Is elimination of cervical cancer in sight in England?

Objective: The age-standardised rate of cervical cancer is 8.5 per 100,000 in England, double the WHO "elimination" goal of 4.0 per 100,000, despite England being close to the target coverage for both HPV vaccination and cervical screening.

Malaria elimination challenges in countries approaching the last mile: a discussion among regional stakeholders.

Background: The national malaria control programmes in Cambodia, Nepal, and Bhutan aim to achieve malaria elimination by 2025-2030. While the vivax malaria burden remains challenging, the consistent decline in falciparum malaria in these countries over the last five years suggests that the goal is achievable. However, unexpected cases in previously falciparum malaria-free districts continue to occur.

Ebola Outbreak Response in the DRC with rVSV-ZEBOV-GP Ring Vaccination.

Background: At the beginning of the 2018-2020 outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), no vaccine had been licensed. However, cluster-randomized evidence from Guinea in 2015 had indicated that ring vaccination around new cases (targeting contacts and contacts-of-contacts) with the use of single-dose live-replicating rVSV-ZEBOV-GP vaccine reduced EVD rates starting 10 days after vaccination. Thus, ring vaccination was added to the standard control measures for that outbreak.

Anti-VEGF drugs compared with laser photocoagulation for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of sight loss in people with diabetes. The most severe form, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, carries a high risk of vision loss, vitreous haemorrhage, macular oedema and other harms. Panretinal photocoagulation is the primary treatment for proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Rethinking village malaria workers in Cambodia: Perspectives from the communities, programme managers, and international stakeholders.

Since the early 2000s, malaria cases in Cambodia have declined steadily. Village malaria workers (VMWs) have played a critical role in reducing malaria transmission and progress towards malaria elimination. To prevent malaria re-establishment, however, implementation strategies need to consider carefully the changing healthcare needs in the communities as well as challenges to, and opportunities for, programme adaptation.

Correction: Expanding the role of village malaria workers in Cambodia: Implementation and evaluation of four health education packages.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Population genomics and transcriptomics of Plasmodium falciparum in Cambodia and Vietnam uncover key components of the artemisinin resistance genetic background.

The emergence of Plasmodium falciparum parasites resistant to artemisinins compromises the efficacy of Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACTs), the global first-line malaria treatment. Artemisinin resistance is a complex genetic trait in which nonsynonymous SNPs in PfK13 cooperate with other genetic variations. Here, we present population genomic/transcriptomic analyses of P.

Adherence to diabetic retinopathy screening among children and young adults in Bangladesh.

Background: Effective diabetic retinopathy screening (DRS) programmes are important in preventing vision impairment and blindness caused by diabetes. This study focuses on identifying the factors affecting attendance or non-adherence to DRS among children and young adults with diabetes mellitus (DM) in Bangladesh.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used, which included patients diagnosed with DM aged 12-26 years from Bangladesh who were registered at BIRDEM Women and Children hospital in Dhaka.

Longitudinal Assessment of AMD using Ultrawide Field Imaging - The Optos PEripheral RetinA (OPERA) Follow-up Study.

Purpose: With the widespread availability of ultrawide field imaging, peripheral retinal abnormalities in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have garnered attention. However, longitudinal studies on AMD peripheral findings are limited. This study aims to characterize and quantify these features over five years.

Formulation and Evaluation of Different Nanogels of Tapinarof for Treatment of Psoriasis.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated skin condition. There are many therapeutic options for its treatment; however, none of them is completely effective. Tapinarof is a promising new active substance; it was recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of psoriasis.

Halving premature death and improving quality of life at all ages: cross-country analyses of past trends and future directions.

Background: Although death in old age is unavoidable, premature death-defined here as death before age 70 years-is not. To assess whether halving premature mortality by 2050 is feasible, we examined the large variation in premature death rates before age 70 years and trends over the past 50 years (1970-2019), covering ten world regions and the 30 most-populous nations. This analysis was undertaken in conjunction with the third report of The Lancet Commission on Investing in Health: Global Health 2050: the path to halving premature death by mid-century.

Risk prediction of ischemic heart disease using plasma proteomics, conventional risk factors and polygenic scores in Chinese and European adults.

Plasma proteomics could enhance risk prediction for multiple diseases beyond conventional risk factors or polygenic scores (PS). To assess utility of proteomics for risk prediction of ischemic heart disease (IHD) compared with conventional risk factors and PS in Chinese and European populations. A nested case-cohort study measured plasma levels of 2923 proteins using Olink Explore panel in ~ 4000 Chinese adults (1976 incident IHD cases and 2001 sub-cohort controls).

Online level-2 perspective taking for newly learnt symbols.

Humans demonstrate spontaneous sensitivity to other people's perspectives on object identities in online tasks. Evidence shows that this not only involves representing the mere discrepancy between perspectives, but the content of such perspectives as well (level-2 perspective taking/L2PT). However, this evidence comes from studies using culturally grounded symbols which leaves open the possibility that having extensive, easily accessible background knowledge about an object is necessary for the L2PT effect.

The Role of Amphiphilic Compounds in Nasal Nanoparticles.

Nasal medications hold significant importance and are widely utilized due to their numerous advantageous properties, offering a compelling route for both local and systemic therapeutic effects. Nowadays, the development of nasal particles under 1 micrometer is in the focus of much scientific research. In our experiments, the use of innovative nanotechnology to increase the effectiveness of the active substance was of paramount importance.

Formulation of Thermo-Sensitive In Situ Gels Loaded with Dual Spectrum Antibiotics of Azithromycin and Ofloxacin.

In situ gels have been developed as an innovative strategy to prolong corneal residence time and enhance drug absorption compared to traditional eye drops. Our study aimed to formulate an ophthalmic in situ gel with a combination of two thermosensitive poloxamers, P407 and P188, in an optimal ratio not only to increase the time of action but also to increase the solubility of selected antibiotics for the treatment of ophthalmic infections. Two BSC II class substances, Azithromycin and Ofloxacin, with different mechanisms of action, have been incorporated into the in situ gel system after determining their solubility.

Dementia risk reduction in the African context: Multi-national implementation of multimodal strategies to promote healthy brain aging in Africa (the Africa-FINGERS project).

Dementia prevention in Africa is critically underexplored, despite the continent's high prevalence of modifiable risk factors. With a predominantly young and middle-aged population, Africa presents a prime opportunity to implement evidence-based strategies that could significantly reduce future dementia cases and mitigate its economic impact. The multinational Africa-FINGERS program offers an innovative solution, pioneering culturally sensitive, multidomain interventions tailored to the unique challenges of the region.

Insecticide-treated bednets and chemoprophylaxis reduce malaria mortality and parasite prevalence.

This commentary discusses an influential study from 1993 that demonstrated, among West African children, an overall mortality benefit of insecticide-impregnated bednets, and the reduction of malaria prevalence by chemoprophylaxis. Led by Brian Greenwood and colleagues in The Gambia, the trial also showed these tools to be affordable and practicable. In the years since, >2 billion bednets have been provided to high-risk populations and have contributed greatly to reductions in malaria-attributable mortality.

Alcohol and mortality in Mexico: prospective study of 150 000 adults.

Background: Alcohol consumption is a leading cause of premature death globally, but there is no large-scale prospective evidence from Mexico.

Methods: The Mexico City Prospective Study recruited 150 000 adults aged 35 years or older between 1998 and 2004. Participants were followed up until Oct 1, 2022 for cause-specific mortality.

Comparative evaluation of swabbing sites for Omicron variant detection in PCR testing.

Purpose: The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 raised concerns about the best sampling sites for PCR testing, with early indications suggesting throat swab samples were better than nasal swab samples. Our study evaluated the sensitivity of detecting SARS-CoV-2 across different swabbing sites.

Methods: Participants undergoing testing at NHS Test and Trace sites in England provided self-collected samples using nose only, throat only, and combined nose and throat swabs, which were analysed by realtime PCR.

Evaluation of an electronic clinical decision support algorithm to improve primary care management of acute febrile illness in rural Cambodia: protocol for a cluster-randomised trial.

Introduction: Acute febrile illness (AFI), traditionally attributed to malaria, is a common reason for seeking primary healthcare in rural South and Southeast Asia. However, malaria transmission has declined while health workers are often poorly equipped to manage non-malarial AFIs. This results in indiscriminate antibiotic prescribing and care escalation, which promotes antibiotic resistance and may increase healthcare costs.

Exploring uncatalogued genetic variation in antimicrobial resistance gene families in Escherichia coli: an observational analysis.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Escherichia coli is a global problem associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. AMR-associated genes are typically annotated based on similarity to variants in a curated reference database, with the implicit assumption that uncatalogued genetic variation within these is phenotypically unimportant. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the AMRFinder tool and, subsequently, the potential for discovering new AMR-associated gene families and characterising variation within existing ones to improve genotype-to-susceptibility phenotype predictions in E coli.