Modern African ecosystems as landscape-scale analogues for reconstructing woody cover and early hominin environments.

Reconstructing habitat types available to hominins and inferring how the paleo-landscape changed through time are critical steps in testing hypotheses about the selective pressures that drove the emergence of bipedalism, tool use, a change in diet, and progressive encephalization. Change in the amount and distribution of woody vegetation has been suggested as one of the important factors that shaped early hominin evolution. Previous models for reconstructing woody cover at eastern African hominin fossil sites used global-scale modern soil comparative datasets.

An operational framework for wildlife health in the One Health approach.

Wildlife is an essential component of biodiversity and provides people with multiple social and economic benefits. However, a resurgence of epidemics over the past two decades has highlighted wildlife's role as a potential source of dangerous pathogens for humans and livestock, with devastating consequences worldwide. Simultaneously, numerous reports have indicated that wildlife populations are declining at an alarming rate due to human and livestock pathogens, predation, and competition.

Infection and pulmonary vascular diseases consortium: United against a global health challenge.

Leveraging the potential of virtual platforms in the post-COVID-19 era, the Infection and Pulmonary Vascular Diseases Consortium (iPVDc), with the support of the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI), launched a globally accessible educational program to highlight top-notch research on inflammation and infectious diseases affecting the lung vasculature. This innovative virtual series has already successfully brought together distinguished investigators across five continents - Asia, Europe, South and North America, and Africa. Moreover, these open global forums have contributed to a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay among immunology, inflammation, infection, and cardiopulmonary health, especially concerning pulmonary hypertension and related pulmonary disorders.

Accumulation of microbial hazards and assessment of food hygiene associated with broiler chicken processing at open air food markets in Maputo, Mozambique.

The burden of foodborne disease due to the consumption of animal-sourced foods is substantial in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Open air markets, while providing fresh and affordable foods, often have unhygienic practices that may contribute to contamination during the slaughter and processing of chicken meat. This study examines whether and how the common practice of rinse water (stored water used for rinsing broiler carcasses during processing) reuse leads to accumulation of pathogens, with potential cross contamination of chicken meat.

COVID-19 inflammatory signature in a Mozambican cohort: unchanged red blood series and reduced levels of IL-6 and other proinflammatory cytokines.

Background: Alterations in haematological, biochemical parameters and cytokine levels, were reported in patients with COVID-19, however, there is an underrepresentation of the African population, which could provide evidence for understanding SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and useful tools for clinical management of cases. In this study, we aimed to determine the haematological, biochemical and cytokine profile in Mozambican individuals with SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: A cohort of 85 Mozambican individuals with RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 results, was stratified into negative, asymptomatic, mild, moderate, and severe categories.

Microbiological contamination of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) reared with tilapia in aquaponic systems and use of bacillus strains as probiotics to prevent diseases: A systematic review.

Aquaponic systems are food production systems that combine aquaculture and hydroponic in a closed recirculation system where water provides nutrients to plants while plants purify water for fish. In this system, tilapia is the most commonly cultured fish and can be easily integrated with vegetable cultivation. However, tilapia host a diverse microbiota some of which are pathogenic and can infect humans.

Malaria treatment for prevention: a modelling study of the impact of routine case management on malaria prevalence and burden.

Background: Testing and treating symptomatic malaria cases is crucial for case management, but it may also prevent future illness by reducing mean infection duration. Measuring the impact of effective treatment on burden and transmission via field studies or routine surveillance systems is difficult and potentially unethical. This project uses mathematical modeling to explore how increasing treatment of symptomatic cases impacts malaria prevalence and incidence.

Impact of point-of-care birth test-and-treat on clinical outcomes among infants with HIV: A cluster randomized trial in Mozambique and Tanzania.

Background: We assessed the impact of point-of-care (PoC) test-and-treat at birth on clinical outcomes and viral suppression among HIV-positive infants in Mozambique and Tanzania.

Methods: This cluster-randomized trial allocated health facilities to intervention, providing PoC-testing and antiretroviral treatment (ART) at birth and week 4-8, or control, starting these at week 4-8. The primary outcome was proportions of clinical events (mortality, morbidity, retention, virological failure, toxicity) among HIV-positive infants at month-18.

Statutory and policy-based eco-disaster risk reduction in SADC member states.

Unlabelled: Effective legislative framework is the cornerstone of managing hazards and disasters because they have become policy problems of global and local concern. This research study aims at understanding the implementation, strengths and gaps of policies related to Eco-DRR in SADC member states. In particular, attempts to critically analyse the making of DRM policies, as well as the variables underpinning these policies, given the high level of disaster losses.

The prevalence and distribution of malaria in Mpumalanga Province before and during COVID-19 (2017 - 2022).

Background: South Africa (SA) has committed to eliminating malaria by 2028. However, the initial target was set for 2023. Additionally, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of drug and insecticide resistance have been identified as potential stumbling blocks in the achievement of this goal.

Federated difference-in-differences with multiple time periods in DataSHIELD.

Difference-in-differences (DID) is a key tool for causal impact evaluation but faces challenges when applied to sensitive data restricted by privacy regulations. Obtaining consent can shrink sample sizes and reduce statistical power, limiting the analysis's effectiveness. Federated learning addresses these issues by sharing aggregated statistics rather than individual data, though advanced federated DID software is limited.

Adverse childhood experiences and associations with mental health, substance use, and violence perpetration among young adults in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have debilitating effects on child well-being, with consequences persisting into adulthood. Most ACE studies have been conducted in high-income countries and show a graded relationship between multiple ACE exposures and adverse health outcomes. Less is known about the types and burden of ACEs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Implementation of digital chest radiography for childhood tuberculosis diagnosis at district hospital level in six high tuberculosis burden and resources limited countries.

Objectives: Chest x-ray (CXR) plays an important role in childhood tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, but access to quality CXR remains a major challenge in resource-limited settings. Digital CXR (d-CXR) can solve some image quality issues and facilitate their transfer for quality control. We assess the implementation of introducing d-CXR in 12 district hospitals (DHs) in 2021-2022 across Cambodia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Uganda as part of the TB-speed decentralisation study on childhood TB diagnosis.

Microplastic contamination in the aquaculture icon Oreochromis mossambicus: Prevalence, characteristics, and comprehensive overview.

The global production of plastics has surged to 368 million tonnes annually, leading to significant plastic waste accumulation, projected to reach 12,000 Mt by 2050, impacting aquatic ecosystems. Fish, crucial for their protein and nutrients, are particularly vulnerable to microplastic (MP) ingestion. As a major aquaculture producer and fish consumer, India faces rising plastic pollution in freshwater, which disrupts fish health and growth, posing a significant threat to the sustainability and productivity of aquaculture systems and potential health risks.

Insights into trypanosomiasis transmission: Age, infection rates, and bloodmeal analysis of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes in N.W. Uganda.

Background: Tsetse flies (Glossina) transmit species of Trypanosoma which cause human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) and animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT). Understanding the epidemiology of this disease and controlling the vector rationally requires analysis of the abundance, age structure, infection rates and feeding patterns of tsetse populations.

Methods: We analysed a population of G.

Duration and Efficiency of Combined versus Isolated Aerobic Training Interventions in Post-Stroke Cognition: A Systematic Review.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of physical activity on the cognition of patients with stroke, comparing the effectiveness of using isolated or combined rehabilitation, as well as the duration and intensity of training, to identify the characteristics of optimal training programs for post-stroke cognitive rehabilitation.

Methods: For this systematic review, we followed PRISMA guidelines and searched Web of Science, Scopus, PEDRo, SPORTdiscus, PubMed, Trial Registries, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2013 and April 12, 2023. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions that measured the effect of physical activity on cognition in patients with stroke.

Early inflammation as a footprint of increased mortality risk in infants living with HIV from three African countries.

In this work our aim was to identify early biomarkers in plasma samples associated with mortality in children with perinatal HIV treated early in life, to potentially inform early intervention targeting this vulnerable group. 20/215 children (9.3%) with perinatal HIV, enrolled within 3 months of age died prematurely within the first year of the study, despite early ART initiation.