Successful granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor inhalation therapy for recurrent autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis after lung transplantation: A case report.

Sargramostim, a recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) inhalation therapy, was recently approved for pharmaceutical use in Japan and shows promise as a treatment for autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (APAP). For APAP patients with severe respiratory failure due to advanced lung fibrosis, lung transplantation is also a treatment option; however, APAP may recur after the procedure. Here, we report a case of successful sargramostim inhalation therapy for post-transplant APAP relapse in a patient who underwent living lung transplantation owing to severe fibrosis.

Using routine data to examine factors associated with stillbirth in three tertiary maternity facilities in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Background: Over one-third of the global stillbirth burden occurs in countries affected by conflict or a humanitarian crisis, including Afghanistan. Stillbirth rates in Afghanistan remained high in 2021 at over 26 per 1000 births. Stillbirths have devastating physical, psycho-social and economic impacts on women, families and healthcare providers.

Blood DNA virome associates with autoimmune diseases and COVID-19.

Aberrant immune responses to viral pathogens contribute to pathogenesis, but our understanding of pathological immune responses caused by viruses within the human virome, especially at a population scale, remains limited. We analyzed whole-genome sequencing datasets of 6,321 Japanese individuals, including patients with autoimmune diseases (psoriasis vulgaris, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) or multiple sclerosis) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), or healthy controls. We systematically quantified two constituents of the blood DNA virome, endogenous HHV-6 (eHHV-6) and anellovirus.

Characteristics of snakebite patients due to Naja samarensis in the Philippines: a prospective hospital-based study.

Background: Little is known about snakebites by Naja samarensis, a species unique to the Philippines. The aim here is to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients bitten by this medically important cobra in the Eastern Visayas.

Methods: A hospital-based prospective study analysed the features of snakebite patients attending Eastern Visayas Medical Center between June 2022 and May 2023.

Comparing newly developed SNP barcode panels with microsatellites to explore population genetics of malaria parasites in the Peruvian Amazon.

Introduction: Malaria molecular surveillance (MMS) can provide insights into transmission dynamics, guiding national control programs. We previously designed AmpliSeq assays for MMS, which include different traits of interest (resistance markers and deletions), and SNP barcodes to provide population genetics estimates of and parasites in the Peruvian Amazon. The present study compares the genetic resolution of the barcodes in the AmpliSeq assays with widely used microsatellite (MS) panels to investigate population genetics of Amazonian malaria parasites.

Adenovirus nephritis in adult kidney allograft recipients: a systematic review of literature.

Background: Adenovirus nephritis is an increasingly recognized complication in adult kidney transplant recipients, characterized by its diverse clinical presentations and diagnostic challenges. This systematic review summarises the clinical profiles and outcomes of adenoviral nephritis in kidney allograft recipients.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for studies (case reports or series) with individual patient data on adult kidney transplant recipients with confirmed or presumptive adenoviral nephritis up to October 2, 2024.

Conference 2024: Building an innovative scientific research ecosystem for microbiome and One Health.

The Conference 2024 provides a platform to promote the development of an innovative scientific research ecosystem for microbiome and One Health. The four key components - Technology, Research (Biology), Academic journals, and Social media - form a synergistic ecosystem. Advanced technologies drive biological research, which generates novel insights that are disseminated through academic journals.

Proportion of foetal and placental implantation abnormalities in Madagascar: A cross-sectional study of 35,919 women at public-sector primary healthcare facilities in central and southern Madagascar, 2017-2020.

Background: Like other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar has a high burden of maternal and neonatal mortality. However, as the proportion of foetal and placental abnormalities among the Malagasy population is unknown, strategies aimed at reducing maternal and neonatal mortality are challenging to define and implement.

Methods: We conducted a multi-year, cross-sectional study using secondary NGO data on obstetric ultrasound, including patient records of all pregnant women who received an obstetric ultrasound screening between July 1st, 2017, and September 30th, 2020, at 62 public-sector primary care facilities in urban and rural regions of Madagascar.

Epidemiology and diversity of Plasmodium species in Franceville and their implications for malaria control.

Malaria is a significant public health challenge in Gabon, with high prevalence rates in rural and semi-urban areas. This study investigated Plasmodium infection prevalence among outpatients at a medical laboratory in Franceville, Gabon, in 2020. Data from 500 patients were analyzed, revealing an overall infection rate of 33.

Occurrence of Taenia species and Toxoplasma gondii in pigs slaughtered in Bujumbura city, Kayanza and Ngozi provinces, Burundi.

Background: Taenia spp. and Toxoplasma gondii are foodborne parasites affecting humans and pigs. The magnitude of the burden of these parasites in pigs in Burundi is not known.

A novel strain of Leishmania braziliensis harbors not a toti- but a bunyavirus.

Leishmania is a genus of the family Trypanosomatidae that unites obligatory parasitic flagellates causing a variety of vector-borne diseases collectively called leishmaniasis. The symptoms range from relatively innocuous skin lesions to complete failures of visceral organs. The disease is exacerbated if a parasite harbors Leishmania RNA viruses (LRVs) of the family Pseudototiviridae.

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus Among Schistosomiasis mansoni Patients Residing in Endemic Zone in Brazil.

The occurrence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in patients with Schistosomiasis mansoni (SM) is still poorly understood in Brazil. The objective of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of anti-HEV IgG in patients with SM and its association with the periportal fibrosis (PPF), assessed by serum markers and ultrasound criteria. This cross-sectional study was carried out in an endemic area in Pernambuco, Brazil, with schistosomal patients who underwent coproscopic survey.

Barriers to PrEP use and adherence among adolescent girls and young women in Eastern, Southern, and Western Africa: a scoping review.

Background: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are disproportionately affected by HIV. Globally, in 2022, an estimated 4000 AGYW 15-24 were newly infected with HIV weekly, and nearly 78% of these infections occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a key HIV prevention option within an overall HIV combination prevention approach with an efficacy of over 90% when taken correctly.

A novel frameshift mutation in ADCK1 identified in a case of chronic fatigue syndrome successfully treated with oral 5-ALA/SFC.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex disorder characterized by prolonged, unexplained fatigue and challenging diagnosis. We report the case of a 35-year-old Japanese woman with CFS who had experienced chronic fatigue since the age of 11 years. Despite treatment with modafinil, methylphenidate, levocarnitine, and ubiquinone, the symptoms persisted.

TKK130 is a 3-Hydroxy-Propanamidine (HPA) with Potent Antimalarial Activity and a High Barrier to Resistance.

Malaria continues to pose a significant burden on populations in endemic areas and requires innovative treatment options. Here, we report the synthesis and preclinical evaluation of the novel 3-hydroxypropanamidine (HPA) , which shows excellent antiplasmodial activity against drug-sensitive and -resistant strains. Moreover, in various human cell lines, the compound shows no cytotoxicity and excellent parasite selectivity.

Outbreak of cholera in the Southwest region of Cameroon, 2021-22: an epidemiological investigation.

Background: In October 2021, a large outbreak of cholera was declared in Cameroon, disproportionately affecting the Southwest region, one of 10 administrative regions in the country. In this region, the cases were concentrated in three major cities where a humanitarian crisis had concomitantly led to an influx of internally displaced persons. Meanwhile, across the border, Nigeria was facing an unprecedented cholera outbreak.

Retrospective clinical performance evaluation of the Abbott Bioline HAT 2.0, a rapid diagnostic test for human African trypanosomiasis based on recombinant antigens.

Background: Rapid diagnostic tests for the serological detection of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (gHAT) have been developed to overcome the limitations of the traditional screening method, CATT/T. b. gambiense.

Automated total nucleic acid extraction with magnetic beads for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum in large study cohorts.

Background: Molecular methods play an important role in clinical trials assessing anti-malarial drugs and vaccines, as well as in epidemiological studies aimed at detecting Plasmodium species, especially when dealing with large sample sizes. Molecular techniques are more sensitive and generally have a higher throughput compared to the gold standard microscopy. Further optimization can be achieved with automation of nucleic acid isolation, allowing for rapid and precise extraction.

Systematic assessment of COVID-19 host genetics using whole genome sequencing data.

Courses of SARS-CoV-2 infections are highly variable, ranging from asymptomatic to lethal COVID-19. Though research has shown that host genetic factors contribute to this variability, cohort-based joint analyses of variants from the entire allelic spectrum in individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections are still lacking. Here, we present the results of whole genome sequencing in 1,220 mainly vaccine-naïve individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, including 827 hospitalized COVID-19 cases.

Country-Specific Roadmaps for Scaling Up Integrated Care in Belgium, Slovenia, and Cambodia - Lessons Learned from the SCUBY Project.

Introduction: The SCUBY project aimed to provide knowledge on the scaling-up of an Integrated Care Package (ICP) for type 2 diabetes and hypertension across three distinct health systems (Cambodia, Slovenia, and Belgium). Here, we analyse the different elements of the country-specific scale-up roadmaps to identify similarities and differences, and share lessons learned.

Methods: Thematic analysis was used to derive crucial roadmap elements from key SCUBY documents (n = 20), including policy briefs, interim reports, research outputs, and consortium meeting notes.

Analysis of Mutations in Dihydropteroate Synthase and Dihydropteroate Reductase Genes Among Non-HIV Patients in China.

Purpose: pneumonia (PJP) shows a high fatality rate in non-HIV patients. However, there are limited data on drug resistance-related gene mutations in these patients. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of mutations in the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) genes of in non-HIV patients in China, providing a reference for drug usage.

Simple preservation of schistosome eggs with high infectivity up to 12 weeks.

The lifecycle of schistosomes must be continuously maintained to clarify and understand this parasite in various aspects in laboratory settings. In the previous studies by other researchers, preservation of schistosome larvae or eggs was attempted by freezing with liquid nitrogen or organic chemicals, but frozen schistosomes were substantially impaired. The present study was conducted to determine whether schistosome eggs can be preserved under a non-frozen condition.

Bacterial contamination of mobile handwashing stations in hospital settings in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Background: As part of the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile handwashing stations (mHWS) were deployed in healthcare facilities in low-resource settings. We assessed mHWS in hospitals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for contamination with Gram-negative bacteria.

Methods: Water and soap samples of in-use mHWS in hospitals in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi were quantitatively cultured for Gram-negative bacteria which were tested for antibiotic susceptibility.

Optimizing screening practice for gestational diabetes mellitus in primary healthcare facilities in Tanzania: research protocol.

Background: Tanzania, like most low- and middle-income countries, is facing an increasing prevalence of obesity in the general population, including among women of reproductive age. Excess weight pre-pregnancy is a risk factor for the onset of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), which is associated with several poor pregnancy outcomes. Screening for GDM, as a primary preventive measure, is not systematically done in Tanzania.