Immunogenicity of yellow fever vaccine co-administered with 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in rural Gambia: A cluster-randomised trial.

Introduction: Because booster doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) may be given at a similar time to yellow fever vaccine (YF), it is important to assess the immune response to YF when co-administered with PCV. This has been investigated during a reduced-dose PCV trial in The Gambia.

Methods: In this phase 4, parallel-group, cluster-randomized trial, healthy infants aged 0-10 weeks were randomly allocated to receive either a two-dose schedule of PCV13 with a booster dose co-administered with YF vaccine at age 9 months (1 + 1 co-administration) or YF vaccine administered separately at age 10 months (1 + 1 separate) or the standard three early doses of PCV13 with YF vaccine at age 9 months (3 + 0 separate).

Factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among household heads in northern Nigeria: a community-based cross-sectional study.

Objectives: COVID-19 vaccine was rolled out for the public in August 2021 in Zamfara state, Northen Nigeria. We determined the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.

Settings: We executed a community-based analytical cross-sectional study during the first 4 months of the second phase of the COVID-19 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) mass vaccination campaign in Zamfara state.

Impact of water, sanitation, and hygiene indicators on enteric viral pathogens among under-5 children in low resource settings.

Poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are the primary risks of exposure to enteric viral infection. Our study aimed to describe the role of WASH conditions and practices as risk factors for enteric viral infections in children under 5. Literature on the risk factors associated with all-cause diarrhea masks the taxa-specific drivers of diarrhea from specific pathogens, limiting the application of relevant control strategies.

Affordability of healthy and water-saving dietary patterns in The Gambia.

Dietary modification has the potential to improve nutritional status and reduce environmental impacts of the food system. However, for many countries, the optimal composition of locally contextualized healthy and sustainable diets is unknown. The Gambia is vulnerable to climate-change-induced future water scarcity which may affect crop yields and the ability to supply healthy diets.

Multiplication rate variation of malaria parasites from hospital cases and community infections.

The significance of multiplication rate variation in malaria parasites needs to be determined, particularly for Plasmodium falciparum, the species that causes most virulent infections. To investigate this, parasites from cases presenting to hospital in The Gambia and from local community infections were culture-established and then tested under exponential growth conditions in a standardised six-day multiplication rate assay. The multiplication rate distribution was lower than seen previously in clinical isolates from another area in West Africa where infection is more highly endemic.

Efficacy, Safety, and Immunogenicity of the MATISSE (Maternal Immunization Study for Safety and Efficacy) Maternal Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prefusion F Protein Vaccine Trial.

Objective: To evaluate descriptive efficacy data, exploratory immunogenicity data, and safety follow-up through study completion from the global, phase 3 MATISSE (Maternal Immunization Study for Safety and Efficacy) maternal vaccination trial of bivalent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prefusion F protein vaccine (RSVpreF).

Methods: MATISSE was a phase 3, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Healthy pregnant participants aged 49 years or younger at 24-36 weeks of gestation were randomized (1:1) to receive a single RSVpreF 120 micrograms or placebo dose.

Preterm Birth Frequency and Associated Outcomes From the MATISSE (Maternal Immunization Study for Safety and Efficacy) Maternal Trial of the Bivalent Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prefusion F Protein Vaccine.

Objective: To describe preterm birth frequency and newborn and infant outcomes overall and among preterm children in the MATISSE (Maternal Immunization Study for Safety and Efficacy) trial of maternal vaccination with bivalent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prefusion F protein-based vaccine (RSVpreF) to protect infants against severe RSV-associated illness.

Methods: MATISSE was a global, phase 3, randomized, double-blind trial. Pregnant individuals received single injections of RSVpreF or placebo.

Sepsis in a 9-Month-Old Female Infant: A Case Report.

Grimontia hollisae, an uncommon cause of sepsis, was identified in a 9-month-old infant in Africa without confirmed seafood consumption. Prompt diagnosis through blood culture and targeted antibiotic therapy ensured recovery, emphasizing the need for increased awareness, enhanced diagnostic tools, and active monitoring of emerging pathogens in tropical and resource-limited regions. We present a case report involving a 9-month-old infant who exhibited symptoms of acute gastroenteritis.

Global impact of ten-valent and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on invasive pneumococcal disease in all ages (the PSERENADE project): a global surveillance analysis.

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) that are ten-valent (PCV10) and 13-valent (PCV13) became available in 2010. We evaluated their global impact on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incidence in all ages.

Methods: Serotype-specific IPD cases and population denominators were obtained directly from surveillance sites using PCV10 or PCV13 in their national immunisation programmes and with a primary series uptake of at least 50%.

Sociodemographic and Clinical Factors Predictive of Poor Health-Related Quality of Life of Children with Sickle Cell Anemia in The Gambia.

Children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) experience recurrent vaso-occlusive crises and complications, significantly impacting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study determined HRQoL in 130 children aged 5 -15 years with SCA in The Gambia, compared to 130 age- and sex-matched hemoglobin AA (HbAA) children. HRQoL was measured using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), with scores below 69.

Standardized study performance, quality assurance, and quality control in a cluster-randomized trial: the Pneumococcal Vaccine Schedules trial.

Randomized controlled trials are considered the "gold standard" for evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention. However, large-scale, cluster-randomized trials are complex and costly to implement. The generation of accurate, reliable, and high-quality data is essential to ensure the validity and generalizability of findings.

Plasma proteomics for novel biomarker discovery in childhood tuberculosis.

Failure to rapidly diagnose tuberculosis disease (TB) and initiate treatment is a driving factor of TB as a leading cause of death in children. Current TB diagnostic assays have poor performance in children, and identifying novel non-sputum-based TB biomarkers to improve pediatric TB diagnosis is a global priority. We sought to develop a plasma biosignature for TB by probing the plasma proteome of 511 children stratified by TB diagnostic classification and HIV status from sites in four low- and middle-income countries, using high-throughput data-independent acquisition mass-spectrometry (DIA-PASEF-MS).

The 2024 updated WHO guidelines for the prevention and management of chronic hepatitis B: main changes and potential implications for the next major liver society clinical practice guidelines.

Progress towards hepatitis B virus (HBV) global elimination has been slow and most countries are far to reach the elimination targets set up by the World Health Organization (WHO). The burden of chronic hepatitis B is mainly bear by resource-limited countries where only a minority of people living with HBV are diagnosed and treated and international guidelines hardly applicable in real-life. In March 2024, the WHO released its revised guidelines for the prevention and management of chronic hepatitis B.

Characterization of an IL-8 cleavage inhibition assay to determine the functionality of anti-SpyCEP antibodies in human sera.

Exposure to Group A Streptococcus leads to a broad spectrum of disease and sequelae, as the bacterium employs a wide range of virulence factors to facilitate colonization of the host, propagation and onward transmission, disrupting both innate and adaptive immune responses. The protease SpyCEP has a crucial role in contributing to bacterial immune evasion by impairing neutrophil recruitment and killing of bacteria through the cleavage of interleukin-8 (IL-8). Given this critical function, SpyCEP represents a key vaccine antigen and quantifying functional anti-SpyCEP antibodies represents not only an important marker of vaccine efficacy, but also a tool to dissect the natural immune response.

Rapid inference of antibiotic susceptibility phenotype of uropathogens using metagenomic sequencing with neighbor typing.

Unlabelled: Timely diagnostic tools are needed to improve antibiotic treatment. Pairing metagenomic sequencing with genomic neighbor typing algorithms may support rapid clinically actionable results. We created resistance-associated sequence elements (RASE) databases for and .

Understanding the exodus: a 15-year retrospective cohort study on the pattern and determinants of migration among Nigerian doctors and dentists.

Background: Nigeria faces a critical shortage of healthcare professionals yet experiences a significant annual exodus of doctors and dentists. This alarming trend threatens the country's ability to provide equitable healthcare.

Objective: This study investigated the patterns and determinants of migration among doctors and dentists who graduated from the University of Benin, Nigeria, 15 years ago.

Real-Life Diagnostic Accuracy and Clinical Utility of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Nucleic Acid Testing Using the GeneXpert Point-of-Care Test System from Fresh Plasma and Dry Blood Spot Samples in The Gambia.

The GeneXpert HBV Viral Load test is a simplified tool to scale up screening and HBV monitoring in resource-limited settings, where HBV is endemic and where molecular techniques to quantify HBV DNA are expensive and scarce. However, the accuracy of field diagnostics compared to gold standard assays in HBV-endemic African countries has not been well understood. We aim to validate the diagnostic performance of the GeneXpert HBV Viral Load test in freshly collected and stored plasma and dried blood spot (DBS) samples to assess turn-around-time (TAT) for sample processing and treatment initiation, to map GeneXpert machines and to determine limitations to its use in The Gambia.

Measles-Rubella Microarray Patches Phase III Clinical Trial Framework: Proposal and Considerations.

: The Measles-Rubella Microarray Patch (MR-MAP) is an important technology that is expected to reduce coverage and equity gaps for measles-containing vaccines (MCVs), reach zero-dose children, and contribute to elimination of measles and rubella. MR-MAPs are anticipated to be easier to deploy programmatically and could be delivered by lesser-trained health workers, thereby increasing immunization coverage. The most advanced MR-MAP has reached clinical proof-of-concept through a Phase I/II trial in the target population of infants and young children.

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Strategies to Address Under- and Over-Nutrition.

Although malnutrition in the form of child wasting, stunting, and micronutrient deficiencies remain prevalent on many of the poorest and war-torn places on earth, there has been major progress in other regions and the direction of travel remains generally good. However, as countries pass through the economic transition there has been a seemingly inevitable rise in overweight and obesity with its attendant personal health costs (reduced life span due to obesity-related chronic conditions) and a rise in the societal costs of care. Strategies, by healthcare professionals and others, to combat the two sides of the malnutrition coin must be built on a solid foundational knowledge of the causes of each condition.