Iron deficiency anaemia and early childhood caries: a cross-sectional study.

Background: This study aimed to assess the association between iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and dental caries in early childhood.

Methods: A total of 40 children with proven IDA and another 40 healthy age and sex-matched children were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Legal guardians were interviewed to collect data on oral hygiene measures and dietary habits.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Risk Perception, Behaviour and Preventive Measures at Schools in Berlin, Germany, during the Early Post-Lockdown Phase: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Briefly before the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Berlin, Germany, schools closed in mid-March 2020. Following re-opening, schools resumed operation at a reduced level for nine weeks. During this phase, we aimed at assessing, among students and teachers, infection status, symptoms, individual behaviour, and institutional infection prevention measures.

Evaluation of a duplex real-time PCR in human serum for simultaneous detection and differentiation of Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium infections - cross-sectional study.

Background: We evaluated a one-tube multiplex real-time PCR targeting DNA of Schistosoma haematobium complex and S. mansoni complex in serum samples obtained at different German diagnostic centers.

Methods: Simplex real-time PCR protocols for the detection of the multi-copy DNA-repeats Dra1 of S.

Suitability of current typing procedures to identify epidemiologically linked human Giardia duodenalis isolates.

Background: Giardia duodenalis is a leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. Humans are mainly infected by two different subtypes, i.e.

Diagnosis and clinical management of hepatosplenic schistosomiasis: A scoping review of the literature.

Background: Hepatosplenic schistosomiasis (HSS) is a disease caused by chronic infection with Schistosma spp. parasites residing in the mesenteric plexus; portal hypertension causing gastrointestinal bleeding is the most dangerous complication of this condition. HSS requires complex clinical management, but no specific guidelines exist.

Head-to-head comparison of SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detecting rapid test with professional-collected nasal nasopharyngeal swab.

https://bit.ly/3pEVlUL

Anthropometric indices and their cut-off points in relation to type 2 diabetes among Ghanaian migrants and non-migrants: The RODAM study.

Aims: To compare body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) as determinants of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and determine optimal cut-offs in a sub-Saharan African population.

Methods: Data from the RODAM study including Ghanaians aged 25-70 living in rural Ghana, urban Ghana and Europe were used. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between BMI, WC, WHR and T2DM status, by sex and site.

Feasibility of a Culturally Adapted Dietary Weight-Loss Intervention among Ghanaian Migrants in Berlin, Germany: The ADAPT Study.

Background: Dietary weight-loss interventions often fail among migrant populations. We investigated the practicability and acceptability of a culturally adapted dietary weight-loss intervention among Ghanaian migrants in Berlin.

Methods: The national guidelines for the treatment of adiposity were adapted to the cultural characteristics of the target population, aiming at weight-loss of ≥2.

Head-to-head comparison of SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detecting rapid test with self-collected nasal swab professional-collected nasopharyngeal swab.

https://bit.ly/3mup0hS

Describing nearly two decades of Chagas disease in Germany and the lessons learned: a retrospective study on screening, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection from 2000 - 2018.

Background: The highly complex and largely neglected Chagas disease (CD) has become a global health problem due to population movements between Latin America and non-endemic countries, as well as non-vectorial transmission routes. Data on CD testing and treatment from routine patient care in Germany of almost two decades was collected and analysed.

Methods: German laboratories offering diagnostics for chronic Trypanosoma cruzi (T.

Travel-related infections presenting in Europe: A 20-year analysis of EuroTravNet surveillance data.

Background: Disease epidemiology of (re-)emerging infectious diseases is changing rapidly, rendering surveillance of travel-associated illness important.

Methods: We evaluated travel-related illness encountered at EuroTravNet clinics, the European surveillance sub-network of GeoSentinel, between March 1, 1998 and March 31, 2018.

Findings: 103,739 ill travellers were evaluated, including 11,239 (10.

"We have already heard that the treatment doesn't do anything, so why should we take it?": A mixed method perspective on Chagas disease knowledge, attitudes, prevention, and treatment behaviour in the Bolivian Chaco.

Background: Chagas disease (CD) is highly endemic in the Bolivian Chaco. The municipality of Monteagudo has been targeted by national interventions as well as by Médecins Sans Frontières to reduce infection rates, and to decentralize early diagnosis and treatment. This study seeks to determine the knowledge and attitudes of a population with increased awareness and to identify remaining factors and barriers for sustained vector control, health care seeking behaviour, and access, in order to improve future interventions.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in refugees from Syria: complex cases in Berlin 2015-2020.

Background: The Syrian conflict has led to a dramatic increase of Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), triggered by continuous population displacements, disrupted control programmes, poor shelter and sanitation.

Methods: A retrospective patient record study was conducted at the Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health in Berlin. Records of all refugees from Syria treated for CL between January 2015 and March 2020 were reviewed.

Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of International Travelers with Enteric Fever and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of Their Isolates: a GeoSentinel Analysis.

Enteric fever, caused by serovar Typhi ( Typhi) and serovar Paratyphi ( Paratyphi), is a common travel-related illness. Limited data are available on the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns of these serovars among travelers. Records of travelers with a culture-confirmed diagnosis seen during or after travel from January 2007 to December 2018 were obtained from GeoSentinel.

How are social determinants of health represented in German medical education?: a qualitative content analysis of key-curricular documents.

Objective: The WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (SDH) has called for a health workforce trained in recognising, understanding and acting on the SDH. However, little is known about how current medical education prepares graduates for this challenge. This study analyses the extent to which the German medical education incorporates content on SDH.

Association between C reactive protein and microvascular and macrovascular dysfunction in sub-Saharan Africans with and without diabetes: the RODAM study.

Introduction: Although inflammation assessed by elevated C reactive protein (CRP) concentration is known to be associated with risk of cardiovascular disease, its association with microvascular and macrovascular dysfunction in diabetes and non-diabetes remains unclear. We examined the association between CRP and diabetes and associated microvascular and macrovascular dysfunction in sub-Saharan Africans with and without diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of baseline data from the multicenter RODAM study (Research on Obesity and Diabetes among African Migrants) including 5248 Ghanaians (583 with diabetes, 4665 without diabetes) aged 25-70 years were done.

Use of resuscitation promoting factors to screen for tuberculosis infection in household-exposed children in The Gambia.

Background: Interferon-γ release assays (IGRA) with Resuscitation promoting factor (Rpf) proteins enhanced tuberculosis (TB) screening and diagnosis in adults but have not been evaluated in children. Children often develop paucibacillary TB and their immune response differs from that of adults, which together affect TB disease diagnostics and immunodiagnostics. We assessed the ability of Rpf to identify infection among household TB-exposed children in The Gambia and investigated their ability to discriminate Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) infection from active TB disease in children.

SNP rs6564851 in the BCO1 Gene Is Associated with Varying Provitamin a Plasma Concentrations but Not with Retinol Concentrations among Adolescents from Rural Ghana.

In sub-Saharan Africa, vitamin A deficiency constitutes a severe health problem despite various supplementation and food fortification programs. Given that the intake of preformed vitamin A from animal products remains low in these countries, an efficient metabolization of plant-based provitamin A carotenoids is essential. Previously, adolescents in rural Ghana have shown high total plasma carotenoid concentrations, while 36% had a vitamin A deficiency (defined as plasma retinol < 0.

Studying the pathophysiology of coronavirus disease 2019: a protocol for the Berlin prospective COVID-19 patient cohort (Pa-COVID-19).

Purpose: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide causing a global health emergency. Pa-COVID-19 aims to provide comprehensive data on clinical course, pathophysiology, immunology and outcome of COVID-19, to identify prognostic biomarkers, clinical scores, and therapeutic targets for improved clinical management and preventive interventions.

Methods: Pa-COVID-19 is a prospective observational cohort study of patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection treated at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

The incidence of HIV and associated risk factors among pregnant women in Kabarole District, Uganda.

Objectives: The study attempted to determine the incidence of HIV among pregnant women in Kabarole District, Uganda, and to identify socio-demographic and behavioral risk factors for seroconversion during pregnancy.

Methods: We carried out a retrospective cohort study among women for whom a documented HIV-negative test result from the first pregnancy trimester could be confirmed using available records, and who were HIV-retested in the third trimester or during delivery. In total, 1610 pregnant women from three different healthcare settings took part in the study.

Inverse Association between Iron Deficiency and Glycated Hemoglobin Levels in Ghanaian Adults-the RODAM Study.

Background: Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is often used to diagnose type 2 diabetes (T2D), but studies show that iron deficiency (ID) is associated with elevated HbA1c in the absence of hyperglycemia. It is unknown whether ID prevalence varies between sub-Saharan African populations living in different locations and whether ID influences HbA1c levels in these populations.

Objectives: We assessed the prevalence of ID among Ghanaian migrants in Europe and nonmigrant Ghanaians, and the influence of ID on HbA1c categories among Ghanaians without T2D.

Implementation of the WHO hand hygiene strategy in Faranah regional hospital, Guinea.

Background: Healthcare-associated infections are the most frequent adverse events in healthcare worldwide, with limited available evidence suggesting highest burden in resource-limited settings. Recent Ebola epidemics emphasize the disastrous impact that spread of infectious agents within healthcare facilities can have, accentuating the need for improvement of infection control practices. Hand hygiene (HH) measures are considered to be the most effective tool to prevent healthcare-associated infections.