Developing the most suitable treatment against tuberculosis based on resistance profiles is imperative to effectively cure tuberculosis patients. Whole-genome sequencing is a molecular method that allows for the rapid and cost-effective detection of mutations in multiple genes associated with anti-tuberculosis drug resistance. This sequencing approach addresses the limitations of culture-based methods, which may not apply to certain anti-TB drugs, such as pyrazinamide, because of their specific culture medium requirements, potentially leading to biased resistance culture results.

Previous studies generally used cross-sectional data and focused on under-five children to assess the risk factors for malnutrition among Indian children. Some recent studies have reported that recovery from or faltering in malnutrition is possible after five years of age, but socio-demographic subgroup disparities have not been explored. This study aims to find the longitudinal disparity in height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ) and body-mass-index-for-age Z-scores (BMIAZ scores) across various sub-groups of a cohort from childhood to adolescence.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease often associated with serious cardiovascular comorbidities. The aim of this study was to investigate the systemic inflammatory burden in psoriasis by examining various inflammatory markers and to assess the relationship between these markers and the severity of the disease.

Influenza outbreaks of varying size occur every year, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries experienced influenza at lower levels. However, following the relaxation of COVID-19 prevention measures in 2022, the incidence of influenza began to increase gradually. Thus, this study compared the occurrence of influenza from week 36 of 2017, before the COVID-19 outbreak, until 2023.

Chest x-ray (CXR) plays an important role in childhood tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, but access to quality CXR remains a major challenge in resource-limited settings. Digital CXR (d-CXR) can solve some image quality issues and facilitate their transfer for quality control. We assess the implementation of introducing d-CXR in 12 district hospitals (DHs) in 2021-2022 across Cambodia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Uganda as part of the TB-speed decentralisation study on childhood TB diagnosis.

Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder characterised by abnormal haemoglobin production. This study aims to investigate the associations between haematological and inflammatory biomarkers and brain volumes in patients with sickle cell anaemia and compare brain structure between patients with sickle cell anaemia and healthy controls. This retrospective cross-sectional study included 130 participants (70 sickle cell anaemia patients and 60 healthy controls) who underwent brain MRI examinations at King Fahad Central Hospital between January 2010 and October 2022. Demographic data and haematological and inflammatory biomarkers were collected to examine their relationships with brain volumes. Brain volumes were measured using FreeSurfer. Specific haematological and inflammatory biomarkers were correlated with brain volume in patients with sickle cell anaemia, p < 0.05. Sickle cell anaemia patients exhibited smaller volumes in the brainstem, corpus callosum and amygdala compared to healthy controls. Males had significantly higher iron levels (p < 0.001) and larger various brain structure volumes (p < 0.05) than females. This study demonstrates significant associations between specific biomarkers and brain volume in sickle cell anaemia patients, underscoring the importance of monitoring these biomarkers for early detection and management of neurological complications in sickle cell anaemia.

This study aimed to describe the prevalence of lymphatic filariasis (LF), soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) and schistosomiasis (SC) in Indonesia before and after PC implementation through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Accidents caused by snakes constitute a serious public health problem in Latin America and worldwide. The situation in the Brazilian Amazon region is neglected, resulting in the highest incidence of cases per capita in the country. Furthermore, the distance from urban areas makes it difficult for the population to access timely and effective medical care, including antivenom treatment. The Brazilian Amazon is characterised by high ethnic and cultural diversity, yet it lacks robust epidemiological information that would allow for the development of surveillance and prevention policies. This study aimed to assess the epidemiological profile of individuals affected by snakebite accidents from 2007 to 2021 in a poorly studied region of the Brazilian Amazon.

The skin is the largest and most visible organ of the human body. As such, skin infections can have a significant impact on overall health, social wellbeing and self-image. In 2019, we published a systematic review of the treatment, prevention and public health control of skin infections including impetigo, scabies, crusted scabies and tinea in resource-limited settings where skin infections are endemic. This current review serves as an update to assess the evidence for treatment of these conditions as well as atopic dermatitis, molluscum contagiosum and head lice in endemic settings. The data from this systematic review have supported an update to the Australian National Healthy Skin guidelines.

Scabies is a neglected skin disease that disproportionately affects people from resource poor and overcrowded countries. Global data on prevalence and risk factors are limited. This article aims to estimate the global burden of scabies and identifies the risks associated with it.

Female genital schistosomiasis is a chronic gynaecological disease caused by the waterborne parasite Schistosoma (S.) haematobium. It affects an estimated 30-56 million girls and women globally, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa where it is endemic, and negatively impacts their sexual and reproductive life. Recent studies found evidence of an association between female genital schistosomiasis and increased prevalence of HIV and cervical precancer lesions. Despite the large population at risk, the burden and impact of female genital schistosomiasis are scarcely documented, resulting in neglect and insufficient resource allocation. There is currently no standardised method for individual or population-based female genital schistosomiasis screening and diagnosis which hinders accurate assessment of disease burden in endemic countries. To optimise financial allocations for female genital schistosomiasis screening, it is necessary to explore the cost-effectiveness of different strategies by combining cost and impact estimates. Yet, no economic evaluation has explored the value for money of alternative screening methods. This paper describes a novel application of health decision analytical modelling to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of different female genital schistosomiasis screening strategies across endemic settings. The model combines a decision tree for female genital schistosomiasis screening strategies, and a Markov model for the natural history of cervical cancer to estimate the cost per disability-adjusted life-years averted for different screening strategies, stratified by HIV status. It is a starting point for discussion and for supporting priority setting in a data-sparse environment.

This study reports on the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in children in Guinea-Bissau before the hepatitis B vaccine was introduced.

The global emergence of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is considered a significant contemporary concern., as carbapenems are the last resort for treating infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. This study aimed to investigate the carbapenem-resistance genes in extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing K. pneumoniae isolates.

A 6-week course of tetracycline eye ointment is an alternative to single -dose oral azithromycin in annual mass drug administration for trachoma control. Compliance with the recommended tetracycline eye ointment regimen has not been well characterised when administered as part of a trachoma control program.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a severe parasitic disease transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies. VL is endemic in West Pokot County, Kenya, where effective strategies to interrupt transmission are impeded by the limited understanding of VL risk factors. Therefore, this case-control study aimed to explore environmental, behavioural and household determinants of VL in West Pokot.

This study assessed the moderating effect of social support on the association between experienced stigma versus anxiety, depression and loneliness among people with drug-resistant tuberculosis.

COVID-19 infection among pregnant women results in more severe symptoms and higher mortality rates. No comprehensive health literacy for protection against COVID-19 among pregnant women has been available for general use in Thailand. This cross-sectional study aimed to develop and examine an instrument for measuring health literacy of prevention COVID-19 infection among pregnant women (HLS-P). A total of 321 pregnant women aged older than 20 years were participated in this study, Selected through multistage cluster sampling, between September 2021 and January 2022. Data were collected using structured questions that included sociodemographic characteristics and the health literacy scale for protecting against COVID-19 (HLS-P) developed by the researchers. The content and construct validity of the health literacy scale were examined. Exploratory factor analysis performed with principal component analysis and Varimax rotation. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS AMOS 26. The model fitting was evaluated using several indices namely root mean square error of approximation, normed fit index, comparative fit index, and goodness-of-fit index. The reliability of the scale was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and item total correlation. As a results of exploratory factor analysis of the scale, 31 items were loaded which indicated a 6-factors for the scale that collectively explained 62.59% of total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis also indicated a good fit to the six latent structures with root mean square error of approximation 0.03, normed fit index 0.94, comparative fit index 0.97, and goodness-of-fit index 0.91. Internal consistency reliability was satisfactory with Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.94 and the item-total correlation between 0.34 and 0.86. The overall scale was sufficiently reliable. As a result, the HLS-P is a reliable and relevant measure for assessing health literacy in pregnant women. Thus, this scale is profoundly used as an evaluation tool for measuring health literacy among pregnant women, providing critical information for healthcare professionals and policymakers about the health literacy needs and capacity of service receivers.

Adolescents and young adults (AYA) living with HIV have been shown to have lower rates of viral load testing and viral suppression as compared to older adults. We examined trends over time and predictors of HIV viral load monitoring and viral suppression among AYA in a large HIV treatment programme in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.