Characteristics of children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis and their association with treatment outcomes: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: There are few data on the treatment of children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant (MDR) or rifampicin-resistant (RR) tuberculosis, especially with more recently available drugs and regimens. We aimed to describe the clinical and treatment characteristics and their associations with treatment outcomes in this susceptible population.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

New COVID-19 vaccination recommendations in Spain: Optimizing for next seasons.

Despite high initial vaccination rates, Spain's current COVID-19 vaccination coverage in recommended groups does not meet WHO targets. For the upcoming season, challenges include revising vaccination age, updating risk groups, and unifying criteria with flu vaccine co-administration. European Commission's advance purchase agreements limit access to certain vaccines, and the need for vaccines effective against current variants adds administrative complexities.

Genomics yields biological and phenotypic insights into bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease. Despite high heritability (60-80%), the majority of the underlying genetic determinants remain unknown. We analysed data from participants of European, East Asian, African American and Latino ancestries (n = 158,036 cases with bipolar disorder, 2.

Over a decade of HIV infection prevalence and incidence among Mozambican pregnant women: a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data.

Background: Monitoring HIV infection estimates is critical to guide health interventions and assess their impact, especially in highly vulnerable groups to the infection such as African pregnant women. This study describes the trends of HIV infection over eleven years in women attending selected antenatal care (ANC) clinics from southern Mozambique.

Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of data registered at the ANC clinic of the Manhiça District Hospital and from the Ministry of Health's HIV National Program Registry between 2010 and 2021.

Aging towards walkable futures: insights from a multidisciplinary workshop held in Barcelona, Spain.

Background: The aging of the world's population and the increase in sedentary lifestyles are leading to an increase in walking impairments at older ages. Here, we aimed to comprehensively discuss walking in the context of an aging population; and identify and agree on a list of future research priorities and policy actions.

Methods: We followed a participatory approach and held a multidisciplinary two-day workshop on October, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain, with experts in the fields of aging and walking, and participants from the general public.

Detecting two circulating antigens - CCA and CAA - in urine and serum to improve diagnosis of human schistosomiasis.

Background: Schistosomiasis is caused by infection with parasitic worms and affects more than 250 million people globally. The detection of schistosome derived circulating cathodic and anodic antigens (CCA and CAA) has proven highly valuable for detecting active infections, causing both intestinal and urinary schistosomiasis.

Aim: The combined detection of CCA and CAA was explored to improve accuracy in detecting infections.

Multi-omics architecture of childhood obesity and metabolic dysfunction uncovers biological pathways and prenatal determinants.

Childhood obesity poses a significant public health challenge, yet the molecular intricacies underlying its pathobiology remain elusive. Leveraging extensive multi-omics profiling (methylome, miRNome, transcriptome, proteins and metabolites) and a rich phenotypic characterization across two parts of Europe within the population-based Human Early Life Exposome project, we unravel the molecular landscape of childhood obesity and associated metabolic dysfunction. Our integrative analysis uncovers three clusters of children defined by specific multi-omics profiles, one of which characterized not only by higher adiposity but also by a high degree of metabolic complications.

Mapping alterations in the local synchrony of the cerebral cortex in Prader Willi syndrome.

Individuals with Prader Willi syndrome (PWS) often exhibit behavioral difficulties characterized by deficient impulse regulation and obsessive-compulsive features resembling those observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder. The genetic configuration of PWS aligns with molecular and neurophysiological findings suggesting dysfunction in the inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) interneuron system may contribute to its clinical manifestation. In the cerebral cortex, this dysfunction is expressed as desynchronization of local neural activity.

Albendazole-ivermectin co-formulation for the treatment of Trichuris trichiura and other soil-transmitted helminths: a randomised phase 2/3 trial.

Background: Treatments for soil-transmitted helminthiases face challenges, especially in addressing Trichuris trichiura. Combination regimens, particularly of ivermectin and albendazole, are promising. We aimed to assess the safety, efficacy, and palatability of a combination tablet for the treatment of T trichiura, hookworm, and Strongyloides stercoralis infections among school-aged children in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Mozambique.

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).

Identification of a circulating carbohydrate antigen as a highly specific and sensitive target for schistosomiasis serology.

Unlabelled: The World Health Organization (WHO) 2030 roadmap for schistosomiasis calls for development of highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tools to continue and sustain progress towards elimination. Serological assays are excellent for sensitive detection of primary schistosome infections and for schistosomiasis surveillance in near- and post-elimination settings. To develop accurate assay formats, it is necessary to identify defined antibody targets with low cross-reactivity and potential for standardized production.

In Vitro Activity of Ampicillin Plus Ceftriaxone Against Non- and Non- Enterococcal Isolates With/Without VanC Phenotype: Clinical Implications for Infective Endocarditis.

(1) Background: Alternative antibiotics are needed to treat infective endocarditis (IE) caused by non-/non- enterococci; we aimed to assess the in vitro activity of ampicillin plus ceftriaxone (AMP + CTR) against these enterococci and to describe its clinical efficacy in IE cases. (2) Methods: Time-kill curves with standard (ISI) and high (IHI) inocula were performed to test isolates [3 (ECAS) and 1 (EGALL)] and non- isolates [1 (EDUR), 1 (EHIR) and 1 (ERAF)]. The narrative literature review of IE cases treated with AMP + CTR was analyzed alongside three study cases.

New COVID-19 vaccination recommendations in Spain: Optimizing for next seasons.

Despite high initial vaccination rates, Spain's current COVID-19 vaccination coverage in recommended groups does not meet WHO targets. For the upcoming season, challenges include revising vaccination age, updating risk groups, and unifying criteria with flu vaccine co-administration. European Commission's advance purchase agreements limit access to certain vaccines, and the need for vaccines effective against current variants adds administrative complexities.

Human and entomological determinants of malaria transmission in the Lihir Islands of Papua New Guinea: A cross-sectional study.

Background: The Lihir Islands of Papua New Guinea, located in an area with high burden of malaria and hosting a large mining operation, offer a unique opportunity to study transmission. There, we investigated human and vector factors influencing malaria transmission.

Methods: In 2019, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 2,914 individuals assessing malaria prevalence through rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), microscopy, and quantitative PCR (qPCR).

Child mortality in Eastern Ethiopia: acceptability of Postmortem minimally invasive tissue sampling in a predominantly muslim community.

Background: It is crucial to consider cultural, religious, and socio-behavioural factors that may influence the acceptability of Minimally Invasive Tissues Sampling (MITS). MITS is being used to understand the causes of child death and conducted in nine countries within Africa and South Asia with the highest child mortality. Progress has been made in the development of laboratory infrastructures and training for physicians to do MITS, but many communities are concerned about the religious acceptability of taking samples from deceased children.

potentiation of tetracyclines in by RW01, a new cyclic peptide.

The pipeline for new drugs against multidrug-resistant remains limited, highlighting the urgent need for innovative treatments. New strategies, such as membrane-targeting molecules acting as adjuvants, aim to enhance antibiotic effectiveness and combat resistance. RW01, a cyclic peptide with low antimicrobial activity, was selected as an adjuvant to enhance drug efficacy through membrane permeabilization.

Endocervical Brush Cytology After Cervical Conization as a Predictor of Treatment Failure: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Endocervical curettage (ECC) is the gold standard for predicting the persistence of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) after cervical conization. However, ECC has a high rate of unsatisfactory samples and may be uncomfortable for women. Endocervical sampling with brush (ECB) has been proposed as an alternative to ECC, which, in addition to the cytological evaluation, allows performing HPV testing using the same sample.

EGHRIN conclusions on pandemic preparedness: no whole-of-society approach without society.

Pandemic preparedness necessitates a multifaceted approach that emphasizes societal factors, such as building trust and acknowledges cultural and societal differences, with a focus on protecting vulnerable groups. To support these goals, the European Global Health Research Institutes Network has outlined a comprehensive transdisciplinary approach through a set of multilevel recommendations.

Alterations of the IKZF1-IKZF2 tandem in immune cells of schizophrenia patients regulate associated phenotypes.

Schizophrenia is a complex multifactorial disorder and increasing evidence suggests the involvement of immune dysregulations in its pathogenesis. We observed that IKZF1 and IKZF2, classic immune-related transcription factors (TFs), were both downregulated in patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) but not in their brain. We generated a new mutant mouse model with a reduction in Ikzf1 and Ikzf2 to study the impact of those changes.

Temporal trends and social inequities in adolescent and young adult mental health disorders in Catalonia, Spain: a 2008-2022 primary care cohort study.

Background: The prevalence of mental health disorders in children, teens, and young adults is rising at an alarming rate. This study aims to explore time trends in the incidence of mental disorders among young people in Catalonia, Spain from 2008 to 2022, focusing on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and from the perspective of social inequities.

Methods: A cohort study using primary care records from the SIDIAP database was conducted.

Vaccination coverage and access among children and adult migrants and refugees in the Middle East and North African region: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The Middle East and North African (MENA) region is a major global hotspot for migration with more than 40 million migrants, who may be an under-vaccinated group because of barriers to vaccination within countries of origin, transit, and destination. We systematically synthesised the evidence on coverage, acceptance, drivers of uptake, and policies pertaining to vaccination for children and adult migrants in the region, in order to explore tailored interventions for these groups.

Methods: We searched six databases (including Medline, Embase) for peer-reviewed literature, and other websites (including WHO, IOM, ministries of health) for grey literature on coverage, acceptance, drivers of uptake and policies for any vaccination in migrants in the MENA region from between 2000 and 27 August 2024 in any language.

Prognostic performance of early immune and endothelial activation markers in mild-to-moderate COVID-19 outpatients: a nested case-control study.

Introduction: Evidence on the association of biomarkers of host response to infection with COVID-19 clinical outcomes has focused mainly on hospitalized patients. We investigated the prognostic performance of 39 immune and endothelial activation markers measured early in the course of disease to predict the development of severe COVID-19 and hospitalization.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study from a randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in outpatients aged 50 years or older presenting with mild-to-moderate COVID-19.