Syphilis infection prevalence in the Middle East and North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can be prevented and effectively treated; yet it continues to be a cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is a limited understanding of the epidemiology of syphilis in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Methods: A systematic review conducted up to April 30, 2024 assessed the prevalence of syphilis and followed PRISMA guidelines, without language and date restrictions.

Once daily Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement of venous leg ulcers versus gel vehicle (placebo) and non-surgical standard of care: a three-arm multicenter, double blinded, randomized controlled study.

Background: Debridement is considered the first step in treatment of chronic wounds, however, current enzymatic and autolytic debridement agents are slow or ineffective. Previous studies have shown positive initial results with EscharEx® (EX-02 formulation), a Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement agent in development for chronic wounds. The main objective of this study was to assess its efficacy in debriding venous leg ulcers (VLU), compared to gel vehicle (GV) as a placebo control and to non-surgical standard of care (NSSOC).

Efficacy of extracorporeal photopheresis in the treatment of severe erosive lichen planus: a case series.

There are no good evidence-based recommendations for any systemic treatment of erosive lichen planus (ELP). Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) may be an effective therapy for recalcitrant forms of the disease. We report 3 patients with severe ELP treated with ECP.

Meaningful Engagement as a Cornerstone for Implementing the Key Recommendations to Advance the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Women Living With HIV Across Policy, Practice, and Research in Canada.

In 2022, a community-academic collaborative team published 5 key recommendations for developing a national action plan to advance the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of women living with HIV in Canada. In 2023, a national gathering was convened to strategize implementation of the recommendations across policy, practice, and research settings. Discussions highlighted that meaningful engagement of women living with HIV (recommendation 1) is foundational to implementing the other recommendations.

The association between perceived neighborhood social cohesion and intimate partner violence in a refugee camp in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia.

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common form of gender-based violence affecting women and girls worldwide and is exacerbated in humanitarian settings. There is evidence that neighborhood social processes influence IPV. Perceived neighborhood social cohesion (P-NSC)-a measure of community trust, attachment, safety, and reciprocity-may be protective against women's experience of and men's perpetration of IPV and controlling behaviors.

NEBULA101: an open dataset for the study of language aptitude in behaviour, brain structure and function.

This paper introduces the "NEBULA101 - Neuro-behavioural Understanding of Language Aptitude" dataset, which comprises behavioural and brain imaging data from 101 healthy adults to examine individual differences in language and cognition. Human language, a multifaceted behaviour, varies significantly among individuals, at different processing levels. Recent advances in cognitive science have embraced an integrated approach, combining behavioural and brain studies to explore these differences comprehensively.

Home high-flow therapy during recovery from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation: a mixed-methods feasibility randomised control trial.

Introduction: Patients recovering from severe acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) have a 30-day readmission rate of 20%. This study evaluated the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial to evaluate clinical, patient-reported and physiological effects of home high-flow therapy (HFT) in addition to usual medical therapy, in eucapnic patients recovering from AECOPD to support the design of a phase 3 trial.

Methods: A mixed-methods feasibility randomised controlled trial (quantitative primacy, concurrently embedded qualitative evaluation) (ISRCTN15949009) recruiting consecutive non-obese patients hospitalised with AECOPD not requiring acute non-invasive ventilation.

Piloting an external quality assurance program (QAP) for COVID-19 antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs): findings and lessons learned from Cambodia.

Rapid antigen diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) that quickly and accurately identify SARS-CoV-2 are an essential part of the COVID-19 response, but multiple factors can affect the validity of Ag-RDTs results. In Cambodia, several commercial Ag-RDTs have become available since the COVID-19 outbreak, but quality control (QC) and external quality assurance (EQA) of these rapid tests have yet to be fully and systematically implemented. We collaborated with laboratory experts in Australia and piloted an EQA programme of the commonly used COVID-19 Ag-RDTs at the University of Health Sciences' MERIEUX Laboratory (Tier 1 site-responsible for the in-country receipt and distribution of QA material) and four other participating laboratories (Tier 2-healthcare facility based) between November 2021 and November 2022.

Instructional design features in ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia simulation-based training: a systematic review.

Introduction: Ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia enhances pain control, patient outcomes and lowers healthcare costs. However, teaching this skill effectively presents challenges with current training methods. Simulation-based medical education offers advantages over traditional methods.

From microalgae to gastropods: Understanding the kinetics and toxicity of silver nanoparticles in freshwater aquatic environment.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are increasingly used in various consumer products and industrial applications, raising concerns about their environmental impact on aquatic ecosystems. This study investigated the physicochemical stability, trophic transfer, and toxic effects of citrate-coated AgNPs in a freshwater food chain including the diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana and the gastropod Lymnaea stagnalis. AgNPs remained stable in the exposure medium, with a minimal dissolution (<0.

Modelling the health labour market outlook in Kenya: Supply, needs and investment requirements for health workers, 2021-2035.

Kenya is committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) within its devolved health system in which significant investments have been made in health infrastructure, workforce development, and service delivery. Despite these efforts, the country faces considerable health workforce challenges. To address these, the Ministry of Health undertook a comprehensive Health Labour Market Analysis (HLMA) in 2022 to generate evidence supporting the development of responsive health workforce policies.

Personalized Cutoffs for the Diagnosis of Neutropenic Fever Based on Patients' Baseline Body Temperature: A Retrospective Pilot Study.

Background The management of neutropenic fever patients remains challenging. Patients' individual baseline body temperature may provide diagnostic and prognostic value. Methods This study is a retrospective analysis of 92 adults admitted for neutropenic fever to model the length of stay (LOS) and the ability to find a definitive diagnosis using the deviation of patients' temperature on admission from their outpatient baseline, acuity on admission, neutropenia level and persistence, fever persistence, and patients' age.

Time to change implementation units for mass drug administration against schistosomiasis in Uganda: Evidence from Communities levels data validation and its implication in planning.

Uganda started implementing mass drug administration against schistosomiasis in 2003, with district used as an implementation unit. This resulted into misclassification of communities into wrong risk levels, under-or-over treatment and over request of praziquantel (PZQ) drugs. The objective of the current study was to reviewing the community data available at World Health Organization/ESPEN database to understand the status of schistosomiasis and identify pockets with infection.

The London money market and non-British bank lending during the first globalisation: evidence from Brazil.

This study examines the relationship between the London money market (LMM) and the credit provision of non-British overseas banks in peripheral economies during the first wave of globalisation. Using monthly data between 1889 and 1913, we find a positive relationship between the amount of credit authorised by the German in Brazil and the spread between the London market and floating rate. Our results suggest that increased demand for foreign bills and/or decreased borrowing costs in the LMM leads to an increase in credit supply.

Multimorbidity latent classes in relation to 11-year mortality, risk factors and health-related quality of life in Malaysia: a prospective health and demographic surveillance system study.

Background: We aimed to identify specific multimorbidity latent classes among multi-ethnic community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 18 years in Malaysia. We further explored the risk factors associated with these patterns and examined the relationships between the multimorbidity patterns and 11-year all-cause mortality risk, as well as health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods: Using data from 18,101 individuals (aged 18-97 years) from the baseline Census 2012, Health Round 2013, and Verbal Autopsies 2012-2023 of the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO) health and demographic surveillance system, latent class analysis was performed on 13 chronic health conditions to identify statistically and clinically meaningful groups.

Scan accuracy of recently introduced wireless intraoral scanners in different fixed partial denture situations.

Objective: To compare the in vitro scan accuracy (trueness and precision) of recently introduced wireless intraoral scanners (IOSs) to commonly used wired IOSs in different fixed partial denture (FPD) situations.

Methods: Three partially edentulous maxillary models with implants located at different sites (lateral incisors [Model 1]; right canine and first molar [Model 2]; right first premolar and first molar [Model 3]) were digitized with wireless (Primescan 2 [P2] and TRIOS 5 [T5]) and wired (Primescan [P1] and TRIOS 3 [T3]) IOSs (n=14 per IOS-model pair). The models were also digitized with an industrial-grade optical scanner for their reference scans.

Evolution of competitive ability and the response to nutrient availability: a resurrection study with the calcareous grassland herb, Leontodon hispidus.

Rapid environmental changes across Europe include warmer and increasingly variable temperatures, changes in soil nutrient availability, and pollinator decline. These abiotic and biotic changes can affect natural plant populations and force them to optimize resource use against competitors. To date, the evolution of competitive ability in the context of changes in nutrient availability remains understudied.

Rescue therapy after failed thrombectomy in medium/distal vessel occlusions: A retrospective analysis of an international, multi-center registry.

Background: There are limited therapeutic options in cases of failed reperfusion (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction [mTICI] score < 2b) after stent-retriever and/or aspiration based endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke. Despite the absence of data supporting its use, rescue therapy (balloon angioplasty and/or stent implantation) is often utilized in such cases. Studies are limited to large vessel occlusions, while the outcomes and complications after rescue therapy in medium/distal vessel occlusions (MDVOs) have not been reported.

Behind the scenes of EQA - characteristics, capabilities, benefits and assets of external quality assessment (EQA).

Providers of external quality assessment (EQA) programs evaluate data or information obtained and reported by participant laboratories using their routine procedures to examine properties or measurands in samples provided for this purpose. EQA samples must offer participants an equal chance to obtain accurate results, while being designed to provide results in clinically relevant ranges. It is the responsibility of the EQA provider to meet the necessary requirements for homogeneity, stability and some other properties of the EQA items in order to offer participants a fair, reliable and technically interesting EQA experience.

Experts' discussion: implications of the World Health Organization's World report on hearing for the cochlear implant field.

Objective: This review aims to analyse the implications of the World Health Organization's 2021 world report on hearing, with a particular focus on the cochlear implant field. The objective is to understand the challenges and opportunities highlighted in the report and propose viable solutions for effective implementation within the cochlear implant community.

Methods: Following the release of the World Health Organization's world report on hearing, cochlear implant professionals explored and discussed the implications of the report with examples from various countries to understand the disparities in access, reimbursement policies, and social stigma associated with hearing loss.

Disentangling Sources of Momentum Fluctuations in Xe+Xe and Pb+Pb Collisions with the ATLAS Detector.

High-energy nuclear collisions create a quark-gluon plasma, whose initial condition and subsequent expansion vary from event to event, impacting the distribution of the eventwise average transverse momentum [P([p_{T}])]. Disentangling the contributions from fluctuations in the nuclear overlap size (geometrical component) and other sources at a fixed size (intrinsic component) remains a challenge. This problem is addressed by measuring the mean, variance, and skewness of P([p_{T}]) in ^{208}Pb+^{208}Pb and ^{129}Xe+^{129}Xe collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.