Sexual Health and Well-Being in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease: A International Society of Adult Congenital Heart Disease Statement.

As health care outcomes improve the priority for those living with adult congenital heart disease have changed to a more holistic focus on quality of life and well-being. Although health care has embraced this, there are still areas where there is a deficit in advice, allyship, and advocacy. One of these deficits is in the area of sexual health and well-being.

Barriers and facilitators to perinatal care of women with disabilities in lower- and middle-income countries: a study protocol for scoping review of qualitative studies.

Background: The Sustainable Development Goals have put emphasis on equitable healthcare access for marginalised groups and communities. The number of women with disabilities (WWD) to marry and have children is rapidly increasing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, these women experience multifaceted challenges to seeking perinatal care in LMICs.

Effect of maternal postnatal balanced energy protein supplementation and infant azithromycin on infant growth outcomes: an open-label randomized controlled trial.

Background: Maternal undernutrition is a direct risk factor for infant growth faltering.

Objectives: We evaluated the effect of postnatal balanced energy protein (BEP) supplementation in lactating women and azithromycin (AZ) in infants on infant growth outcomes.

Methods: A randomized controlled superiority trial of lactating mother-newborn dyads was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan.

Increased throughput in methods for simulating protein ligand binding and unbinding.

By incorporating full flexibility and enabling the quantification of crucial parameters such as binding free energies and residence times, methods for investigating protein-ligand binding and unbinding via molecular dynamics provide details on the involved mechanisms at the molecular level. While these advancements hold promise for impacting drug discovery, a notable drawback persists: their relatively time-consuming nature limits throughput. Herein, we survey recent implementations which, employing a blend of enhanced sampling techniques, a clever choice of collective variables, and often machine learning, strive to enhance the efficiency of new and previously reported methods without compromising accuracy.

Comprehensive profiling of social mixing patterns in resource poor countries: A mixed methods research protocol.

Background: Low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) bear a disproportionate burden of communicable diseases. Social interaction data inform infectious disease models and disease prevention strategies. The variations in demographics and contact patterns across ages, cultures, and locations significantly impact infectious disease dynamics and pathogen transmission.

Drivers of Anemia Reduction among Women of Reproductive Age in Senegal: A Country Case Study.

Background: In Senegal, anemia prevalence among women of reproductive age (WRA) decreased from 59% in 2005 to 54% in 2017. However, determinants of reduction in disease burden under challenging public health conditions have not been studied.

Objective: To conduct a systematic in-depth assessment of the quantitative and qualitative determinants of anemia reduction among WRA in Senegal between 2005 and 2017.

Overcoming colonialism in pathogen genomics.

Historical legacies of colonialism affect the distribution and control of scientific knowledge today, including within the pathogen genomics field, which remains dominated by high-income countries (HICs). We discuss the imperatives for decolonising pathogen genomics, including the need for more equitable representation, collaboration, and capacity-strengthening, and the shared responsibilities that both low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and HICs have in this endeavour. By highlighting examples from LMICs, we illuminate the pathways and challenges that researchers in LMICs face in the bid to gain autonomy in this crucial domain.

Drivers of Anemia Reduction among Women of Reproductive Age in the Philippines: A Country Case Study.

Background: Anemia prevalence among women of reproductive age (WRA) in the Philippines was 25% in 2000, decreasing to 13% in 2018. To date, an in-depth assessment of the determinants associated with this decline has not been conducted.

Objective: To conduct a systematic in-depth assessment of the quantitative and qualitative determinants of anemia among WRA in the Philippines between 2008 and 2018.

Accuracy of nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire against psychiatric diagnosis for depression among people with HIV.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) against psychiatrist diagnosis in people with HIV (PWH).

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of data collected between January 2018 and July 2022 across five sites in Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Senegal, and the Republic of Congo. Participants were ≥18 years and receiving HIV care at the participating site.

Efficacy of Zinc Fortified and Fermented Wheat Flour (EZAFFAW): A randomized controlled trial protocol.

Background: Zinc deficiency poses significant health risks, particularly in low-income settings. This study aims to evaluate the impact of agronomically zinc biofortified (fermented and non-fermented) and post-harvest wheat flour flatbread on zinc status and metabolic health in adolescents and adult women in rural Pakistan.

Methods: A four-arm triple-blind randomized controlled trial will be conducted in a rural district of Pakistan.

Effectiveness of spaced repetition for clinical problem solving amongst undergraduate medical students studying paediatrics in Pakistan.

Background: Studies using spaced repetition for teaching and learning in undergraduate clinical rotations such as paediatrics are limited, even more so in the South Asian region. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the effectiveness of utilizing spaced repetition compared to traditional learning methods among undergraduate medical students during their paediatric rotation at a medical university in Pakistan.

Methods: Bahria University Medical and Dental College (BUMDC) conducted quasii-experimental research in Karachi.

Barriers and Facilitators to Collecting Surgical Outcome Data in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An International Survey.

Background: Perioperative data are essential to improve the safety of surgical care. However, surgical outcome research (SOR) from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is disproportionately sparse. We aimed to assess practices, barriers, facilitators, and perceptions influencing the collection and use of surgical outcome data (SOD) in LMICs.

Conducting a diabetes mellitus prevention trial in women with GDM in Pakistan: a feasibility study.

Background: Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) than women without GDM. Despite this elevated risk, few trials on the prevention of T2DM among South Asian women with GDM have been reported. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the feasibility of conducting a diabetes prevention program on women with a history of GDM to inform the development of a contextually relevant definitive trial.

Relationships between trauma types and psychotic symptoms: A network analysis of patients with psychotic disorders in a large, multi-country study in East Africa.

Background: The link between trauma exposure and psychotic disorders is well-established. Further, specific types of trauma may be associated with specific psychotic symptoms. Network analysis is an approach that can advance our understanding of the associations across trauma types and psychotic symptoms.

Efficacy of audiovisual neurofeedback training for attention enhancement: a multimodal approach.

Attention is a cognitive process that involves focusing mental resources on specific stimuli and plays a fundamental role in perception, learning, memory, and decision-making. Neurofeedback (NF) is a useful technique for improving attention, providing real-time feedback on brain activity in the form of visual or auditory cues, and allowing users to learn to self-regulate their cognitive processes. This study compares the effectiveness of different cues in NF training for attention enhancement through a multimodal approach.

More than just teeth: How oral health can affect the heart.

Epidemiological evidence has revealed a potential relationship between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Consensus regarding a link between these pathologies remains elusive, however, largely secondary to the considerable overlap between risk factors and comorbidities common to both disease processes. This review article aims to update the evidence for an association by summarizing the evidence for causality between periodontitis and comorbidities linked to CVD, including endocarditis, hypertension (HTN), atrial fibrillation (AF), coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus (DM) and hyperlipidemia (HLD).

Association between ABO genotypes and risk of dementia and neuroimaging markers: roles of sex and APOE status.

Background: Whether the relationships between ABO blood genotypes (AA, AO, BB, BO, AB, and OO) and dementia are modified by gender and APOE status has been unclear.

Methods: We used data from the UK Biobank, a population-based cohort study of 487,425 individuals. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between ABO genotypes and risk of dementia.

Transforming the delivery of care from "I" to "We" by developing the crisis resource management skills in pediatric interprofessional teams to handle common emergencies through simulation.

Background: The healthcare system is highly complex, and adverse events often result from a combination of human factors and system failures, especially in crisis situations. Crisis resource management skills are crucial to optimize team performance and patient outcomes in such situations. Simulation-based training offers a promising approach to developing such skills in a controlled and realistic environment.

Association of catechol-o-methyltransferase gene polymorphism with preeclampsia and biomarkers of oxidative stress: Study protocol for a prospective case-control study in Pakistan.

Background: Preeclampsia is one of the three leading causes of worldwide maternal mortality. Oxidative stress-mediated endothelial damage is expected to be an ultimate common mechanism in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia. The role of bioamines is also well-established in the induction of preeclampsia.

Clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C): a systematic review.

Background: Knowledge about multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is evolving, and evidence-based standardised diagnostic and management protocols are lacking. Our review aims to summarise the clinical and diagnostic features, management strategies and outcomes of MIS-C and evaluate the variances in disease parameters and outcomes between high-income countries (HIC) and middle-income countries (MIC).

Methods: We searched four databases from December 2019 to March 2023.

Air pollution we breathe: Assessing the air quality and human health impact in a megacity of Southeast Asia.

With 24 million inhabitants and 6.6 million vehicles on the roads, Karachi, Pakistan ranks among the world's most polluted cities due to high levels of fine particulate matter (PM). This study aims to investigate PM mass, seasonal and temporal variability, chemical characterization, source apportionment, and health risk assessment at two urban sites in Karachi.