8,706 results match your criteria: "Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine & John Hopkins School of Public Health[Affiliation]"

Background: Significant differences in outcomes for mothers and babies following obstetric surgical interventions between low- and middle-income countries and high-income settings have demonstrated a need for improvements in quality of care and training of obstetric surgical and anaesthetic providers. To address this, a five-day face-to-face training intervention was developed. When roll-out was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the course was redesigned for delivery by blended learning.

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Background: Snakebite is a priority neglected tropical disease, but incidence data are lacking; current estimates rely upon incomplete health facility reports or ad hoc surveys. Spatial analysis methods harness statistical associations between case incidence and spatially varying factors to improve estimates. This systematic review aimed to identify variables associated with snakebite risk in spatial and temporal analyses for inclusion in geospatial studies to improve risk estimation accuracy.

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Larviciding for malaria control and elimination in Africa.

Malar J

January 2025

RBM Partnership Vector Control Working Group, Chem du Pommier 40, 1218, Le Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland.

Background: Global progress toward malaria elimination and eradication goals has stagnated in recent years, with many African countries reporting increases in malaria morbidity and mortality. Insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying are effective, but the emergence and increased intensity of insecticide resistance and the challenge of outdoor transmission are undermining their impact. New tools are needed to get back on track towards global targets.

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Snakebite envenoming remains a devastating and neglected tropical disease, claiming over 100,000 lives annually and causing severe complications and long-lasting disabilities for many more. Three-finger toxins (3FTx) are highly toxic components of elapid snake venoms that can cause diverse pathologies, including severe tissue damage and inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, resulting in life-threatening neurotoxicity. At present, the only available treatments for snakebites consist of polyclonal antibodies derived from the plasma of immunized animals, which have high cost and limited efficacy against 3FTxs.

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A diagnostic host-specific transcriptome response for Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia to guide pediatric patient treatment.

Nat Commun

January 2025

Unidade de Xenética, Instituto de Ciencias Forenses, Facultade de Medicina, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Calle San Francisco sn, Galicia, Spain.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae causes atypical pneumonia in children and young adults. Its lack of a cell wall makes it resistant to beta-lactams, which are the first-line treatment for typical pneumonia. Current diagnostic tests are time-consuming and have low specificity, leading clinicians to administer empirical antibiotics.

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Background: In moderate-to-high malaria transmission regions, the World Health Organization recommends intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) alongside insecticide-treated bed nets to reduce the adverse consequences of pregnancy-associated malaria. Due to high-grade Plasmodium falciparum resistance to SP, novel treatment regimens need to be evaluated for IPTp, but these increase pill burden and treatment days. The present qualitative study assessed the acceptability of IPTp-SP plus dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) in Papua New Guinea, where IPTp-SP was implemented in 2009.

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Importance: The impact of adjunctive intra-arterial tenecteplase administration following near-complete to complete reperfusion by endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke is unknown.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and adverse events of adjunctive intra-arterial tenecteplase in patients with large vessel occlusion stroke who had achieved near-complete to complete reperfusion (defined as a score on the expanded Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction [eTICI] scale of 2c to 3) after EVT.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Investigator-initiated, randomized, open-label, blinded outcome assessment trial implemented at 34 hospitals in China among 540 patients with stroke due to proximal intracranial large vessel occlusion within 24 hours of the time they were last known to be well, with an eTICI score of 2c to 3 after EVT, and without prior intravenous thrombolysis.

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Importance: Persisting or new thrombi in the distal arteries and the microcirculation have been reported to limit the benefits of successful endovascular thrombectomy for patients with acute ischemic stroke. It remains uncertain whether intra-arterial thrombolysis by urokinase following near-complete to complete reperfusion by thrombectomy improves outcomes among patients with ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and adverse events of intra-arterial urokinase after near-complete to complete reperfusion by thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion.

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This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (qualitative). The objectives are as follows: To explore the use of evidence from civil society in national and subnational health policy processes. The specific research questions will include the following.

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Background: In Nigeria, men constitute over half of the people notified with tuberculosis (TB), experience longer delays before reaching care, and are estimated to account for two thirds of people who miss out on care. The higher TB risk and burden in men has implications for the whole population and reaching them earlier with TB services will reduce onward transmission in households, communities, and workplaces. The absence of a comprehensive guidance and the lack of substantial empirical evidence on TB care approaches that are responsive to the needs of men in Nigeria exacerbates this problem.

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Procalcitonin-guided duration of antibiotic treatment in children hospitalised with confirmed or suspected bacterial infection in the UK (BATCH): a pragmatic, multicentre, open-label, two-arm, individually randomised, controlled trial.

Lancet Child Adolesc Health

January 2025

Department of Infectious Diseases, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK; Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary, and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. Electronic address:

Background: Procalcitonin is a rapid response biomarker specific for bacterial infection, which is not routinely used in the UK National Health Service. We aimed to assess whether using a procalcitonin-guided algorithm would safely reduce the duration of antibiotic therapy compared with usual care, in which C-reactive protein is the commonly used biomarker.

Methods: The BATCH trial was a pragmatic, multicentre, open-label, parallel, two-arm, individually randomised, controlled trial conducted in 15 hospitals in England and Wales.

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Background: The lives of adolescents and young people living with HIV (LHIV) are dominated by complex psychological and social stressors. These may be more pronounced among those perinatally infected. This longitudinal mixed-methods study describes the clinical and psychosocial challenges faced by HIV perinatally infected young mothers in Harare, Zimbabwe to inform tailored support.

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Globally, one in five people in post-conflict areas are estimated to be living with a mental health condition. As a key public health issue, these conditions negatively affect individuals, communities, and societies to function after a conflict. Documenting the prevalence of mental health conditions amongst these populations is crucial to prioritise and guide future mental health interventions.

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Background: The blended learning (BL) approach to training health care professionals is increasingly adopted in many countries because of high costs and disruption to service delivery in the light of severe human resource shortage in low resource settings. The Covid-19 pandemic increased the urgency to identify alternatives to traditional face-to-face (f2f) education approach. A four-day f2f antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC) continuous professional development course (CPD) was repackaged into a 3-part BL course; (1) self-directed learning (16 h) (2) facilitated virtual sessions (2.

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The microbiome influences critical aspects of mosquito biology and variations in microbial composition can impact the outcomes of laboratory studies. To investigate how biotic and abiotic conditions in an insectary affect the composition of the mosquito microbiome, a single cohort of Aedes aegypti eggs was divided into three batches and transferred to three different climate-controlled insectaries within the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. The bacterial microbiome composition was compared as mosquitoes developed, the microbiome of the mosquitoes' food sources was characterised, environmental conditions over time in each insectary were measured, and mosquito development and survival were recorded.

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A considerable number of patients present to hospitals in Eswatini each year following bites by venomous snakes. Effectively diagnosing and treating patients with snakebite envenoming requires healthcare workers to have a variety of generic and snakebite-specific medical skills. In several countries, however, healthcare workers have been found to have limited skills in managing snakebite patients.

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Background: In 2023, there were 39.9 million people living with HIV (PLWH) worldwide and 630 000 deaths related to HIV. New strategies are needed, and long-acting antiretrovirals (LAAs) are now widely considered to have great potential to help end the HIV epidemic.

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How macrophage heterogeneity affects tuberculosis disease and therapy.

Nat Rev Immunol

January 2025

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.

Macrophages are the primary host cell type for infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vivo. Macrophages are also key immune effector cells that mediate the control of bacterial growth. However, the specific macrophage phenotypes that are required for optimal immune control of M.

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Background: Effective strategies to reduce sexually transmitted infection burden and transmission among female sex workers (FSWs) and their networks are needed. We report sexually transmitted infection prevalence among FSWs in Zimbabwe and investigate the performance of screening algorithms.

Methods: Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) surveys, including blood sampling for syphilis serology, were conducted among FSWs in 3 communities in Zimbabwe in 2017.

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Background: Malaria incidence in the Greater Mekong Subregion has been on the decline, and most remaining malaria risk in the region is concentrated among hard-to-reach populations, especially those with exposure to forested areas. New vector control tools focused on outdoor protection in forest settings are needed for these populations.

Methods: The delivery of a 'forest pack' containing a volatile pyrethroid spatial repellent (VPSR), a topical repellent, and pyrethroid treatment of clothing was evaluated in an operational study in Cambodia.

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Background: Approximately half of the patients with acute ischemic stroke who receive intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) do not achieve an excellent outcome. Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) as a promising neuroprotective treatment may improve clinical outcomes in this population. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of RIC in patients with IVT.

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Assessment of Favipiravir and Remdesivir in Combination for SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Syrian Golden Hamsters.

Viruses

November 2024

Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK.

Favipiravir (FVP) and remdesivir (RDV) have demonstrable antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. Here, the efficacy of FVP, RDV, and FVP with RDV (FVP + RDV) in combination was assessed in Syrian golden hamsters challenged with SARS-CoV- 2 (B.1.

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Schistosoma mattheei and zoonotic schistosomiasis.

Trends Parasitol

January 2025

Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Research Programme, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital Campus, Blantyre 3, Malawi.

We highlight the epidemiological importance of Schistosoma mattheei, a common parasite of livestock with an underappreciated ability to infect people, being recently incriminated in both female and male genital schistosomiasis. Through hybridisation(s) with other schistosome species, its public health importance will grow as its zoonotic potential expands across southern Africa.

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