Beta-Blockers after Myocardial Infarction and Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Background: Most trials that have shown a benefit of beta-blocker treatment after myocardial infarction included patients with large myocardial infarctions and were conducted in an era before modern biomarker-based diagnosis of myocardial infarction and treatment with percutaneous coronary intervention, antithrombotic agents, high-intensity statins, and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system antagonists.

Methods: In a parallel-group, open-label trial performed at 45 centers in Sweden, Estonia, and New Zealand, we randomly assigned patients with an acute myocardial infarction who had undergone coronary angiography and had a left ventricular ejection fraction of at least 50% to receive either long-term treatment with a beta-blocker (metoprolol or bisoprolol) or no beta-blocker treatment. The primary end point was a composite of death from any cause or new myocardial infarction.

Phenotypic characterization of , a novel mating regulator of the fungal pathogen .

is a fungal pathogen responsible for >200,000 yearly cases with a mortality as high as 81%. This burden results, in part, from an incomplete understanding of its pathogenesis and ineffective antifungal treatments; hence, there is a pressing need to understand the biology and host interactions of this yeast to develop improved treatments. Protein palmitoylation is important for cryptococcal virulence, and we previously identified the substrates of its main palmitoyl transferase.

Refugee health and physiological profiles in transitional settlements in Serbia and Kenya: Comparative evidence for effects of gender and social support.

When armed conflict compels people to flee from their homelands, they embark on protracted journeys during which they experience wide ranging physical, social, and psychological challenges. Few studies have focused on refugee psychosocial and physiological profiles during the transitional phase of forced migration that often involves temporary sheltering. Transient refugees' experiences can vary substantially based on local socio-ecological conditions in temporary settlements, including the length of stay, living conditions, as well as the availability and accessibility of physical and social resources.

Advanced genetic techniques in fungal pathogen research.

Although fungi have been important model organisms for solving genetic, molecular, and ecological problems, recently, they are also becoming an important source of infectious disease. Despite their high medical burden, fungal pathogens are understudied, and relative to other pathogenic microbes, less is known about how their gene functions contribute to disease. This is due, in part, to a lack of powerful genetic tools to study these organisms.

Fat intake modifies association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer in a prospective cohort study: A potential explanation for the lung cancer paradox.

Background & Aims: It remains unclear why the association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer was substantially stronger in Western countries than in Asian countries. As experimental studies have revealed that fat intake modulates tobacco carcinogen metabolism and the growth of transplanted or carcinogen-induced lung tumors in mice, the present study sought to investigate whether the association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer was modified by intake of total fat and types of fat (saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats) in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

Methods: During a median follow-up of 8.

Early morning anopheline mosquito biting, a potential driver of malaria transmission in Busia County, western Kenya.

Background: Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) contributed significantly to the decline in malaria since 2000. Their protective efficacy depends not only on access, use, and net integrity, but also location of people within the home environment and mosquito biting profiles. Anopheline mosquito biting and human location data were integrated to identify potential gaps in protection and better understand malaria transmission dynamics in Busia County, western Kenya.

Circadian and daily rhythms of disease vector mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes express a rich repertoire of daily 24-hour rhythms in biochemistry, physiology, and behavior. The nocturnal Anopheles and Culex and diurnal Aedes mosquitoes are major vectors of human disease, transmitting parasites and arboviruses, such as malaria and dengue. In this review, we explore the role that 24-hour diel and circadian rhythms play in shaping the temporal life of the mosquito.

Plasmodium falciparum transmission in the highlands of Ethiopia is driven by closely related and clonal parasites.

Malaria cases are frequently recorded in the Ethiopian highlands even at altitudes above 2000 m. The epidemiology of malaria in the Ethiopian highlands, and, in particular, the role of importation by human migration from the highly endemic lowlands is not well understood. We sequenced 187 Plasmodium falciparum samples from two sites in the Ethiopian highlands, Gondar (n = 159) and Ziway (n = 28), using a multiplexed droplet digital PCR (ddPCR)-based amplicon sequencing method targeting 35 microhaplotypes and drug resistance loci.

Experimental hut and field evaluation of a metofluthrin-based spatial repellent against pyrethroid-resistant Anopheles funestus in Siaya County, western Kenya.

Background: Spatial repellents (SR) may complement current vector control tools and provide additional coverage when people are not under their bednets or are outdoors. Here we assessed the efficacy of a metofluthrin-based SR in reducing exposure to pyrethroid-resistant Anopheles funestus in Siaya County, western Kenya.

Methods: Metofluthrin was vaporized using an emanator configured to a liquid petroleum gas (LPG) canister, placed inside experimental huts (phase 1) or outdoors (phase 2), and evaluated for reductions in human landing rate, density, knockdown and mortality rates of An.

Bridging the Gap from Molecular Surveillance to Programmatic Decisions for Malaria Control and Elimination.

An increasing number of molecular and genomic assays are available to study malaria parasite populations. However, so far they have played a marginal role in informing policy and programmatic decision-making. Currently, molecular data are mainly used for monitoring drug efficacy against Plasmodium falciparum; assessing molecular markers of drug and insecticide resistance; and assessing P.

A Global Health Reciprocal Innovation grant programme: 5-year review with lessons learnt.

Unilateral approaches to global health innovations can be transformed into cocreative, uniquely collaborative relationships between low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HIC), constituted as 'reciprocal innovation' (RI). Since 2018, the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) and Indiana University (IU) Center for Global Health Equity have led a grants programme sculpted from the core elements of RI, a concept informed by a 30-year partnership started between IU (Indiana) and Moi University (Kenya), which leverages knowledge sharing, transformational learning and translational innovations to address shared health challenges. In this paper, we describe the evolution and implementation of an RI grants programme, as well as the challenges faced.

Inhalable Textile Microplastic Fibers Impair Airway Epithelial Differentiation.

Microplastics are a pressing global concern, and inhalation of microplastic fibers has been associated with interstitial and bronchial inflammation in flock workers. However, how microplastic fibers affect the lungs is unknown. Our aim was to assess the effects of 12 × 31 μm nylon 6,6 (nylon) and 15 × 52 μm polyethylene terephthalate (polyester) textile microplastic fibers on lung epithelial growth and differentiation.

Asymptomatic and submicroscopic malaria infections in sugar cane and rice development areas of Ethiopia.

Background: Water resource development projects, such as dams and irrigation schemes, have a positive impact on food security and poverty reduction. However, such projects could increase prevalence of vector borne disease, such as malaria. This study investigate the impact of different agroecosystems and prevalence of malaria infection in Southwest Ethiopia.

A novel tetra-primer ARMS-PCR approach for the molecular karyotyping of chromosomal inversion 2Ru in the main malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii.

Background: Chromosomal inversion polymorphisms have been associated with adaptive behavioral, physiological, morphological and life history traits in the two main Afrotropical malaria vectors, Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles gambiae. The understanding of the adaptive value of chromosomal inversion systems is constrained by the feasibility of cytological karyotyping. In recent years in silico and molecular approaches have been developed for the genotyping of most widespread inversions (2La, 2Rb and 2Rc).

Indication of mixed glucose and fatty acid use by inferred brown adipose tissue activity in Samoans.

Objectives: Despite the growing rates of global obesity and the known positive associations between brown adipose tissue (BAT) and cardiovascular health, little is known about the metabolic effects of BAT activity in Samoans, a population at high risk of obesity and type II diabetes. Here we assessed the potential effects of inferred BAT activity on metabolic health markers in Samoan adults exposed to mild cold.

Methods: Using point-of-care finger prick technology we measured fasting glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels before and after 30 min of cold exposure among 61 individuals (38 females, 23 males, ages 31-54) from 'Upolu Island, Samoa.

A genetic cross reveals the contributions of and to piperaquine drug resistance.

Piperaquine (PPQ) is widely used in combination with dihydroartemisinin (DHA) as a first-line treatment against malaria parasites. Multiple genetic drivers of PPQ resistance have been reported, including mutations in the () and increased copies of (). We generated a cross between a Cambodia-derived multi-drug resistant KEL1/PLA1 lineage isolate (KH004) and a drug susceptible parasite isolated in Malawi (Mal31).

When the cold gets under your skin: Evidence for brown adipose tissue activity in Samoan adults.

Objectives: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a heat-producing organ aiding nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) during cold stress. Due to its potential cold-adaptive role BAT has been predominantly studied in cold and temperate climate populations, but not among warm-climate adults. This work explores if BAT activity can be inferred in Samoans.

Improving the Quality of Postpartum Care in Ghana: Protocol for a Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Although the postpartum period poses substantial risks and can result in significant maternal morbidity and mortality, postpartum care of the mother receives much less attention in transitional countries.

Objective: We describe the protocol for a randomized controlled trial to implement and evaluate a postpartum care delivery model titled Focused-PPC (Focused Postpartum Care).

Methods: Focused-PPC is an integrated group postpartum care model that meets the clinical care, education, and support needs of mothers up to 1 year after birth.

Validating the predictive ability of the 2MACE score for major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with atrial fibrillation: results from phase II/III of the GLORIA-AF registry.

The 2MACE score was specifically developed as a risk-stratification tool in atrial fibrillation (AF) to predict cardiovascular outcomes. We evaluated the predictive ability of the 2MACE score in the GLORIA-AF registry. All eligible patients from phase II/III of the prospective global GLORIA-AF registry were included.

Challenge and opportunity for vector control strategies on key mosquito-borne diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mosquito-borne diseases are major global health problems that threaten nearly half of the world's population. Conflicting resources and infrastructure required by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic have resulted in the vector control process being more demanding than ever. Although novel vector control paradigms may have been more applicable and efficacious in these challenging settings, there were virtually no reports of novel strategies being developed or implemented during COVID-19 pandemic.