Whole genome sequence-based association analysis of African American individuals with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

In studies of individuals of primarily European genetic ancestry, common and low-frequency variants and rare coding variants have been found to be associated with the risk of bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ). However, less is known for individuals of other genetic ancestries or the role of rare non-coding variants in BD and SZ risk. We performed whole genome sequencing of African American individuals: 1,598 with BD, 3,295 with SZ, and 2,651 unaffected controls (InPSYght study).

Prevalence of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and trichomoniasis among male and female general populations in sub-Saharan Africa from 2000-2024: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis.

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the highest sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence globally, but information about trends and geographic variation is limited by sparse aetiologic studies, particularly among men. This systematic review assessed chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and trichomoniasis prevalence by sex, sub-region, and year, and estimated male-to-female prevalence ratios for SSA.

Methods: We searched Embase, MEDLINE, Global Health, PubMed, and African Index Medicus for studies measuring STI prevalence among general populations from January 1, 2000, to September 17, 2024.

Opioid use disorder and brain health: observational and genetic associations.

Background: The long-term impact of opioid use disorder (OUD) on brain health has been little explored although of potentially high public health importance.

Objectives: To investigate the potential causal impact of OUD on later life brain health outcomes, including dementia, stroke and brain structure.

Methods: Observational and Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted.

Perinatal care experiences of women living with disability in Africa: a qualitative systematic review protocol.

Objective: This review will explore the perinatal care experiences of women living with disability in African countries.

Introduction: In many African countries, most women with disability face stigma and discrimination. They are also at risk of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases due to gender-based violence and sexual abuse.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with HIV.

Intro: Public health restrictions were introduced in the UK in March 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of our study was to understand the impact of the disruptions to routine healthcare services among people with HIV during this time and the effect on their engagement with healthcare, social, employment, and relationship networks and mental and physical well-being, to inform advanced planning in the event of future healthcare service disruptions.

Methods: An online survey was conducted, with participants recruited from one HIV clinic and one community organization in England.

Global, regional, and national burden of esophageal cancer: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

Background And Objective: Esophageal cancer (EC) is the seventh most prevalent cancer globally and the sixth leading cause of cancer-related mortality. This study aimed to provide an updated stratified assessment of rates in EC incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) from 1990 to 2021 by sex, age, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI) at global, regional, and national levels, as well as to project the future trends of EC both globally and regionally.

Methods: Data about age-standardized rates (ASRs) of incidence (ASIR), mortality (ASDR), probability of death (ASPoD) and DALYs (ASDALYRs) of EC were obtained from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study.

Core Outcome Set development for LEPtospirosis trials (COS-LEP): a study protocol to develop a core outcome set for the evaluation of clinical therapeutic interventions for human leptospirosis.

Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic bacterial infection occurring worldwide. It is of particular public health concern due to its global distribution, epidemic potential and high mortality without appropriate treatment. The method for the management of leptospirosis, particularly in severe disease, is clouded by methodological inconsistency and a lack of standardized outcome measures.

Incidence of suspected human rabies virus exposure and associated risk factors in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Despite the World Health Organization's 2030 goal of zero deaths, rabies disproportionately affects Asia and Africa, causing 55,000 deaths and 8.6 billion monetary losses annually. In Ethiopia, dogs are the primary cause of human rabies virus exposure due to their close interaction with humans and other domestic animals.

Ferric carboxymaltose for anemia in late pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial.

Over 46% of African pregnant women are anemic. Oral iron is recommended but often suboptimal, particularly late in pregnancy. Intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) could treat anemia in women in the third trimester in sub-Saharan Africa.

Medicare Advantage Networks Include Few Black Or Hispanic Physicians, Making Concordant Care Inaccessible For Many.

Black and Hispanic patients who receive care from Black and Hispanic physicians have greater use of preventive care. However, receiving care from racially concordant physicians requires that such physicians are included in private insurance plan networks. Using data from 2019, we examined the extent to which racially concordant physicians are available in the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, which disproportionately enrolls Black and Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries, by linking MA physician networks to physician race and ethnicity to measure the diversity of in-network physicians.

Toxoplasma gondii from Gabonese forest, Central Africa: First report of an African wild strain.

The protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous and highly prevalent parasite that can theoretically infect all warm-blooded vertebrates. In humans, toxoplasmosis causes infections in both immunodeficient and immunocompetent patients, congenital toxoplasmosis, and ocular lesions. These manifestations have different degrees of severity.

A Study of Glabellar Contraction Patterns in African Descendants.

Background: Botulinum toxin is a well-established treatment for dynamic glabellar lines. Glabellar contraction patterns were described previously in the general Brazilian population and also among Koreans, Chinese, and Indian individuals. So far, no study has addressed glabellar contraction "patterns" in Black subjects.

Gender, Racial, and Fitzpatrick Skin Type Representation in Melasma Clinical Trials.

Melasma, a symmetric pigmentary disorder, is more prevalent in women and individuals with darker skin tones. Despite its global prevalence, there is a notable gap in the understanding of gender, racial, and Fitzpatrick skin type (FST) representation in melasma clinical trials. We conducted a comprehensive search of the United States (US) National Library of Medicine clinical trials database (ClinicalTrials.

"Men Take Care of Each Other": Evaluation of a Community-Based Model for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Services Among Male Bar Patrons in Rural South Africa.

Low engagement with HIV services persists among young men with harmful alcohol use in South Africa. We previously piloted a rural community-based HIV service delivery model to engage this key population. In the initial study, male nurses visited alcohol-serving venues to provide HIV testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services.

Neighborhood-level deprivation mediates racial and ethnic disparities in HCC diagnosis in Texas.

Background: Texas has the highest HCC rates in the United States, and the greatest burden is among Hispanics. Racial and ethnic disparities in HCC incidence have multiple underpinning factors. We conducted a mediation analysis to examine the role of neighborhood disadvantage (Area Deprivation Index) as a potential mediator of the association between neighborhood race and ethnicity distribution and neighborhood HCC case counts in Texas.

Incarceration is associated with higher mortality after trauma: An unreported health care disparity.

Background: While the United States has the highest incarceration rate worldwide, at nearly 1% of the adult population (more than 2 million people), insights regarding health disparities in this population remain limited. This retrospective cohort study represents the largest national database analysis of incarcerated trauma patients to date and investigates whether incarceration status is an independent risk factor for poor outcomes after trauma for US adults.

Methods: We analyzed data from the National Trauma Data Bank from 2017 to 2018.

Patterns in mortality associated with heart failure and lung cancer among older adults in the United States: An analysis of 20 years.

Background: Despite an established association between heart failure (HF) and lung cancer (LC), there is limited evidence available regarding mortality patterns among the older (≥65 years) population in the United States.

Methods: The mortality data, spanning 1999 to 2019, was surveyed using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database with HF and LC identified as underlying or contributing causes of death. Crude and age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) were calculated per 100,000 individuals.

Treatment of cattle with ivermectin and its effect on dung degradation and larval abundance in a tropical savanna setting.

When ingested as part of a blood meal, the antiparasitic drug ivermectin kills mosquitoes, making it a candidate for mass drug administration (MDA) in humans and livestock to reduce malaria transmission. When administered to livestock, most ivermectin is excreted unmetabolized in the dung within 5 days post administration. Presence of ivermectin, has been shown to adversely affect dung colonizers and dung degradation in temperate settings; however, those findings may not apply to, tropical environment, where ivermectin MDA against malaria would occur.

Exploring perceptions and attitudes towards vaccines in a remote western DRC health zone.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) struggles with low full childhood vaccination coverage (around 50 %) and a high children-under-five mortality rate (79 deaths per 1000 live births). This situation is potentially exacerbated by vaccine hesitancy, which was identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the top 10 global health threats in 2019. To gain deeper insights into levels of vaccine confidence possibly influencing vaccination coverage, we explored perceptions and attitudes towards childhood and adult vaccines in Boende (Tshuapa province, western DRC), which experienced an Ebola outbreak in 2014 and hosted the EBL2007 Ebola vaccine trial (2019-2022).

Hurricanes, industrial animal operations, and acute gastrointestinal illness in North Carolina, USA.

North Carolina (NC) ranks third among US states in both hog production and hurricanes. NC's hogs are housed in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the eastern, hurricane-prone part of the state. Hurricanes can inundate hog waste lagoons, transporting fecal bacteria that may cause acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI).

The Influence of Study Quality, age, and Geographic Factors on Pcos Prevalence - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a highly prevalent disorder with substantial burden, yet global epidemiological data remains limited.

Objectives: To estimate the PCOS prevalence globally.

Materials And Methods: We systematically searched PubMed and Embase for PCOS studies in unselected populations through February 2024.

Characterizing populations prioritized for PrEP in 19 African countries: a review of national guidance.

Introduction: While African countries have expanded access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) since 2015, regional targets for PrEP uptake remain unmet. Understanding which populations are prioritized for PrEP at the policy level is an important step in determining the scope of PrEP distribution across Africa and identifying gaps in programme implementation. We reviewed national guidance to characterize populations prioritized for PrEP in Africa.

Elevations in D-dimer levels in patients with Plasmodium infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

D-dimer, a byproduct of cross-linked fibrin degradation, arises during the fibrinolysis process, breaking down blood clots in circulation. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize evidence of D-dimer alteration in people with malaria, including variations in disease severity. The systematic review was registered in PROSPERO with registration number CRD42024528245.

Routine malaria vaccination in Africa: a step toward malaria eradication?

Malaria remains a significant global health challenge, with nearly half of the world's population at risk of infection. In 2022 alone, malaria claimed approximately 608,000 lives, with 76% of these fatalities occurring in children under the age of five, underscoring the disease's disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations. Africa bears the highest burden, accounting for 94% of global malaria cases.

Neighborhood Crime Risk and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Children's Neural Reactivity to Emotional Stimuli.

Research has shown that exposure to higher rates of neighborhood disadvantage and contextual threat increases risk for the development of psychopathology in youth, with some evidence that these effects may differ across racial/ethnic groups. Although studies have shown that direct exposure to stress impacts neural responses to threat-relevant stimuli, less is known about how neighborhood characteristics more generally (e.g.