A user-centred implementation strategy for tuberculosis contact investigation in Uganda: protocol for a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised trial.

Background: Tuberculosis(TB) is among the leading causes of infectious death worldwide. Contact investigation is an evidence-based, World Health Organisation-endorsed intervention for timely TB diagnosis, treatment, and prevention but has not been widely and effectively implemented.

Methods: We are conducting a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised, hybrid Type III implementation-effectiveness trial comparing a user-centred to a standard strategy for implementing TB contact investigation in 12 healthcare facilities in Uganda.

Evaluation of Xpert MTB/XDR test for susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to first and second-line drugs in Uganda.

Background: Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB) is one of the major challenges to TB control.

Design And Methods: This was a blinded, laboratory-based cross-sectional study using sputum samples or culture isolates. Samples were from patients with rifampicin-resistant-TB and/or with high risk for isoniazid (INH) resistance and/or 2nd line fluoroquinolones (FQ) and injectable agents (IAs).

Analysis of misdiagnosed or delayed-diagnosed Leprosy bacillus infection from 1990 to 2020 with a prophet time series prediction in Hubei Province, China.

To analyze the misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of leprosy in Hubei Province, China during the past 30 years, which can provide a scientific basis for improving the prevention and treatment of leprosy by proposing targeted intervention measures. A retrospective study was conducted to compile 161 cases of misdiagnosed or delayed diagnosis of leprosy in Hubei Province during 1990 to 2020 from the National Leprosy Prevention and Control Management Information System and the background information of regional leprosy control centers in Hubei Province. Among 161 study subjects, the shortest delay period was 25.

Spatial factors for COVID-19 associated community deaths in an urban area of Lusaka, Zambia: an observational study.

We retrospectively analyzed spatial factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated community deaths i.e., brought-in-dead (BID) in Lusaka, Zambia, between March and July 2020.

Implementing community based inclusive development for people with disability in Latin America: a mixed methods perspective on prioritized needs and lessons learned.

Background: Research on the needs of people with disability is scarce, which promotes inadequate programs. Community Based Inclusive Development interventions aim to promote rights but demand a high level of community participation. This study aimed to identify prioritized needs as well as lessons learned for successful project implementation in different Latin American communities.

A Clinicoepidemiological Study of Cutaneous and Systemic Comorbidities of Seborrheic Dermatitis in Adolescent and Adult Females.

Background Seborrheic dermatitis is the most common, chronic inflammatory skin condition which is confined to the scalp, nasolabial folds, and regions rich in sebaceous glands for which no definitive cause has been found. Although the disease is more common, the comorbidities associated with it have not been studied in detail. This study aims to assess the prevalence of seborrheic dermatitis and its associated cutaneous and systemic comorbidities in adolescent and adult patients.

Predictors of mortality among drug-resistant tuberculosis patients in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Background: Specific death due to DR-TB has significantly contributed to tuberculosis (TB) mortality and overall global deaths.

Aim: This study examines the predictors of mortality among DR-TB patients in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Subject And Method: This was a retrospective longitudinal study of DR-TB mortality carried out among 370 DR-TB patients from the 23 LGAs in Kaduna State.

Case Report: Diffuse Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Successfully Treated with a Combination of Oral Rifampicin and Fluconazole.

Diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL) is a rare parasitic infection caused by the Leishmania species. Diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis commonly presents as non-ulcerating papules and nodules over the face, neck, and arms. A middle-aged female presented with multiple nodular lesions on her face, neck, and chest region.

Renal function impairment might be worsened by SARS-CoV-2 virus: a triple critical care disease causing hypoxemia.

Unlabelled: People who have underlying chronic renal disease may be more susceptible to the catastrophic disease caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is characterized by multisystem organ failure, thrombosis, and an aggravated inflammatory response.

Case Presentation: On 11 July 2022, a middle-aged black African male merchant, 57 was taken to the emergency room. The patient arrived at the emergency room with grade II pitting edema, weight loss, a cold intolerance, stress, a fever, a headache, dehydration, and shortness of breath that had persisted for 2 days.

Leprosy among children in an area without primary health care coverage in Caratateua Island, Brazilian Amazon.

Introduction: The detection of leprosy in children is an important epidemiological marker of the disease, indicating the community's early exposure to and active transmission of the infection.

Methods: In order to detect new cases among children by combining clinical evaluation and laboratory tests, we conducted an active case finding among individuals under 15 years old on Caratateua Island, located in the city of Belém, in the Pará state, an endemic region in the Amazon. Dermato-neurological examination, collection of 5 mL of peripheral blood for IgM anti-PGL-I antibody titration, and intradermal scraping for bacilloscopy and amplification of the specific RLEP region by qPCR were performed.

Explore the reasons for SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers: a cross-sectional study.

Unlabelled: Vaccine hesitancy is described by the WHO as "a delay in acceptance or refusal of safe immunizations notwithstanding the availability of vaccine services." In Ethiopia, the cumulative acceptance rate of the COVID-19 vaccination was 57.8%.

Reaching those at risk: Active case detection of leprosy and contact tracing at Kokosa, a hot spot district in Ethiopia.

Introduction: Leprosy is a chronic mycobacterial disease of public health importance. It is one of the leading causes of permanent physical disability. The prevalence of leprosy in Ethiopia has remained stagnant over the last decades.

Evaluating the availability and quality of services for lymphatic filariasis morbidity in Ghana.

Background And Methodology: In districts where lymphatic filariasis (LF) is endemic, the goal is to provide 100% geographical coverage of the essential package of care. Additionally, countries seeking elimination status must document the availability of services for lymphoedema and hydrocele in all endemic areas. To do this, the WHO recommends conducting assessments of the readiness and quality of services provided to identify service delivery and quality gaps.

Temporal trend, high-risk spatial and spatiotemporal clustering of leprosy indicators in Brazil: A 20-year ecological and population-based study.

Objectives: Leprosy still represents a public health concern in Brazil. The country is the only one in America not to reach the global goal of leprosy disease control. Hence, this study aimed to assess the temporal, spatial and space-time patterns of leprosy cases in Brazil of the 20-year time series 2001-2020.

Genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolated from humans and animals in northeastern Iran.

The objective of this study was to genotype Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolated from humans and cattle in northern Iran. Over the course of one year, a total of 120 human and 21 cattle isolates were tested using region of difference (RD)-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unites-variable number tandem repeats (MIRU-VNTR). In M.

Efficacy and Safety of a Protein-Based SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The protein-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines FINLAY-FR-2 (Soberana 02) and FINLAY-FR-1A (Soberana Plus) showed good safety and immunogenicity in phase 1 and 2 trials, but the clinical efficacy of the vaccine remains unknown.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a 2-dose regimen of FINLAY-FR-2 (cohort 1) and a 3-dose regimen of FINLAY-FR-2 with FINLAY-FR-1A (cohort 2) in Iranian adults.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial was conducted at 6 cities in cohort 1 and 2 cities in cohort 2.

Hypertensive emergency occurred due to forgetting to take antihypertensive medication: A case study.

A life-threatening condition known as a "hypertensive emergency" is marked by a severe increase in blood pressure together with acute or significant target-organ damage. On 1 June 2022, a 67-year-old black male farmer was admitted to the emergency department with a major chief complaint of breathing difficulty. The patient was traveling to the village for work and forgetting his medication at home, and he was losing consciousness and motor activity at his workplace.

Burden of Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever in India.

Background: In 2017, more than half the cases of typhoid fever worldwide were projected to have occurred in India. In the absence of contemporary population-based data, it is unclear whether declining trends of hospitalization for typhoid in India reflect increased antibiotic treatment or a true reduction in infection.

Methods: From 2017 through 2020, we conducted weekly surveillance for acute febrile illness and measured the incidence of typhoid fever (as confirmed on blood culture) in a prospective cohort of children between the ages of 6 months and 14 years at three urban sites and one rural site in India.

Little Doctors: Agents of change in Indian rural communities.

The child-to-child approach to health advocacy is one that draws on the strengths and agency of children to make a positive impact within their communities. The approach has been popularly used for health education in low- and middle-income countries. This article describes the 'Little Doctors' program that implemented the child-to-child approach in the towns of KC Patty and Oddanchatram, located in remote hilly regions of Tamil Nadu, India starting in 1986 to train middle- and high school children to respond to diseases prevalent in their communities along with practices for preventative measures.

Determinant factors of leprosy-related disability; comparison of acceleration failure time and parametric shared frailty models.

Background: Leprosy is an illness persisting for a long time or constantly recurring brought about by Mycobacterium leprae. The collusion of the causing agent with Schwann cells leads to incapable of being changed loss of fringe nerve tissue; followed by incapacity and that is not restricted to actual powerlessness yet additionally makes a negative picture, prompting segregation and social disgrace against the altered people also, their families.

Methods: The analysis of this study comprises 205 samples of patients at All African TB and Leprosy Rehabilitation and Training Centre from January 2015 up to December 2019 G.

Deep learning for AI-based diagnosis of skin-related neglected tropical diseases: a pilot study.

Background: Deep learning, which is a part of a broader concept of artificial intelligence (AI) and/or machine learning has achieved remarkable success in vision tasks. While there is growing interest in the use of this technology in diagnostic support for skin-related neglected tropical diseases (skin NTDs), there have been limited studies in this area and fewer focused on dark skin. In this study, we aimed to develop deep learning based AI models with clinical images we collected for five skin NTDs, namely, Buruli ulcer, leprosy, mycetoma, scabies, and yaws, to understand how diagnostic accuracy can or cannot be improved using different models and training patterns.

Antibody seropositivity and endemicity of chikungunya and Zika viruses in Nigeria.

Unlabelled: Mosquito-borne infections are of global health concern because of their rapid spread and upsurge, which creates a risk for coinfections. chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus disease transmitted by or , and malaria, a parasitic disease transmitted by , are prevalent in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, but their burden and possible coinfections are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the antibody seropositivity and endemicity of chikungunya and Zika viruses (ZIKV) in three regions of Nigeria.

Non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: Awareness survey of front-desk healthcare workers in Northern Tanzania.

Over the past decade, there have been increasing reports of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species being implicated in tuberculosis (TB) treatment failure or misdiagnosed as TB. Inadequate awareness of NTM pulmonary disease among healthcare workers (HCWs) may contribute to a low index of suspicion for patients presenting to their hospitals. In this study, we assessed the awareness of NTM pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) among front desk HCWs in Northern Tanzania.