The status of cryptosporidiosis in Jordan: a review

Background: Cryptosporidium is a waterborne intestinal parasite that causes diarrhoea in low and middle-income countries worldwide. Reports from Mediterranean countries have documented the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in children at various ages, also among cancer patients, and in cases of chronic kidney disease, haemodialysis, and organ transplant. Untill now, modified-acid staining preceded by stool concentration preparation remains the leading screening diagnostic test for the infection. In Jordan, few studies for cryptosporidiosis have been performed during the last 3 decades. Aims: This paper reviewed the status of cryptosporidiosis in Jordan and tracked recent updates for this emerging protozoal infection among different population groups. Methods: In this study, an online search was conducted on Google Scholar and PubMed databases using the keywords: Jordan, cryptosporidiosis and Cryptosporidium to inspect studies done on this parasite in Jordan. Results: Only 9 articles were identified from 1994 to 2019. These were analysed in terms of population group, demography, clinical history and the diagnostic tools used. Conclusion: Cryptosporidiosis is still neglected in Jordan as indicated by the low number of studies over the last 3 decades and the prevalence is diverse depending on the diagnostic test used and socioeconomic status.

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Status of drowning in Nepal: A study of central police data

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.14563.1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 576

Author(s):

Bhagabati Sedain ◽

Puspa Raj Pant

Keyword(s):

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Limited Data ◽

Middle Income ◽

The Public ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Police Data ◽

The Status ◽

Data Source

Background: Drowning is a serious and mostly preventable injury-related cause of death. Low-and-middle income countries represent 90% of total drowning deaths worldwide. There is lack of epidemiological studies of drowning in Nepal. The aim of this paper is to describe the status of drowning in Nepal. Methods: Cases of drowning, occurring between January 2013 and December 2015 were extracted from the Daily Incident Recording System of Nepal Police. Variables on age, sex of the deceased, types of water bodies, places, season when drowning occurred and activities of deceased were extracted and descriptive analysis was done. Results: A total of 1,507 drowning cases were recorded over a 3 year period. The rate of drowning was 1.9 per 100,000 (2.95 for males and 0.92 for females). Majority of drowning occurred among males (76%) and more than half were (53%) under 20 years of age. Mostly drowning occurred in rivers (natural water bodies). The findings provide strong indication that drowning occurs throughout the year in Nepal. Children were highly vulnerable to drowning. The magnitude of drowning was found to be lower than estimated by global burden of disease (GBD) study. Conclusion: The burden of drowning in Nepal is considerable, but mostly unknown to the public. Despite only having access to a limited data source, this study provides useful evidence that comprehensive research in Nepal is needed urgently.

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Towards better diagnostic tools for liver injury in low-income and middle-income countries

BMJ Global Health ◽

10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001704 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. e001704 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Saundria Moed ◽

Muhammad H Zaman

Keyword(s):

Chronic Hepatitis ◽

Liver Injury ◽

Low Income ◽

Liver Diseases ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Diagnostic Tools ◽

Middle Income ◽

Public Health Burden ◽

Middle Income Countries

Liver disease is a significant public health burden in both high-income and low-income countries, accounting for over 2 million annual, global deaths. Despite the significant mortality burden, liver diseases are historically a neglected problem due to a lack of accurate incidence and prevalence statistics, as well as national and international programmes targeting these diseases. A large portion of deaths due to liver diseases can be treated (eg, chronic hepatitis B), cured (eg, chronic hepatitis C) or prevented (eg, acute liver failure due to medications) if prompt diagnosis is made, but currently diagnostic methods fall short. Therefore, there is a critical need to fund the development of prompt, effective diagnostics for liver function, specifically in low-income and middle-income countries where the landscape for this testing is sparse. Here, we review and compare available and currently emerging diagnostic methods for liver injury in low-income and middle-income settings, while highlighting the opportunities and challenges that exist in the field.

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LBP-37-Evaluation of Hepatitis C Virus Rapid Diagnostic Test in HCV mono- and HCV/HIV co-infected patients from Low and Middle Income Countries

Journal of Hepatology ◽

10.1016/s0618-8278(19)30282-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. e159-e160

Author(s):

Beatrice Vetter ◽

Elena Ivanova Reipold ◽

Rosemary Audu ◽

Maia Alkhazashvili ◽

Anja De Weggheleire ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis C Virus ◽

Hepatitis C ◽

Diagnostic Test ◽

Rapid Diagnostic Test ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Low And Middle Income

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Status of drowning in Nepal: A study of central police data

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.14563.2 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 576

Author(s):

Bhagabati Sedain ◽

Puspa Raj Pant

Keyword(s):

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Limited Data ◽

Middle Income ◽

The Public ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Police Data ◽

The Status ◽

Data Source

Background: Drowning is a serious and mostly preventable injury-related cause of death. Low-and-middle income countries represent over 90% of total drowning deaths worldwide. There is lack of epidemiological studies of drowning in Nepal. The aim of this paper is to describe the status of drowning in Nepal. Methods: Cases of drowning, occurring between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2015 were extracted from the Daily Incident Recording System of Nepal Police. Drowning cases were extracted and analysed regardless of their intent. Variables on age, sex of the deceased, types of water bodies, geographical locations, season when drowning occurred and activities of deceased were extracted and descriptive analysis was conducted. Results: A total of 1,507 drowning cases were recorded over a 3 year period. The rate of drowning was 1.9 per 100,000 (2.95 for males and 0.92 for females). Majority of drowning occurred among males (76%) and more than half were (53%) under 20 years of age. Mostly drowning occurred in rivers (natural water bodies). The findings provide strong indication that drowning occurs throughout the year in Nepal. Children were highly vulnerable to drowning. The magnitude of drowning was found to be lower than estimated by global burden of disease (GBD) study. Conclusion: The burden of drowning in Nepal is considerable, but mostly unknown to the public. Despite only having access to a limited data source, this study provides useful evidence that comprehensive research in Nepal is needed urgently.

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Use of WATCH antibiotics prior to presentation to the hospital in rural Burkina Faso

10.1101/2021.02.24.21252387 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Valia ◽

Brecht Ingelbeen ◽

Bérenger Kaboré ◽

Ibrahima Karama ◽

Marjan Peeters ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Burkina Faso ◽

Health Center ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Community Level ◽

Diagnostic Tools ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Frequent Use ◽

Antibiotics Use

AbstractBackgroundIn low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is increasing. WHO recommends monitoring antibiotic use, in particular Watch antibiotics, clinical important but at risk of becoming ineffective due to increasing AMR. We investigated antibiotic use at primary care or community-level in rural Burkina Faso.MethodsDuring 2016-2017, patients aged >3 months admitted with severe acute fever to the rural hospital of Nanoro Health District, Burkina Faso, reported antibiotic use in the two weeks prior to consultation or hospitalization, which we analysed using the WHO Access, Watch, Reserve (AWaRe) classification. Most Watch antibiotics, e.g. ceftriaxone, are not recommended at primary health center level, as is also the case for ciprofloxacin in children.ResultsOf 920 participants (63.0% ≤14 years), pre-admission antibiotic use was reported by 363 (39.5%) of whom 58 (16.0%) reported more than one antibiotic. Use was more frequent among health center referrals (231, 54.0%) than among self-referred patients (131, 26.7%, p<0.001). Of 424 antibiotics, 261 (61.6%) were Access and 159 (37.5%) Watch antibiotics. Watch antibiotics use was more frequent among >14 year olds (72, 51.1%) than 0-14 year olds (87, 30.7%) and among referrals (41, 28.1%) compared to self-referred patients (117, 42.2%). Most frequently used Watch antibiotics were ceftriaxone (114, 26.9%) and ciprofloxacin (32, 7.5%). Among antibiotics reported by referral patients, ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin were respectively recorded 100 (36.1%) and 12 times (4.3%).ConclusionThe frequent use of Watch group antibiotics prior to presentation to the hospital in rural Burkina Faso highlights the need to address primary care, over-the-counter and informal community-level antibiotic use as part of antibiotic stewardship in LMIC, facilitating referral, access to qualified prescribers, or improving diagnostic tools in health centers.

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“Smart Diagnosis” of Parasitic Diseases by Use of Smartphones

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.01469-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 56 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Muhammad A. Saeed ◽

Abdul Jabbar

Keyword(s):

Point Of Care ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Rapid Diagnosis ◽

Diagnostic Tools ◽

Parasitic Diseases ◽

Effective Management ◽

Diagnostic Equipment ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Cost Effective Alternative

ABSTRACT Accurate and rapid diagnosis is crucial in combating parasitic diseases that cause millions of deaths worldwide. However, the scarcity of specialized diagnostic equipment in low- and middle-income countries is one of the barriers to effective management of parasitic diseases and warrants the need for alternative, inexpensive, point-of-care diagnostic tools. Due to their multiple built-in sensors, smartphones offer cost-effective alternative to expensive diagnostic devices. However, the use of smartphones in parasitic diagnoses remains in its infancy. This minireview describes various smartphone-based devices applied specifically for the diagnosis of parasitic diseases and discusses challenges and potential implications for their use in future.

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Improving the screening of blood donors with syphilis rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and rapid plasma reagin (RPR) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC)

Transfusion Medicine ◽

10.1111/tme.12363 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 52-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

F. Sarkodie ◽

O. Hassall ◽

E. Owusu-Dabo ◽

S. Owusu-Ofori ◽

I. Bates ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diagnostic Test ◽

Rapid Diagnostic Test ◽

Blood Donors ◽

Rapid Plasma Reagin ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Low And Middle Income

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A systematic review of the status of children's school access in low- and middle-income countries between 1998 and 2013: using the INDEPTH Network platform to fill the research gaps

Global Health Action ◽

10.3402/gha.v8.28430 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 28430 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mamusu Kamanda ◽

Osman Sankoh

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Research Gaps ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

The Status ◽

Indepth Network ◽

School Access ◽

Network Platform ◽

Low And Middle Income

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Role and utility of COVID-19 laboratory testing in low-income and middle-income countries: protocol for rapid evidence synthesis

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050296 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. e050296

Author(s):

Ojiambo Kevin Ouma ◽

Kisangala Ephraim ◽

Nakalembe Loyce ◽

Eve Namisango ◽

Fred Nalugoda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laboratory Test ◽

Diagnostic Accuracy ◽

Diagnostic Test ◽

Systematic Reviews ◽

Low Income ◽

Laboratory Testing ◽

Diagnostic Test Accuracy ◽

Test Accuracy ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries

IntroductionAccurate and affordable laboratory testing is key to timely diagnosis and appropriate management of patients with COVID-19. New laboratory test protocols are released into the market under emergency use authorisation with limited evidence on diagnostic test accuracy. As such, robust evidence on the diagnostic accuracy and the costs of available tests is urgently needed to inform policy and practice especially in resource-limited settings. We aim to determine the diagnostic test accuracy, cost-effectiveness and utility of laboratory test strategies for COVID-19 in low-income and middle-income countries.Methods and analysisThis will be a multistaged, protocol-driven systematic review conducted in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for diagnostic test accuracy studies. We will search for relevant literature in at least six public health databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science and the WHO Global Index Medicus. In addition, we will search Cochrane Library, COVID-END and grey literature databases to identify additional relevant articles before double-screening and abstraction of data. We will conduct a structured narrative and quantitative synthesis of the results guided by the Fryback and Thornbury framework for assessing a diagnostic test. The primary outcome is COVID-19 diagnostic test accuracy. Using the GRADE approach specific to diagnostic accuracy tests, we will appraise the overall quality of evidence and report the results following the original PRISMA statement. The protocol is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/).Ethics and disseminationEthical review was done by the School of Biomedical Sciences Research Ethics Committee and the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology. The published article will be accessible to policy and decision makers. The findings of this review will guide clinical practice and policy decisions and highlight areas for future research.PROSPERO registration number CRD42020209528.

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