| 1. |
- Jarde, A, et al.
(författare)
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Addressing TB multimorbidity in policy and practice: An exploratory survey of TB providers in 27 high-TB burden countries
- 2022
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Ingår i: PLOS global public health. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 2767-3375. ; 2:12, s. e0001205-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In people with TB, co-existence of long-term conditions (e.g., depression, diabetes and HIV) and risk factors (e.g.,alcohol misuse, malnutrition, and smoking) are associated with increased mortality and poor treatment outcomes including delayed recovery, TB treatment failure and relapse. However, it is unclear as to what extent these comorbidities are addressed in TB policy and practice. Between August and October 2021, we conducted an online cross-sectional survey in high-TB burden countries. We recruited a purposive sample of TB health workers, managers, policy makers, advisors and advocates from these countries. The survey enquired about the extent to which various comorbid conditions are: (a) mentioned in TB policies, plans, and guidelines; (b) screened, diagnosed, treated or referred to specialist services by TB healthcare workers. We summarised using descriptive analysis. Of the 1100 potential respondents contacted in 33 countries, 543 responded but only 446 (41%) from 27 countries provided sufficient data for inclusion in the study. We found no notable differences between these providing insufficient data and those completing the survey. HIV, diabetes mellitus, depression and tobacco and alcohol use disorders were identified as the most common and concerning comorbid conditions in TB. HIV was screened for and managed by TB services in most countries. Screening for diabetes and/or tobacco and alcohol use disorders was offered by almost half of all TB services but only a few offered relevant treatments. Depression was rarely screened for, almost never treated, and only infrequently referred to specialist services. Most respondents felt confident in screening/diagnosing these comorbid conditions but not in treating these conditions. With the exception of HIV, chronic comorbid conditions are only partially screened for and rarely managed within TB services. Mental health conditions are for the most part neglected. Given their adverse impact on TB outcomes, integrating screening and management of these comorbidities within TB programmes offers a significant opportunity to meet TB targets, address non-communicable diseases and improve patient well-being.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Ahorsu, Daniel K., et al.
(författare)
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The psychometric properties of motors of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance scale (MoVac-COVID19S) : A dataset across five regions
- 2022
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Ingår i: Data in Brief. - : Elsevier. - 2352-3409. ; 42
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to plague the world. Hence, there is been an effort to mitigate this virus and its effects with several means including vaccination which is one of the most effective ways of controlling the virus. However, efforts at getting people to vaccinate have met several challenges. To help with understanding the reasons underlying an individual's willingness to take COVID-19 vaccine or not, a scale called Motors of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (MoVac-COVID19S) was developed. To expand its usability worldwide (as it has currently been limited to only China and Taiwan), data were collected in other countries (regions) too. Therefore, this MoVac-COVID19S data is from five countries (that is, India, Ghana, Afghanistan, Taiwan, and mainland China) which cut across five regions. A total of 6053 participants across the stated countries completed the survey between January and March 2021 using a cross-sectional survey design. The different sections of the survey solicited sociodemographic information (e.g., country, age, gender, educational level, and profession) and the MoVac-COVID19S data from the participants. The data collected from this survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics, which were carried out using the IBM SPSS version 22.0.
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| 4. |
- Chauhan, Teena, et al.
(författare)
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Chronology of Early to Mid-Pleistocene sediments in the northern North Sea : New evidence from amino acid and strontium isotope analyses
- 2022
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Ingår i: Quaternary Geochronology. - : Elsevier. - 1871-1014 .- 1878-0350. ; 71, s. 101336-101336
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sediments deposited during glacial-interglacial cycles through the Early to Mid-Pleistocene in the North Sea are chronologically poorly constrained. To contribute to the chronology of these units, amino acid racemization (AAR) and strontium (Sr) isotope analyses have been performed on samples from four shallow borings and one oil well along a transect in the northern North Sea. D/L Asp (aspartic acid) values obtained through reverse-phase liquid chromatography in the benthic foraminiferal species Elphidium excavatum is focused on because of consistent results and a good stratigraphic distribution of this benthic species. For the Early Pleistocene, an age model for the well 16/1–8, from the central part of the northern North Sea based on Sr ages allows for dating of the prograding wedges filling the pre-Quaternary central basin. A regional calibration curve for the racemization of Asp in Elphidium excavatum is developed using published ages of radiocarbon-dated samples and samples associated with the previously identified Bruhnes/Matuyama (B/M) paleomagnetic boundary and a Sr age from this study. Based on all the available geochronological evidence, samples were assigned to marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS) with uncertainties on the order of 10–70 ka. Sr ages suggest a hiatus of <2 million years (Ma) possibly due to non-deposition or low sedimentation between the Utsira Formation (Pliocene) and the Early Pleistocene. An increase in sedimentation rates around 1.5 ± 0.07 Ma (∼MIS 51) may partly be due to sediment supply from rivers from the south-east and partly due to the extension of ice sheet around 1.36 ± 0.07 Ma from the Norwegian coast to the central North Sea. A possible basin-wide glaciation occurred around 1.1 Ma (∼ MIS 32) (upper regional unconformity/top of unit Q4 in this study), resulting in erosion and regional unconformity. Two interglacials in the Norwegian Channel have been dated: the Radøy Interglacial to 1.07 ± 0.01 Ma (possibly MIS 31, the ‘super interglacial’), and the Norwegian Trench Interglacial to 0.50 ± 0.02 Ma (possibly MIS 13). A massive till unit identified at the same stratigraphic level in all shallow borings may partly represent an extensive MIS 12 glaciation. This study shows that the combined use of amino acid racemization data and Sr isotope chronology can refine the chronological ambiguities of Quaternary North Sea sediments related partly to the impact of glacial processes.
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| 5. |
- Malik, S., et al.
(författare)
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Fear of COVID-19 and workplace phobia among Pakistani doctors : A survey study
- 2021
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Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2458. ; 21:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has seriously affected the lives of millions of people across the world. It has also heavily burdened healthcare professionals and the virus poses serious risks for their personal and professional lives. Therefore, the present study examined the associations between fear of COVID-19 and workplace phobia among doctors in Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online survey was conducted among 421 doctors in Pakistan between April 10 and May 25, 2020. The Workplace Phobia Scale (WPS) and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) were the main psychometric instruments used in this study. Results: There was a significant positive relationship between fear of COVID-19 and workplace panic anxiety and workplace avoidance behavior. Significantly higher fear of COVID-19 was found among (i) females compared to males, (ii) doctors with 5 years or less of work experience compared to those with more than 5 years, and (iii) postgraduate trainees compared with other ranks. Two groups (doctors who were above 30 years old and postgraduate trainees) were found to have higher levels of workplace phobia compared to their counterparts. Doctors with severe levels of fear of COVID-19 had significantly higher levels of workplace panic anxiety and workplace avoidance behavior. Conclusions: Fear of COVID-19 was significantly associated with workplace phobia which may negatively affect doctors’ performance. Therefore, important steps are needed to protect doctors’ health by providing sufficient resources to allay their fears and anxieties which consequently help them in carrying out their frontline duties in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| 7. |
- Sljivo, Irfan, et al.
(författare)
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Guiding assurance of architectural design patterns for critical applications
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of systems architecture. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 1383-7621 .- 1873-6165. ; 110
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Development of critical systems nowadays is hardly achievable without reuse of previous knowledge. Design patterns have an important role in the design of such systems as they define and document common solutions to recurring design problems. However, critical systems such as those that are safety or security related, often require specific assurances that the system is adequate to operate in a given environment. Just as with any other reused knowledge in such systems, the reuse via application of design patterns needs to be assured every time. In this paper, we present a methodology for assuring the application of design patterns in critical domains. In particular, we enrich the design patterns template to support their further assurance. We define the aspects that should be tackled during the assurance of a design pattern application. We use the information specified in the design pattern template to guide the automated instantiation of the argumentation for each design pattern application in the system. We provide tool-support for our methodology in the context of the AMASS tool-platform and evaluate it in an automotive case study.
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| 8. |
- Thobani, Rozina S., et al.
(författare)
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Field evaluation of typhoid conjugate vaccine in a catch-up campaign among children aged 9 months to 15 years in Sindh, Pakistan
- 2022
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Ingår i: Vaccine. - : Elsevier. - 0264-410X .- 1873-2518. ; 40:36, s. 5391-5398
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) has recently been introduced in the expanded program for immunization (EPI) in Pakistan. Before its introduction in routine immunization, a onetime catchup cam-paign among children 9 months to 15 years old was conducted in November 2019. We performed field evaluation of TCV against culture confirmed Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) among 9 months to 15 years old children during the catch up campaign in Karachi and Hyderabad.Methods: A rapid assessment of blood culture confirmed S. Typhi was performed. Age eligible cases of culture confirmed S. Typhi were identified from the laboratory networks of Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi and Hyderabad, Kharadar General Hospital Karachi, and Liaqat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS) Hyderabad. Information on sociodemographic, typhoid vaccination history and antimicrobial resistance was collected using a structured questionnaire.Patient medical records and lab reports were also reviewed to collect information on diagnosis and antimicrobial susceptibility information. Information about the population vaccination coverage during catch-up campaign was obtained from the provincial EPI office. Field performance of TCV in catchup cam-paign was measured by calculating the effectiveness using rapid screening method which is less resource-intensive technique of calculating vaccine effectiveness (VE). Results: Overall, 968 culture confirmed typhoid cases were enrolled. Among them, 82% (793/968) were from Karachi and 18% (175/968) from Hyderabad. The average age of the participants was 5.68 years, and 54% (523/968) were male. 6% (62/968) of the culture confirmed S. Typhi cases were multidrug resis-tant (MDR), and 61% (586/968) were extensively drug resistant (XDR). The VE using the TCV coverage data provided by EPI was 98%. Conclusion: TCV is effective against culture confirmed S. Typhi among children aged 9 months to 15 years in the catch-up campaign setting. While typhoid vaccination can significantly decrease the burden of typhoid disease, improvements in sanitation and hygiene are necessary for the prevention of spread of enteric fever. Longer term follow up will be needed to assess the duration of protection and requirement for booster doses of TCV.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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