of disease co-management strategies.

Risk factors for wasting among hospitalised children in Nepal.

Background: Malnutrition has various adverse effects in children. This study aimed to determine risk factors for malnutrition among hospitalised children, changes in nutritional status at admission and discharge and effects of use of systematic anthropometric measurement in identification of malnutrition.

Methods: We enrolled 426 children, aged between 6 months and 15 years, admitted to Siddhi Memorial Hospital, Bhaktapur, Nepal, from November 2016 to June 2017.

Association of postnatal severe acute malnutrition with pancreatic exocrine and endocrine function in children and adults: a systematic review.

Severe acute malnutrition may lead both concurrently and subsequently to malabsorption and impaired glucose metabolism from pancreatic dysfunction. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the associations of current and prior postnatal wasting malnutrition with pancreatic endocrine and exocrine functions in humans. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science and reference lists of retrieved articles, limited to articles in English published before 1 February 2022.

Depression, Nutrition, and Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy in Men Who Have Sex With Men in Manila, Philippines.

Depression is the most frequently observed psychiatric disorder among HIV patients. The effect of depression on adherence among men who have sex with men (MSM) HIV patients has not been well studied in the Philippines. Depression is commonly undiagnosed and consequently untreated, which leads to a negative influence on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence.

Depression and its associated factors among people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Myanmar.

Background: Depression is an important potential comorbidity in persons with tuberculosis (TB), yet data in many settings are scarce.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence and risk factors of depression in persons with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Myanmar.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey among MDR-TB participants at Aung San MDR-TB treatment centre in Yangon during routine clinic follow-up visits.

Experiences, challenges and looking to the future in a clinical tuberculosis cohort in the time of COVID-19 in the Philippines.

A cohort study of Filipino tuberculosis patients is currently undergoing data collection amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. In this article we present the current experiences, challenges and obstacles of our team during this period as we attempt to fulfil our roles and responsibilities in Metro Manila, Cebu and Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Each site had different lockdown restrictions and experienced problems to different degrees.

Prevalence and risk factors of Schistosoma mansoni infection among children under two years of age in Mbita, Western Kenya.

Despite growing evidence that infants and very young children can be infected with schistosomes, the epidemiological features and risk factors are not well described in this age group. We aimed to assess the prevalence of S. mansoni infection in children under two years of age from a population with a known high burden of infection in school-aged children and adults and thus inform the need for interventions in this potentially vulnerable age group.

An observational report of universal GeneXpert testing of inpatients with diagnosed or presumptive TB in the Philippines.

Background: The Philippines is a high TB and multidrug-resistant TB burden country. Although the scale-up of GeneXpert testing is occurring, the benefits of universal Xpert-Mycobacterium tuberculosis/ rifampicin (MTB/RIF) testing in inpatients have not been documented.

Methods: Routine GeneXpert testing irrespective of priority criteria for testing was conducted within a prospective cohort of all adults with known or presumptive TB admitted to a tertiary infectious diseases hospital in Manila.

Determinants of growth measurements in rural Cambodian infants: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Inappropriate feeding and hygiene practices and poor environment are associated with malnutrition. We aimed to investigate the contributions of feeding, hygiene practices and recent illness to the nutritional status of rural Cambodian infants and any sex-specific differences.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, nested within an ongoing birth cohort, trained fieldworkers conducted anthropometry and collected information from the main caregiver during home visits.

Frequent unregulated use of antibiotics in rural Cambodian infants.

Background: Despite a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Cambodia, few studies have assessed health-seeking behaviour and the use of antibiotics by caregivers of young children in Cambodia.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of infants <12 months of age and their caregivers, assessing the frequency of reported illness, common symptoms and associated health-seeking behaviour through structured questionnaires administered by trained fieldworkers at a home visit. In a subset of these participants, ages 4-8 months with no acute malnutrition, we conducted a 3-month surveillance with fortnightly home visits.

Author Correction: Exposure to paternal tobacco smoking increased child hospitalization for lower respiratory infections but not for other diseases in Vietnam.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Patterns and predictors of co-morbidities in Tuberculosis: A cross-sectional study in the Philippines.

Diabetes and undernutrition are common risk factors for TB, associated with poor treatment outcomes and exacerbated by TB. We aimed to assess non-communicable multimorbidity (co-occurrence of two or more medical conditions) in Filipino TB outpatients, focusing on malnutrition and diabetes. In a cross-sectional study, 637 adults (70% male) from clinics in urban Metro Manila (N = 338) and rural Negros Occidental (N = 299) were enrolled.

Does capitation affect patient satisfaction and prevalence of out-of-pocket payments in the insured? A propensity score analysis of Ghana's demographic and health survey data.

Background: Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) piloted capitation payment for primary care services in the Ashanti region from 2012 to 2017. Capitation was piloted as a means of cost containment but also to induce managed competition among health providers to improve the responsiveness of healthcare delivery. This study examined the effects of exposure to capitation on perceived health service quality and prevalence of out-of-pocket payments in NHIS insured clients.

Mid-upper arm circumference predicts death in adult patients admitted to a TB ward in the Philippines: A prospective cohort study.

Background: The Philippines is ranked 3rd globally for tuberculosis incidence (554/100,000 population). The tuberculosis ward at San Lazaro Hospital, Manila receives 1,800-2,000 admissions of acutely unwell patients per year with high mortality. Objectives of this prospective cohort study were to quantify the association of under-nutrition (primary) and diabetes (secondary) with inpatient mortality occurring between 3-28 days of hospital admission in patients with suspected or previously diagnosed TB.

Transcranial Doppler and Magnetic Resonance in Tanzanian Children With Sickle Cell Disease.

Background and Purpose- We determined prevalences of neurological complications, vascular abnormality, and infarction in Tanzanian children with sickle cell disease. Methods- Children with sickle cell disease were consecutively enrolled for transcranial Doppler; those with slightly elevated (>150 cm/s), low (<50 cm/s) or absent cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFv) were invited for brain magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography. Results- Of 200 children (median age 9; range 6-13 years; 105 [2.

Coronary heart disease and stroke disease burden attributable to fruit and vegetable intake in Japan: projected DALYS to 2060.

Background: Fruit and vegetable consumption was considered a protective effect against cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs). This study aimed to project the reduction in the CVD burden under different scenarios of increased fruit and vegetable intake in Japan by 2060.

Methods: Population attributable fractions (PAF) were calculated by gender and age in 2015.

Newborn screening for sickle cell disease: an innovative pilot program to improve child survival in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a recognized cause of childhood mortality. Tanzania has the fifth highest incidence of SCD (with an estimated 11 000 SCD annual births) worldwide. Although newborn screening (NBS) for SCD and comprehensive healthcare have been shown to reduce under-5 mortality by up to 94% in high-income countries such as the USA, no country in Africa has maintained NBS for SCD as a national health program.