Factors associated with tuberculosis treatment initiation among bacteriologically negative individuals evaluated for tuberculosis: An individual patient data meta-analysis.

Background: Globally, over one-third of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) disease diagnoses are made based on clinical criteria after a negative bacteriological test result. There is limited information on the factors that determine clinicians' decisions to initiate TB treatment when initial bacteriological test results are negative.

Methods And Findings: We performed a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis using studies conducted between January 2010 and December 2022 (PROSPERO: CRD42022287613).

Children and providers' perspectives on once-weekly rifapentine and isoniazid TB preventive therapy.

Background: TB preventive treatment (TPT) prevents the development of TB disease in individuals at risk of progression from infection to disease. However, implementation of TPT for children is poor in most high-burden settings. The long duration and pill burden of the 6-month once-daily isoniazid regimen (6H) pose significant barriers to completion.

Effectiveness of oral health promotion in children and adolescents through behaviour change interventions: A scoping review.

Objective: To explore the interventions for change in oral health behaviour that are effective in improving oral health behaviours in 8 to 18-year-old children during oral health promotion.

Methods: The Joanna Briggs Institute framework of evidence synthesis for conducting a scoping review was implemented for the methodology. Included studies related to the objective, measured clinical or non-clinical outcomes, were in English, 2011-2023, and were experimental, observational or reviews.

Variations and Opportunities in Postnatal Management of Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn.

Importance: Preventive efforts in pregnancy-related alloimmunization have considerably decreased the prevalence of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). International studies are therefore essential to obtain a deeper understanding of the postnatal management and outcomes of HDFN. Taken together with numerous treatment options, large practice variations among centers may exist.

A Highly Divergent Mitochondrial Genome in Extant Cape Buffalo From Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa.

The reduced cost of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has allowed researchers to generate nuclear and mitochondrial genome data to gain deeper insights into the phylogeography, evolutionary history and biology of non-model species. While the Cape buffalo () has been well-studied across its range with traditional genetic markers over the last 25 years, researchers are building on this knowledge by generating whole genome, population-level data sets to improve understanding of the genetic composition and evolutionary history of the species. Using publicly available NGS data, we assembled 40 Cape buffalo mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) from four protected areas in South Africa, expanding the geographical range and almost doubling the number of mitogenomes available for this species.

Core functions of primary care in Amathole district, South Africa: a descriptive study.

Background: Strengthening primary care is a priority globally and for the South African health system. The current measurement tools in South Africa do not measure the core functions of primary care: access, comprehensiveness, coordination, continuity and person-centredness. A new regional version of the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT) has just been validated and can measure these core functions.

the diagnostic accuracy of EyeGuide focus testing for concussion in elite male rugby players.

Introduction: Smooth pursuit eye movements may be affected by head impacts. The EyeGuide Focus system is a simple, portable, test of visual tracking. This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of EyeGuide measurements for detection of concussion during elite Rugby matches.

Large multimodal models: boon or burden for low- and middle-income countries.

Large multimodal models, a type of generative artificial intelligence (AI), could contribute to wider government efforts to achieve universal health coverage if ethical challenges are proactively addressed during the design and deployment of these AI technologies. The World Health Organization has published new guidance to highlight the risks and benefits of large multimodal models and recommendations to effectively govern this technology.

Evaluating the implementation of online research training and mentorship among early-career family physicians in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Research is needed to improve the performance of primary health care. In Africa, few family physicians conduct research, and therefore an online research training and mentorship programme was developed to build research capacity amongst novice and early career researchers.

Aim: To evaluate the implementation of the AfriWon Research Collaborative (ARC) training and e-mentorship programme in sub-Saharan Africa.

Serious mental health conditions and exposure to adulthood trauma in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review.

Background: There is a strong link between trauma exposure and serious mental health conditions (SMHCs), such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The majority of research in the field has focused on childhood trauma as a risk factor for developing an SMHC and on samples from high-income countries. There is less research on having an SMHC as a risk factor for exposure to traumatic events, and particularly on populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Application of genetic testing criteria for hereditary breast cancer in South Africa.

Purpose: Breast cancer (BC) is the commonest cancer in South African women. A proportion are associated with a pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) variant in a BC susceptibility gene. Clinical guidelines for genetic testing are used to optimise variant detection while containing costs.

Tuberculosis healthcare service disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, India and South Africa: A model-based analysis of country-level data.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading infectious disease cause of death worldwide. In recent years, stringent measures to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 have led to considerable disruptions of healthcare services for TB in many countries. The extent to which these measures have affected TB testing, treatment initiation and outcomes has not been comprehensively assessed.

Syphilis reactivity among blood donors in Brazil: associated factors and implications for public health monitoring.

Background: Increasing syphilis infection rates are a concerning issue worldwide. Blood donation screening is an opportunity to monitor the burden of asymptomatic infections, providing information on contemporary factors associated with infection and public health insights into transmission.

Methods: Blood donations collected at five Brazilian blood centers between January 2020 and February 2022 were screened with treponemal or non-treponemal assays according to local protocols, followed by alternate Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA); samples with reactive or indeterminate results in the alternate ELISA were further tested with the rapid plasma reagin (RPR), and categorized as RPR-positive or RPR-negative.

Consensus in Action: Context-Specific Physical Activity Guidelines for Undergraduate Students at a South African University.

Physical inactivity among undergraduate university students has been considered a public health concern. To address this, researchers have utilized consensus workshop approaches to develop effective physical activity (PA) recommendations. However, the existing research has limitations: it is outdated, not context-specific to young adults, and does not account for psychosocial factors (such as mental health, motivation, and social support) that hinder or promote PA behavior, particularly in South Africa.

Blood-based diagnosis of pediatric tuberculosis: A prospective cohort study in South Africa and Dominican Republic.

Objectives: Pediatric tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis is complicated by challenges in obtaining invasive respiratory specimens that frequently contain few Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) bacilli. We report the diagnostic performance of an Mtb antigen-derived peptide (MAP-TB) assay and its ability to monitor TB treatment response.

Methods: Study cohorts enrolled children who presented with presumptive TB at two hospitals in South Africa from 2012 to 2017 (157 children aged <13 years) and at community-based clinics in the Dominican Republic from 2019 to 2023 (101 children aged <18 years).

Efficacy, Safety, and Immunogenicity of the MATISSE (Maternal Immunization Study for Safety and Efficacy) Maternal Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prefusion F Protein Vaccine Trial.

Objective: To evaluate descriptive efficacy data, exploratory immunogenicity data, and safety follow-up through study completion from the global, phase 3 MATISSE (Maternal Immunization Study for Safety and Efficacy) maternal vaccination trial of bivalent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prefusion F protein vaccine (RSVpreF).

Methods: MATISSE was a phase 3, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Healthy pregnant participants aged 49 years or younger at 24-36 weeks of gestation were randomized (1:1) to receive a single RSVpreF 120 micrograms or placebo dose.

High incidence of tuberculosis in young children living with HIV in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Background: Data on tuberculosis (TB) incidence and risk factors among children living with HIV (CLHIV) in the universal ART era are limited.

Methods: We analysed routinely-collected data on TB diagnoses for CLHIV age ≤5 years, born 2018-2022, in the Westen Cape, South Africa. We examined factors associated with TB diagnosis, with death and loss to follow-up as competing events.

High-Throughput Shotgun Metagenomics of Microbial Footprints Uncovers a Cocktail of Noxious Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria, Kenya.

A diverse range of pollutants, including heavy metals, agrochemicals, pharmaceutical residues, illicit drugs, personal care products, and other anthropogenic contaminants, pose a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems. The Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria, heavily impacted by surrounding human activities, faces potential contamination from these pollutants. However, studies exploring the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the lake remain limited.

Behavioural and social drivers of human papillomavirus vaccination in eThekwini District of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women in South Africa. Infection with high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) is the cause of cervical cancer, which can be prevented by HPV vaccination. However, there is wide variation in HPV vaccination coverage among the urban districts of South Africa; with the lowest coverage being 40% in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.