Setting: Sao Tomé and Principe (STP) is a lower middle-income country in the Gulf of Guinea that has a persistent high loss of TB patients on treatment.
Objective: To investigate factors associated with patient loss to follow-up (LTFU) and to assess health worker perceptions on non-adherence.
Design: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the national database. Factors associated with LTFU were investigated using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. In-depth interviews were conducted with TB health workers to identify perceived barriers for treatment completion.
Results: A total of 822 registered patients with drug-susceptible TB were included, of whom 82 (10.0%) were lost to follow-up. Male sex (adjusted OR [aOR] 1.7, 95% CI 1.0-3.0; = 0.048), as well as living in the Mé-Zóchi and Caué Districts (aOR 2.60, 95% CI 1.58-4.26; < 0.001) were associated with an increased odds of LTFU. The main barriers to treatment completion were related to lack of food, stigma, and lack of patient information and personal support.
Conclusion: The study indicates the need to address multiple issues related to LTFU during TB treatment. Enhanced efforts to personalise care, especially for information, nutrition and encouragement will better support patients in STP.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.5588/pha.22.0040 | DOI Listing |
Ann Neurol
January 2025
Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA.
Objective: Approximately 20% of familial cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are caused by mutations in the gene encoding superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). Epidemiological data have identified traumatic brain injury (TBI) as an exogenous risk factor for ALS; however, the mechanisms by which TBI may worsen SOD1 ALS remain largely undefined.
Methods: We sought to determine whether repetitive TBI (rTBI) accelerates disease onset and progression in the transgenic SOD1 mouse ALS model, and whether loss of the primary regulator of axonal degeneration sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (Sarm1) mitigates the histological and behavioral pathophysiology.
Clin Appl Thromb Hemost
January 2025
Cardiovascular Research Institute, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Percutaneous valve implantation or surgical replacement with mechanical or biological valves are standard therapies for severe valvular heart diseases. Prosthetic valve thrombosis, though rare, is a serious complication, particularly with mechanical prostheses. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of platelet volume parameters, including mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR), for valvular thrombosis risk in patients undergoing valve replacement therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Glob Health
January 2025
Medical-surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Background: We aimed to identify the central lifestyle, the most impactful among lifestyle factor clusters; the central health outcome, the most impactful among health outcome clusters; and the bridge lifestyle, the most strongly connected to health outcome clusters, across 29 countries to optimise resource allocation for local holistic health improvements.
Methods: From July 2020 to August 2021, we surveyed 16 461 adults across 29 countries who self-reported changes in 18 lifestyle factors and 13 health outcomes due to the pandemic. Three networks were generated by network analysis for each country: lifestyle, health outcome, and bridge networks.
J Glob Health
January 2025
China Center for Health Development Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Background: While research in multiple countries confirms that primary care functional features significantly improve patient health, China's primary care system differs markedly due to unique structural and contextual factors. This study aims to measure and explore the functional features experienced by patients received family doctor contract service in the past year, evaluating the impacts and pathways of these primary care features on health outcomes.
Methods: We employed a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design.
JMIR Hum Factors
January 2025
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, 123 Metro Blvd, Nutley, NJ, 07110, United States, 1 7248419463.
Background: Transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) individuals are increasingly intentionally becoming pregnant to raise children, and hospital websites should reflect these trends. For prospective TGNB parents, a hospital website is the only way they can assess their safety from discrimination while receiving perinatal care. Cisnormativity enforced by communication gaps between medical institutions and TGNB patients can and has caused delays in receiving urgent care during their pregnancy.
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