How can we achieve and maintain high-quality performance of health workers in low-resource settings? (Publications)
for the delivery of health interventions. However, inadequate health-worker performance is a very widespread problem. We present an overview of issues and evidence about the determinants of performance and [...] complex behaviours that have many potential influences. Reviews of intervention studies in low and middle income countries suggest that the simple dissemination of written guidelines is often ineffective, [...] knowledge about the true determinants of performance and about the...
Non-stationary partition modeling of geostatistical data for malaria risk mapping (Publications)
modeling of malaria is stationarity, that is spatial correlation is a function of the separation vector between locations. However, local factors (environmental or human-related activities) may influence ge [...] non-stationarity. Ignoring this characteristic in malaria spatial modeling may lead to inaccurate estimates of the standard errors for both the covariate effects and the predictions. In this paper, a model based [...] within each tile and between-tile correlation was taken into account....
Impact of population aging on future temperature-related mortality at different global warming levels (Publications)
projected to increase with global warming, the influence of population aging on these trends remains unclear. Here we show that at 1.5 °C, 2 °C, and 3 °C of global warming, heat-related mortality in 800
Comparison of nasal microbiota between preterm and full-term infants in early life (Publications)
RESULTS: Presence of older siblings in preterm infants was associated with β-diversity (PERMANOVA p = 0.001) and an increased abundance of Moraxella and Haemophilus. The nasal microbiota of preterm infants [...] infants exhibited a distinct composition compared to that of full-term infants (PERMANOVA, R(2) = 0.014, p = 0.001), characterized by a reduced abundance of the Moraxella and Dolosigranulum genera (ANCOM-BC, [...] BACKGROUND: The respiratory microbiota influences infant immune system...
Gut microbiota targeted approach in the management of chronic liver diseases (Publications)
portal vein, which enables the gut microbiota and gut-derived products to influence liver health. There is accumulating evidence of decreased gut flora diversity and alcohol sensitivity in patients with various [...] ip between the gut and the liver, and explained the mechanisms of how the gut microbiota ecosystem alteration affects the pathogenesis of chronic liver diseases. We presented gut-microbiota targeted i
A cross-sectional analysis of meteorological factors and SARS-CoV-2 transmission in 409 cities across 26 countries (Publications)
There is conflicting evidence on the influence of weather on COVID-19 transmission. Our aim is to estimate weather-dependent signatures in the early phase of the pandemic, while controlling for socio-economic [...] little evidence of meteorological conditions having influenced the early stages of local epidemics and conclude that population behaviour and government interventions are more important drivers of transmission [...] cities in 26 countries, with a decrease of 0.087 (95% CI: 0.025;...
Genomic and phenotypic insights from an atlas of genetic effects on DNA methylation (Publications)
present a database of > 270,000 independent mQTLs, of which 8.5% comprise long-range (trans) associations. Identified mQTL associations explain 15-17% of the additive genetic variance of DNAm. We show that [...] Characterizing genetic influences on DNA methylation (DNAm) provides an opportunity to understand mechanisms underpinning gene regulation and disease. In the present study, we describe results of DNAm quantitative [...] that the genetic architecture of DNAm levels is highly polygenic....
Effect of malaria on soluble transferrin receptor levels in Tanzanian infants (Publications)
diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia in malaria endemic areas is complicated by the influence of the infection on the laboratory tests conventionally used to assess iron status. Determination of soluble [...] be a sensitive indicator of iron deficiency in adults and is not affected by a range of infectious and inflammatory conditions. The utility of sTfR levels in the diagnosis of iron deficiency in malaria [...] in a rural area of southern Tanzania living under conditions of intense and...
Examining the utilization of social capital by Ghanaians when seeking care for chronic diseases: a personal network survey (Publications)
recurrent costs when seeking NCD care. We measured the level of informal support received by NCD patients and identified factors that influence support provision. Methods: We surveyed 339 NCD patients from [...] demographic and health information, characteristics of social ties, and network characteristics. Results: Participants described 1,371 social ties. Nearly 60% of respondents reported difficulties in their usual [...] usual work or household duties due to chronic illness, which was also...
Testing for <em>Chlamydia trachomatis</em>: time trends in positivity rates in the canton of Basel-Stadt, Switzerland (Publications)
2002-2010. The influences of test year, age, sex and laboratory on CT positivity were investigated in a multivariable model. Positivity differed between sexes and age groups. In our sample of 32 034 records [...] programme exists. We obtained essential denominator information to describe the epidemiology of CT in the canton of Basel-Stadt, an urban canton in north-western Switzerland. Laboratories reporting at least [...] contrast to other European countries without CT screening, we found no...