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Specific IgA, but Not IgG, in Human Milk from COVID-19-Infected Mothers Neutralizes SARS-CoV-2This study highlights the importance of human milk in providing anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 immunity to newborns. The highest protective activity of human milk against COVID-19 was found in colostrum from infected mothers.
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Costs of primary healthcare presentations and hospital admissions for scabies and related skin infections in Fiji, 2018–2019Scabies and related bacterial skin and soft tissue infections are highly prevalent in many tropical, low- and middle-income settings. These skin conditions contribute to higher healthcare costs and burdens on healthcare systems.
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Validity of using a semi-automated screening tool in a systematic review assessing non-specific effects of respiratory vaccinesThe abstract screening process of systematic reviews can take thousands of hours by two researchers. We aim to determine the reliability and validity of Research Screener, a semi-automated abstract screening tool within a systematic review on non-specific and broader effects of respiratory vaccines on acute lower respiratory infection hospitalisations and antimicrobial prescribing patterns in young children.
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Global participatory wastewater surveillance to understand mpox clade diversity in war and conflict-affected countriesWar and conflict severely disrupt public health systems, compromising infectious disease surveillance in many affected regions. Mpox, a re-emerging zoonotic disease, poses a growing global threat, especially in areas where traditional monitoring is inaccessible.The mpox virus has distinct clades with varying transmission and severity.
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Molecular diagnosis of scabies using a novel probe-based polymerase chain reaction assay targeting high-copy number repetitive sequences in the sarcoptes scabiei genomeThe suboptimal sensitivity and specificity of available diagnostic methods for scabies hampers clinical management, trials of new therapies and epidemiologic studies. Additionally, parasitologic diagnosis by microscopic examination of skin scrapings requires sample collection with a sharp scalpel blade, causing discomfort to patients and difficulty in children. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic assays, combined with non-invasive sampling methods, represent an attractive approach.
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COVID-19 Response and Lessons Learned on Dengue Control in BhutanCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 initially was identified from a cluster of patients admitted with ‘pneumonia of unknown etiology’ in late December 2019 to hospitals in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
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Immunisation with the BCG and DTPw vaccines induces different programs of trained immunity in miceIn addition to providing pathogen-specific immunity, vaccines can also confer nonspecific effects (NSEs) on mortality and morbidity unrelated to the targeted disease. Immunisation with live vaccines, such as the BCG vaccine, has generally been associated with significantly reduced all-cause infant mortality. In contrast, some inactivated vaccines, such as the diphtheria, tetanus, whole-cell pertussis (DTPw) vaccine, have been controversially associated with increased all-cause mortality especially in female infants in high-mortality settings.
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A place for neutrophils in the beneficial pathogen-agnostic effects of the BCG vaccineThe BCG vaccine has long been recognized for reducing the risk to suffer from infectious diseases unrelated to its target disease, tuberculosis. Evidence from human trials demonstrate substantial reductions in all-cause mortality, especially in the first week of life. Observational studies have identified an association between BCG vaccination and reduced risk of respiratory infectious disease and clinical malaria later in childhood.
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Spatial clustering of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Hunan province, China: an ecological studyThis study aimed to investigate the spatial distribution of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in Hunan province, China. An ecological study was conducted using DR-TB data collected from the Tuberculosis Control Institute of Hunan Province between 2012 and 2018.
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Consensus guidelines for optimising antifungal drug delivery and monitoring to avoid toxicity and improve outcomes in patients with haematological malignancy and haemopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, 2021Antifungal agents can have complex dosing and the potential for drug interaction, both of which can lead to subtherapeutic antifungal drug concentrations and poorer clinical outcomes for patients with haematological malignancy and haemopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Antifungal agents can also be associated with significant toxicities when drug concentrations are too high.