| 1. |
- Mishra, A, et al.
(author)
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Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents' growth and development
- 2023
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 615:7954, s. 874-883
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Lange, C., et al.
(author)
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Management of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
- 2019
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In: The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. - : INT UNION AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS LUNG DISEASE (I U A T L D). - 1027-3719 .- 1815-7920. ; 23:6, s. 645-662
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB; defined as resistance to at least rifampicin and isoniazid) represents a growing threat to public health and economic growth. Never before in the history of mankind have more patients been affected by MDR-TB than is the case today. The World Health Organization reports that MDR-TB outcomes are poor despite staggeringly high management costs. Moreover, treatment is prolonged, adverse events are common, and the majority of affected patients do not receive adequate treatment. As MDR-TB strains are often resistant to one or more second-line anti-TB drugs, in-depth genotypic and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing is needed to construct personalised treatment regimens to improve treatment outcomes. For the first time in decades, the availability of novel drugs such as bedaquiline allow us to design potent and well-tolerated personalised MDR-TB treatment regimens based solely on oral drugs. In this article, we present management guidance to optimise the diagnosis, algorithm-based treatment, drug dosing and therapeutic drug monitoring, and the management of adverse events and comorbidities, associated with MDR-TB. We also discuss the role of surgery, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, palliative care and smoking cessation in patients with MDR-TB. We hope that incorporating these recommendations into patient care will be helpful in optimising treatment outcomes, and lead to more MDR-TB patients achieving a relapse-free cure.
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| 4. |
- Paulussen, Aimee D C, et al.
(author)
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Rare novel variants in the ZIC3 gene cause X-linked heterotaxy
- 2016
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In: European Journal of Human Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1018-4813 .- 1476-5438. ; 24:12, s. 1783-1791
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Variants in the ZIC3 gene are rare, but have demonstrated their profound clinical significance in X-linked heterotaxy, affecting in particular male patients with abnormal arrangement of thoracic and visceral organs. Several reports have shown relevance of ZIC3 gene variants in both familial and sporadic cases and with a predominance of mutations detected in zinc-finger domains. No studies so far have assessed the functional consequences of ZIC3 variants in an in vivo model organism. A study population of 348 patients collected over more than 10 years with a large variety of congenital heart disease including heterotaxy was screened for variants in the ZIC3 gene. Functional effects of three variants were assessed both in vitro and in vivo in the zebrafish. We identified six novel pathogenic variants (1,7%), all in either male patients with heterotaxy (n=5) or a female patient with multiple male deaths due to heterotaxy in the family (n=1). All variants were located within the zinc-finger domains or leading to a truncation before these domains. Truncating variants showed abnormal trafficking of mutated ZIC3 proteins, whereas the missense variant showed normal trafficking. Overexpression of wild-type and mutated ZIC protein in zebrafish showed full non-functionality of the two frame-shift variants and partial activity of the missense variant compared with wild-type, further underscoring the pathogenic character of these variants. Concluding, we greatly expanded the number of causative variants in ZIC3 and delineated the functional effects of three variants using in vitro and in vivo model systems.
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| 5. |
- Sester, M, et al.
(author)
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Numbers needed to treat to prevent tuberculosis
- 2015
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In: The European respiratory journal. - : European Respiratory Society (ERS). - 1399-3003 .- 0903-1936. ; 46:6, s. 1836-1838
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Gunther, G, et al.
(author)
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Availability, price and affordability of anti-tuberculosis drugs in Europe: a TBNET survey
- 2015
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In: The European respiratory journal. - : European Respiratory Society (ERS). - 1399-3003 .- 0903-1936. ; 45:4, s. 1081-1088
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Data on availability and cost of anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs in relation to affordability at national level are scarce.We performed a cross-sectional study on availability and cost of anti-TB drugs at major TB-reference centres in 37 European countries. Costs of standardised treatment regimens used for pan-sensitive TB, multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB, pre-extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB, and XDR-TB were compared using a purchasing power analysis. Affordability was evaluated in relation to monthly national gross domestic products per capita (GDP).At least one second-line injectable and either moxifloxacin or levofloxacin were available in all countries. Linezolid and clofazimine were available in 79% and 46% of the countries, respectively. Drug cost for XDR-TB was three-times more expensive than those for MDR-TB. The average price of treatment for pan-sensitive TB represented a maximum of 8.5% of the monthly GDP across countries, while for standard MDR-TB treatment this was <30% in only six countries and more than 100% in four countries. Treatment of XDR-TB represented more than 100% of a month's GDP in all countries where the regimen was available.High cost and limited availability of drugs for treatment of drug-resistant TB, particularly beyond resistance to first-line drugs, are a major impediment to successful TB control in Europe.
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| 8. |
- Gunther, G, et al.
(author)
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Beyond multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Europe: a TBNET study
- 2015
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In: The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. - : International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. - 1815-7920. ; 19:12, s. 1524-1527
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 10. |
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