Particulate matter composition and respiratory health: the PIAMA birth cohort study (Publications)
potassium, nickel, sulfur, silicon, vanadium, and zinc in particles with diameters of less than 2.5 and 10 mum (PM2.5 and PM10) at birth addresses and current addresses from land-use regression models. Exposure-health [...] address. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second was negatively associated with copper and iron in PM2.5 (change [95% confidence interval] -2.1% [-1.1, -0.1%] and -1.0% [-2.0, -0.0%]) and FEF75-50 with copper
Spatial and temporal distribution of soil-transmitted helminth infection in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and geostatistical meta-analysis (Publications)
lumbricoides, and T trichiura over a grid of roughly 1 million pixels at a spatial resolution of 5?×?5 km. We calculated anthelmintic treatment needs on the basis of WHO guidelines (treatment of all s [...] prevalence of hookworm, A lumbricoides, and T trichiura among school-aged children from 2000 onwards was 16·5%, 6·6%, and 4·4%. These estimates are between 52% and 74% lower than those in surveys done before 2000
Single-center outcome analysis of 1,161 patients with St. Jude medical and ATS open pivot mechanical heart valves (Publications)
family physicians. Follow up was 98.9% complete; the median follow up was 4.6 years; total follow up was 5,624 patient-years (pt-yr). RESULTS: A total of 604 SJM and 601 ATS prostheses was implanted as isolated [...] freedom from valve-related mortality at 10 years for SJM and ATS valves were 66 +/- 3% versus 68 +/- 5% (p = 0.84) and 96 +/- 1% versus 97 +/- 1% (p = 0.36), respectively. No structural valve failure was [...] respectively, were: thromboembolism 0.9 and 1.1%/pt-yr; major bleeding...
Improving community coverage of oral cholera mass vaccination campaigns: lessons learned in Zanzibar (Publications)
prominent barrier to uptake was competing obligations or priorities (reported by 74.5%, identified as most important barrier by 49.5%). Next most prominent barriers were lacking information about the campaign [...] campaign (29.6%, 12.2%), sickness (14.3%, 13.3%) and fear of possible vaccine side effects (15.3%, 5.6%). The majority of unvaccinated respondents requested repetition of the vaccination with free OCVs.CONCLU
Bovine tuberculosis at the wildlife-livestock-human interface in Hamer Woreda, South Omo, southern Ethiopia (Publications)
lous mycobacteria (NTM). The prevalence of M. avium-complex (MAC) was 4.2% in wildlife, 2.5% in cattle and 0.5% in goats. In conclusion, individual BTB prevalence was low, but herd prevalence high in cattle [...] Individual BTB prevalence in cattle was 0.8% (CI: 0.3%-2%) with the > 4 mm cut-off and 3.4% (CI: 2.1%-5.4%) with the > 2 mm cut-off. Herd prevalence was 33.3% and 83% when using the > 4 and the > 2 mm cut-off
Accuracy of urine circulating cathodic antigen test for the diagnosis of <em>Schistosoma mansoni</em> in preschool-aged children before and after... (Publications)
was conducted in Azaguie, south Cote d'Ivoire. Overall, 242 preschoolers (age range: 2 months to 5.5 years) submitted two stool and two urine samples before praziquantel administration, and 86 individuals [...] considering 'trace' as negative (t-), and single CCA with 'trace' as positive (t+), was 23.1%, 34.3% and 64.5%, respectively. Using the combined results (i.e., four Kato-Katz and duplicate CCA(t-)) as diagnostic
Prevalence of trachoma at sub-district level in Ethiopia: determining when to stop mass azithromycin distribution (Publications)
based on a prevalence of trachomatous inflammation follicular (TF) among children aged 1-9 years below 5% at the sub-district level, as determined by an additional round of surveys limited within districts [...] whom 72,452 people (80.7%) were examined. The prevalence of TF in children aged 1-9 years was below 5% in six sub-districts and two districts. Sub-district level prevalence of TF in children aged 1-9 years [...] warranted in only five districts. Interpretation was not as simple as...
Effectiveness of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine during pregnancy on placental malaria, maternal anaemia and... (Publications)
area and 2.3% (CI 0.6-5.7) in the low transmission area. Being primigravida and residing in a high transmission area were significant risk factors for placental malaria (OR 2.4; CI 1.1-5.0; P = 0.025) and [...] transmission area (OR 0.2; CI 0.06-0.7; P = 0.015) than in the low transmission area (OR 0.4; CI 0.04-4.5; P = 0.478). IPTp use was not associated with reduced risk of maternal anaemia or low birthweight,
Effect of immediate initiation of antiretroviral treatment on the risk of acquired HIV drug resistance (Publications)
acquired drug resistance was 3.2% (2.8,3.5) for immediate initiation, 3.1% (2.7,3.3) for initiation with CD4 cell count less than 500 cells/mul, and 2.8% (2.5,3.0) for initiation with CD4 cell count less [...] restricted to individuals with baseline in 2005-2015, the corresponding estimates were 1.9% (1.8, 2.5), 1.9% (1.7, 2.4), and 1.8% (1.7, 2.2). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the risk of acquired drug
Cause-specific childhood mortality in Africa and Asia: evidence from INDEPTH health and demographic surveillance system sites (Publications)
BACKGROUND: Childhood mortality, particularly in the first 5 years of life, is a major global concern and the target of Millennium Development Goal 4. Although the majority of childhood deaths occur in [...] mortality fractions are presented according to WHO 2012 VA cause groups for neonatal, infant, 1-4 year and 5-14 year age groups. RESULTS: A total of 28,751 childhood deaths were documented during 4,387,824 pe [...] person-years over 18 sites. Infant mortality ranged from 11 to 78 per 1,000...