Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene最新文献

{"title":"Exploring healthcare professionals' perspectives on neglected tropical diseases in Eastern Uganda: a qualitative study with a focus on schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths.","authors":"Raymond Bernard Kihumuro, Lorna Atimango, Timothy Mwanje Kintu, Conrad Makai, Andrew Marvin Kanyike, Joel Bazira","doi":"10.1093/trstmh/trae043","DOIUrl":"10.1093/trstmh/trae043","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) and schistosomiasis, continue to impose a heavy burden, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Uganda, despite being preventable. Integration of NTD management into primary healthcare has been inadequate. While researchers have explored community perspectives, there is a notable gap in understanding the viewpoints of healthcare workers (HCW), which is crucial for effective NTD control strategies. This study explores HCW' perspectives in Eastern Uganda, highlighting challenges in schistosomiasis and STH prevention and management.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this qualitative descriptive study, we conducted semistructured interviews with 10 key informants who were HCW in Eastern Uganda with experience in managing STHs and schistosomiasis. Participants were selected purposively and interviewed through Zoom guided by a comprehensive interview guide. The data were transcribed, coded and analyzed thematically.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified five key themes regarding the impact and management of NTDs: (i) the burden of NTDs, where schistosomiasis and STHs were notably prevalent among children and communities adjacent to water bodies; (ii) transmission of NTDs, emphasizing water bodies and poor sanitation as primary routes of disease spread; (iii) clinical manifestations of NTDs, detailing the symptomatic presentations that complicate diagnosis and management; (iv) challenges in managing and diagnosing NTDs, highlighting the shortages of essential medications and diagnostic tools, along with the under-prioritization of NTDs within healthcare systems; and (v) fatalities and complications arising from NTDs, reporting on the severe outcomes and under-reporting of deaths associated with NTDs due to misdiagnosis, delayed treatment and traditional healing preferences.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The interviewed Ugandan HCW demonstrated sufficient knowledge of schistosomiasis and STHs, but faced challenges due to inadequate diagnostic tools and medication shortages. The study underscores the need for NTD prioritization with direct funding and government involvement, alongside strategies that integrate continuous medical training, effective community outreach and an enhanced healthcare system response to reduce the burden of NTDs.</p>","PeriodicalId":23218,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":"781-789"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141902955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection on hematological parameters.","authors":"Badi A Alotaibi, Jehad A Aldali, Hamzah J Aldali, Ali Alaseem, Abdulaziz M Almuqrin, Abdulrahman Alshalani, Hamood AlSudais, Nasser A Alshehri, Nasser B Alamar, Mogtba A Alhejji","doi":"10.1093/trstmh/trae047","DOIUrl":"10.1093/trstmh/trae047","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The current study is a retrospective study designed to evaluate changes in complete blood count and coagulation parameters in adult coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients at a prominent Saudi tertiary center to predict disease severity and mortality.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The cohort consisted of 74 800 adult patients divided into four groups based on a COVID-19 test and the patient's sex: 35 985 in the female negative COVID-19 group, 23 278 in the male negative COVID-19 group, 8846 in the female positive COVID-19 group and 6691 in the male positive COVID-19 group.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Patients with COVID-19 demonstrated decreased white blood cell counts and increased red blood cell counts. Also, COVID-19-positive participants exhibited more prolonged partial thromboplastin time and lower D-dimer levels than those of COVID-19-negative subjects (p<0.05). The study also revealed gender-dependent impacts on platelet counts, implying a possible relationship with the greater infection mortality rate in men than in women (p<0.001). In addition, the study found a link between changes in coagulation test results and death in COVID-19 patients (p<0.001). The evidence regarding the effects of COVID-19 on blood cell counts and coagulation, on the other hand, is conflicting, most likely due to variances in study populations and the timing of testing postinfection.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>According to the findings, COVID-19-related alterations in blood cell count and clotting ability may be risk factors for death.</p>","PeriodicalId":23218,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":"773-780"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141856567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patterns of soil-transmitted helminth aggregation in the human host population after several years of intensive mass drug administration.","authors":"Julia Mayer, Benjamin S Collyer, Rosie Maddren, Birhan Abtew, Ewnetu Firdawek Liyew, Melkie Chernet, Getachew Tollera, Geremew Tasew, Roy M Anderson","doi":"10.1093/trstmh/trae059","DOIUrl":"10.1093/trstmh/trae059","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Community-wide mass drug administration (cMDA) is known as an effective, albeit costly, control strategy for soil-transmitted helminth (STH) parasites. A better understanding of STH aggregation after many rounds of cMDA could help shape more cost-effective policies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This analysis uses data from the Geshiyaro project, aiming to break STH transmission by cMDA and water, sanitation and hygiene interventions. Ascaris lumbricoides infection prevalence is derived from egg count data and parasite aggregation is obtained by fitting a negative binomial distribution to the frequency distribution of faecal egg counts.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The relationship between parasite dispersion and infection prevalence is approximately linear. Parasite aggregation increases as infection prevalence decreases.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>A minority of individuals carry most parasites as prevalence decreases in the community. These individuals could be selectively targeted for repeated treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":23218,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":"829-831"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11638107/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142354501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of historical disease conditions on mortality and life expectancy in patients with advanced schistosomiasis in Hunan Province, China.","authors":"Honglin Jiang, Jie Zhou, Xinting Cai, Benjiao Hu, Huilan Wang, Chen Fu, Ning Xu, Yanfeng Gong, Yixin Tong, Jiangfan Yin, Junhui Huang, Jiamin Wang, Qingwu Jiang, Songyue Liang, Yibiao Zhou","doi":"10.1093/trstmh/trae052","DOIUrl":"10.1093/trstmh/trae052","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Although the prognosis of advanced schistosomiasis patients has significantly improved, the impact of historical disease conditions on life expectancy remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Utilizing data from an advanced schistosomiasis cohort (n=10 362) from 2008 to 2019 in Hunan, China, we examined five historical disease conditions: times of praziquantel treatment, the history of ascites, splenectomy, upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) and hepatic coma. Using latent class analysis, participants were categorized into three groups: Group 1 (characterized by no risk conditions), Group 2 (had ≤3 times of praziquantel treatment without UGIB history) and Group 3 (had UGIB history). Life expectancies were calculated using the life table method.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At the age of 45 y, patients with ≤3 times of praziquantel treatment, a history of ascites, UGIB, hepatic coma and those without splenectomy exhibited lower life expectancies. Groups 1, 2 and 3 had estimated life expectancies of 32.32, 26.76 and 25.38 y, respectively. Compared with Group 1, women in Group 3 experienced greater life expectancy loss than those in Group 2, with the difference narrowing with age.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Based on the consideration of overall physical conditions, tailored treatment and healthcare, along with public health interventions targeting diverse populations, could mitigate the prevalence of poor disease conditions and premature deaths.</p>","PeriodicalId":23218,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":"799-807"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141983368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to: Reported snakebite mortality and state compensation payments in Madhya Pradesh, India, from 2020 to 2022.","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/trstmh/trae099","DOIUrl":"10.1093/trstmh/trae099","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23218,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":"832"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11642617/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142508703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Erratum to: Podoconiosis in Uganda: prevalence, geographical distribution and risk factors.","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/trstmh/trae100","DOIUrl":"10.1093/trstmh/trae100","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23218,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":"833"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11642616/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142547649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Painful mycetoma: a study to understand the risk factors in patients visiting the Mycetoma Research Centre (MRC) in Khartoum, Sudan.","authors":"Saria O El-Amin, Rahba O El-Amin, Sarah M El-Sadig, Ahmed Hassan Fahal, Ahmed Musa","doi":"10.1093/trstmh/trae093","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/trae093","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Mycetoma, a neglected tropical disease endemic to Sudan, is traditionally characterized as a painless condition. However, recent studies reporting painful mycetoma lesions have challenged this assumption. With limited reports in the medical literature regarding pain in mycetoma, this study was conducted to investigate the risk factors for painful mycetoma lesions in patients visiting the Mycetoma Research Centre (MRC) in Khartoum, Sudan.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the risk factors for painful mycetoma lesions. The study analyzed electronic records of 481 patients with confirmed mycetoma, seen between 1991 and 2020, using a systematic sampling approach.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study found that pain was more likely to occur in cases with bone destruction, secondary bacterial infection and actinomycete infection (OR=1.762, 1.815 and 1.259, respectively). Additionally, pain was more frequently observed in patients aged 45 y and older. Smaller mycetoma lesions, measuring less than 5 cm, were less likely to cause pain, and this was identified as a significant risk factor for painful mycetoma lesions (β coefficient=-1.294).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings suggested that pain in mycetoma is typically associated with the severity of the condition. Therefore, early initiation of appropriate treatment may help reduce pain. Furthermore, careful differentiation between actinomycetes and eumycetes is essential for the timely and accurate diagnosis of mycetoma.</p>","PeriodicalId":23218,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142751752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The neurotoxic effect of Naja nubiae (Serpentes: Elapidae) venom from Sudan.","authors":"Huda Khalid, Maowia M Mukhtar","doi":"10.1093/trstmh/trae116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/trae116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Neurotoxicity is a common feature of elapid snake envenomation. There are limited studies on the toxicity of Naja nubiae venom, the Nubian spitting cobra, from north-east Africa.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used the chick biventer cervicis nerve-muscle preparation to demonstrate the neurotoxic effect of N. nubiae venom and to compare it with the potent neurotoxic cobra Naja melanoleuca venom. Venoms were separated by successive reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) runs and the molecular mass of the neurotoxins was determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both venoms caused time-dependent inhibition of nerve-mediated twitches with a t90 value of 22.2±1.9 min and 12.9±1.2 min for N. nubiae and N. melanoleuca venoms, respectively. Prior incubation of some commercial antivenom (EchiTab-Plus-ICP [Costa Rica], CSL, Parkville, Victoria, Australia) and snake venom antisera [India]) did not prevent the neurotoxic effect of N. nubiae venom. The chromatographic separation of N. nubiae and N. melanoleuca venoms followed by MALDI-TOF MS analysis revealed that short-chain α-neurotoxin accounted for 8.4% of N. nubiae and 14.8% of N. melanoleuca whole venoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>N. nubiae venom, which was previously known as cytotoxic venom, exhibits considerable in vitro neurotoxic effects on chick nerve-muscle preparations that may have consequences for antivenom development in north-east Africa.</p>","PeriodicalId":23218,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142732617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating imatinib in severe COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"João Pedro Sarcinelli Chagas, Juliana Ribeiro de Oliveira, Vinicius Andreata Brandão, Ana Paula Brandão Bellucio, João Victor de Azevedo Dutra, Julia Ramos Dutra, Crispim Cerutti","doi":"10.1093/trstmh/trae095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/trae095","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Considering the potential antiviral and immunomodulatory properties of imatinib, this drug has been investigated in several studies as a potential treatment option for severe cases of COVID-19, given that treatment modalities available remain limited.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To evaluate the benefits or otherwise of imatinib for COVID-19 in severely ill patients, we performed a systematic review of studies that tested the efficacy and the safety of imatinib for COVID-19 and executed a meta-analysis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We searched Medline, Embase and Cochrane with the following search terms: 'coronavirus', 'SARS-Cov2', 'covid', 'covid-19' and 'imatinib'. The latest search date was November 2023. We used Cochrane Collaboration's tool to assess bias in randomized trials.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We included three randomized controlled trials with 561 participants. A total of 276 patients received imatinib and 285 received placebo. The mortality results showed no statistically significant differences between imatinib and controls (RR 0.61; 95% CI 0.37 to 1.01; p=0.06). There was no significant difference in length of hospital stay or severe adverse events occurring between groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Current evidence suggests that the potential benefits of imatinib should be further evaluated in randomized controlled trials in patients hospitalized for COVID-19.</p>","PeriodicalId":23218,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142717212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Snail vectors of Schistosoma mansoni in Alagoas, Northeast Brazil: spatial distribution in the hydrographic grid of the state.","authors":"Maria Wilma da Silva Lima, Glória Isabel Lisboa da Silva, Laryssa Oliveira Silva, João Paulo Vieira Machado, Pedro Dantas Lima, Rosália Elen Santos Ramos, Leticia Pereira Bezerra, Israel Gomes de Amorim Santos","doi":"10.1093/trstmh/trae117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/trae117","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Schistosomiasis mansoni is a parasitic infectious disease of significant epidemiological importance caused by Schistosoma mansoni. The intermediate hosts are snails of the genus Biomphalaria spp. As gastropods are crucial for the spread of the disease, this study aimed to assess the influence of water bodies on the distribution of snails responsible for transmitting S. mansoni in the state of Alagoas. It is an ecological study with a spatial approach, carried out from 1997 to 2017. We considered all Biomphalaria snails captured and positive for S. mansoni in the state. Representative maps were created for better data visualization, having as unit of analysis the municipalities of Alagoas. We also calculated the natural infection rate of the snails (number of positives/number of captured). During the study period, 34 619 Biomphalaria snails were captured, consisting of Biomphalaria glabrata (30 132), Biomphalaria straminea (4445) and Biomphalaria tenagophila (42). The seventh Health Region (HR) of the state had the highest number of specimens collected (B. glabrata=15 676), while the sixth HR had the highest positivity rate (9.2%). Regarding hydrography, these snails were primarily found along the Jacuípe, Mundaú, Paraíba, São Miguel, Coruripe, Piauí, Perucaba and Boacica rivers. Our data reinforce the occurrence of the three medically significant snail species responsible for schistosomiasis transmission in Alagoas. Additionally, our findings can be used as a basis for malacological activities because we report the presence of these animals in the main rivers of the state.</p>","PeriodicalId":23218,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142711134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}