Predictors of maternal HIV acquisition during pregnancy and lactation in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Objectives: To eliminate vertical transmission of HIV, global institutions recommend using a risk-guided approach for HIV prevention services in antenatal and postnatal settings. Identifying predictors of maternal HIV acquisition can inform the development of risk-guided approaches, but individual studies of predictors can have limited power and generalizability.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and narrative synthesis to identify common predictors of maternal HIV acquisition in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Effectiveness of economic support, comprehensive sexuality education and community dialogue on early childbearing and sitting for grade nine exams among adolescent girls in rural Zambia: a cluster randomised trial.

Background: Adolescent pregnancies pose a risk to young mothers and their babies. In Zambia, one third of 18-year-old girls have given birth. Poverty, low secondary school enrolment, misinformation, and community norms contribute to early childbearing.

DETECTION OF NEW HIV CASES UNDER EPIDEMIC CONTROL - WHEN IS IT THE RIGHT TIME TO REVIEW HIV TESTING ALGORITHMS FOR COUNTRIES NEARING THE 95-95-95 MILESTONES? CASE STUDY -BOTSWANA.

Background: Accurate diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is dependent on using established national HIV testing algorithm. The purpose of this study was to review published articles to identify, and apply lessons learned to determine factors affecting transition of HIV testing algorithm for countries that have attained HIV epidemic control.

Materials And Methods: We systematically searched peer-reviewed articles from online scientific databases; PubMed and Google Scholar from January 2019 to March 2024, using defined search phrases to extract articles.

Psychometric properties and clinical utility of spinal health outcome measures in school-based interventions among children and adolescents: a systematic review protocol.

Introduction: Spinal health in children and adolescents has global implications, impacting school attendance, academic performance and physical activity. Effective school-based interventions are essential for promoting spinal health literacy, positive behaviours and academic success.

Objectives: This review aims to collect data on school-based interventions for spinal health in children and adolescents over the past two decades.

Predictors of upper limb motor recovery in stroke survivors: a pre-post test study design.

Objectives: The study aimed to assess the predictors of upper limb motor recovery in stroke survivors.

Design: Pre-post test study design.

Setting: Conducted in two centres (First Level Hospital and University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka).

TIDieR-WASH: A Guideline for Reporting Implementation of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Interventions.

Introduction: Accurate information on context and implementation of public health interventions is necessary to replicate, adapt, and scale effective interventions and to interpret evaluations. Reporting the context and implementation of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions has been inconsistent and incomplete.

Methods: To improve the reporting of WASH interventions, we developed the Template for Intervention Description and Replication for WASH (TIDieR-WASH) checklist and guide, by adapting and expanding the original TIDieR guide.

Basic and preclinical epilepsy research Scientists' perception of clinical epileptology.

The interaction between basic science epilepsy researchers and clinical epileptologists is a longstanding issue. Efforts to provide opportunities for a dialogue between preclinical and clinical epilepsy professionals are crucial to reduce the knowledge gap between them and improve the translational success of neurobiology-based research. The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Research and Innovation Task Force circulated a survey to investigate the need for an update on new clinical epilepsy concepts within the basic science community.

Systemic biological mechanisms underpin poor post-discharge growth among severely wasted children with HIV.

In sub-Saharan Africa, children with severe malnutrition (SM) and HIV have substantially worse outcomes than children with SM alone, facing higher mortality risk and impaired nutritional recovery post-hospitalisation. Biological mechanisms underpinning this risk remain incompletely understood. This case-control study nested within the CHAIN cohort in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Burkina Faso examined effect of HIV on six months post-discharge growth among children with SM and those at risk of malnutrition, assessed proteomic signatures associated with HIV in these children, and investigated how these systemic processes impact post-discharge growth in children with SM.

Exact Expressions for Kullback-Leibler Divergence for Univariate Distributions.

The Kullback-Leibler divergence (KL divergence) is a statistical measure that quantifies the difference between two probability distributions. Specifically, it assesses the amount of information that is lost when one distribution is used to approximate another. This concept is crucial in various fields, including information theory, statistics, and machine learning, as it helps in understanding how well a model represents the underlying data.

Documenting Trends in Malaria Data Reporting Accuracy Using Routine Data Quality Audits in Zambia, 2015-2022.

Since 2015, the Zambia National Malaria Elimination Centre has conducted routine data quality audits in Central, Southern, and Western provinces, but trends in data reporting accuracy have not been examined. Routine data quality audit data collected at health facilities reporting into the monthly health management information system (HMIS) and weekly malaria rapid reporting system (MRRS) were used to measure data reporting accuracy trends from 2015 to 2022 and potential influencing factors using three data elements: outpatient department attendance and rapid diagnostic test (RDT)-tested cases for HMIS and MRRS, total confirmed cases for HMIS only, and RDT-positive cases for MRRS only. Reporting accuracies for HMIS and MRRS data elements and the percentage of facilities reporting with high accuracy (≥85%) improved over this period.

African lineage 1a West Nile virus isolated from crocodiles exhibits low neuroinvasiveness in mice.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that causes encephalitis in humans and infects crocodiles, resulting in rashes and neurological signs. In Zambia, two distinct lineages of WNV have been detected in neighbouring areas: lineage 2 in mosquitoes and lineage 1a in farmed crocodiles. Considering the risk of direct or vector-mediated WNV transmission from crocodiles to mammals, it is necessary to elucidate the pathogenicity of WNV strains derived from crocodiles.

The pattern of diabetic care and glycemic control among the ambulatory diabetic patients in tertiary care settings in Bangladesh.

Diabetes mellitus is a major public health concern in Bangladesh. The pattern of diabetic care and control of blood sugar among diabetic patients are not well described. We assessed the pattern of diabetic care among ambulatory diabetic patients attending tertiary care hospitals in Bangladesh, and explored the relationship of glycemic control with behavioral and metabolic risks.

Immunochromatographic Lateral Flow Assays to Detect Filovirus Nucleoproteins.

The recent large outbreaks of Ebola virus disease in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have highlighted the need for rapid diagnostic tests to control this disease. In this chapter, the development of immunochromatographic lateral flow assays to detect filovirus nucleoproteins is described as an example of designing rapid diagnostic tests.

Urine-Xpert Ultra for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in people living with HIV: a prospective, multicentre, diagnostic accuracy study.

Background: Diagnostic delays for tuberculosis are common, with high resultant mortality. Urine-Xpert Ultra (Cepheid) could improve time to diagnosis of tuberculosis disease and rifampicin resistance. We previously reported on lot-to-lot variation of the Fujifilm SILVAMP TB LAM.

Development of a seroepidemiological tool for bat-borne and shrew-borne hantaviruses and its application using samples from Zambia.

Background: Rodent-borne orthohantaviruses are the causative agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Apart from the classic rodent-borne hantaviruses, numerous species of hantaviruses have been identified in shrews and bats; however, their antigenicity and pathogenicity are unknown. This study focused on developing a serological method to detect antibodies against bat- and shrew-borne hantaviruses.

Contextual factors impacting WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control implementation in Africa-a scoping review.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco use causes over 8 million deaths annually including 1.3 million due to second-hand exposure. Furthermore, data from the Tobacco Atlas show that the tobacco industry continues to target new markets in the WHO African region, one of two regions where absolute numbers of smokers continue to increase.

Availability and readiness of public health facilities to provide differentiated service delivery models for HIV treatment in Zambia: implications for better treatment outcomes.

Background: There is persistent pressure on countries with a high burden of HIV infection to reach desired targets for HIV treatment outcomes. This has led to moving from the "one-size-fits-all" model to differentiated service delivery (DSD) models, which are meant to be more patient-centered and efficient but without compromising on the quality of patient care. However, for DSD models to be efficient, facilities should have indicators of HIV services available and ready to provide the DSD models.