A Scoping Review on Sex and Gender Differences in the Adverse Health Outcomes of Individuals with Sickle Cell Trait.

Although there is an emerging body of evidence that addresses the adverse health outcomes of individuals with sickle cell trait (SCT), it is not clear if the findings are generalizable from a sex and gender perspective. The purpose of this scoping review was to complete an assessment of main concepts, identify knowledge gaps, and determine the potential value of conducting an eventual systematic review. The research question guiding this scoping review is: In SCT individuals with adverse health outcomes, what is known about sex and gender differences? We conducted a scoping review of research on SCT from 2016 to 2022 across five databases, with 36 research studies included in the review.

Non-invasive optical and laboratory hematologic biomarkers correlate in patients with sickle cell disease.

The goal of this study is to identify non-invasive optical hemodynamic biomarkers that can index laboratory hematology measurements in sickle cell disease (SCD). We acquired frequency-domain NIRS (FD-NIRS) and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) data from the forearms and foreheads of 17 participants in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating effects of isoquercetin (IQ) on thromboinflammation in SCD. We observed multiple, significant correlations between optical and hematology biomarkers including cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (StO) and hematocrit (HCT); oxyhemoglobin ([OHb]) recovery rate and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1); and blood flow index (BFI) reperfusion rate and coagulation index (CI).

Wound Irrigation in the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection in Elective Colorectal Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background Surgical site infection in colon surgery is associated with significant cost and increased length of hospital stay. Recently, there has been interest in the use of pulsed lavage to reduce the risk of surgical site infection in contaminated wounds. Although increasingly used and gaining popularity, its effectiveness in elective colorectal surgery has been poorly documented.

Functional integration of services during the antenatal period can potentially improve childhood growth parameters beyond infancy: findings from a post-interventional follow-up study in West Bengal, India.

Background: Despite progress, the prevalence of childhood undernutrition in India remains amongst the highest globally.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the impact of a functional integration interventional package during the antenatal period on childhood growth parameters.

Methods: This is a post-interventional follow-up study of a maternal nutrition interventional study conducted between 2018 and 2019 among women in their first trimester of pregnancy from three districts in West Bengal, India.

Acute care utilization among individuals with sickle cell disease and related cardiopulmonary and renal complications.

Cardiopulmonary and renal end organ (CPR) complications are associated with early mortality among individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). However, there is limited knowledge regarding acute care utilization for individuals with SCD and CPR complications. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of CPR complications in a state specific SCD population and compare acute care utilization among individuals with and without CPR complications.

Introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in humanitarian and fragile contexts: Perspectives from stakeholders in four African countries.

Childhood pneumonia causes a significant burden of preventable child morbidity and mortality in Chad, Guinea, Somalia/Somaliland, and South Sudan. Leaders from these countries have committed to reducing this burden and are preparing to introduce the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) into their immunization programs. To support long-term sustainability for expected PCV introductions in settings afflicted by prolonged humanitarian crises this research explores national stakeholders' perspectives on contextual factors that may influence optimal vaccine implementation.

Severe disease during both primary and secondary dengue virus infections in pediatric populations.

Dengue is a global epidemic causing over 100 million cases annually. The clinical symptoms range from mild fever to severe hemorrhage and shock, including some fatalities. The current paradigm is that these severe dengue cases occur mostly during secondary infections due to antibody-dependent enhancement after infection with a different dengue virus serotype.

Isoquercetin for thromboinflammation in sickle cell disease: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

Data from a small trial in patients with cancer suggest that isoquercetin (IQ) treatment lowered thrombosis biomarkers and prevented clinical thrombosis, but, to our knowledge, no studies of IQ have been conducted to target thromboinflammation in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults with steady-state SCD (hemoglobin SS [HbSS], HbSβ0thal, HbSβ+thal, or HbSC). The primary outcome was the change in plasma soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin) after treatment compared with baseline, analyzed in the intention-to-treat population.

Closing the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) introduction gap: an archetype analysis of last-mile countries.

Background: Pneumonia remains the leading infectious cause of global childhood deaths, despite the availability of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) products and widespread evidence of their safety and efficacy.

Objective: To map the landscape of countries that are yet to fully include PCV in their National Immunization Programs, we conducted an archetype analysis of country indicators related to barriers and facilitators for PCV decision-making.

Methods: We created a country matrix focused on three key domains - health characteristics, immunisation factors, and policy framework, and identified ten related indicators.

Understanding household-level risk factors for zero dose immunization in 82 low- and middle-income countries.

Introduction: In 2021, an estimated 18 million children did not receive a single dose of routine vaccinations and constitute the population known as zero dose children. There is growing momentum and investment in reaching zero dose children and addressing the gross inequity in the reach of immunization services. To effectively do so, there is an urgent need to characterize more deeply the population of zero dose children and the barriers they face in accessing routine immunization services.

Healthcare provider perspectives on COVID-19 vaccination for children in India.

Background: The rapid development and deployment of effective COVID-19 vaccines have been critical to halt the spread of the pandemic. India started vaccinating children in early 2022, however, vaccine uptake has been suboptimal.

Methods: Between September and November 2022, we conducted an online survey that was disseminated to eligible participants via email, text messages and social media platforms across India.

Leveling the Research Playing Field: Decolonizing Global Health Research Through Web-Based Platforms.

Global health research has traditionally been rooted in colonialism, with some investigators in high-income countries leading and managing research and investigators in low- and middle-income countries serving as implementing partners. The Community Health Worker-Led Intervention for Vaccine Information and Confidence (CIVIC) Project, conducted in India and led jointly by India- and US-based investigators, leveraged web-based platforms to facilitate a more horizontal, inclusive, and balanced approach to partnerships between researchers and the community. Using web-based platforms to conduct research was found to be an effective strategy to engage researchers at all levels and combat systemic barriers associated with in-person activities such as power, economic, social, and gender dynamics.

Country ownership as a guiding principle for IA2030: A case study of the measles and rubella elimination programs in Nepal and Nigeria.

Country-owned, as opposed to donor-driven, is a principle within the development sector that recognizes the centrality of countries' leadership, systems, and resources in executing programs and achieving sustainable development. In alignment with this notion, the Immunization Agenda 2030 was developed with country ownership as one of four core principles of the ambitious ten-year plan. This means that the success of immunization programs, including those with eradication and elimination goals such as polio, measles, and rubella, and those with broader equity goals to "leave no one behind" on immunization, would be largely driven by country systems.

Leading from the frontlines: community-oriented approaches for strengthening vaccine delivery and acceptance.

Background: Although immunization is one of the most successful public health interventions, vaccine hesitancy and the COVID-19 pandemic have strained health systems, contributing to global reductions in immunization coverage. Existing literature suggests that involving community members in vaccine interventions has been beneficial, but efforts to facilitate community ownership to motivate vaccine acceptance have been limited.

Methods: Our research leveraged community-based participatory research to closely involve the community from conception to implementation of an intervention to facilitate vaccine acceptance in Mewat District in Haryana, an area in India with extremely low vaccination coverage.

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers in India: Results from a cross-sectional survey.

Remarkable scientific progress has enabled expeditious development of effective vaccines against COVID-19. While healthcare workers (HCWs) have been at the frontline of the pandemic response, vaccine acceptance amongst them needs further study. We conducted a web-based survey to assess vaccine acceptance among HCWs in India between January and February 2021, shortly after the launch of India's vaccination campaign.

Key factors influencing public health students and curricula in India: Recommendations from a mixed methods analysis.

Background: Building on a distinguished history of community medicine training, public health programs have been expanding in India in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought additional attention to the importance of public health programs and the need for a strong workforce. This paper aims to assess the current capacity for public health education and training in India and provide recommendations for improved approaches to meet current and future public health needs.

Caregiver perceptions of the broader societal benefits of vaccination: A path toward sustainable vaccine advocacy in India.

Over the last decade growing public health evidence suggests that, in addition to health-related benefits, there are also social and economic benefits of vaccination. Research to understand how caregivers in low-and-middle-income countries perceive these social and economic benefits, or if these benefits factor into their vaccination decisions for their children, has been limited. Leveraging qualitative strategies to gain more nuanced insights into caregiver perceptions of vaccination benefits has also been significantly underexplored.

Identification of risk factors associated with hyponatremia in psychiatric patients: a case-control study.

Background And Aims: Prompt recognition and optimal management of hyponatremia helps the physician devise a better treatment plan to prevent future complications in patients. Hence this study aims to identify the risk factors associated with hyponatremia in psychiatric patients.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted among psychiatric inpatients in a tertiary care teaching hospital.

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine childhood immunization coverage and timeliness in India: retrospective analysis of the National Family Health Survey of 2019-2021 data.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health systems globally. We estimated the effect of the pandemic on the coverage and timeliness of routine childhood immunization in India through April 2021.

Methods: We used data from India's National Family Health Survey 2019-2021 (NFHS-5), a cross-sectional survey which collected immunization information of under-five children from a nationally representative sample of households between June 2019 and April 2021.