The Correlation Between Screen Time and the Probability of Developing Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a collection of neurological, psychological, and developmental anomalies that manifest in early life, affecting individuals across all racial, cultural, and socioeconomic groups. Its prevalence has grown significantly over the past 20 years. Exposure to digital devices has increased alongside the rise in ASD prevalence.

Strategies and sacrifices of family caregiving in the Somali-American community: a qualitative study.

Background: Among the many pressing concerns of the Somali-American community, and other similar immigrant and refugee communities as they grow in the United States, is the provision of care for older adults and adults with disabilities. The implications of effective caregiving range from the facilitation of community building and place-making to the delivery and management of healthcare on a systemic level. However, little is currently known about Somali-American family caregivers, including their duties and responsibilities, primary concerns, and the impacts of surrounding influences on their ability to fulfill their role.

Using digital tools and antigen rapid testing to support household-level SARS-CoV-2 detection by community health workers in Rwanda: an operational pilot study.

Objective: To evaluate the use of antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) alongside a digital tool to deliver household-level COVID-19 testing by community health workers (CHWs), in line with Rwanda's ambition to decentralise COVID-19 testing.

Design: This was an operational pilot study to evaluate the impact and operational characteristics of using the digital e-ASCov tool combined with Ag-RDTs to support COVID-19 symptom screening and rapid testing by CHWs across eight districts in Rwanda. A total of 800 CHWs selected from both rural and urban areas were trained in delivering Ag-RDTs for COVID-19 testing and using the e-ASCOV application for data capture on a smartphone.

Improving COVID-19 contact tracing and testing of exposed individuals in Cameroon using digital health technology: a cluster randomised trial.

Background: Contact tracing was described as a key strategy to contribute to controlling the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome of Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) but implementing it can be a challenge. Digitalisation of contact tracing is among the proposed solutions being explored in sub-Saharan African settings. We assessed the effectiveness of a digital tool to expand SARS-CoV-2 testing in exposed individuals in Cameroon.

Association of prior military service with olfactory function among older adults.

Objective: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is a condition primarily affecting older adults. Several factors have been implicated in OD, such as age, socioeconomic status, and neurodegenerative disease; however, the effect of military service still requires additional investigation. Here, we aim to determine if there is an association between prior military service and OD among older adults.

Association of alcohol use with olfactory function among older adults.

Background/purpose: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) has been recognized as an early biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases. Identifying behaviors that increase the risk of OD is crucial for early recognition of neurogenerative diseases. Alcohol consumption can potentially impact olfaction through its neurotoxic effects.

Anomalous diffusion, non-Gaussianity, nonergodicity, and confinement in stochastic-scaled Brownian motion with diffusing diffusivity dynamics.

Scaled Brownian motions (SBMs) with power-law time-dependent diffusivity have been used to describe various types of anomalous diffusion yet Gaussian observed in granular gases kinetics, turbulent diffusion, and molecules mobility in cells, to name a few. However, some of these systems may exhibit non-Gaussian behavior which can be described by SBM with diffusing diffusivity (DD-SBM). Here, we numerically investigate both free and confined DD-SBM models characterized by fixed or stochastic scaling exponent of time-dependent diffusivity.

Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine and associated factors among healthcare workers in Katsina state: a cross-sectional study in Northwest Nigeria.

Objectives: Healthcare workers were prioritised to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria. Administration of COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria was challenging because of a lack of trust in vaccine safety and vaccine effectiveness among healthcare workers, who are expected to provide reliable information about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases in the communities. Hence, their acceptance and attitudes towards COVID-19 preventive practices could influence the acceptance of the vaccine by the local population.

Building blocks for better biorepositories in Africa.

Background: Biorepositories archive and distribute well-characterized biospecimens for research to support the development of medical diagnostics and therapeutics. Knowledge of biobanking and associated practices is incomplete in low- and middle-income countries where disease burden is disproportionately high. In 2011, the African Society of Human Genetics (AfSHG), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Wellcome Trust founded the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) consortium to promote genomic research in Africa and established a network of three biorepositories regionally located in East, West, and Southern Africa to support biomedical research.

Conjunctival transcriptomics in ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid.

Purpose: Ocular Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid (OcMMP) is an orphan disease characterized by chronic autoimmune-driven conjunctival inflammation leading to progressive scarring, debilitating symptoms, and blinding sequelae. This feasibility study aims to demonstrate conjunctival genetic transcriptomic analyses as a putative tool for interrogation of pathogenic signaling pathways in OcMMP.

Methods: Conjunctival RNA profiling using the NanoString nCounter Human Fibrosis panel was undertaken on RNA extracted from conjunctival swabs obtained from 6 MMP patients (8 eyes; 4 M/2F; median age 78 [range 64-84] years); and 8 age-matched control participants (15 eyes; 3 M/5F; median age 69.

Utilization of digital tools to enhance COVID-19 and tuberculosis testing and linkage to care: A cross-sectional evaluation study among Bodaboda motorbike riders in the Nairobi Metropolis, Kenya.

Kenya has registered over 300,000 cases of COVID-19 and is a high-burden tuberculosis country. Tuberculosis diagnosis was significantly disrupted by the pandemic. Access to timely diagnosis, which is key to effective management of tuberculosis and COVID-19, can be expanded and made more efficient through integrated screening.

Inter-State Transmission of Lassa Fever during the 2015-2016 Lassa Outbreak in Nigeria: An Implication for Infection Prevention and Control Practices.

Background: Lassa fever is an acute hemorrhagic viral disease caused by the Lassa virus. The Lassa virus belongs to the Arenaviridae family of RNA viruses. On 05/04/2016; two cases of Lassa fever were reported from Katsina State with the date of presentation of the first case on 23/03/2016 and 27/03/ 2016 for the second case.

A conceptual framework on the role of backward integration in sustainable access to malaria intervention commodities in Nigeria.

Background: Over the last two decades, global stakeholders and the Nigerian government have invested approximately $2 billion in malaria control, reducing parasite prevalence to 23% from 42% to 2010. However, there is a risk that the modest gains will be reversed due to unmet resource gaps. Backward integration is presented in this paper as a viable option for sustainable funding of malaria intervention commodities in Nigeria.

Amiodarone-Induced Myxedema Coma in Elderly Patients: A Systematic Review of Case Reports.

This systematic review aimed to explore whether elderly patients administered amiodarone were susceptible to developing myxedema coma. Utilizing the Cochrane guidelines, a comprehensive review of databases such as Medline (PubMed), Science Direct, CINAHL Cochrane, and Google Scholar was undertaken to examine case reports on amiodarone-induced myxedema coma. Following stringent criteria for inclusion, 12 pertinent case reports were identified.

Uptake and effectiveness of a mobile application for real-time reporting and quality assurance of decentralized SARS-CoV-2 testing in Uganda.

Background: Effective management of the COVID-19 pandemic required rapid expansion of diagnosis. The introduction of antigen tests presented an opportunity to decentralize testing, but raised challenges with ensuring accurate and timely reporting of testing data, which is essential to guide the response. Digital solutions can help address this challenge and provide more efficient means of monitoring and quality assurance.

Fine-scale-mapping of Schistosoma haematobium infections at the school and community levels and intermediate host snail abundance in the north of Pemba Island: baseline cross-sectional survey findings before the onset of a 3-year intervention study.

Background: Schistosomiasis elimination has gained renewed priority in the WHO guidance documents published in 2020 and 2022. The SchistoBreak project, implemented in Pemba, Tanzania between 2020 and 2024, aims to assess new tools and strategies for shifting from elimination as a public health problem towards interruption of transmission. Here we report our baseline findings and discuss implications for future interventions.

Transmission and diversity of Schistosoma haematobium and S. bovis and their freshwater intermediate snail hosts Bulinus globosus and B. nasutus in the Zanzibar Archipelago, United Republic of Tanzania.

Background: The Zanzibar Archipelago (Pemba and Unguja islands) is targeted for the elimination of human urogenital schistosomiasis caused by infection with Schistosoma haematobium where the intermediate snail host is Bulinus globosus. Following multiple studies, it has remained unclear if B. nasutus (a snail species that occupies geographically distinct regions on the Archipelago) is involved in S.