We aimed to assess the plasma levels of ferritin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and adenosine deaminase (ADA) at baseline and their utility as biomarkers to monitor response to treatment in extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) patients.

 Indigenous populations globally face significant health disparities compared to non-Indigenous groups, primarily due to marginalization and limited access to healthcare. In Mexico, which is home to the largest Indigenous population in the Americas, these disparities were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with impacts intensified by factors such as marginalization, discrimination, and inadequate access to essential services.

Malaria, a widespread tropical disease, remains a significant global health issue, resulting in numerous deaths each year. In Ghana, malaria is a leading cause of illness, contributing to a large proportion of hospital outpatient visits. The study assessed the pattern of malaria and vector IgG antibody levels among suspected malaria patients seeking healthcare at selected health facilities across Ghana.

This systematic review and meta-analysis study evaluated the association between mortality due to COVID-19 and coagulative factors.

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) belong to a group of viral infectious diseases that interfere with the blood's clotting mechanism. VHF has a wide host range, including bats, rodents, or arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks. Most VHFs emerge suddenly as outbreaks, making it difficult to predict occurrence. To be responsive to such outbreaks, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) provides high-end molecular and genomic diagnostics capability for surveillance of suspected VHFs in samples collected from health facilities across the country.

Strictly following antiretroviral therapy (ART) is essential in managing HIV and AIDS and attaining viral suppression. However, adherence to ART remains a complex challenge among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) and it is influenced by various individual and socio-cultural factors. Also, there is limited data as far as the studies on determinants of ART adherence in the Tamale Metropolis is concerned. This highlights a critical knowledge gap that needs to be addressed to improve adherence rates. This study therefore aims to examine the determinants of ART adherence among PLHIV in the Tamale Metropolis, Ghana.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract disease among infants and young children worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). RSM01 is a novel, highly potent, half-life-extended anti-RSV monoclonal antibody (mAb) candidate primarily being developed for LMICs. Here we present the preclinical characterisation and results of a phase 1 trial of RSM01.

To investigate the distribution of pathogens and epidemiological changes in children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) during and after the COVID-19 pandemic public health restrictive measures. aiming to provide a foundation for clinical diagnosis, treatment, and policy formulation.

With the increasing impact of tuberculosis on public health, accurately predicting future tuberculosis cases is crucial for optimizing of health resources and medical service allocation. This study applies a self-attention mechanism to predict the number of tuberculosis cases, aiming to evaluate its effectiveness in forecasting.

Mathematical models are established tools to assist in outbreak response. They help characterise complex patterns in disease spread, simulate control options to assist public health authorities in decision-making, and longer-term operational and financial planning. In the context of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), vaccines are one of the most-cost effective outbreak response interventions, with the potential to avert significant morbidity and mortality through timely delivery. Models can contribute to the design of vaccine response by investigating the importance of timeliness, identifying high-risk areas, prioritising the use of limited vaccine supply, highlighting surveillance gaps and reporting, and determining the short- and long-term benefits. In this review, we examine how models have been used to inform vaccine response for 10 VPDs, and provide additional insights into the challenges of outbreak response modelling, such as data gaps, key vaccine-specific considerations, and communication between modellers and stakeholders. We illustrate that while models are key to policy-oriented outbreak vaccine response, they can only be as good as the surveillance data that inform them.

The goal of this work was to quantify the effect of school closure during the first year of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Switzerland. This allowed us to determine the usefulness of school closures as a pandemic countermeasure for emerging coronaviruses in the absence of pharmaceutical interventions. The use of multivariate endemic-epidemic modelling enabled us to analyse disease spread between age groups which we believe is a necessary inclusion in any model seeking to achieve our goal. Sophisticated time-varying contact matrices encapsulating four different contact settings were included in our complex statistical modelling approach to reflect the amount of school closure in place on a given day. Using the model, we projected case counts under various transmission scenarios (driven by implemented social distancing policies). We compared these counterfactual scenarios against the true levels of social distancing policies implemented, where schools closed in the spring and reopened in the autumn. We found that if schools had been kept open, the vast majority of additional cases would be expected among primary school-aged children with a small fraction of cases filtering into other age groups following the contact matrix structure. Under this scenario where schools were kept open, the cases were highly concentrated among the youngest age group. In the scenario where schools had remained closed, most reduction would also be expected in the lowest age group with less effects seen in other groups.

Toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease, can cause fatal multi-organ failure in immunocompromised patients. The lack of specificity in the symptoms and the need to confirm a diagnosis of tachyzoites in fluids or tissues through microscopic examination leads to a delay in reaching a diagnosis. A 28-year-old woman with severe aplastic anemia received stem cell transplantation seven months ago, presented with fever. Computed Tomography scan and ultrasonography showed moderate pleural, pericardial, peritoneal, and pelvic effusions. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing of blood and alveolar lavage fluid was done, 11,082 and 17,154 sequence readings of Toxoplasma gondii were detected, accounting for 1.34% and 17.09% of genome coverage, respectively. Then, marrow aspirate smears showed Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites and pseudocyst. This case report alerts clinicians about Toxoplasma gondii infection in stem cell transplantation patients with multiple serous effusions and fever. Clinical trial: Not applicable.

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) can cause morbidity and mortality in children. This study was to determine the characteristics of pathogens in hospitalized children with ARIs after the relaxation of COVID-19 non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) in Quzhou, China.

Trichinellosis is a zoonotic, foodborne parasitic infection causing muscle damage. This study investigated the potential therapeutic effects of the commercially available probiotic treatment Linex, both alone and in combination with Albendazole (ALB), on the intestinal and muscular stages of Trichinella spiralis infection in mice, assessing outcomes through parasitological, immunological, and histopathological measures. This study is the first to demonstrate the synergistic effect of combining the commercially available probiotic Linex with Albendazole for trichinellosis treatment. By enhancing both parasitological and immunological outcomes, this combined therapy not only significantly reduces parasite burden but also modulates the immune response, shifting it toward a protective Th1 profile. In parasitological terms, the highest adult and larval count reduction was observed in combined Linex and Albendazole treatment (100%, 97.7%) respectively. Lesser percentage of reduction were recorded in Linex alone therapy (43.2%, 88.4%) respectively. Histopathologically there was amelioration of the inflammatory cellular infiltration in all treated groups with best results in combined Linex and Albendazole treatment. Immunologically, serum IFN-γ levels increased significantly in all treated groups with highest levels in combined Linex and Albendazole treatment, while IL-4 and IL-13 level decreased significantly in all treated groups with best results observed in Linex alone treatment. To conclude; combined Linex and Albendazole treatment of mice infected with T. spirals could ameliorate the infection and improve the immune response.

Otitis media is an inflammation of the middle ear that affects both adults and children, leading to hearing loss and impacting intellectual performance, especially in developing countries. Key factors contributing to its development include lack of vaccination, inadequate breastfeeding, overcrowding, and malnutrition. Major bacterial pathogens involved are Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis.This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed the pooled prevalence of bacterial ear infections and multidrug resistance in Ethiopia.

Arcobacter species are emerging foodborne pathogens increasingly associated with human illness worldwide. They are commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of animals and are frequently isolated from various food sources, including raw meat, poultry, and seafood. The aim of this study is to investigate the antimicrobial resistance patterns of Arcobacter spp. isolated from human stool samples, animal products, ready-to-eat salad mixes, and ambient water, assess the presence of resistance genes, and explore their potential implications for public health.

Dengue is the most important arboviral disease, and Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are the major vectors. It is one of the most recent emerging diseases in Mizoram state with a fast-growing burden over the years. The present study aimed to explore the epidemiological patterns of dengue in Mizoram, and to identify vector mosquito species.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) poses a significant global health challenge and requires treatment with potentially toxic second-line anti-TB drugs. Assessing the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of DR-TB patients is crucial, given the impact of disease and treatment on their well-being. This study aimed to evaluate HRQoL among DR-TB patients undergoing treatment in Botswana and identify predictors of variability during the treatment period.

Primary breast hydatid cyst is an exceedingly rare manifestation of echinococcosis, with an incidence of less than 0.27% among all hydatid cyst cases.

Extragenital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infections are prevalent among men who have sex with men (MSM). Self-sampling could potentially eliminate barriers to extragenital CT/NG testing for MSM that are hard to reach, who refuse to go for clinician-based testing, or who decline an examination. However, the required evidence to determine whether self-collected specimens are as accurate as clinician-taken specimens in terms of CT/NG diagnostic accuracy was limited in low and middle income countries. We therefore compared self-collected rectal and pharyngeal specimens with clinician-taken specimens for diagnostic accuracy among MSM in China.