Adverse childhood experiences increase HIV risk factors in Agbogbloshie, Ghana

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been associated with increased risk factors for HIV transmission, but the causal pathway is uncertain. This study documents the prevalence of ACEs by gender and their association with HIV risk factors and assesses depressive symptoms as mediating this relationship. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2019 among a representative sample of men and women, aged 18–24 years, living in an informal settlement in Accra, Ghana. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, ACEs, ten HIV risk factors (five sexual behaviors, HIV/AIDS knowledge, sexual assault, three substance use behaviors), and depressive symptoms were collected. Multiple logistic regression models were estimated to assess the independent association between four or more ACEs and each of the ten HIV risk factors. Structural equation models examined depressive symptoms as a mediator in these associations. A third (34.6%) of participants reported four or more ACEs, and among those who experienced four or more ACEs 60% were men and 40% were women. Gender did not modify the effect of the association between four or more ACEs and HIV factors and therefore the multiple regression analysis was not stratified by gender. After controlling for sociodemographic covariates and depressive symptoms, having experienced four or more ACEs was associated with alcohol use (OR = 3.88; 95% CI: 1.34, 11.21), injection drug use (OR = 2.78; 95% CI: 1.15, 6.73), low knowledge of HIV (OR = 3.59; 95% CI: 1.43, 9.00), sexually transmitted infection (OR = 3.70; 95% CI: 1.15, 11.96), and sexual assault (OR = 3.58; 95% CI: 1.07, 12.05). There was some evidence that depressive symptoms could be mediating the association between reporting four or more ACEs and ever having a sexually transmitted infection. The mitigation of ACEs and depressive symptoms has the potential to decrease HIV risk factors and thus reduce the risk for HIV transmission among youth living in informal settlements

Analysis of photographic records of coal pyrolysis. Final report

Bituminous coals upon heating undergo melting and pyrolytic decomposition with significant parts of the coal forming an unstable liquid that can escape from the coal by evaporation. The transient liquid within the pyrolyzing coal causes softening or plastic behavior that can influence the chemistry and physics of the process. Bubbles of volatiles can swell the softened coal mass in turn affecting the combustion behavior of the coal particles. The swelling behavior of individual coal particles has to be taken into account both as the layout as well as for the operation of pyrolysis, coking and performance of coal-fired boilers. Increased heating rates generally increase the amount of swelling although it is also known that in some cases, even highly swelling coals can be transformed into char with no swelling if they are heated slowly enough. The swelling characteristics of individual coal particles have been investigated by a number of workers employing various heating systems ranging from drop tube and shock tube furnaces, flow rate reactors and electrical heating coils. Different methods have also been employed to determine the swelling factors. The following sections summarize some of the published literature on the subject and outline the direction in which the method of analysis will be further extended in the study of the swelling characteristics of hvA bituminous coal particles that have been pyrolyzed with a laser beam

Assessment of fluoride removal in a batch electrocoagulation process: A case study in the Mount Meru Enclave

This research article published by Elsevier B.V., 2021The presence of excessive amounts of fluoride than prescribed standards has been reported in various sources of domestic water supply around the slopes of Mount Meru and other parts in Tanzania. Efforts to remove the excessive fluoride have been carried out using various technologies. In this study, electrocoagulation experiments were carried out to assess its efficiency on fluoride removal. The fluoride concentration tested ranged from 1.37 to 48 mg/L in both synthetic and natural waters. The voltage applied in the electrocoagulation (EC) process ranged from 0 to 50 V while maintaining pH values of 4 to 9. The representative experimental results for the Ngarenanyuki river water with initial fluoride concentration of 29.5 mg/L accomplished a removal efficiency of 90% at an optimal electrolysis time of 30 min, an applied voltage of 30 V and an optimal pH of 6. The method showed efficient fluoride removal in water to allowable limits by World Health Organization (WHO) and Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) (1.5 mg/L). Despite the voltage applied (30 V), the pH at neutrality remained unchanged thus making the process more efficient. At this voltage (30 V) the process has been reported previously also to have the capability of disinfecting the water and hence rendering such water safe for us

Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteins involved in cell wall lipid biosynthesis improve BCG vaccine efficacy in a murine TB model

OBJECTIVES: Advances in tuberculosis (TB) vaccine development are urgently required to enhance global disease management. We evaluated the potential of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb)-derived protein antigens Rv0447c, Rv2957 and Rv2958c to boost BCG vaccine efficacy in the presence or absence of glucopyranosyl lipid adjuvant formulated in a stable emulsion (GLA-SE) adjuvant. METHODS: Mice received the BCG vaccine, followed by Rv0447c, Rv2957 and Rv2958c protein boosting with or without GLA-SE adjuvant 3 and 6 weeks later. Immune responses were examined at given time points. 9 weeks post vaccination, mice were aerosol-challenged with M. tb, and sacrificed at 6 and 12 weeks to assess bacterial burden. RESULTS: Vaccination of mice with BCG and M. tb proteins in the presence of GLA-SE adjuvant triggered strong IFN-γ and IL-2 production by splenocytes; more TNF-α was produced without GLA-SE addition. Antibody responses to all three antigens did not differ, with or without GLA-SE adjuvant. Protein boosting without GLA-SE adjuvant resulted in vaccinated animals having better control of pulmonary M. tb load at 6 and 12 weeks post aerosol infection, while animals receiving the protein boost with GLA-SE adjuvant exhibited more bacteria in the lungs. CONCLUSIONS: Our data provides evidence for developing Rv2958c, Rv2957 and Rv0447c in a heterologous prime-boost vaccination strategy with BCG

Digital Innovations for Occupational Safety: Empowering Workers in Hazardous Environments

Background: The quest to increase safety awareness, make job sites safer, and promote decent work for all has led to the utilization of digital technologies in hazardous occupations. This study investigated the use of digital innovations for safety and health management in hazardous industries. The key challenges and recommendations associated with such use were also explored. Method: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, a total of 48 studies were reviewed to provide a framework for future pathways for the effective implementation of these innovations. Findings: The results revealed four main categories of digital safety systems: wearable-based systems, augmented/virtual reality-based systems, artificial intelligence-based systems, and navigation-based systems. A wide range of technological, behavioral, and organizational challenges were identified in relation to the key themes. Conclusion: Outcomes from this review can inform policymakers and industrial decision-makers about the application of digital innovations for best safety practices in various hazardous work conditions

Predictors of Antibiotics Co-prescription with Antimalarials for Patients Presenting with Fever in Rural Tanzania.

Successful implementation of malaria treatment policy depends on the prescription practices for patients with malaria. This paper describes prescription patterns and assesses factors associated with co-prescription of antibiotics and artemether-lumefantrine (AL) for patients presenting with fever in rural Tanzania. From June 2009 to September 2011, a cohort event monitoring program was conducted among all patients treated at 8 selected health facilities in Ifakara and Rufiji Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS).It included all patients presenting with fever and prescribed with AL. Logistic regression was used to model the predictors on the outcome variable which is co-prescription of AL and antibiotics on a single clinical visit. A cohort of 11,648 was recruited and followed up with 92% presenting with fever. Presumptive treatment was used in 56% of patients treated with AL. On average 2.4 (1 -- 7) drugs was prescribed per encounter, indicating co-prescription of AL with other drugs. Children under five had higher odds of AL and antibiotics co-prescription (OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.46 -- 0.85) than those aged more than five years. Patients testing negative had higher odds (OR = 2.22, 95%CI: 1.65 -- 2.97) of AL and antibiotics co-prescription. Patients receiving treatment from dispensaries had higher odds (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 0.84 -- 2.30) of AL and antibiotics co-prescription than those from served in health centres even though the deference was not statistically significant. Regardless the fact that Malaria is declining but due to lack of laboratories and mRDT in most health facilities in the rural areas, clinicians are still treating malaria presumptively. This leads them to prescribe more drugs to treat all possibilities

Microbes as Master Immunomodulators: Immunopathology, Cancer and Personalized Immunotherapies

The intricate interplay between the immune system and microbes is an essential part of the physiological homeostasis in health and disease. Immunological recognition of commensal microbes, such as bacterial species resident in the gut or lung as well as dormant viral species, i.e., cytomegalovirus (CMV) or Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), in combination with a balanced immune regulation, is central to achieve immune-protection. Emerging evidence suggests that immune responses primed to guard against commensal microbes may cause unexpected pathological outcomes, e.g., chronic inflammation and/or malignant transformation. Furthermore, translocation of immune cells from one anatomical compartment to another, i.e., the gut-lung axis via the lymphatics or blood has been identified as an important factor in perpetrating systemic inflammation, tissue destruction, as well as modulating host-protective immune responses. We present in this review immune response patterns to pathogenic as well as non-pathogenic microbes and how these immune-recognition profiles affect local immune responses or malignant transformation. We discuss personalized immunological therapies which, directly or indirectly, target host biological pathways modulated by antimicrobial immune responses

Trained Immunity for Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy: Current Knowledge and Future Opportunities

Memory formation, guided by microbial ligands, has been reported for innate immune cells. Epigenetic imprinting plays an important role herein, involving histone modification after pathogen-/danger-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs/DAMPs) recognition by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Such “trained immunity” affects not only the nominal target pathogen, yet also non-related targets that may be encountered later in life. The concept of trained innate immunity warrants further exploration in cancer and how these insights can be implemented in immunotherapeutic approaches. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of innate immune memory and we reference new findings in this field, highlighting the observations of trained immunity in monocytic and natural killer cells. We also provide a brief overview of trained immunity in non-immune cells, such as stromal cells and fibroblasts. Finally, we present possible strategies based on trained innate immunity that may help to devise host-directed immunotherapies focusing on cancer, with possible extension to infectious diseases

Non-universality of scaling exponents in quantum Hall transitions

We have investigated experimentally the scaling behaviour of quantum Hall transitions in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures of a range of mobility, carrier concentration, and spacer layer width. All three critical scaling exponents γ, κ and p were determined independently for each sample. We measure the localization length exponent to be γ ≈ 2.3, in good agreement with expected predictions from scaling theory, but κ and p are found to possess non-universal values. Results obtained for κ range from κ = 0.16 ± 0.02 to κ = 0.67 ± 0.02, and are found to be Landau level (LL) dependent, whereas p is found to decrease with increasing sample mobility. Our results demonstrate the existence of two transport regimes in the LL conductivity peak; universality is found within the quantum coherent transport regime present in the tails of the conductivity peak, but is absent within the classical transport regime found close to the critical point at the centre of the conductivity peak. We explain these results using a percolation model and show that the critical scaling exponent depends on certain important length scales that correspond to the microscopic description of electron transport in the bulk of a two-dimensional electron system