Identical Genotype B3 Sequences from Measles Patients in 4 Countries, 2005

Surveillance of measles virus detected an epidemiologic link between a refugee from Kenya and a Dutch tourist in New Jersey, USA. Identical genotype B3 sequences from patients with contemporaneous cases in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in November and December 2005 indicate that Kenya was likely to have been the common source of virus

Rates of HIV-1 superinfection and primary HIV-1 infection are similar in female sex workers in Uganda.

OBJECTIVE: To determine and compare the rates of HIV superinfection and primary HIV infection in high-risk female sex workers (FSWs) in Kampala, Uganda. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of individuals who participated in a clinical cohort study among high-risk FSWs in Kampala, Uganda. METHODS: Plasma samples from HIV-infected FSWs in Kampala, Uganda were examined with next-generation sequencing of the p24 and gp41 HIV genomic regions for the occurrence of superinfection. Primary HIV incidence was determined from initially HIV-uninfected FSWs from the same cohort, and incidence rate ratios were compared. RESULTS: The rate of superinfection in these women (7/85; 3.4/100 person-years) was not significantly different from the rate of primary infection in the same population (3.7/100 person-years; incidence rate ratio = 0.91, P = 0.42). Seven women also entered the study dual-infected (16.5% either dual or superinfected). The women with any presence of dual infection were more likely to report sex work as their only source of income (P = 0.05), and trended to be older and more likely to be widowed (P = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of FSWs, HIV superinfection occurred at a high rate and was similar to that of primary HIV infection. These results differ from a similar study of high-risk female bar workers in Kenya that found the rate of superinfection to be significantly lower than the rate of primary HIV infection

State of African neurosurgical education: An analysis of publicly available curricula

Introduction Africa bears more than 15% of the global burden of neurosurgical disease; however, it has the lowest neurosurgical workforce density worldwide. The past decade has seen an increase in neurosurgery residency programs on the continent. It is unclear how these residency programs are similar or viable. This study highlights the current status, interdepartmental and regional differences, with the main objective of offering a template for improving the provision of neurosurgical education on the continent. Method PubMed and Google Scholar were searched using keywords related to “neurosurgery,” “training,” and “Africa” from database inception to 10/13/2021. The residency curricula were analyzed using a standardized and validated medical education curriculum viability tool. Results Curricula from 14 African countries were identified. The curricula differed in resident recruitment, evaluation mode and frequency, curriculum content, and length of training. The length of training varied from four to eight years with a mean of six years. The Eastern African region had the highest number of examinations, with a mean of 8.5. Few curricula had correlates of viability - ensuring that the instructors are competent (64.3%), prioritization of faculty development (64.3%), faculty participation in decision making (64.3%), prioritization of resident support services (50%), creating a conducive environment for quality education (42.9%), and addressing student complaints (28.6%). Conclusion There are significant differences in the African postgraduate neurosurgical education curriculum warranting standardization. This study has identified areas of improvement for neurosurgical education in Africa

Cystatin C–Based Equation to Estimate GFR without the Inclusion of Race and Sex

BACKGROUNDThe accuracy of estimation of kidney function with the use of routine metabolic tests, such as measurement of the serum creatinine level, has been controversial. The European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) developed a creatinine-based equation (EKFC eGFRcr) to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) with a rescaled serum creatinine level (i.e., the serum creatinine level is divided by the median serum creatinine level among healthy persons to control for variation related to differences in age, sex, or race). Whether a cystatin C–based EKFC equation would increase the accuracy of estimated GFR is unknown.METHODSWe used data from patients in Sweden to estimate the rescaling factor for the cystatin C level in adults. We then replaced rescaled serum creatinine in the EKFC eGFRcr equation with rescaled cystatin C, and we validated the resulting EKFC eGFRcys equation in cohorts of White patients and Black patients in Europe, the United States, and Africa, according to measured GFR, levels of serum creatinine and cystatin C, age, and sex.RESULTSOn the basis of data from 227,643 patients in Sweden, the rescaling factor for cystatin C was estimated at 0.83 for men and women younger than 50 years of age and 0.83+0.005×(age–50) for those 50 years of age or older. The EKFC eGFRcys equation was unbiased, had accuracy that was similar to that of the EKFC eGFRcr equation in both White patients and Black patients (11,231 patients from Europe, 1093 from the United States, and 508 from Africa), and was more accurate than the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration eGFRcys equation recommended by Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes. The arithmetic mean of EKFC eGFRcr and EKFC eGFRcys further improved the accuracy of estimated GFR over estimates from either biomarker equation alone.CONCLUSIONSThe EKFC eGFRcys equation had the same mathematical form as the EKFC eGFRcr equation, but it had a scaling factor for cystatin C that did not differ according to race or sex. In cohorts from Europe, the United States, and Africa, this equation improved the accuracy of GFR assessment over that of commonly used equations

In the spotlight: rethinking NGO accountability in the #MeToo era

Emphasising the need to rethink accountability in the light of the #MeToo movement, this study examines how public discourses on sexual misconduct in the non-profit sector have transformed societal perceptions of NGO accountability. The study contributes to research debates about the underlying principles of the NGO social contract, the intellectual problematics of accountability and the role of ‘the Other’ in accountability conduct. The analysis of social media and investigations related to sexual scandals in thirteen organisations reveals how access to social media and hashtag activism in the midst of the social movement provided visibility to the cases of misconduct, gave rise to accountability forums and empowered calls to hold organisations to account. The study shows how the spotlight of public attention has gradually shifted the perception of sexual misconduct as an occasional, but inevitable, sectoral malfunction towards a widening debate over the moral basis of NGO activism and the impacts on the lives of vulnerable NGO beneficiaries. This development has then amplified the escalated demand to transform approaches to NGO accountability from pragmatic procedures of increased control and demonstrable measures of quality assurance to more reflective methods of intellectual accountability and critical self-assessment, emphasising the behavioural consciousness of accountable actors. Finally, the study reflects on how the lessons learned from the #MeToo movement impact NGOs in their capacity to exercise holistic accountability

Enhanced infection prophylaxis reduces mortality in severely immunosuppressed HIV-infected adults and older children initiating antiretroviral therapy in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Zimbabwe: the REALITY trial

Meeting abstract FRAB0101LB from 21st International AIDS Conference 18–22 July 2016, Durban, South Africa. Introduction: Mortality from infections is high in the first 6 months of antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV‐infected adults and children with advanced disease in sub‐Saharan Africa. Whether an enhanced package of infection prophylaxis at ART initiation would reduce mortality is unknown. Methods: The REALITY 2×2×2 factorial open‐label trial (ISRCTN43622374) randomized ART‐naïve HIV‐infected adults and children >5 years with CD4 <100 cells/mm3. This randomization compared initiating ART with enhanced prophylaxis (continuous cotrimoxazole plus 12 weeks isoniazid/pyridoxine (anti‐tuberculosis) and fluconazole (anti‐cryptococcal/candida), 5 days azithromycin (anti‐bacterial/protozoal) and single‐dose albendazole (anti‐helminth)), versus standard‐of‐care cotrimoxazole. Isoniazid/pyridoxine/cotrimoxazole was formulated as a scored fixed‐dose combination. Two other randomizations investigated 12‐week adjunctive raltegravir or supplementary food. The primary endpoint was 24‐week mortality. Results: 1805 eligible adults (n = 1733; 96.0%) and children/adolescents (n = 72; 4.0%) (median 36 years; 53.2% male) were randomized to enhanced (n = 906) or standard prophylaxis (n = 899) and followed for 48 weeks (3.8% loss‐to‐follow‐up). Median baseline CD4 was 36 cells/mm3 (IQR: 16–62) but 47.3% were WHO Stage 1/2. 80 (8.9%) enhanced versus 108(12.2%) standard prophylaxis died before 24 weeks (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.73 (95% CI: 0.54–0.97) p = 0.03; Figure 1) and 98(11.0%) versus 127(14.4%) respectively died before 48 weeks (aHR = 0.75 (0.58–0.98) p = 0.04), with no evidence of interaction with the two other randomizations (p > 0.8). Enhanced prophylaxis significantly reduced incidence of tuberculosis (p = 0.02), cryptococcal disease (p = 0.01), oral/oesophageal candidiasis (p = 0.02), deaths of unknown cause (p = 0.02) and (marginally) hospitalisations (p = 0.06) but not presumed severe bacterial infections (p = 0.38). Serious and grade 4 adverse events were marginally less common with enhanced prophylaxis (p = 0.06). CD4 increases and VL suppression were similar between groups (p > 0.2). Conclusions: Enhanced infection prophylaxis at ART initiation reduces early mortality by 25% among HIV‐infected adults and children with advanced disease. The pill burden did not adversely affect VL suppression. Policy makers should consider adopting and implementing this low‐cost broad infection prevention package which could save 3.3 lives for every 100 individuals treated