Hasil untuk "Infectious and parasitic diseases"

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arXiv Open Access 2026
Off-Axis Compliant RCM Joint with Near-Isotropic Stiffness and Minimal Parasitic Error

Federico Mariano, Elena De Momi, Giovanni Berselli et al.

This paper presents an off-axis, monolithic compliant Remote Center of Motion (RCM) joint for neuroendoscopic manipulation, combining near-isotropic stiffness with minimal parasitic motion. Based on the Tetra II concept, the end-effector is placed outside the tetrahedral flexure to improve line of sight, facilitate sterilization, and allow rapid tool release. Design proceeds in two stages: mobility panels are sized with a compliance-based isotropy objective, then constraining panels are synthesized through finite-element feasibility exploration to trade stiffness isotropy against RCM drift. The joint is modeled with beam elements and validated via detailed finite-element analyses, including fatigue-bounded stress constraints. A PA12 prototype is fabricated by selective laser sintering and characterized on a benchtop: a 2 N radial load is applied at the end-effector while a 6-DOF electromagnetic sensor records pose. The selected configuration produces a stiffness-ellipse principal axis ratio (PAR) of 1.37 and a parasitic-to-useful rotation ratio (PRR) of 0.63%. Under a 4.5° commanded rotation, the predicted RCM drift remains sub-millimetric (0.015-0.172 mm). Fatigue analysis predicts a usable rotational workspace of 12.1°-34.4° depending on direction. Experiments reproduce the simulated directional stiffness trend with typical deviations of 6-30%, demonstrating a compact, fabrication-ready RCM module for constrained surgical access.

en cs.RO
CrossRef Open Access 2026
Repurposing anti-phage defenses to differentially arrest the viral lifecycle reveals the regulatory logic of a parasitic satellite

S. Tansu Bagdatli, Kimberley D. Seed

ABSTRACT Mobile genetic elements frequently encode defense mechanisms to protect their bacterial hosts from viral attack. In Vibrio cholerae, these defensive elements include phage-inducible chromosomal island-like elements (PLEs), which are phage satellites that act as highly specialized parasites of the lytic phage ICP1. While PLE transcriptional activation upon ICP1 infection is known to be temporally regulated, the underlying regulatory logic and dependencies on the progression of the phage’s developmental program required for activation remain unclear. In this study, we took a novel approach to define these dependencies by introducing independent anti-phage defense systems, BREX and DarTG, as molecular roadblocks to impede the ICP1 lifecycle. We discovered that, for both ICP1 and PLE, late-stage gene expression is fundamentally uncoupled from genome replication, representing a striking departure from the standard paradigm for double-stranded DNA phages. While BREX restricts ICP1 to an immediate-early transcriptional state that stalls PLE activation, DarTG allows the phage to execute its full transcriptional cascade despite the total block in DNA replication. This permissive environment provides the necessary cues for complete PLE induction, revealing that the extent of ICP1 transcriptional progression is a key determinant of PLE transcriptional activation. Unlike other phage satellites that rely on a single cue for activation, our results demonstrate that PLE uses a progressive licensing strategy that relies on multiple cues tied to milestones in the phage’s developmental program. This regulatory architecture ensures robust PLE activation resilient to phage escape.

DOAJ Open Access 2025
Investigating factors enabling the acceptability of perennial malaria chemoprevention implementation in Osun State, Nigeria: evidence from a qualitative process evaluation

Michael Ekholuenetale, Joshua Oyeniyi Aransiola, Chinazo Ujuju et al.

Abstract Background Malaria remains a life-threatening disease predominantly in resource-constrained settings including Nigeria. Despite the availability of interventions to prevent, diagnose and treat malaria, children under five years remain vulnerable. Perennial malaria chemoprevention (PMC) is an effective intervention to prevent malaria in children under 24 months. However, the uptake of PMC may be affected by community acceptability of the intervention. The study explored the acceptability of PMC in Osun State, Nigeria. Methods Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were used to gather caregivers, community leaders, fathers of children less than 24 months of age and health workers’ perspectives on PMC in Osun State, Nigeria. Thematic analysis was conducted using ATLAS.ti 24. Results Participants reported acceptability of PMC delivered through expanded programme on immunization (EPI) platform. Acceptability was influenced by perceived effectiveness, child-friendliness and free health services as well as whether individuals accept conventional medicines and the delivery platform. On the other hand, lack of funds for transportation and the fear of side effects negatively affected PMC acceptability. Caregivers reported the attitudes of health workers towards the intervention influenced their acceptance or negative behaviour towards PMC. Religious leaders also accepted PMC as it did not contradict their faith. Conclusion Several factors affect acceptability of PMC. To maximize acceptance that would lead to increased uptake of PMC, programmes should identify factors within their context that influence acceptability and employ appropriate strategies to maintain high acceptability.

Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine, Infectious and parasitic diseases
DOAJ Open Access 2025
Variations in the Use of Faecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT) in Primary Care in England: A Population-Based Cohort of 531,735 FITs from 495,121 Patients Between 2019 and 2023

Morton AJ, Crooks CJ, West J et al.

Alastair James Morton,1,2 Colin J Crooks,1– 3 Joe West,2,4,5 Brian D Nicholson,6 David J Humes1– 3 1School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; 2National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; 3Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK; 4Lifespan and Population Health - School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; 5Department of Clinical Medicine - Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; 6Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UKCorrespondence: Alastair James Morton, Email alastair.morton1@nottingham.ac.ukBackground/Objectives: Faecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT) is recommended for patients presenting to primary care with symptoms suggestive of colorectal cancer. This study quantified variations in use across England.Methods: Retrospective cohort of English patients (≥ 18 years) with a FIT result reported in routinely collected primary care records, 2019– 2023. Rates of FIT testing by age, sex, year and region were adjusted using Poisson regression. Multivariate logistic regression compared the effect of factors on the proportion of results exceeding the recommended referral threshold (10μgHb/g).Results: Between 01/01/2019 and 05/06/2023 there were 531,735 FIT results among 495,121 patients. Rates of testing increased from 0.69 per thousand person-years in 2019 (95% CI 0.68– 0.71) to 27.70 in 2023 (95% CI 27.56– 27.85). There were large variations in testing between regions, with rates > 3-fold higher in the Northeast than the West Midlands: 17.05 (95% CI 16.87– 17.23) versus 4.72 (95% CI 4.67– 4.76) per thousand person-years. About 20.4% of FIT results were ≥ 10μgHb/g. Despite increased testing, this did not change over time. The proportion of FIT ≥ 10μgHb/g was lower in regions with higher rates of testing, from 16.7% (Southwest) to 25.3% (Southeast; rates of testing 14.62 and 8.00 per thousand person-years respectively). This difference in proportion of FIT ≥ 10μgHb/g persisted after adjusting for year, sex and age (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.55– 0.58).Conclusion: Rapid increases in FIT testing in primary care show large, persistent variations between English regions, which correlate with the proportion of results meeting the criteria for onward referral. Differences in the population tested and FIT’s implementation between regions are likely to explain these variations.Plain Language Summary: 1) Why was this study done?A simple test for blood in the poo, called FIT, can help decide whether a person with bowel symptoms seeing their primary care doctor should be referred to a hospital for further bowel investigations.Currently, a FIT result of 10 μgHb/g faeces or more is recommended to guide referral for bowel tests.No study has reported how FIT use, or results, differs across England. 2) What did the researchers find?This is the first study on national patterns of FIT testing, showing a rapid but unequal increase across England.There is large variation in the proportion of FIT results exceeding the referral criteria of 10 μgHb/g faeces between English regions that is associated with the rate of testing in each region. 3) What do these results mean?Using a single FIT value as a threshold for onwards referral may work differently in different regions of England. As FIT is adopted more widely and rates of testing increase, primary care services may see a decrease in the proportion of patients with a FIT result reported over the referral threshold.Keywords: colorectal cancer, faecal immunochemical testing, health inequalities

Infectious and parasitic diseases
DOAJ Open Access 2025
Comprehensive assessment of nitrofurans for lower urinary tract infections

Kozlov R.S., Golub A.V.

Antimicrobial therapy is an essential part of treatment of urinary tract infections, often being the only etiological and pathogenetic component of it. At the same time, the rationality of choosing an antimicrobial depends both on the sensitivity of the main causative pathogens and on the their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics. The article provides data on the quarter-century monitoring of the etiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of uropathogens in Russia, substantiates recommendations for the choice of nitrofurans for uncomplicated acute cystitis.

Infectious and parasitic diseases, Microbiology
DOAJ Open Access 2025
Systematic Review and Development of Recommended Code Lists to Identify Smoking and Vaping Status in Electronic Health Records (EHR)

Ding R, Cook S, Stone PW et al.

Rong Ding,1 Sarah Cook,2 Philip W Stone,3 Dharun Srirathan,4 Yashwin Shyam,4 Ruhan Anand,4 Palaniappa Sudharshan,4 Jennifer K Quint1 1School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK; 2Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; 3Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London (UCL), London, UK; 4Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UKCorrespondence: Rong Ding, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, 86 Wood Lane, London, W12 0BZ, UK, Email r.ding23@imperial.ac.ukIntroduction: Vaping and smoking are important health behaviours associated with many diseases. Evaluating the association of smoking and vaping with diseases using electronic health record (EHR) data requires accurate codelists to determine smoking and vaping status. However, codelists used in studies are not always published or consistent between studies. It is important to develop standard codelists for use in future studies, and transparency is required to ensure consistency and standardization.Purpose: To provide an overview of the codes used in both peer-reviewed scientific literature and codelist repositories to identify smoking and vaping status in EHRs and derive a recommended codelist for use in EHRs to identify smoking and vaping status.Methods: Publications (MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus) and codelist repositories (LSHTM Data Compass, OpenCodelists, and the HDR UK Phenotype Library) were searched from January 2010 to April 2024. All publications or codelist repositories with codes referring to smoking/vaping status were included in this review (search terms are further addressed in Supplementary Table 1). All codes were extracted to review the frequency and consistency between studies.Results: There were 100 codelists across different coding systems: 55 codelists from publications and 45 codelists from codelist repository entries. For vaping status, there were 23 codelists identified, 7 from publications, and 16 from codelist repositories. Only 10% of publications included codelists. A limited number of ICD codes were used, and more were reported using the Read or SNOMED CT codes. The codelists we subsequently developed were based on those found in the review.Conclusion: Very few studies have reported the use of codelists despite smoking status being a widely used variable in many publications, and vaping status is increasing. Using the information from the review, we derived codelists for smoking and vaping using a transparent methodology that can be used in future studies.Keywords: EHR, clinical codes, SNOMED CT, smoking status, vaping status, ICD

Infectious and parasitic diseases
arXiv Open Access 2024
Parasitic Circus:On the Feasibility of Golden Free PCB Verification

Maryam Saadat Safa, Patrick Schaumont, Shahin Tajik

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are an integral part of electronic systems. Hence, verifying their physical integrity in the presence of supply chain attacks (e.g., tampering and counterfeiting) is of utmost importance. Recently, tamper detection techniques grounded in impedance characterization of PCB's Power Delivery Network (PDN) have gained prominence due to their global detection coverage, non-invasive, and low-cost nature. Similar to other physical verification methods, these techniques rely on the existence of a physical golden sample for signature comparisons. However, having access to a physical golden sample for golden signature extraction is not feasible in many real-world scenarios. In this work, we assess the feasibility of eliminating a physical golden sample and replacing it with a simulated golden signature obtained by the PCB design files. By performing extensive simulation and measurements on an in-house designed PCB, we demonstrate how the parasitic impedance of the PCB components plays a major role in reaching a successful verification. Based on the obtained results and using statistical metrics, we show that we can mitigate the discrepancy between collected signatures from simulation and measurements.

en cs.CR
DOAJ Open Access 2024
Rate of nosocomial MRSA transmission evaluated via contact screening

Maria Konstantinovski, Crista van Geest, Marguerite Bruijning et al.

Abstract Background The prevention of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) transmission in the healthcare setting is a priority in Infection Control practices. A cornerstone of this policy is contact tracing of nosocomial contacts after an unexpected MRSA finding. The objective of this retrospective study was to quantify the rates of MRSA transmission in different clinical settings. Methods This multi-centre study included MRSA contact screening results from two regional hospitals and one academic hospital. MRSA contact tracing investigations from 2000 until 2019 were reviewed and post-contact screening results were included of index patients with an MRSA-positive culture and their unprotected contacts. Available typing results were used to rule out incidental findings. Results Of 27,377 contacts screened after MRSA exposure, 21,488 were Health Care Workers (HCW) and 4816 patients. Post-contact screening was initiated for a total of 774 index cases, the average number of screened contacts per index case was 35.7 (range 1 to 640). MRSA transmission was observed in 0.15% (41) of the contacts, 19 (0.09%) HCW and 22 (0.46%) patients. The number needed to screen to detect one MRSA transmission was 667. The highest risk of MRSA transmission occurred during patient-to-patient contacts, with transmission rates varying from 0.32 to 1.32% among the participating hospitals. No transmissions were detected in HCW (n=2834) in the outpatient setting, and the rate of transmissions among HCW contacts on the wards was 0.13% (19 of 15,874). Among 344 contacts of patients with contact precautions, no transmissions were detected. Conclusions Reconsidering current MRSA contact tracing practices may lead to a more targeted approach with a lower number needed to screen.

Infectious and parasitic diseases
DOAJ Open Access 2024
T cell-mediated Immune response and correlates of inflammation and their relationship with COVID-19 clinical severity: not an intuitive guess

Nathalia Mantovani Pena, Luiz Claudio Santana, James R Hunter et al.

Abstract Background Predictors of the outcome of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remain to be fully determined. We evaluated selected viral characteristics and immunological responses that might predict and/or correlate to the clinical outcome of COVID-19. Methods For individuals developing divergent clinical outcomes, the magnitude and breadth of T cell-mediated responses were measured within 36 h of symptom onset. Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) were subjected to in vitro stimulation with SARS-CoV-2-based peptides. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 sequences were generated by metagenome, and HLA typing was performed using Luminex technology. Findings CD4+ T cell activation was negatively correlated with SARS-CoV-2 basal viral load in patients with severe COVID-19 (p = 0·043). The overall cellular immune response, as inferred by the IFN-γ signal, was higher at baseline for patients who progressed to mild disease compared to patients who progressed to severe disease (p = 0·0044). Subjects with milder disease developed higher T cell responses for MHC class I and II-restricted peptides (p = 0·033). Interpretation Mounting specific cellular immune responses in the first days after symptom onset, as inferred by IFN-γ magnitude in the ELISPOT assay, may efficiently favor a positive outcome. In contrast, progression to severe COVID-19 was accompanied by stronger cellular immune responses, higher CD4 + T cell activation, and a higher number of in silico predicted high-affinity class I HLA alleles.

Infectious and parasitic diseases
DOAJ Open Access 2023
Clinical impact of a multiplex rapid diagnostic pneumonia panel in critically ill patients

Jayda N. Esplund, Alex D. Taylor, Tyler J. Stone et al.

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the clinical impact of the BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel (PNA panel) in critically ill patients. Design: Single-center, preintervention and postintervention retrospective cohort study. Setting: Tertiary-care academic medical center. Patients: Adult ICU patients. Methods: Patients with quantitative bacterial cultures obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage or tracheal aspirate either before (January–March 2021, preintervention period) or after (January–March 2022, postintervention period) implementation of the PNA panel were randomly screened until 25 patients per study month (75 in each cohort) who met the study criteria were included. Antibiotic use from the day of culture collection through day 5 was compared. Results: The primary outcome of median time to first antibiotic change based on microbiologic data was 50 hours before the intervention versus 21 hours after the intervention (P = .0006). Also, 56 postintervention regimens (75%) were eligible for change based on PNA panel results; actual change occurred in 30 regimens (54%). Median antibiotic days of therapy (DOTs) were 8 before the intervention versus 6 after the intervention (P = .07). For the patients with antibiotic changes made based on PNA panel results, the median time to first antibiotic change was 10 hours. For patients who were initially on inadequate therapy, time to adequate therapy was 67 hours before the intervention versus 37 hours after the intervention (P = .27). Conclusions: The PNA panel was associated with decreased time to first antibiotic change and fewer antibiotic DOTs. Its impact may have been larger if a higher percentage of potential antibiotic changes had been implemented. The PNA panel is a promising tool to enhance antibiotic stewardship.

Infectious and parasitic diseases, Public aspects of medicine
DOAJ Open Access 2023
Assessing Epstein–Barr virus in gastric cancer: clinicopathological features and prognostic implications

Guanghua Li, Zhihao Zhou, Zhixiong Wang et al.

Abstract Background Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) was a unique molecular subtype of gastric cancer (GC). However, the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic role of EBV infection remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological features of EBVaGC and its role on prognosis. Methods EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) in situ hybridization method was used to evaluate the EBV status in GC. The serum tumor markers AFP, CEA, CA19-9 and CA125 of patients were detected before treatment. HER2 expression and microsatellite instability (MSI) status was evaluated according to established criteria. The relationship between EBV infection and clinicopathological factors as well as its role on prognosis were investigated. Results 420 patients were enrolled in the study and of 53 patients (12.62%) were identified as EBVaGC. EBVaGC was more common in males (p = 0.001) and related to early T stage (p = 0.045), early TNM stage (p = 0.001) and lower level of serum CEA (p = 0.039). No association could be found between EBV infection and HER2 expression, MSI status and other factors (p all > 0.05). Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that both the overall survival and disease-free survival of EBVaGC patients were similar to that of EBV-negative GC (EBVnGC) patients (p = 0.309 and p = 0.264, respectively). Conclusion EBVaGC was more common in males and in patients with the early T stage and TNM stage as well as patients with lower serum CEA level. Difference in overall survival and disease-free survival between EBVaGC and EBVnGC patients cannot be detected.

Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens, Infectious and parasitic diseases
S2 Open Access 2022
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in Pavia, Northern Italy

Pietro Perotti, P. Bertuccio, Stefano Cacitti et al.

The COVID-19 pandemic had an unfavorable impact on overall mortality in Italy, with the strongest consequences in northern Italy. Scant data are available on cause-specific mortality. This study aims at investigating the impact of the pandemic on the overall and cause-specific mortality in one province in northern Italy, Pavia. We linked individual-level administrative data (i.e., death certification and population data) from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in Pavia province between 2015 and 2020. We computed age-standardized mortality rates (Italian population 2011) by cause, sex, and calendar year, and computed the rate ratio and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals to compare rates in 2020 versus 2015–2019. The 2020 excess total mortality in Pavia was 24% in men and 25% in women, reaching rates of 1272.6/100,000 and 1304.4/100,000, respectively. Significant excesses were found for infectious and parasitic diseases, excluding COVID-19 (about +30% in both sexes); respiratory system diseases (44% in men; 30% in women); and dementia and Alzheimer’s disease among men (24%). Reductions were reported for neoplasms (−14% in men); cerebrovascular diseases (−25% in men); and ischemic diseases (−13% in women), but also for transport accidents in men. COVID-19 was the third cause of death in both sexes with rates of 274.9/100,000 men (859 total deaths) and 213.9/100,000 women (758 total deaths). Excess mortality in Pavia was higher than Italy but lower than Lombardy. Increases in mortality from causes related to infectious and respiratory diseases can likely be explained by underdiagnosed deaths from COVID-19.

8 sitasi en Medicine
arXiv Open Access 2021
Forecasting Disease Burden In Philippines: A Symbolic Regression Analysis

Marvin G. Pizon, Emelyn F. Sagrado

Burden of disease measures the impact of living with illness and injury and dying prematurely and it is increasing worldwide leading cause of death both global and national. This paper aimed to propose an index of diseases and evaluate a mathematical model to describe the number of burden of disease by cause in the Philippines from 1990 - 2016. Through Principal Component Analysis (PCA) the diseases categorized as: passed on diseases, vector born diseases, non-communicable diseases, accident, and intentional. Symbolic Regression Analysis was carried out, the study revealed that the number of burden of disease as categorized using CPA will continue decrease up to year 2020 except on non-communicable disease.

en stat.AP
DOAJ Open Access 2021
Access to personal protective equipment in exposed healthcare workers and COVID-19 illness, severity, symptoms and duration: a population-based case-control study in six countries

Casey M Rebholz, Hyunju Kim, Sheila Hegde et al.

Background Despite the widespread implementation of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the COVID-19 pandemic, there are surprisingly few studies of its impact. To assess the risk, severity and duration of COVID-19 in relation to access to PPE in at-risk healthcare workers (HCWs).Methods From 17 July to 25 September 2020, at-risk physicians and nurses registered as a provider in the Survey Healthcare Globus network in six countries (the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and USA) were identified based on adult medical specialties with frequent and close contact with patients with COVID-19. Exposed HCWs completed a detailed questionnaire including demographics, medical, social and lifestyle factors. COVID-19 cases were defined as COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, fatigue, loss of taste or smell) and asymptomatic COVID-19 test positive cases.Results Among 2884 exposed HCWs (94% medical doctors and 6% nurses or physician assistants), there were 514 reports of COVID-19 illness and 54 asymptomatic COVID-19 test positive cases. COVID-19 risk was significantly associated with close contact with COVID-19 cases both inside and outside the workplace, number of work shifts and hours worked per week. Limited access to PPE compared with access to a fresh mask, gown and gloves and face shield with each patient encounter was associated with a 2.2-fold to 22-fold increased risk of reporting COVID-19 symptoms (p<0.0001), a pattern consistent across all six countries. Further, limited access to PPE was associated with symptom duration greater than 2 weeks and the presence of moderate to severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing, abnormal chest X-ray, low oxygen saturations, respiratory distress and acute lung injury.Conclusion In six countries, less access to PPE was strongly associated with both increased risk of reporting COVID-19 illness as well as more prolonged and severe disease course in frontline HCWs.

Medicine (General), Infectious and parasitic diseases
DOAJ Open Access 2021
Low practice of malaria prevention among migrants and seasonal farmworkers in Metema and west Armacheho districts, Northwest Ethiopia

Getu Debalkie Demissie, Tadesse Awoke Ayele, Sintayehu Daba Wami et al.

Abstract Background More than hundreds and thousands of migrants and seasonal farm workers move from the highlands (relatively low malaria endemicity areas) to the lowlands (higher malaria endemicity areas) for the development of the corridor of the Amhara region during planting, weeding, and harvesting seasons in each year. Seasonal migrant workers are at high risk of malaria infection. Therefore, evidence of their knowledge level and practice in the prevention of malaria during their stay would be important. Objective The aims of this study was to assess the knowledge and practice of malaria prevention and associated factors among migrants and seasonal farm workers in Northwest Ethiopia. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted from October to November, 2018 in Metema and West Armacheho districts, northwest Ethiopia. A sample of about 950 migrants and seasonal farm workers were included using two stages of cluster sampling technique. Interview administered structured questionnaire was used. Both bi-variable and multivariable binary logistic regressions were applied to identify predictors of malaria prevention. Result The overall good knowledge of malaria (those participants who scored more than 60% of correct response for knowledge related questions) was 50.2% with 95% CI (47.0–53.0) and the overall good practice of malaria (those participants who practiced more than 60% for practice related questions) was 27.2% with 95% CI (244.3–29.9). Age (AOR = 0.51(95%CI; 0.33–0.80)), level of education (AOR = 0.55(95%CI; 0.32–0.94)), using mass media as a source of information (AOR = 2.25(95%CI; 1.52–3.32)) and length of stay at the farming site (AOR = 0.59(95%CI; 0.44–0.79)) were significantly associated with knowledge of malaria prevention. Knowledge (AOR = 6.62(95%CI; 4.46–9.83)), attitude (AOR = 2.17(95%CI1.40–3.37), use of mass media (AOR = 1.64(95%CI; 1.30–2.60)) and the length of stay (AOR = 1.93(95%CI; 1.35—2.77)) in the farming area were significantly associated with practice of malaria prevention. Conclusion The practice of malaria prevention among migrant and seasonal farm workers was low. The programmers and implementers should design tailored malaria intervention programs and strategies for these hard to reach population.

Infectious and parasitic diseases
arXiv Open Access 2020
What Can We Estimate from Fatality and Infectious Case Data using the Susceptible-Infected-Removed (SIR) model? A case Study of Covid-19 Pandemic

Semra Ahmetolan, Ayse Humeyra Bilge, Ali Demirci et al.

The rapidly spreading Covid-19 that affected almost all countries, was first reported at the end of 2019. As a consequence of its highly infectious nature, countries all over the world have imposed extremely strict measures to control its spread. Since the earliest stages of this major pandemic, academics have done a huge amount of research in order to understand the disease, develop medication, vaccines and tests, and model its spread. Among these studies, a great deal of effort has been invested in the estimation of epidemic parameters in the early stage, for the countries affected by Covid-19, hence to predict the course of the epidemic but the variability of the controls over the course of the epidemic complicated the modeling processes. In this article, the determination of the basic reproduction number, the mean duration of the infectious period, the estimation of the timing of the peak of the epidemic wave is discussed using early phase data. Daily case reports and daily fatalities for ten countries over the period January 22, 2020 - April 18, 2020 are evaluated using the Susceptible-Infected-Removed (SIR) model. For each country, the SIR models fitting cumulative infective case data within 5% error are analysed. It is observed that the basic reproduction number and the mean duration of the infectious period can be estimated only in cases where the spread of the epidemic is over (for China and South Korea in the present case). Nevertheless, it is shown that the timing of the maximum and timings of the inflection points of the proportion of infected individuals can be robustly estimated from the normalized data. The validation of the estimates by comparing the predictions with actual data has shown that the predictions were realised for all countries except USA, as long as lock-down measures were retained.

en q-bio.PE, q-bio.QM
arXiv Open Access 2020
Visualization of Diseases at Risk in the COVID-19 Literature

Francis Wolinski

This paper presents a project, named VIDAR-19, able to extract automatically diseases from the CORD-19 dataset, and also diseases which might be considered as risk factors. The project relies on the ICD-11 classification of diseases maintained by the WHO. This nomenclature is used as a data source of the extraction mechanism, and also as the repository for the results. Developed for the COVID-19, the project has the ability to extract diseases at risk and to calculate relevant indicators. The outcome of the project is presented in a dashboard which enables the user to explore graphically diseases at risk which are put back in the classification hierarchy. Beyond the COVID-19, VIDAR has much broader applications and might be directly used for any corpus dealing with other pathologies.

en cs.IR

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