Exploring RF-EMF levels in Swiss microenvironments: An evaluation of environmental and auto-induced downlink and uplink exposure in the era of 5G.

The advancement of cellular networks requires updating measurement protocols to better study radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure emitted from devices and base stations. This paper aims to present a novel activity-based microenvironmental survey protocol to measure environmental, auto-induced downlink (DL), and uplink (UL) RF-EMF exposure in the era of 5G. We present results when applying the protocol in Switzerland.

Studying Target-Engagement of Anti-Infectives by Solvent-Induced Protein Precipitation and Quantitative Mass Spectrometry.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a serious threat to global health. The rapid emergence of resistance contrasts with the slow pace of antimicrobial development, emphasizing the urgent need for innovative drug discovery approaches. This study addresses a critical bottleneck in early drug development by introducing integral solvent-induced protein precipitation (iSPP) to rapidly assess the target-engagement of lead compounds in extracts of pathogenic microorganisms under close-to-physiological conditions.

Mixed pesticide sources identified by using wastewater tracers in rivers of South African agricultural catchments.

The agriculturally dominated region of the Western Cape, South Africa is vulnerable to pesticide pollution. A 2017-2019 pesticide monitoring campaign in the agricultural catchments of Grabouw, Piketberg and Hex River Valley identified year-round detections despite few agricultural applications, making pesticide pollution sources unclear. To better trace pesticide sources in these catchments, our study measured 19 pharmaceutical compounds and one industrial chemical as an indicator for wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent - in addition to 44 pesticides.

Vulnerability to heat-related mortality and the effect of prevention measures: a time-stratified case-crossover study in Switzerland.

Background: Swiss climate scenarios predict increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat episodes in the future. For the effective prevention of heat-related mortality, several aspects of the population's vulnerability to heat must be understood on a local level.

Methods: A nationwide analysis of individual death records was conducted, enabling a more comprehensive understanding than typical heat studies based on aggregated data.

Risk, Attributable Fraction and Attributable Number of Cause-Specific Heat-Related Emergency Hospital Admissions in Switzerland.

Objectives: We assessed the relationship between heat and emergency hospital admissions (EHAs) in Switzerland using clinically relevant metrics.

Methods: Applying distributed lag non-linear models, we investigated temperature-admission associations between May and September 1998-2019 for various disease groups, by age class and gender. We estimated the relative risk (RR) for moderate (29°C) and extreme (34°C) daily maximum temperatures relative to disease-specific optimum temperature, and calculated attributable fractions (AFs) for hot days and the following week.

Soliciting Diaries for "Real-Time" Insights Into the COVID-19 Pandemic: Methodological Reflections on Using Digital Technologies to Engage the Public.

Objectives: To discuss the opportunities and challenges of the qualitative solicited diary approach using digital technologies as an innovative way to access insights into people's lives and their unique stories in times of COVID-19-related social distancing in Switzerland.

Methods: This case study provides reflective arguments from a social science perspective for the selection of different (digital) diary designs to optimize data collection in the SNSF-funded project "PubliCo - an experimental online platform for COVID-19-related public perception."

Results: The findings highlight some opportunities of using (digital) diaries, such as empowering participants, gathering real-time data, and ethical and methodological challenges when it comes to gaining access to alternative narratives.

How can exposure assessment for pesticides in epidemiological studies be improved? Insights from the IMPRESS project.

The IMPRoving Exposure aSSessment Methodologies for Epidemiological Studies on Pesticides (IMPRESS) project (http://www.impress-project.org/) aimed to further the understanding of the performance of pesticide exposure assessment methods (EAMs).

AnophelesModel: An R package to interface mosquito bionomics, human exposure and intervention effects with models of malaria intervention impact.

In recent decades, field and semi-field studies of malaria transmission have gathered geographic-specific information about mosquito ecology, behaviour and their sensitivity to interventions. Mathematical models of malaria transmission can incorporate such data to infer the likely impact of vector control interventions and hence guide malaria control strategies in various geographies. To facilitate this process and make model predictions of intervention impact available for different geographical regions, we developed AnophelesModel.

Comprehensive Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (CCQR): Reporting Guideline for Global Health Qualitative Research Methods.

Globally, the demand for qualitative research has risen, driven by the health sector's need for in-depth investigation of complex issues behind any phenomenon that may be inadequately comprehended and that other research methods cannot explore, uncover, or describe. The authors aimed to improve the accessibility and comprehensiveness of reporting guidelines for qualitative research. A comprehensive review of scientific articles was conducted on PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, and Embase, and it retrieved 1989 articles plus 13 more articles through the snowball method.

The GIBACHT fellowship: a multilateral initiative for strengthening capacity in biosafety and biosecurity towards pandemic preparedness.

The German Biosecurity Programme was launched in 2013 with the aim to support partner countries overcome biological threats including natural outbreaks or the intentional misuse of highly pathogenic agents. As part of this programme, this paper describes the development and implementation of a multilateral biosafety and biosecurity training initiative, called 'Global Partnership Initiated Biosecurity Academia for Controlling Health Threats' (GIBACHT). To achieve its objectives, GIBACHT implemented a blended-learning approach with self-directed, distance-based learning phases and three training-of-trainer workshops.

Assessment of the COVID-19 Surveillance System in Sudan: Performance, Limitations, and Recommendations.

Assessing the COVID-19 surveillance system is vital. It identifies cases swiftly and is crucial in curbing COVID-19 spread, especially among vulnerable groups. Public health surveillance collects, analyzes, and shares data systematically, informing actions to lessen disease impact.

Severe coinfection of dengue and malaria: A case report.

Key Clinical Message: In countries like Sudan, where several infectious diseases are prevalent, health care providers should not be satisfied with initial detection of a single pathogen and whenever it is feasible, they should investigate coinfections. Infections with high mortality or severe morbidity should be prioritized during the differential diagnosis particularly for diseases with similar clinical manifestations to reduce the death and disability rates. However, this requires substantial improvement in the diagnostic capacity.

Stoma associated complications after diverting loop ileostomy, end ileostomy or split stoma formation after right sided colectomy-a retrospective cohort study (StoComSplit Analysis).

Background: For high-risk patients receiving right-sided colectomy, stoma formation is a safety strategy. Options are anastomosis with loop ileostomy, end ileostomy, or split stoma. The aim is to compare the outcome of these three options.

Occupational exposure to pesticides and neurobehavioral outcomes. Impact of different original and recalled exposure measures on the associations.

Background: Several measures of occupational exposure to pesticides have been used to study associations between exposure to pesticides and neurobehavioral outcomes. This study assessed the impact of different exposure measures for glyphosate and mancozeb on the association with neurobehavioral outcomes based on original and recalled self-reported data with 246 smallholder farmers in Uganda.

Methods: The association between the 6 exposure measures and 6 selected neurobehavioral test scores was investigated using linear multivariable regression models.

Prospects and Perspectives of Health Impact Assessment: A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed Literature From June 2007 to January 2023.

Objectives: In 2008, an analysis investigating health impact assessment (HIA) practice found that only 6% of HIA-related peer-reviewed publications had a focus on low- and medium-developed countries, whereas 94% were conducted in countries with a high or very high development state. We aimed to update and deepen these observations.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review, searching PubMed and Web of Science for HIA-related papers published in the scientific literature from June 2007 to January 2023.

A New Model for Ranking Schools of Public Health: The Public Health Academic Ranking.

As there is no ranking designed for schools of Public Health, the aim of this project was to create one. To design the Public Health Academic Ranking (PHAR), we used the InCites Benchmarking and Analytics™ software and the Web Of Science™ Core Collection database. We collected bibliometric data on 26 schools of Public Health from each continent, between August and September 2022.

Transposition of HOPPLA in siRNA-deficient plants suggests a limited effect of the environment on retrotransposon mobility in Brachypodium distachyon.

Long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) are powerful mutagens regarded as a major source of genetic novelty and important drivers of evolution. Yet, the uncontrolled and potentially selfish proliferation of LTR-RTs can lead to deleterious mutations and genome instability, with large fitness costs for their host. While population genomics data suggest that an ongoing LTR-RT mobility is common in many species, the understanding of their dual role in evolution is limited.