Global health essential medicine

INTRODUCTION: Effective and safe vaccines against COVID-19 are essential to achieve global control of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Using faith centres may offer a promising route for promoting higher vaccine uptake from certain minority ethnic groups known to be more likely to be vaccine hesitant. METHODS: This cross-sectional study explored attendees' perceptions, experiences of being offered, and receiving COVID-19 vaccination in a local mosque in Woking, Surrey, UK...

INTRODUCTION: The global increase in sexual transmitted infections (STI) makes it necessary to seek public health strategies that facilitate rapid and minimally invasive diagnosis. The objective was to evaluate the concordance between vaginal and endocervical samples for STI diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out on vaginal and endocervical samples from women attended in our reference area with symptoms suggestive of vulvovaginitis or for STI screening during the study period...

The personalised oncology paradigm remains challenging to deliver despite technological advances in genomics-based identification of actionable variants combined with the increasing focus of drug development on these specific targets. To ensure we continue to build concerted momentum to improve outcomes across all cancer types, financial, technological and operational barriers need to be addressed. For example, complete integration and certification of the 'molecular tumour board' into 'standard of care' ensures a unified clinical decision pathway that both counteracts fragmentation and is the cornerstone of evidence-based delivery inside and outside of a research setting...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Malaria, caused by Plasmodium parasites, remains a significant global health challenge, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. At the same time, the prevalence of toxoplasmosis has been reported to be 30% worldwide. Traditional medicines have long played a vital role in discovering and developing novel drugs, and this approach is essential in the face of increasing resistance to current antimalarial and anti-Toxoplasma drugs. In Indonesian traditional medicine, various plants are used for their therapeutic properties...

The rapid increase of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in humans and livestock is concerning. Antimicrobials are essential for the treatment of disease in modern day medicine and their misuse in humans and food animals has contributed to an increase in the prevalence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Globally, antimicrobial resistance is recognized as an One-health problem affecting humans, animals and environment. Enterococcal species are gram positive bacteria that are widely distributed in nature. Their occurrence, prevalence and persistence across the One-health continuum make them an ideal candidate to study antimicrobial resistance from a One-health perspective...

A malaria vaccine represents an essential complementary tool to curb the stagnation, or even increase, in malaria cases observed over the last decade due to the emergence of resistance to insecticides impregnated on mosquito nets, wars and internal conflicts, as well as global warming. In October 2021, WHO recommended the use of the RTS,S/ASO1 vaccine for children aged 5-17 months in areas of moderate to high transmission. In October 2023, a second vaccine received WHO approval for deployment in the same population, following demonstration of around 70 % efficacy in protecting young children against malaria for one year...

OBJECTIVE: To identify the determinants of the unmet need for modern contraceptives in Ethiopia. DESIGN: Community-based cross-sectional study. SETTING: Ethiopia. PARTICIPANTS: A group of 6636 women of reproductive age (15-49 years) who were sexually active were included in the study. OUTCOME: Unmet need for modern contraceptives METHOD: The study used data from the 2019 Performance Monitoring for Action-Ethiopia survey, which was community-based and cross-sectional...

INTRODUCTION: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) constitute approximately 74% of global mortality, with 77% of these deaths occurring in low-income and middle-income countries. Tanzania exemplifies this situation, as the percentage of total disability-adjusted life years attributed to NCDs has doubled over the past 30 years, from 18% to 36%. To mitigate the escalating burden of severe NCDs, the Tanzanian government, in collaboration with local and international partners, seeks to extend the integrated package of essential interventions for severe NCDs (PEN-Plus) to district-level facilities, thereby improving accessibility...

BACKGROUND: High-speed global travel, increased trade, world population growth, migration, urbanisation and climate change have favoured the emergence and spread of pathogens. We aimed to analyse the evolution of imported infections in Spain during 2012-2022 and the potential impact of some of the abovementioned factors on differential morbidity patterns. METHODS: In this retrospective study (January/2012 to December/2022), we analysed data collected by the +Redivi network across 25 health centres...

IMPORTANCE: An understanding of the intersectional effect of sexual identity, race, and ethnicity on disparities in cardiovascular health (CVH) has been limited. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate differences in CVH at the intersection of race, ethnicity, and sexual identity using the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 measure. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from July 27 to September 6, 2023, using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2007 to 2016...

BACKGROUND: Heat stress (HS) is a main abiotic stress factor for the health and welfare of animals. Recently, the use of nano-emulsion essential oils exhibited a promising approach to mitigate the detrimental impacts of abiotic and biotic stresses, ultimately contributing to the global aim of sustainable livestock production. AIM: The current study was piloted to assess the impact of eugenol nano-emulsion (EUGN) supplementation on growth performance, serum metabolites, redox homeostasis, immune response, and pro-inflammatory reactions in growing rabbits exposed to HS...

Comprehensive and effective care techniques have become essential due to the global epidemic dimensions of metabolic disorders, including diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular ailments. Recent research highlights the potential of dietary supplements, herbal extracts, and phytochemicals in treating metabolic diseases. This abstract conveys the current state of the science in this field by highlighting these findings' underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic applications. Plant-based diets contain naturally occurring bioactive molecules termed phytochemicals, which have shown promise in treating various metabolic illnesses...

OBJECTIVES: There is little global evidence about how physicians become abortion clinicians or advocates. We describe the ideological trajectories of self-identified pro-choice female Mexican doctors and the factors that made them become pro-choice. STUDY DESIGN: In this qualitative study we conducted semi-structured interviews with members of the Mexican Network of Female Pro-choice Physicians (Red de Médicas por el Derecho a Decidir - México). Participants came from 8 diverse states in Mexico...

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the bidirectional associations and temporal dynamics between social isolation (SI) and loneliness among older adults. DESIGN: This is a prospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: With the global phenomenon of population aging, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of SI and loneliness among older adults. These factors exert substantial impacts on the health and well-being of this population...

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to be a major global health challenge, ranking as a top cause of cancer-related mortality. Alarmingly, the five-year survival rate for CRC patients hovers around a mere 10-30 %. The disruption of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFRs) signaling pathways is significantly implicated in the onset and advancement of CRC, presenting a promising target for therapeutic intervention in CRC management. Further investigation is essential to comprehensively elucidate FGFR1's function in CRC and to create potent therapies that specifically target FGFR1...

BACKGROUND: Substandard and falsified (SF) medicines are a global health problem. Their high prevalence is a threat to public health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, there are few street-level investigations of how this market works. This case study examines the supply and demand for SF medicines in Southern Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross sectional qualitative design, using semi-structured interviews supplemented by participant observation, was adopted...

BACKGROUND: Gender-based violence (GBV) is a global public health concern. India's socio-cultural and regional diversity poses challenges for obtaining accurate and comprehensive indicators of gender-based violence. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and predictors of GBV among adolescents. This was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years in six districts of Madhya Pradesh, the central part of India, from December 2017 to 2019. METHODS AND MATERIAL: GBV was assessed using a validated questionnaire adapted from a nationwide survey...

Conservative estimates by the World Health Organization suggest that at least a quarter of global cardiovascular diseases are attributable to environmental exposures. Associations between air pollution and cardiovascular risk have garnered the most headlines and are strong, but less attention has been paid to other omnipresent toxicants in our ecosystem. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are man-made chemicals that are extensively used in industrial and consumer products worldwide and in aqueous film-forming foam utilized in firefighting...

Interdisciplinary fetal neonatal neurology (FNN) training requires integration of reproductive health factors into evaluations of the maternal-placental-fetal (MPF) triad, neonate, and child over the first 1000 days. Serial events that occur before one or multiple pregnancies impact successive generations. A maternal-child dyad history highlights this continuity of health risk, beginning with a maternal grandmother's pregnancy. Her daughter was born preterm and later experienced polycystic ovarian syndrome further complicated by cognitive and mental health disorders...

INTRODUCTION: Anxiety and depression pose a significant global health challenge, especially affecting adults in low-income and middle-income countries. In many low-income and middle-income countries, including those in sub-Saharan Africa, social determinants such as access to affordable health services, conflict, food insecurity, and poverty may be associated with the prevalence of anxiety and depression, further contributing to health disparities. To mitigate the burden of anxiety and depression in sub-Saharan Africa, it is essential to develop country-level tailored mental health policies and strategies...