Objectives: Early diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is a priority for Viet Nam's National TB Control Programme. In many laboratories, quality systems are weak; few have attained accreditation. We implemented a structured training and mentoring program for TB laboratories and measured impact on quality.
Methods: Six TB culture laboratories implemented the Strengthening TB Laboratory Management Towards Accreditation (TB SLMTA) program, consisting of three training workshops and on-site mentoring between workshops to support improvement projects. Periodic audits, using standardized checklists, monitored laboratories' progress toward accreditation readiness.
Results: At baseline, all six laboratories achieved a zero-star level. At exit, five laboratories attained three stars and another one star. Overall checklist scores increased by 44.2% on average, from 29.8% to 74.0%; improvements occurred across all quality system essentials.
Conclusions: The program led to improved quality systems. Sites should be monitored to ensure sustainability of improvements and country capacity expanded for national scaleup.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqz104 | DOI Listing |
Viruses
December 2024
APC Microbiome Ireland, School of Microbiology, University College Cork, College Road, T12 K8AF Cork, Ireland.
Access to safe water and food is a critical issue in sub-Saharan Africa, where microbial contamination poses significant health risks. Conventional water treatment and food preservation methods have limitations in addressing water safety, particularly for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and other pathogenic microorganisms. This review explores the potential application of bacteriophages as an innovative solution for water treatment and food safety in the region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVaccines (Basel)
December 2024
Global Immunization Division, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
Background/objectives: Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) is a constellation of serious multi-organ birth defects following rubella virus infection during early pregnancy. Countries in which rubella vaccination has not yet been introduced can have a high burden of this disease. Data on CRS burden and epidemiology are needed to guide the introduction of a rubella vaccine and monitor progress for rubella elimination, but the multi-system nature of CRS manifestations and required specialized testing creates a challenge for conducting CRS surveillance in developing settings such as Sudan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSensors (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
Multi-modal systems extract information about the environment using specialized sensors that are optimized based on the wavelength of the phenomenology and material interactions. To maximize the entropy, complementary systems operating in regions of non-overlapping wavelengths are optimal. VIS-IR (Visible-Infrared) systems have been at the forefront of multi-modal fusion research and are used extensively to represent information in all-day all-weather applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSensors (Basel)
December 2024
Nokia Bell Labs, 1082 Budapest, Hungary.
Human action recognition using WiFi channel state information (CSI) has gained attention due to its non-intrusive nature and potential applications in healthcare, smart environments, and security. However, the reliability of methods developed for CSI-based action recognition is often contingent on the quality of the datasets and evaluation protocols used. In this paper, we uncovered a critical data leakage issue, which arises from improper data partitioning, in a widely used WiFi CSI benchmark dataset.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSensors (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Intelligent Systems & Robotics, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea.
Handheld LiDAR scanners, which typically consist of a LiDAR sensor, Inertial Measurement Unit, and processor, enable data capture while moving, offering flexibility for various applications, including indoor and outdoor 3D mapping in fields such as architecture and civil engineering. Unlike fixed LiDAR systems, handheld devices allow data collection from different angles, but this mobility introduces challenges in data quality, particularly when initial calibration between sensors is not precise. Accurate LiDAR-IMU calibration, essential for mapping accuracy in Simultaneous Localization and Mapping applications, involves precise alignment of the sensors' extrinsic parameters.
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