Global development

Globally 8.4% of children under 5 years old have a neurodisability. The important factors contributing to this are infection and inflammation, nutrition and quality of care especially during pregnancy and in the first 2 years of life. In an attempt to reduce neurodisability arising from these factors, WHO launched the 1,000 days initiative in 2014. Recent data from the National Health and Morbidity, and Malaysian National Neonatal Registry is a cause for concern. The rate of low weight babies has shown a significant increase during this period...

Burns are a global public health problem, which brings great challenges to public health and the economy. Severe burns often lead to systemic infection, shock, multiple organ failure, and even death. With the increasing demand for the therapeutic effect of burn wounds, traditional dressings have been unable to meet people's needs due to their single function and many side effects. In this context, electrospinning shows a great prospect on the way to open up advanced wound dressings that promote wound repairing and prevent infection...

BACKGROUND: Microbial keratitis is one of the leading causes of blindness globally. An overactive immune response during an infection can exacerbate damage, causing corneal opacities and vision loss. This study aimed to identify the differentially expressed genes between corneal infection patients and healthy volunteers within the cornea and conjunctiva and elucidate the contributing pathways to these conditions' pathogenesis. Moreover, it compared the corneal and conjunctival transcriptomes in corneal-infected patients to cytokine levels in tears...

Preeclampsia is a syndrome that continues to be a major contributor to maternal and neonatal mortality, especially in low-income countries. Low-dose aspirin reduces the risk of preeclampsia, but the mechanism is still unknown. Risk factors to identify women at risk of preeclampsia are based on clinical characteristics. Women identified as high-risk would benefit from aspirin treatment initiated, preferably at the end of the first trimester. Current efforts have largely focused on developing screening algorithms that incorporate clinical risk factors, maternal biomarkers, and uterine artery Doppler evaluated in the first trimester...

BACKGROUND: The current version of the Fetal Medicine Foundation competing risks model for preeclampsia prediction has not been previously validated in Brazil. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed (1) to validate the Fetal Medicine Foundation combined algorithm for the prediction of preterm preeclampsia in the Brazilian population and (2) to describe the accuracy and calibration of the Fetal Medicine Foundation algorithm when considering the prophylactic use of aspirin by clinical criteria...

Breast cancer is a global health challenge with staggering statistics underscoring its pervasive impact. The burden of this disease is measured in terms of its prevalence and the challenges it poses to healthcare systems, necessitating a closer look at its epidemiology and impact. Current breast cancer treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapies, have made significant strides in improving patient outcomes. However, they are not without limitations, often leading to adverse effects and the development of drug resistance...

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health concern, necessitating the exploration of novel drug delivery systems to combat the challenges posed by conventional approaches. We investigated the potential of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) as an innovative platform for efficient and targeted delivery of antituberculosis drugs. Specifically, the electronic and optical properties of prominent TB drugs, isoniazid (INH) and pyrazinamide (PZA), adsorbed on tungsten diselenide (WSe2 ) and tungsten disulfide (WS2 ) monolayers were studied using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT)...

INTRODUCTION: The authors identify two patterns of inheritance in a Syrian child from consanguineous parents. The membrane-bound O-acyltranferase domain-containing7 (MBOAT7) gene encodes Lysophosphatidylinositol acyltranferase (LPIAT1), which is responsible for the neurodevelopment of the brain cortex. Patients with MBOAT7 variants exhibit pathogenic nervous manifestations such as global developmental delays affecting speech and motor function, intellectual disability (ID), poor coordination, and seizures, with or without MRI abnormalities...

Malaria remains a significant global health challenge, demanding a deeper understanding of host immune responses for effective clearance of the parasitic infection. Cytokines, as crucial mediators of the immune system, orchestrate a complex interplay during the various stages of malaria infection. Throughout the course of the disease, an intricate balance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines dictate the immune response's outcome, influencing parasitic clearance and disease severity. During the initial stages, interleukins such as interleukin-12 (IL-12), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) play pivotal roles in activating innate immune cells, initiating the anti-parasitic response...

BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy is widely used as a tool for diagnosis, screening and treatment of various pathologies in the rectum, colon, and terminal ileum. The aim of this study is to evaluate the demographic, clinical, and histological parameters of the records of patients undergoing colonoscopy at a tertiary care hospital in Nepal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study included the hospital records of all patients who underwent colonoscopy from 2015 to 2019 in a tertiary care centre in Nepal...

INTRODUCTION: Quality improvement interventions have been part of the national agenda aimed at reducing maternal and neonatal morbidities and mortality. Despite different interventions, neonatal mortality and morbidity rates remain steady. This review aimed to map and synthesize the evidence of maternal and newborn quality improvement interventions in Ethiopia. METHODS: A scoping review was reported based on the reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis extensions for the scoping review checklist...

This review examines the extensive use and environmental consequences of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) on a global scale, specifically emphasizing their potential impact in Nigeria. Recognized for their resistance to water and oil, PFAS are under increased scrutiny for their persistent nature and possible ecotoxicological risks. Here, we consolidate existing knowledge on the ecological and human health effects of PFAS in Nigeria, focusing on their neurological effects and the risks they pose to immune system health...

BACKGROUND: Wounds have become a major health challenge worldwide, presenting marked humanistic and economic burdens such as disabilities and death. Annually, approximately 14 million people suffer from wounds worldwide and 80 % of these occur in developing countries like Uganda. In Uganda, besides many cases of daily wound occurrences, approximately 10 % of surgical procedures become septic wounds and consequently lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Accordingly, several ethnomedicinal studies have identified plants used for wound treatment in different parts of Uganda and the wound healing activities of some plants have been reported...

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a significant global issue in terms of public health. While it is largely associated with respiratory complications, recent reports indicate that patients also experience neurological symptoms and other health issues. The objective of this study is to examine the network of protein-protein interactions (PPI) between SARS-CoV-2 proteins and human host proteins, pinpoint the central genes within this network implicated in disease pathology, and assess their viability as targets for drug development...

Geopolitical risks (GPR) arising from wars, terrorist acts and bilateral tensions. It has aroused global attention recently, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has further disrupted normal bilateral trade exchanges. However, this argument is still too general to capture the micro impact of geopolitical risks on internationalization in developing countries. This study examines the impact of GPR on firms' internationalization performance in China. Using Chinese A-share manufacturing listed firms from 2008 to 2019, this study investigates the relationship between GPR and firms' internationalization performance...

Sustainable development through technical progress for middle-income countries (MICs) is overlooked in growth allied studies. Despite their crucial role in alleviating poverty and resource shortages, MICs encounter challenges in global economic competition, driving persistent efforts to find practical solutions. Therefore, this study explores the integrated impact of R&D expenditure and remittances on economic growth in MICs. Using data from 25 MICs between 1996 and 2021, this study employs the "2nd generation unit root" and "panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL)" methods...

Recent use of least-cost diets as a measure of global food security revealed that over 3 billion people are unable to afford sufficient nutritious food for an active and healthy life, driving demand for policy changes to improve access and affordability. This study quantifies the role of imports in consumer prices, matching retail prices in 144 countries to imports by origin of the item or its main ingredient, resulting in a total of 13,846 pairs of a retail price and its import cost in 2017. We find that 55% of retail items had some active imports supplementing domestic production, and of those around 48% have nonzero tariffs whose average effective rate is around 6...

STUDY QUESTION: Do children born after ART have a higher risk of developing Type 1 diabetes (DM1) than children conceived without ART? SUMMARY ANSWER: The risk of DM1 was similar for children conceived with and without ART, and there were no clear differences in risk according to method of fertility treatment. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: ART is associated with a higher risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, and the risk depends on the method of ART...

Amidst the current global surge in physician burnout, a compelling need arises for precisely targeted research and interventions that cater to specific contexts, illuminating a path towards professional well-being. This brief communication analyses recent studies on physician burnout in Oman, critically evaluating the findings, cultural factors, methodological limitations and future growth opportunities. Distinct elements of Omani culture, encompassing attitudes towards mental illness, gender roles and patient expectations, can distinctly influence how burnout presents in this population...

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