Deep-amplicon sequencing of the complete beta-tubulin gene in Trichuris trichiura before and after albendazole treatment.

Concerns about the emergence of benzimidazole resistance in soil-transmitted helminths (STH) infections, particularly against Trichuris trichiura, have arisen. Previous studies of veterinary nematodes have linked benzimidazole resistance to single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at three specific codons in the beta-tubulin gene, but similar associations in STH have not been consistently observed. In this work, we screened the complete beta-tubulin gene previously linked to benzimidazole resistance in T.

Baseline gut microbiota diversity and composition and albendazole efficacy in hookworm-infected individuals.

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections account for a significant global health burden, necessitating mass drug administration with benzimidazole-class anthelmintics, such as albendazole (ALB), for morbidity control. However, ALB efficacy shows substantial variability, presenting challenges for achieving consistent treatment outcomes. We have explored the potential impact of the baseline gut microbiota on ALB efficacy in hookworm-infected individuals through microbiota profiling and machine learning (ML) techniques.

A mediation analysis evaluating change in self-stigma on diabetes outcomes among people with depression in urban India: A secondary analysis from the INDEPENDENT trial of the collaborative care model.

Self-stigma-the internalization of negative community attitudes and beliefs about a disease or condition-represents an important barrier to improving patient care outcomes for people living with common mental disorders and diabetes. Integrated behavioral healthcare interventions are recognized as evidence-based approaches to improve access to behavioral healthcare and for improving patient outcomes, including for those with comorbid diabetes, yet their impact on addressing self-stigma remains unclear. Using secondary data from the Integrating Depression and Diabetes Treatment (INDEPENDENT) study-a trial that aimed to improve diabetes outcomes for people with undertreated and comorbid depression in four urban Indian cities via the Collaborative Care Model-we longitudinally analyzed self-stigma scores and evaluated whether change in total self-stigma scores on diabetes outcomes is mediated by depressive symptom severity.

The first BILGENSA Research Network workshop in Zambia: identifying research priorities, challenges and needs in genital bilharzia in Southern Africa.

Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) and male genital schistosomiasis (MGS) are gender-specific manifestations of urogenital schistosomiasis. Morbidity is a consequence of prolonged inflammation in the human genital tract caused by the entrapped eggs of the waterborne parasite, Both diseases affect the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of millions of people globally, especially in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). Awareness and knowledge of these diseases is largely absent among affected communities and healthcare workers in endemic countries.

Using testing history to estimate HIV incidence in mothers living in resource-limited settings: Maximizing efficiency of a community health survey in Mozambique.

Obtaining rapid and accurate HIV incidence estimates is challenging because of the need for long-term follow-up for a large cohort. We estimated HIV incidence among women who recently delivered in southern Mozambique by leveraging data available in routine health cards. A cross-sectional household HIV-testing survey was conducted from October 2017 to April 2018 among mothers of children born in the previous four years in the Manhiça Health Demographic Surveillance System area.

Lay knowledge of cervical cancer in Manhiça district, Mozambique: a qualitative study.

Background: Mozambique has one of the highest cervical cancer incidence rates in the world. Health interventions are still being conceived solely from a non-communicable disease standpoint despite that it is also a sexual and reproductive health problem. The objective of this study was to assess the extent to which lay perceptions of cervical cancer align with biomedical knowledge from the standpoint of sexual and reproductive health.

High HIV prevalence and incidence among women in Southern Mozambique: Evidence from the MDP microbicide feasibility study.

Background: The study aimed to assess the feasibility of conducting large scale HIV prevention clinical trials in Mozambique by measuring HIV prevalence and incidence among women of reproductive age. This paper describes the baseline socio-demographic characteristics of the Mozambique Microbicides Development Programme (MDP) feasibility cohort, baseline prevalence of HIV and other STIs, and HIV incidence.

Methods: The Mozambique MDP feasibility study was conducted from September 2007 to August 2009 in urban Mavalane and rural Manhiça, in Southern Mozambique.

The feasibility of community level interventions for pre-eclampsia in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa: a mixed-methods design.

Background: Globally, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are major contributors to maternal and perinatal mortality; of which the vast majority of deaths occur in less developed countries. In addition, a disproportionate number of morbidities and mortalities occur due to delayed access to health services. The Community Level Interventions for Pre-eclampsia (CLIP) Trial aims to task-shift to community health workers the identification and emergency management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia to improve access and timely care.

Mortality, Morbidity, and Developmental Outcomes in Infants Born to Women Who Received Either Mefloquine or Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine as Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy: A Cohort Study.

Background: Little is known about the effects of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) on the health of sub-Saharan African infants. We have evaluated the safety of IPTp with mefloquine (MQ) compared to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for important infant health and developmental outcomes.

Methods And Findings: In the context of a multicenter randomized controlled trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of IPTp with MQ compared to SP in pregnancy carried out in four sub-Saharan countries (Mozambique, Benin, Gabon, and Tanzania), 4,247 newborns, 2,815 born to women who received MQ and 1,432 born to women who received SP for IPTp, were followed up until 12 mo of age.

Sleeping arrangements and mass distribution of bed nets in six districts in central and northern Mozambique.

Objective: Universal coverage with insecticide-treated bed nets is a cornerstone of modern malaria control. Mozambique has developed a novel bed net allocation strategy, where the number of bed nets allocated per household is calculated on the basis of household composition and assumptions about who sleeps with whom. We set out to evaluate the performance of the novel allocation strategy.

Clinical, nutritional and immunological characteristics of HIV-infected children in an area of high HIV prevalence.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical, nutritional and neurodevelopment status of HIV-infected children in a high HIV prevalence area.

Methods: All HIV-infected children under 15 years of age attending an outpatient clinic of Mozambique between April and May 2010 were recruited. Clinical data were collected and physical examination was performed.

Incidence of Tuberculosis Among Young Children in Rural Mozambique.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) contributes significantly to child morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to estimate the minimum community-based incidence rate of TB among children <3 years of age in Southern Mozambique.

Methods: Between October 2011 and October 2012, in the Manhiça District Health and Demographic Surveillance System, we enrolled prospectively all presumptive TB cases younger than 3 years of age through passive and active case finding.

Impact of elevated maternal HIV viral load at delivery on T-cell populations in HIV exposed uninfected infants in Mozambique.

Background: HIV-uninfected infants born to HIV-infected mothers (HIV-exposed uninfected, HEU) have been described to have immune alterations as compared to unexposed infants. This study sought to characterize T-cell populations after birth in HEU infants and unexposed infants living in a semirural area in southern Mozambique.

Methods: Between August 2008 and June 2009 mother-infant pairs were enrolled at the Manhiça District Hospital at delivery into a prospective observational analysis of immunological and health outcomes in HEU infants.

Impact of HIV exposure on health outcomes in HIV-negative infants born to HIV-positive mothers in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Up to 30% of infants may be HIV-exposed noninfected (ENI) in countries with high HIV prevalence, but the impact of maternal HIV on the child's health remains unclear.

Methods: One hundred fifty-eight HIV ENI and 160 unexposed (UE) Mozambican infants were evaluated at 1, 3, 9, and 12 months postdelivery. At each visit, a questionnaire was administered, and HIV DNA polymerase chain reaction and hematologic and CD4/CD8 determinations were measured.

Blood oxidative stress markers and Plasmodium falciparum malaria in non-immune African children.

Converging in vitro evidence and clinical data indicate that oxidative stress may play important roles in Plasmodium falciparum malaria, notably in the pathogenesis of severe anaemia. However, oxidative modifications of the red blood cell (RBC)-membrane by 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and haemoglobin-binding, previously hypothesized to contribute mechanistically to the pathogenesis of clinical malaria, have not yet been tested for clinical significance. In 349 non-immune Mozambican newborns recruited in a double-blind placebo-controlled chemoprophylaxis trial, oxidative markers including 4-HNE-conjugates and membrane-bound haemoglobin were longitudinally assessed from 2·5 to 24 months of age, at first acute malaria episode and in convalescence.

Severity of anaemia is associated with bone marrow haemozoin in children exposed to Plasmodium falciparum.

There are no large-scale ex vivo studies addressing the contribution of Plasmodium falciparum in the bone marrow to anaemia. The presence of malaria parasites and haemozoin were studied in bone marrows from 290 anaemic children attending a rural hospital in Mozambique. Peripheral blood infections were determined by microscopy and polymerase chain reactions.

Breast milk and gut microbiota in African mothers and infants from an area of high HIV prevalence.

Background: Human milk and infant gut microbiota are essential for the immune system maturation and protection against infections. There is scarce information on the microbiological composition of breast milk in general, and none from developing countries. The objective of the study was to characterize the breast milk and gut microbiota from mothers and infants from southern Mozambique, where infections and breastfeeding are prevalent.