Central Auditory Processing in Children is Affected by Perinatal HIV Exposure.

Background: Children living with HIV are at higher risk for hearing loss compared to children with HIV-unexposed, uninfected (HUU). There is little known regarding the effects of children living with perinatally-acquired HIV (PHIV) and those living with perinatal HIV exposure but uninfected (PHEU) on central auditory function.

Methods: Children aged 11-14 years who were participating in the Auditory Research in Children with HIV study.

Epidemiology of Coronary Atherosclerosis Among People Living With HIV in Uganda : A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Data on the prevalence of coronary atherosclerotic disease (CAD) in the African region among people with and without HIV are lacking.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of CAD in Uganda and determine whether well-controlled HIV infection is associated with increased presence or severity of CAD.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

: refined taxonomy and new insights into the biology and evolution of diatom-infecting DNA viruses.

Bacilladnaviruses are single-stranded DNA viruses that infect diatoms that, so far, have been primarily identified in marine organisms and environments. Using a viral metagenomics approach, we discovered 13 novel bacilladnaviruses originating from samples of mud-flat snail (; =3 genomes) and benthic sediments (=10 genomes) collected from the Avon-Heathcote Estuary in New Zealand. Comparative genomics and phylogenetic analysis of the new bacilladnavirus sequences in the context of the previously classified members of the family helped refine and further expand the taxonomy.

IMproving Preclinical Assessment of Cardioprotective Therapies (IMPACT): a small animal acute myocardial infarction randomized-controlled multicenter study on the effect of ischemic preconditioning.

Although many cardioprotective interventions have been shown to limit infarct size (IS), in preclinical animal studies of acute myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), their clinical translation to patient benefit has been largely disappointing. A major factor is the lack of rigor and reproducibility in the preclinical studies. To address this, we have established the IMproving Preclinical Assessment of Cardioprotective Therapies (IMPACT) small animal multisite acute myocardial infarction (AMI) network, with centralized randomization and blinded core laboratory IS analysis, and have validated the network using ischemic preconditioning (IPC).

Expectancy Effects, Failure of Blinding Integrity, and Placebo Response in Trials of Treatments for Psychiatric Disorders: A Narrative Review.

Importance: Expectancy effects are significant confounding factors in psychiatric randomized clinical trials (RCTs), potentially affecting the interpretation of study results. This narrative review is the first, to our knowledge, to explore the relationship between expectancy effects, compromised blinding integrity, and the effects of active treatment/placebo in psychiatric RCTs. Additionally, we present statistical and experimental approaches that may help mitigate the confounding impact of expectancy effects.

Violence Exposure and Cognitive Outcomes Among Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): A Systematic Review.

This article examines how exposure to violence in childhood is linked to impaired cognitive functioning and academic performance. Children who reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are more likely to be exposed to violence yet their representation in published studies is often limited. Here, we conducted a systematic review to examine the evidence regarding the association between childhood violence exposure and cognitive outcomes assessed up to age 11 in children from LMICs.

Olefin selectivity of K-Mn promoters on CoFe-ZSM-5 based catalyst in CO hydrogenation.

The conversion of carbon dioxide (CO), a major greenhouse gas, into light olefins is crucial for mitigating environmental impacts and utilizing non-petroleum-based feedstocks. Thermo-catalytic CO transformation into valuable chemicals offers a promising solution to this challenge. This study investigates the effect of potassium (K) and manganese (Mn) promoters on CO conversion and CH selectivity over CoFe-ZSM-5 zeolites.

Dissemination strategies of clinical practice guidelines-mixed methods evidence synthesis protocol.

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are shared through various dissemination strategies using a range of dissemination products and channels. However, users may have different needs for accessing and understanding them. Patients and carers from low- and middle-income countries might face challenges in accessing CPGs such as inadequate systems for printed book distribution and insufficient and substandard photocopies.

Compliance with transmission-based precautions, and associated factors among healthcare providers in Cameroon: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Transmission-based precautions (TBP) and the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) are essential in preventing hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and in controlling the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study, therefore, aimed to determine healthcare providers' compliance with TBP and its determinants in healthcare settings to help curb the burden of HAIs and AMR.

Method: This study was a cross-sectional, hospital-based research conducted among healthcare providers at four health facilities in the Fako division of Cameroon, from January 1 to May 31, 2024.

The Prevalence, Aetiology and Healing Trajectories of Hard-To-Heal Wounds in South Africa.

The incidence of hard-to-heal wounds is rising globally with adverse effects on quality of life. Yet, there is no reliable data available on hard-to-heal wound prevalence, aetiology, and outcomes in a low-to-middle income country without improper care being a confounding factor. In this retrospective study of 460 individuals (876 wounds) that received appropriate standard of care at a specialised wound care clinic in the Kwazulu-Natal province of South Africa, acute/traumatic wounds were most prevalent (230/460, 50%) followed by ulcers (173/460, 38%) (DFUs 13%, VLUs 12%, PIs 11%, MLUs < 1%, ALUs < 1%) and atypical wounds (55/460, 12%) (atypical wounds 8%, vectors 4%).

Scaling-up symptom-agnostic, community-wide screening towards global tuberculosis elimination: opportunities, challenges and lessons from history.

There has been little change in global TB incidence in the 21 century. Although case notification has increased, millions of people with TB each year remain unreached. Recently there has been increased recognition that many people with undiagnosed, potentially infectious TB do not experience or report TB symptoms.

Effect of Concurrent Exercise Training on Stress, Depression and Anxiety in Inactive Academics: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effect of concurrent training (CT) on the mental health of inactive academics and examined associations between changes in stress (effort-reward imbalance and general stress), depressive symptoms and systemic inflammation. Fifty-nine inactive academics were randomly assigned to a CT ( = 29) or control (non-exercise) group ( = 30). CT performed supervised group training at an onsite facility 3 times per week for 14-weeks.

A Pragmatic Approach to Handling Censored Data Below the Lower Limit of Quantification in Pharmacokinetic Modeling.

Proper handling of data below the lower limit of quantification (BLQ) is crucial for accurate pharmacokinetic parameter estimation. The M3 method proposed by Beal uses a likelihood-based approach that is precise but has been reported to suffer from numerical issues in converging. Common alternatives include ignoring the BLQs (M1), imputing half of the lower limit of quantification and ignoring trailing BLQs (M6) or imputing zero (M7).

Revisiting the druggable genome using predicted structures and data mining.

Identification of novel drug targets is a key component of modern drug discovery. While antimalarial targets are often identified through the mechanism of action studies on phenotypically derived inhibitors, this method tends to be time- and resource-consuming. The discoverable target space is also constrained by existing compound libraries and phenotypic assay conditions.

Advancing bryophyte research and conservation, a case study on Madagascar.

Background: Bryophytes are a group of plant that are ecologically important, diverse and include many undescribed species. Setting like Madagascar is well known for its charismatic species, less conspicuous groups, such as bryophytes, are virtually unknown to the public and the scientific community. Bryophyte diversity is a highly overlooked component of Madagascar's rich biodiversity, underlined by geographical sampling biases, sparse representation, and an evident research and conservation deficit as compared to more charismatic groups.

Kisspeptin fiber and receptor distribution analysis suggests its potential role in central sensorial processing and behavioral state control.

Kisspeptin (KP) signaling in the brain is defined by the anatomical distribution of KP-producing neurons, their fibers, receptors, and connectivity. Technological advances have prompted a re-evaluation of these chemoanatomical aspects, originally studied in the early years after the discovery of KP and its receptor Kiss1r. Previously, we characterized (Hernández et al.

Health professionals' perceptions of the Walter Sisulu University's integrated longitudinal clinical clerkship on service delivery in rural district hospitals in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Background: The Integrated Longitudinal Clinical Clerkship (ILCC) is seen as an enabling learning space for medical students and empowering preceptors. The presence of ILCC students in hospitals contributes to delivering health services and sustained improvement in the quality of health services in those facilities. This study explored health professionals' perceptions of the impact of a South African medical university's ILCC on health professionals' workload and service delivery in district hospitals.

Discrete and conserved inflammatory signatures drive thrombosis in different organs after Salmonella infection.

Inflammation-induced thrombosis is a common consequence of bacterial infections, such as those caused by Salmonella Typhimurium (STm). The presentation of multi-organ thrombosis post-infection that develops and resolves with organ-specific kinetics raises significant challenges for its therapeutic control. Here, we identify specific inflammatory events driving thrombosis in the spleens and livers of STm-infected mice.

Recombination Analysis of Geminiviruses Using Recombination Detection Program (RDP).

Geminiviruses are recombination-prone, and characterizing this evolutionary process within their genomes is a frequent goal of researchers. RDP is a stand-alone Windows program combining many algorithms that detect and characterize recombination. It has been widely used by the geminivirus community (and beyond).

Sequence Demarcation Tool (SDT), a Free User-Friendly Computer Program Using Pairwise Genetic Identity Calculations to Classify Nucleotide or Amino Acid Sequences.

Sequence Demarcation Tool (SDT) is a free user-friendly computer program that has been adopted by many geminivirologists as a means of robustly and reproducibly using pairwise genetic identity calculations to classify geminivirus whole genome sequences. As input SDT takes unaligned sequences and it outputs publication quality pairwise identity plots and color-coded distance matrices. Whereas the distance plots are useful for guiding the establishment of strain, species or genus demarcation thresholds that will yield minimal classification conflicts, the distance matrices aid the classification of sequences according to the taxonomic demarcation criteria of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.

Tuberculosis and HIV coinfection: progress and challenges towards reducing incidence and mortality.

HIV-associated tuberculosis (HIV-TB) is associated with disproportionate mortality: approximately 24% of the 660,000 individuals with TB and HIV died, compared to 11% in those without HIV dying from TB in 2023. HIV is a key driver of ongoing high TB incidence in many countries, particularly in the WHO Africa region, and TB is the leading cause of hospitalisation in people with HIV (PWH) globally. Significant developments have occurred recently with regards to prevention, screening, diagnosis and management of HIV-TB.

Gender norms and sexual violence among South African adolescents: discrepancies between personal attitudes and perceived peer norms.

Social norms, particularly those pertaining to gender equity, can shape attitudes and behaviors that contribute to adolescent sexual violence (SV). This study examines personal attitudes and perceived peer norms regarding gender equity and associations with perpetration of SV among 100 South Africans aged 13-17 in 2019. We assessed: (1) sexual activity and SV behaviors and (2) personal attitudes and perceived peer norms around gender equity.