Morphological and molecular characterisation of two new species of (Digenea: Bucephalidae Poche, 1907) from Jordan & Seale in Mozambique.

Species-level delineation of digenetic trematodes is complex and can be best achieved by integrative taxonomy using both genetic characterisation and morphological analysis. Two new Bucephalidae species of the genus Diesing, 1858 are described here based on specimens collected from the intestine of Jordan & Seale following this approach. Adults of n.

The effect of Plasmodium falciparum exposure and maternal anti-circumsporozoite protein antibodies on responses to RTS,S/AS01 vaccination in infants and children: an ancillary observational immunological study to a phase 3, randomised clinical trial.

Background: The RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine showed lower antibody response and protective efficacy in infants aged 6-12 weeks compared with children aged 5-17 months (for whom this vaccine is recommended). We aimed to study the effect of previous Plasmodium falciparum exposure on the antibody responses to RTS,S/AS01 vaccination in infants and children, and the mediating effect of baseline (including maternal) anti-circumsporozoite protein (CSP) antibodies.

Methods: In this observational study, we included children and infants from six African countries (Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania) enrolled in the MAL067 immunology ancillary study of the RTS,S/AS01 phase 3 clinical trial from March 27, 2009, to Jan 21, 2011.

Identification and Counting of Pirapitinga Fingerlings Fish Using Machine Learning.

Identifying and counting fish are crucial for managing stocking, harvesting, and marketing of farmed fish. Researchers have used convolutional networks for these tasks and explored various approaches to enhance network learning. Batch normalization is one technique that improves network stability and accuracy.

Effect of RTS,S/AS01 vaccine booster dose on cellular immune responses in African infants and children.

RTS,S/AS01, the first approved malaria vaccine, demonstrated moderate efficacy during the phase 3 pediatric trial. We previously investigated cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses following the primary 3-dose immunization and now report responses to the booster dose given 18 months later. Thirty CMI markers were measured by Luminex in supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 709 children and infants after RTS,S/AS01 antigen stimulation, and their associations with malaria risk and antibodies one month post-booster and one year later were assessed.

Worldwide burden of antidiabetic drug-induced sarcopenia: An international pharmacovigilance study.

Background: Sarcopenia is a condition that poses a significant risk in the older population, with diabetes identified as a risk factor. Recent evidence suggests that GLP-1 RA, commonly used as antidiabetic treatments, may potentially induce sarcopenia. This study aimed to investigate the association between sarcopenia and various antidiabetic drugs, including GLP-1 RAs.

Selection of primary health care quality indicators in Europe: A Delphi study protocol.

Objective: To describe a protocol to achieve consensus on valid and important indicators to assess primary health care (PHC) quality regarding all clinical contexts of PHC in European health systems.

Study Design: Qualitative study using the Delphi technique to gain consensus among European panels of experts comprising a heterogeneous professional background.

Methods: Potential candidate indicators were extracted and translated according to a set of informative elements (i.

Screening for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Mozambique: Validation of the Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screen for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual fifth edition (PC-PTSD-5).

Objective: The confluence of conflict-, climate-, and public health-related emergencies in Mozambique increases the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Few brief screening tools for PTSD have been validated in low- and middle-income countries. We aimed to validate the five-item Primary Care PTSD Screen for the (5th ed.

Modelling the impact of vaccination on COVID-19 in African countries.

The rapid development of vaccines to combat the spread of COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is a great scientific achievement. Before the development of the COVID-19 vaccines, most studies capitalized on the available data that did not include pharmaceutical measures. Such studies focused on the impact of non-pharmaceutical measures such as social distancing, sanitation, use of face masks, and lockdowns to study the spread of COVID-19.

Spatial prediction of armed conflicts from the perspective of political geography using bivariate frequency ratio method (FR) in East African States.

Armed conflicts, as significant human phenomena, profoundly impact populations and reflect a state's capacity to fulfill its responsibilities. These conflicts arise from various causes, necessitating robust predictive models to understand their spatial distribution. This study employs the Bivariate Frequency Ratio (FR) method to spatially predict the occurrence of armed conflicts across the East African States, drawing on 42 political geography-related criteria.

Hybrid Machine Learning Approach to Zero-Inflated Data Improves Accuracy of Dengue Prediction.

Background: Spatiotemporal dengue forecasting using machine learning (ML) can contribute to the development of prevention and control strategies for impending dengue outbreaks. However, training data for dengue incidence may be inflated with frequent zero values because of the rarity of cases, which lowers the prediction accuracy. This study aimed to understand the influence of spatiotemporal resolutions of data on the accuracy of dengue incidence prediction using ML models, to understand how the influence of spatiotemporal resolution differs between quantitative and qualitative predictions of dengue incidence, and to improve the accuracy of dengue incidence prediction with zero-inflated data.

Posttrial Experiences in Sustainment of a Scaled Model of the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA-SCALE) in the Absence of External Funding in Manica Province, Mozambique.

Background: Following the conclusion of a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial of the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) to optimize the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission cascade in Manica Province, Mozambique, we conducted a natural experiment to test the sustainability of the delivery model with limited financial inputs.

Methods: District nurse supervisors were encouraged to continue to facilitate SAIA cycles in subordinate health facilities and provided phone credit and tablet access to upload implementation data. No additional resources (eg, funds for transport, refreshments, or supplies) were provided.

Comorbid health outcomes in patients with schizophrenia: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

There is no comprehensive umbrella review exploring the connection between schizophrenia and various health outcomes. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review existing meta-analyses about schizophrenia-associated comorbid health outcomes and validate the evidence levels. We performed an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies to explore comorbid health outcomes in individuals with schizophrenia.

Occurrence and circumstances of child sexual assault in Maputo, Mozambique.

Background: Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a significant public health issue, with its health and social consequences well documented. While CSA has been extensively studied in high-income countries, its incidence and circumstances of occurrence in low-income countries, especially in Africa, remains under-represented in the scholarly literature.

Methods: This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and circumstances of CSA among victims assisted at the Forensic Service of the Hospital Central de Maputo in Mozambique.

Simultaneous reflectance and fluorescence measurements for portable formaldehyde determination in milk using a multi-channel spectrometer sensor.

This study introduces a novel optical method for formaldehyde determination in milk, based on the hypothesis that simultaneous reflectance and fluorescence measurements can enhance detection sensitivity compared to traditional methods. We aimed to address the challenge of accurately measuring low concentrations of formaldehyde in milk, a crucial issue for food safety. By employing a multi-channel spectrometer sensor and exploiting the reaction of formaldehyde with acetylacetone to form 3,5-diacetyl-1,4-dihydrolutidine (DDL), we measured reflectance of DDL at 415 nm and fluorescence at 515 nm.

Non-sputum-based samples and biomarkers for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: the hope to improve childhood and HIV-associated tuberculosis diagnosis.

In 2014, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published target product profiles (TPP) for development of novel tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics. One of the key highlights is the need for point-of-care non-sputum-based tests capable of detecting all forms of TB through identification of characteristic biomarkers or biosignatures. Compared to the limitations associated with sputum-based TB tests, non-sputum samples are easy to collect, non-invasive, with potential to improve TB diagnosis among children and among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV).

Predicting mortality in febrile adults: comparative performance of the MEWS, qSOFA, and UVA scores using prospectively collected data among patients in four health-care sites in sub-Saharan Africa and South-Eastern Asia.

Background: Clinical severity scores can identify patients at risk of severe disease and death, and improve patient management. The modified early warning score (MEWS), the quick Sequential (Sepsis-Related) Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), and the Universal Vital Assessment (UVA) were developed as risk-stratification tools, but they have not been fully validated in low-resource settings where fever and infectious diseases are frequent reasons for health care seeking. We assessed the performance of MEWS, qSOFA, and UVA in predicting mortality among febrile patients in the Lao PDR, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

National trends in type 2 diabetes mellitus stratified by central adiposity using waist-to-height ratio in South Korea, 2005-2022.

Studies investigating the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and central adiposity are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate trends in type 2 diabetes mellitus stratified by central adiposity using waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Trends in type 2 diabetes mellitus were examined by central adiposity, using WHtR, with data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2022).

Irradiance level and elevation shape the soil microbiome communities of Coffea arabica L.

Background: The nexus plant-microbe-environment is essential to understand the ecosystem processes shaping plant health and fitness. Within this triangle, soils and associated microflora are among the key ecosystem's drivers, underpinning plant productivity and evolution. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis (physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and taxonomic diversity) of soils under the canopy projection of Coffea arabica trees along a gradient of elevation (600, 800, and 900 m) and shade (0, 50, 100%).