1. |
- Ademuyiwa, Adesoji O., et al.
(author)
-
Determinants of morbidity and mortality following emergency abdominal surgery in children in low-income and middle-income countries
- 2016
-
In: BMJ Global Health. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2059-7908. ; 1:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Child health is a key priority on the global health agenda, yet the provision of essential and emergency surgery in children is patchy in resource-poor regions. This study was aimed to determine the mortality risk for emergency abdominal paediatric surgery in low-income countries globally.Methods: Multicentre, international, prospective, cohort study. Self-selected surgical units performing emergency abdominal surgery submitted prespecified data for consecutive children aged <16 years during a 2-week period between July and December 2014. The United Nation's Human Development Index (HDI) was used to stratify countries. The main outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality, analysed by multilevel logistic regression.Results: This study included 1409 patients from 253 centres in 43 countries; 282 children were under 2 years of age. Among them, 265 (18.8%) were from low-HDI, 450 (31.9%) from middle-HDI and 694 (49.3%) from high-HDI countries. The most common operations performed were appendectomy, small bowel resection, pyloromyotomy and correction of intussusception. After adjustment for patient and hospital risk factors, child mortality at 30 days was significantly higher in low-HDI (adjusted OR 7.14 (95% CI 2.52 to 20.23), p<0.001) and middle-HDI (4.42 (1.44 to 13.56), p=0.009) countries compared with high-HDI countries, translating to 40 excess deaths per 1000 procedures performed.Conclusions: Adjusted mortality in children following emergency abdominal surgery may be as high as 7 times greater in low-HDI and middle-HDI countries compared with high-HDI countries. Effective provision of emergency essential surgery should be a key priority for global child health agendas.
|
|
2. |
- Thomas, HS, et al.
(author)
-
- 2019
-
swepub:Mat__t
|
|
3. |
|
|
4. |
- Drake, TM, et al.
(author)
-
Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in children: an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study
- 2020
-
In: BMJ global health. - : BMJ. - 2059-7908. ; 5:12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). However, there is a lack of data available about SSI in children worldwide, especially from low-income and middle-income countries. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of SSI in children and associations between SSI and morbidity across human development settings.MethodsA multicentre, international, prospective, validated cohort study of children aged under 16 years undergoing clean-contaminated, contaminated or dirty gastrointestinal surgery. Any hospital in the world providing paediatric surgery was eligible to contribute data between January and July 2016. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSI by 30 days. Relationships between explanatory variables and SSI were examined using multilevel logistic regression. Countries were stratified into high development, middle development and low development groups using the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI).ResultsOf 1159 children across 181 hospitals in 51 countries, 523 (45·1%) children were from high HDI, 397 (34·2%) from middle HDI and 239 (20·6%) from low HDI countries. The 30-day SSI rate was 6.3% (33/523) in high HDI, 12·8% (51/397) in middle HDI and 24·7% (59/239) in low HDI countries. SSI was associated with higher incidence of 30-day mortality, intervention, organ-space infection and other HAIs, with the highest rates seen in low HDI countries. Median length of stay in patients who had an SSI was longer (7.0 days), compared with 3.0 days in patients who did not have an SSI. Use of laparoscopy was associated with significantly lower SSI rates, even after accounting for HDI.ConclusionThe odds of SSI in children is nearly four times greater in low HDI compared with high HDI countries. Policies to reduce SSI should be prioritised as part of the wider global agenda.
|
|
5. |
- Lozano, Rafael, et al.
(author)
-
Measuring progress from 1990 to 2017 and projecting attainment to 2030 of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals for 195 countries and territories: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
- 2018
-
In: The Lancet. - : Elsevier. - 1474-547X .- 0140-6736. ; 392:10159, s. 2091-2138
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Efforts to establish the 2015 baseline and monitor early implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight both great potential for and threats to improving health by 2030. To fully deliver on the SDG aim of “leaving no one behind”, it is increasingly important to examine the health-related SDGs beyond national-level estimates. As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017), we measured progress on 41 of 52 health-related SDG indicators and estimated the health-related SDG index for 195 countries and territories for the period 1990–2017, projected indicators to 2030, and analysed global attainment. Methods: We measured progress on 41 health-related SDG indicators from 1990 to 2017, an increase of four indicators since GBD 2016 (new indicators were health worker density, sexual violence by non-intimate partners, population census status, and prevalence of physical and sexual violence [reported separately]). We also improved the measurement of several previously reported indicators. We constructed national-level estimates and, for a subset of health-related SDGs, examined indicator-level differences by sex and Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile. We also did subnational assessments of performance for selected countries. To construct the health-related SDG index, we transformed the value for each indicator on a scale of 0–100, with 0 as the 2·5th percentile and 100 as the 97·5th percentile of 1000 draws calculated from 1990 to 2030, and took the geometric mean of the scaled indicators by target. To generate projections through 2030, we used a forecasting framework that drew estimates from the broader GBD study and used weighted averages of indicator-specific and country-specific annualised rates of change from 1990 to 2017 to inform future estimates. We assessed attainment of indicators with defined targets in two ways: first, using mean values projected for 2030, and then using the probability of attainment in 2030 calculated from 1000 draws. We also did a global attainment analysis of the feasibility of attaining SDG targets on the basis of past trends. Using 2015 global averages of indicators with defined SDG targets, we calculated the global annualised rates of change required from 2015 to 2030 to meet these targets, and then identified in what percentiles the required global annualised rates of change fell in the distribution of country-level rates of change from 1990 to 2015. We took the mean of these global percentile values across indicators and applied the past rate of change at this mean global percentile to all health-related SDG indicators, irrespective of target definition, to estimate the equivalent 2030 global average value and percentage change from 2015 to 2030 for each indicator. Findings: The global median health-related SDG index in 2017 was 59·4 (IQR 35·4–67·3), ranging from a low of 11·6 (95% uncertainty interval 9·6–14·0) to a high of 84·9 (83·1–86·7). SDG index values in countries assessed at the subnational level varied substantially, particularly in China and India, although scores in Japan and the UK were more homogeneous. Indicators also varied by SDI quintile and sex, with males having worse outcomes than females for non-communicable disease (NCD) mortality, alcohol use, and smoking, among others. Most countries were projected to have a higher health-related SDG index in 2030 than in 2017, while country-level probabilities of attainment by 2030 varied widely by indicator. Under-5 mortality, neonatal mortality, maternal mortality ratio, and malaria indicators had the most countries with at least 95% probability of target attainment. Other indicators, including NCD mortality and suicide mortality, had no countries projected to meet corresponding SDG targets on the basis of projected mean values for 2030 but showed some probability of attainment by 2030. For some indicators, including child malnutrition, several infectious diseases, and most violence measures, the annualised rates of change required to meet SDG targets far exceeded the pace of progress achieved by any country in the recent past. We found that applying the mean global annualised rate of change to indicators without defined targets would equate to about 19% and 22% reductions in global smoking and alcohol consumption, respectively; a 47% decline in adolescent birth rates; and a more than 85% increase in health worker density per 1000 population by 2030. Interpretation: The GBD study offers a unique, robust platform for monitoring the health-related SDGs across demographic and geographic dimensions. Our findings underscore the importance of increased collection and analysis of disaggregated data and highlight where more deliberate design or targeting of interventions could accelerate progress in attaining the SDGs. Current projections show that many health-related SDG indicators, NCDs, NCD-related risks, and violence-related indicators will require a concerted shift away from what might have driven past gains—curative interventions in the case of NCDs—towards multisectoral, prevention-oriented policy action and investments to achieve SDG aims. Notably, several targets, if they are to be met by 2030, demand a pace of progress that no country has achieved in the recent past. The future is fundamentally uncertain, and no model can fully predict what breakthroughs or events might alter the course of the SDGs. What is clear is that our actions—or inaction—today will ultimately dictate how close the world, collectively, can get to leaving no one behind by 2030.
|
|
6. |
- Stanaway, Jeffrey D., et al.
(author)
-
Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
- 2018
-
In: The Lancet. - 1474-547X .- 0140-6736. ; 392:10159, s. 1923-1994
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 comparative risk assessment (CRA) is a comprehensive approach to risk factor quantification that offers a useful tool for synthesising evidence on risks and risk-outcome associations. With each annual GBD study, we update the GBD CRA to incorporate improved methods, new risks and risk-outcome pairs, and new data on risk exposure levels and risk- outcome associations. Methods We used the CRA framework developed for previous iterations of GBD to estimate levels and trends in exposure, attributable deaths, and attributable disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), by age group, sex, year, and location for 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or groups of risks from 1990 to 2017. This study included 476 risk-outcome pairs that met the GBD study criteria for convincing or probable evidence of causation. We extracted relative risk and exposure estimates from 46 749 randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, household surveys, census data, satellite data, and other sources. We used statistical models to pool data, adjust for bias, and incorporate covariates. Using the counterfactual scenario of theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL), we estimated the portion of deaths and DALYs that could be attributed to a given risk. We explored the relationship between development and risk exposure by modelling the relationship between the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and risk-weighted exposure prevalence and estimated expected levels of exposure and risk-attributable burden by SDI. Finally, we explored temporal changes in risk-attributable DALYs by decomposing those changes into six main component drivers of change as follows: (1) population growth; (2) changes in population age structures; (3) changes in exposure to environmental and occupational risks; (4) changes in exposure to behavioural risks; (5) changes in exposure to metabolic risks; and (6) changes due to all other factors, approximated as the risk-deleted death and DALY rates, where the risk-deleted rate is the rate that would be observed had we reduced the exposure levels to the TMREL for all risk factors included in GBD 2017.
|
|
7. |
- Feigin, Valery L., et al.
(author)
-
Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders, 1990–2016 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016
- 2019
-
In: Lancet Neurology. - : Elsevier. - 1474-4422 .- 1474-4465. ; 18:5, s. 459-480
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Neurological disorders are increasingly recognised as major causes of death and disability worldwide. The aim of this analysis from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 is to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date estimates of the global, regional, and national burden from neurological disorders.Methods: We estimated prevalence, incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs; the sum of years of life lost [YLLs] and years lived with disability [YLDs]) by age and sex for 15 neurological disorder categories (tetanus, meningitis, encephalitis, stroke, brain and other CNS cancers, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron diseases, idiopathic epilepsy, migraine, tension-type headache, and a residual category for other less common neurological disorders) in 195 countries from 1990 to 2016. DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool, was the main method of estimation of prevalence and incidence, and the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) was used for mortality estimation. We quantified the contribution of 84 risks and combinations of risk to the disease estimates for the 15 neurological disorder categories using the GBD comparative risk assessment approach.Findings: Globally, in 2016, neurological disorders were the leading cause of DALYs (276 million [95% UI 247–308]) and second leading cause of deaths (9·0 million [8·8–9·4]). The absolute number of deaths and DALYs from all neurological disorders combined increased (deaths by 39% [34–44] and DALYs by 15% [9–21]) whereas their age-standardised rates decreased (deaths by 28% [26–30] and DALYs by 27% [24–31]) between 1990 and 2016. The only neurological disorders that had a decrease in rates and absolute numbers of deaths and DALYs were tetanus, meningitis, and encephalitis. The four largest contributors of neurological DALYs were stroke (42·2% [38·6–46·1]), migraine (16·3% [11·7–20·8]), Alzheimer's and other dementias (10·4% [9·0–12·1]), and meningitis (7·9% [6·6–10·4]). For the combined neurological disorders, age-standardised DALY rates were significantly higher in males than in females (male-to-female ratio 1·12 [1·05–1·20]), but migraine, multiple sclerosis, and tension-type headache were more common and caused more burden in females, with male-to-female ratios of less than 0·7. The 84 risks quantified in GBD explain less than 10% of neurological disorder DALY burdens, except stroke, for which 88·8% (86·5–90·9) of DALYs are attributable to risk factors, and to a lesser extent Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (22·3% [11·8–35·1] of DALYs are risk attributable) and idiopathic epilepsy (14·1% [10·8–17·5] of DALYs are risk attributable).Interpretation: Globally, the burden of neurological disorders, as measured by the absolute number of DALYs, continues to increase. As populations are growing and ageing, and the prevalence of major disabling neurological disorders steeply increases with age, governments will face increasing demand for treatment, rehabilitation, and support services for neurological disorders. The scarcity of established modifiable risks for most of the neurological burden demonstrates that new knowledge is required to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies.Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
|
|
8. |
|
|
9. |
- Mahmoud, Sara H., et al.
(author)
-
Immunogenicity and Cross-Protective Efficacy Induced by an Inactivated Recombinant Avian Influenza A/H5N1 (Clade 2.3.4.4b) Vaccine against Co-Circulating Influenza A/H5Nx Viruses
- 2023
-
In: Vaccines. - : MDPI. - 2076-393X. ; 11:9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Controlling avian influenza viruses (AIVs) is mainly based on culling of the infected bird flocks or via the implementation of inactivated vaccines in countries where AIVs are considered to be endemic. Over the last decade, several avian influenza virus subtypes, including highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 clade 2.2.1.2, H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4b and the recent H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, have been reported among poultry populations in Egypt. This demanded the utilization of a nationwide routine vaccination program in the poultry sector. Antigenic differences between available avian influenza vaccines and the currently circulating H5Nx strains were reported, calling for an updated vaccine for homogenous strains. In this study, three H5Nx vaccines were generated by utilizing the reverse genetic system: rgH5N1_2.3.4.4, rgH5N8_2.3.4.4 and rgH5N1_2.2.1.2. Further, the immunogenicity and the cross-reactivity of the generated inactivated vaccines were assessed in the chicken model against a panel of homologous and heterologous H5Nx HPAIVs. Interestingly, the rgH5N1_2.3.4.4 induced high immunogenicity in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chicken and could efficiently protect immunized chickens against challenge infection with HPAIV H5N1_2.3.4.4, H5N8_2.3.4.4 and H5N1_2.2.1.2. In parallel, the rgH5N1_2.2.1.2 could partially protect SPF chickens against infection with HPAIV H5N1_2.3.4.4 and H5N8_2.3.4.4. Conversely, the raised antibodies to rgH5N1_2.3.4.4 could provide full protection against HPAIV H5N1_2.3.4.4 and HPAIV H5N8_2.3.4.4, and partial protection (60%) against HPAIV H5N1_2.2.1.2. Compared to rgH5N8_2.3.4.4 and rgH5N1_2.2.1.2 vaccines, chickens vaccinated with rgH5N1_2.3.4.4 showed lower viral shedding following challenge infection with the predefined HPAIVs. These data emphasize the superior immunogenicity and cross-protective efficacy of the rgH5N1_2.3.4.4 in comparison to rgH5N8_2.3.4.4 and rgH5N1_2.2.1.2.
|
|
10. |
- Murray, Christopher J. L., et al.
(author)
-
Population and fertility by age and sex for 195 countries and territories, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
- 2018
-
In: The Lancet. - 1474-547X .- 0140-6736. ; 392:10159, s. 1995-2051
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Population estimates underpin demographic and epidemiological research and are used to track progress on numerous international indicators of health and development. To date, internationally available estimates of population and fertility, although useful, have not been produced with transparent and replicable methods and do not use standardised estimates of mortality. We present single-calendar year and single-year of age estimates of fertility and population by sex with standardised and replicable methods. Methods: We estimated population in 195 locations by single year of age and single calendar year from 1950 to 2017 with standardised and replicable methods. We based the estimates on the demographic balancing equation, with inputs of fertility, mortality, population, and migration data. Fertility data came from 7817 location-years of vital registration data, 429 surveys reporting complete birth histories, and 977 surveys and censuses reporting summary birth histories. We estimated age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs; the annual number of livebirths to women of a specified age group per 1000 women in that age group) by use of spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression and used the ASFRs to estimate total fertility rates (TFRs; the average number of children a woman would bear if she survived through the end of the reproductive age span [age 10–54 years] and experienced at each age a particular set of ASFRs observed in the year of interest). Because of sparse data, fertility at ages 10–14 years and 50–54 years was estimated from data on fertility in women aged 15–19 years and 45–49 years, through use of linear regression. Age-specific mortality data came from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 estimates. Data on population came from 1257 censuses and 761 population registry location-years and were adjusted for underenumeration and age misreporting with standard demographic methods. Migration was estimated with the GBD Bayesian demographic balancing model, after incorporating information about refugee migration into the model prior. Final population estimates used the cohort-component method of population projection, with inputs of fertility, mortality, and migration data. Population uncertainty was estimated by use of out-of-sample predictive validity testing. With these data, we estimated the trends in population by age and sex and in fertility by age between 1950 and 2017 in 195 countries and territories. Findings: From 1950 to 2017, TFRs decreased by 49·4% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 46·4–52·0). The TFR decreased from 4·7 livebirths (4·5–4·9) to 2·4 livebirths (2·2–2·5), and the ASFR of mothers aged 10–19 years decreased from 37 livebirths (34–40) to 22 livebirths (19–24) per 1000 women. Despite reductions in the TFR, the global population has been increasing by an average of 83·8 million people per year since 1985. The global population increased by 197·2% (193·3–200·8) since 1950, from 2·6 billion (2·5–2·6) to 7·6 billion (7·4–7·9) people in 2017; much of this increase was in the proportion of the global population in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The global annual rate of population growth increased between 1950 and 1964, when it peaked at 2·0%; this rate then remained nearly constant until 1970 and then decreased to 1·1% in 2017. Population growth rates in the southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania GBD super-region decreased from 2·5% in 1963 to 0·7% in 2017, whereas in sub-Saharan Africa, population growth rates were almost at the highest reported levels ever in 2017, when they were at 2·7%. The global average age increased from 26·6 years in 1950 to 32·1 years in 2017, and the proportion of the population that is of working age (age 15–64 years) increased from 59·9% to 65·3%. At the national level, the TFR decreased in all countries and territories between 1950 and 2017; in 2017, TFRs ranged from a low of 1·0 livebirths (95% UI 0·9–1·2) in Cyprus to a high of 7·1 livebirths (6·8–7·4) in Niger. The TFR under age 25 years (TFU25; number of livebirths expected by age 25 years for a hypothetical woman who survived the age group and was exposed to current ASFRs) in 2017 ranged from 0·08 livebirths (0·07–0·09) in South Korea to 2·4 livebirths (2·2–2·6) in Niger, and the TFR over age 30 years (TFO30; number of livebirths expected for a hypothetical woman ageing from 30 to 54 years who survived the age group and was exposed to current ASFRs) ranged from a low of 0·3 livebirths (0·3–0·4) in Puerto Rico to a high of 3·1 livebirths (3·0–3·2) in Niger. TFO30 was higher than TFU25 in 145 countries and territories in 2017. 33 countries had a negative population growth rate from 2010 to 2017, most of which were located in central, eastern, and western Europe, whereas population growth rates of more than 2·0% were seen in 33 of 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2017, less than 65% of the national population was of working age in 12 of 34 high-income countries, and less than 50% of the national population was of working age in Mali, Chad, and Niger. Interpretation: Population trends create demographic dividends and headwinds (ie, economic benefits and detriments) that affect national economies and determine national planning needs. Although TFRs are decreasing, the global population continues to grow as mortality declines, with diverse patterns at the national level and across age groups. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide transparent and replicable estimates of population and fertility, which can be used to inform decision making and to monitor progress. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
|
|
11. |
|
|
12. |
- El-Sherif, Ahmed M., et al.
(author)
-
Resource utilization in management of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage without systemic risk factors : Does early surgical decompression matter?
- 2023
-
In: Clinical neurology and neurosurgery. - : Elsevier. - 0303-8467 .- 1872-6968. ; 231
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Even though different subtypes of spontaneous ICH are frequently linked to a poor prognosis, their causes, pathological features, and prognoses vary. Atypical intracerebral hemorrhage is the subtype of spontaneous ICH that usually occurs due to an underlying localized vascular lesion. It is unrelated to systemic vascular risk factors, mostly affects children and young adults and is associated with a relatively good outcome. This fact should be considered when planning the evaluation and treatment. Investigating the cause of this subtype is fundamental to providing optimal management. However, if resources do not allow completing the investigations, the cause will be more difficult to discover. Treatment decisions will be made under stress to save the patient's life, especially with rapidly deteriorating patients. Methods: We described three cases of spontaneous ICH without systemic risk factors where the bleeding source could not be determined before surgery due to a lack of resources, preventing preoperative vascular investigation. Knowing that the atypical ICH has a distinct identity, regarding etiology and prognosis, encouraged the surgeons to resort to early surgical decompression as an alternative plan. We reviewed the literature searching for supporting evidence. Results: The results of treatment of the presented cases were satisfactory. The lack of reported similar cases was brought to light by a literature analysis that sought to provide backing for the proposed management strategy. In the end, we supplied two graphic organizers to help readers remember the different types and treatment of hemorrhagic stroke. Conclusion: There isn't enough evidence to show that there are other ways to treat atypical intracerebral haemorrhage when resources are limited. The presented cases highlight the importance of decisionmaking in resource-constrained situations when patient outcomes can be improved.
|
|
13. |
- Fytory, Mostafa, et al.
(author)
-
Core-Shell Nanostructured Drug Delivery Platform Based on Biocompatible Metal-Organic Framework-Ligated Polyethyleneimine for Targeted Hepatocellular Carcinoma Therapy
- 2023
-
In: ACS Omega. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 2470-1343. ; 8:23, s. 20779-20791
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Multifunctional nanosized metal-organic frameworks(NMOFs)have advanced rapidly over the past decade to develop drug deliverysystems (DDSs). These material systems still lack precise and selectivecellular targeting, as well as the fast release of the quantity ofdrugs that are simply adsorbed within and on the external surfaceof nanocarriers, which hinders their application in the drug delivery.Herein, we designed a biocompatible Zr-based NMOF with an engineeredcore and the hepatic tumor-targeting ligand, glycyrrhetinic acid graftedto polyethyleneimine (PEI) as the shell. The improved core-shellserves as a superior nanoplatform for efficient controlled and activedelivery of the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) against hepaticcancer cells (HepG2 cells). In addition to their high loading capacityof 23%, the developed nanostructure DOX@NMOF-PEI-GA showed an acidicpH-stimulated response and extended the drug release time to 9 daysas well as enhanced the selectivity toward the tumor cells. Interestingly,the DOX-free nanostructures showed a minimal toxic effect on bothnormal human skin fibroblast (HSF) and hepatic cancer cell line (HepG2),but the DOX-loaded nanostructures exhibited a superior killing effecttoward the hepatic tumor, thus opening the way for the active drugdelivery and achieving efficient cancer therapy applications.
|
|
14. |
- Fytory, Mostafa, et al.
(author)
-
Dual-ligated metal organic framework as novel multifunctional nanovehicle for targeted drug delivery for hepatic cancer treatment
- 2021
-
In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 11
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the last decade, nanosized metal organic frameworks (NMOFs) have gained an increasing applicability as multifunctional nanocarriers for drug delivery in cancer therapy. However, only a limited number of platforms have been reported that can serve as an effective targeted drug delivery system (DDSs). Herein, we report rational design and construction of doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded nanoscale Zr (IV)-based NMOF (NH2-UiO-66) decorated with active tumor targeting moieties; folic acid (FA), lactobionic acid (LA), glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), and dual ligands of LA and GA, as efficient multifunctional DDSs for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapy. The success of modification was exhaustively validated by various structural, thermal and microscopic techniques. Biocompatibility studies indicated the safety of pristine NH2-UiO-66 against HSF cells whereas DOX-loaded dual-ligated NMOF was found to possess superior cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells which was further confirmed by flow cytometry. Moreover, fluorescence microscopy was used for monitoring cellular uptake in comparison to the non-ligated and mono-ligated NMOF. Additionally, the newly developed dual-ligated NMOF depicted a pH-responsiveness towards the DOX release. These findings open new avenues in designing various NMOF-based DDSs that actively target hepatic cancer to achieve precise therapy.
|
|
15. |
- Khalil, Ibrahim, et al.
(author)
-
Burden of Diarrhea in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990-2013 : Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013
- 2016
-
In: American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. - : American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. - 1476-1645 .- 0002-9637. ; 95:6, s. 1319-1329
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Diarrheal diseases (DD) are leading causes of disease burden, death, and disability, especially in children in low-income settings. DD can also impact a child's potential livelihood through stunted physical growth, cognitive impairment, and other sequelae. As part of the Global Burden of Disease Study, we estimated DD burden, and the burden attributable to specific risk factors and particular etiologies, in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) between 1990 and 2013. For both sexes and all ages, we calculated disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which are the sum of years of life lost and years lived with disability. We estimate that over 125,000 deaths (3.6% of total deaths) were due to DD in the EMR in 2013, with a greater burden of DD in low- and middle-income countries. Diarrhea deaths per 100,000 children under 5 years of age ranged from one (95% uncertainty interval [UI] = 0-1) in Bahrain and Oman to 471 (95% UI = 245-763) in Somalia. The pattern for diarrhea DALYs among those under 5 years of age closely followed that for diarrheal deaths. DALYs per 100,000 ranged from 739 (95% UI = 520-989) in Syria to 40,869 (95% UI = 21,540-65,823) in Somalia. Our results highlighted a highly inequitable burden of DD in EMR, mainly driven by the lack of access to proper resources such as water and sanitation. Our findings will guide preventive and treatment interventions which are based on evidence and which follow the ultimate goal of reducing the DD burden.
|
|
16. |
- Marto, João Pedro, et al.
(author)
-
Safety and Outcome of Revascularization Treatment in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke and COVID-19: The Global COVID-19 Stroke Registry.
- 2023
-
In: Neurology. - 1526-632X. ; 100:7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- COVID-19-related inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and coagulopathy may increase the bleeding risk and lower the efficacy of revascularization treatments in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We aimed to evaluate the safety and outcomes of revascularization treatments in patients with AIS and COVID-19.This was a retrospective multicenter cohort study of consecutive patients with AIS receiving intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and/or endovascular treatment (EVT) between March 2020 and June 2021 tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. With a doubly robust model combining propensity score weighting and multivariate regression, we studied the association of COVID-19 with intracranial bleeding complications and clinical outcomes. Subgroup analyses were performed according to treatment groups (IVT-only and EVT).Of a total of 15,128 included patients from 105 centers, 853 (5.6%) were diagnosed with COVID-19; of those, 5,848 (38.7%) patients received IVT-only and 9,280 (61.3%) EVT (with or without IVT). Patients with COVID-19 had a higher rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (SICH) (adjusted OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.16-2.01), symptomatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SSAH) (OR 1.80; 95% CI 1.20-2.69), SICH and/or SSAH combined (OR 1.56; 95% CI 1.23-1.99), 24-hour mortality (OR 2.47; 95% CI 1.58-3.86), and 3-month mortality (OR 1.88; 95% CI 1.52-2.33). Patients with COVID-19 also had an unfavorable shift in the distribution of the modified Rankin score at 3 months (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.26-1.60).Patients with AIS and COVID-19 showed higher rates of intracranial bleeding complications and worse clinical outcomes after revascularization treatments than contemporaneous non-COVID-19 patients receiving treatment. Current available data do not allow direct conclusions to be drawn on the effectiveness of revascularization treatments in patients with COVID-19 or to establish different treatment recommendations in this subgroup of patients with ischemic stroke. Our findings can be taken into consideration for treatment decisions, patient monitoring, and establishing prognosis.The study was registered under ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04895462.
|
|
17. |
- McMenamin, Martina, et al.
(author)
-
WHO Global Situational Alert System : a mixed methods multistage approach to identify country-level COVID-19 alerts
- 2023
-
In: BMJ Global Health. - 2059-7908. ; 8:7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Globally, since 1 January 2020 and as of 24 January 2023, there have been over 664 million cases of COVID-19 and over 6.7 million deaths reported to WHO. WHO developed an evidence-based alert system, assessing public health risk on a weekly basis in 237 countries, territories and areas from May 2021 to June 2022. This aimed to facilitate the early identification of situations where healthcare capacity may become overstretched. Methods The process involved a three-stage mixed methods approach. In the first stage, future deaths were predicted from the time series of reported cases and deaths to produce an initial alert level. In the second stage, this alert level was adjusted by incorporating a range of contextual indicators and accounting for the quality of information available using a Bayes classifier. In the third stage, countries with an alert level of 'High' or above were added to an operational watchlist and assistance was deployed as needed. Results Since June 2021, the system has supported the release of more than US$27 million from WHO emergency funding, over 450 000 rapid antigen diagnostic testing kits and over 6000 oxygen concentrators. Retrospective evaluation indicated that the first two stages were needed to maximise sensitivity, where 44% (IQR 29%-67%) of weekly watchlist alerts would not have been identified using only reported cases and deaths. The alerts were timely and valid in most cases; however, this could only be assessed on a non-representative sample of countries with hospitalisation data available. Conclusions The system provided a standardised approach to monitor the pandemic at the country level by incorporating all available data on epidemiological analytics and contextual assessments. While this system was developed for COVID-19, a similar system could be used for future outbreaks and emergencies, with necessary adjustments to parameters and indicators.
|
|
18. |
- Moradi-Lakeh, Maziar, et al.
(author)
-
Burden of musculoskeletal disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990-2013 : findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013
- 2017
-
In: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 1468-2060 .- 0003-4967. ; 76, s. 1365-1373
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: We used findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 to report the burden of musculoskeletal disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR).METHODS: The burden of musculoskeletal disorders was calculated for the EMR's 22 countries between 1990 and 2013. A systematic analysis was performed on mortality and morbidity data to estimate prevalence, death, years of live lost, years lived with disability and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).RESULTS: For musculoskeletal disorders, the crude DALYs rate per 100 000 increased from 1297.1 (95% uncertainty interval (UI) 924.3-1703.4) in 1990 to 1606.0 (95% UI 1141.2-2130.4) in 2013. During 1990-2013, the total DALYs of musculoskeletal disorders increased by 105.2% in the EMR compared with a 58.0% increase in the rest of the world. The burden of musculoskeletal disorders as a proportion of total DALYs increased from 2.4% (95% UI 1.7-3.0) in 1990 to 4.7% (95% UI 3.6-5.8) in 2013. The range of point prevalence (per 1000) among the EMR countries was 28.2-136.0 for low back pain, 27.3-49.7 for neck pain, 9.7-37.3 for osteoarthritis (OA), 0.6-2.2 for rheumatoid arthritis and 0.1-0.8 for gout. Low back pain and neck pain had the highest burden in EMR countries.CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a high burden of musculoskeletal disorders, with a faster increase in EMR compared with the rest of the world. The reasons for this faster increase need to be explored. Our findings call for incorporating prevention and control programmes that should include improving health data, addressing risk factors, providing evidence-based care and community programmes to increase awareness.
|
|
19. |
- Naguib, Mahmoud, et al.
(author)
-
Global patterns of avian influenza A (H7) : virus evolution and zoonotic threats
- 2019
-
In: FEMS Microbiology Reviews. - : Oxford University Press. - 0168-6445 .- 1574-6976. ; 43:6, s. 608-621
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) continue to impose a negative impact on animal and human health worldwide. In particular, the emergence of highly pathogenic AIV H5 and, more recently, the emergence of low pathogenic AIV H7N9 have led to enormous socioeconomical losses in the poultry industry and resulted in fatal human infections. While H5N1 remains infamous, the number of zoonotic infections with H7N9 has far surpassed those attributed to H5. Despite the clear public health concerns posed by AIV H7, it is unclear why specifically this virus subtype became endemic in poultry and emerged in humans. In this review, we bring together data on global patterns of H7 circulation, evolution and emergence in humans. Specifically, we discuss data from the wild bird reservoir, expansion and epidemiology in poultry, significant increase in their zoonotic potential since 2013 and genesis of highly pathogenic H7. In addition, we analysed available sequence data from an evolutionary perspective, demonstrating patterns of introductions into distinct geographic regions and reassortment dynamics. The integration of all aspects is crucial in the optimisation of surveillance efforts in wild birds, poultry and humans, and we emphasise the need for a One Health approach in controlling emerging viruses such as AIV H7.
|
|
20. |
- Nichols, Emma, et al.
(author)
-
Global, regional, and national burden of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, 1990-2016 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016
- 2019
-
In: Lancet Neurology. - : Elsevier. - 1474-4422 .- 1474-4465. ; 18:1, s. 88-106
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The number of individuals living with dementia is increasing, negatively affecting families, communities, and health-care systems around the world. A successful response to these challenges requires an accurate understanding of the dementia disease burden. We aimed to present the first detailed analysis of the global prevalence, mortality, and overall burden of dementia as captured by the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study 2016, and highlight the most important messages for clinicians and neurologists.Methods: GBD 2016 obtained data on dementia from vital registration systems, published scientific literature and surveys, and data from health-service encounters on deaths, excess mortality, prevalence, and incidence from 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016, through systematic review and additional data-seeking efforts. To correct for differences in cause of death coding across time and locations, we modelled mortality due to dementia using prevalence data and estimates of excess mortality derived from countries that were most likely to code deaths to dementia relative to prevalence. Data were analysed by standardised methods to estimate deaths, prevalence, years of life lost (YLLs), years of life lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs; computed as the sum of YLLs and YLDs), and the fractions of these metrics that were attributable to four risk factors that met GBD criteria for assessment (high body-mass index [BMI], high fasting plasma glucose, smoking, and a diet high in sugarsweetened beverages).Findings: In 2016, the global number of individuals who lived with dementia was 43.8 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 3 7. 8-51.0), increased from 20.2 million (17. 4-23 5) in 1990. This increase of 117% (95% UI 114-121) contrasted with a minor increase in age-standardised prevalence of 1.7% (1.0-2.4), from 701 cases (95% UI 602-815) per 100 000 population in 1990 to 712 cases (614-828) per 100 000 population in 2016. More women than men had dementia in 2016 (27.0 million, 95% UI 23 .3-31. 4, vs 16.8 million, 14.4-19.6), and dementia was the fifth leading cause of death globally, accounting for 2.4 million (95% UI 2.1-2.8) deaths. Overall, 28.8 million (95% UI 24. 5-34. 0) DALYs were attributed to dementia; 6.4 million (95% UI 3 .4-10. 5) of these could be attributed to the modifiable GBD risk factors of high BMI, high fasting plasma glucose, smoking, and a high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages.Interpretation: The global number of people living with dementia more than doubled from 1990 to 2016, mainly due to increases in population ageing and growth. Although differences in coding for causes of death and the heterogeneity in case-ascertainment methods constitute major challenges to the estimation of the burden of dementia, future analyses should improve on the methods for the correction of these biases. Until breakthroughs are made in prevention or curative treatment, dementia will constitute an increasing challenge to health-care systems worldwide.
|
|
21. |
- Rajabi, Mahmoud, et al.
(author)
-
A PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF POLARIMETRIC GNSS-R SEA LEVEL MONITORING IN THE PRESENCE OF SEA SURFACE ROUGHNESS
- 2021
-
In: International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS). ; , s. 8328-8331
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Monitoring coastal sea level has gained a large socioeconomic and environmental significance. Ground-based Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) offers various geophysical parameters including sea surface height. We investigate a one-year dataset from January to December 2016 to evaluate the performance of GNSS-R coastal sea levels during different sea states. Our experiment setup uses three types of antenna in terms of polarization and orientation. A zenith-looking antenna tracks Right-Handed Circular Polarization (RHCP) direct signals and two sea-looking antennas capture both Left-Handed Circular Polarization (LHCP) and RHCP reflections. The Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) is used for extracting interferometric frequency from the data and calculating the heights. The results indicate that the height estimates from the sea-looking antennas have better accuracy compared to the zenith-looking orientation. The LHCP antenna delivers the best performance. The yearly Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) of 5-min GNSS-R L1 water levels compared to the nearest tide gauge are 2.8 and 3.9 cm for the sea-looking antennas and 4.7 cm for the zenith-looking antenna with correlations of 97.63, 95.02, 95.35 percent, respectively. Our analysis shows that the roughness can introduce a bias to the measurements.
|
|
22. |
- Rajabi, Mahmoud, et al.
(author)
-
Polarimetric GNSS-R Sea Level Monitoring using I/Q Interference Patterns at Different Antenna Configurations and Carrier Frequencies
- 2022
-
In: IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing. - 0196-2892 .- 1558-0644. ; 60
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Coastal sea level variation as an indicator of climate change is extremely important due to its large socio-economic and environmental impact. The ground-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reflectometry (GNSS-R) is becoming a reliable alternative for sea surface altimetry. We investigate the impact of antenna polarization and orientation on GNSS-R altimetric performance at different carrier frequencies. A one-year dataset of ground-based observations at Onsala Space Observatory using a dedicated reflectometry receiver is used. Interferometric patterns produced by the superposition of direct and reflected signals are analyzed using the Least-Squares Harmonic Estimation (LS-HE) method to retrieve sea surface height. The results suggest that the observations from GPS L1 and L2 frequencies provide similar levels of accuracy. However, the overall performance of the height products from the GPS L1 show slightly better performance owing to more observations. The combination of L1 and L2 observations (L12) improves the accuracy up to 25% and 40% compared to the L1 and L2 heights. The impacts of antenna orientation and polarization are also evaluated. A sea-looking Left-Handed Circular Polarization (LHCP) antenna shows the best performance compared to both zenith- and sea-looking Right-Handed Circular Polarization (RHCP) antennas. The results are presented using different averaging windows ranging from 15-minute to 6-hour. Based on a 6-hour window, the yearly Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) between GNSS-R L12 sea surface heights with collocated tide gauge observations are 2.4, 3.1, and 4.1 cm with the correlation of 0.990, 0.982, and 0.969 for LHCP sea-looking, RHCP sea-looking, and RHCP up-looking antennas, respectively.
|
|
23. |
- Shokry, Mostafa, et al.
(author)
-
CORAS Model for Security Risk Assessment in Advanced Metering Infrastructure Systems
- 2023
-
In: Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Systems and Informatics 2022. - Cham : Springer Nature. ; , s. 449-459
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The risk assessment process is one of the most important tasks that must be performed on critical infrastructure systems to detect security vulnerabilities and risks. The risk assessment task is used to evaluate the likelihood and the impact of the potential threats on the critical assets of any system by determining the threats, the unwanted incidents, and the mitigation techniques to reduce these risks. The advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system is considered one of the critical infrastructure systems and part of the smart grid system. AMI collects electricity consumption data from the customer’s residence to the electricity data center through bidirectional communication channels to be analyzed. This paper conducts a risk assessment process on the AMI system using the CORAS risk assessment model and CORAS risk assessment tool v1.4 to identify possible risks. The study applies the eight steps of the CORAS model to the AMI system from determining the critical assets in the AMI system to determining the mitigation techniques that can be applied to overcome the existing security vulnerabilities. In the end, this study provides a better understanding of the AMI security risks toward identifying adequate security perimeters for AMI systems.
|
|
24. |
- Shokry, Mostafa, et al.
(author)
-
Systematic survey of advanced metering infrastructure security: Vulnerabilities, attacks, countermeasures, and future vision
- 2022
-
In: Future generations computer systems. - : Elsevier. - 0167-739X .- 1872-7115. ; 136, s. 358-377
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is a paradigm shift from traditional power distribution systems to smart grids (SGs) due to advances in information and communication technology. An advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) is one of the main components in an SG. Its relevance comes from its ability to collect, process, and transfer data through the internet. Although the advances in AMI and SG techniques have brought new operational benefits, they introduce new security and privacy challenges. Security has emerged as an imperative requirement to protect an AMI from attack. Currently, ensuring security is a major challenge in the design and deployment of an AMI. This study provides a systematic survey of the security of AMI systems from diverse perspectives. It focuses on attacks, mitigation approaches, and future visions. The contributions of this article are fourfold: First, the vulnerabilities that may exist in all components of an AMI are described and analyzed. Second, it considers attacks that exploit these vulnerabilities and the impact they can have on the performance of individual components and the overall AMI system. Third, it discusses various countermeasures that can protect an AMI system. Fourth, it presents the open challenges relating to AMI security as well as future research directions. The uniqueness of this review is its comprehensive coverage of AMI components with respect to their security vulnerabilities, attacks, and countermeasures. The future vision is described at the end.
|
|
25. |
- Wasberg, Anishia, et al.
(author)
-
Assessing compatibility and viral fitness between poultry-adapted H9N2 and wild bird-derived neuraminidases
- 2023
-
In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 13
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Exchange of viral segments between one or more influenza virus subtypes can contribute to a shift in virulence and adaptation to new hosts. Among several influenza subtypes, H9N2 is widely circulating in poultry populations worldwide and has the ability to infect humans. Here, we studied the reassortant compatibility between chicken H9N2 with N1-N9 gene segments of wild bird origin, either with an intact or truncated stalk. Naturally occurring amino acid deletions in the NA stalk of the influenza virus can lead to increased virulence in both mallard ducks and chickens. Our findings show extended genetic compatibility between chicken H9Nx gene segments and the wild-bird NA with and without 20 amino acid stalk deletion. Replication kinetics in avian, mammalian and human cell lines revealed that parental chH9N2 and rH9N6 viruses with intact NA-stalk replicated significantly better in avian DF1 cells compared to human A549 cells. After introducing a stalk deletion, an enhanced preference for replication in mammalian and human cell lines could be observed for rH9N2(Delta)(H6), rH9N6(Delta) and rH9N9(Delta) compared to the parental chH9N2 virus. This highlights the potential emergence of novel viruses with variable phenotypic traits, warranting the continuous monitoring of H9N2 and co-circulating subtypes in avian hosts.
|
|
26. |
|
|