Experiences among adults and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic from four locations across Kenya—Study description

To control the spread of coronavirus, the COVID-19 National Emergency Response Committee (NERC) in Kenya, chaired by the Ministry of Health (MOH), has implemented prevention and mitigation measures. To inform the Government of Kenya’s shorter- and longer-term response strategies, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilizes rapid phone-based surveys to collect information on knowledge, attitudes, practices and needs among a longitudinal cohort of heads of household sampled from existing prospective cohort studies. The first was carried out across five Nairobi urban informal settlements; the baseline survey (n=2,009) was conducted March 30–31 with subsequent follow-up surveys conducted April 13–14 (n=1,764), May 10-11 (n=1,750), and June 13-16 (n=1,529) (to be carried out one per subsequent quarter dependent on funding). Adolescents in the Nairobi cohort (n=1,022) were also interviewed in the June round of data collection. The survey was expanded to communities with existing prospective cohort studies in Wajir County (adults n=1,322 and adolescents n=1,234), Kilifi County (adults n=1,288 and adolescents n=1,178), and Kisumu County (adults n=858 and adolescents n=973), adapted for rural settings with the first round conducted between July–August 2020, the second between February–March 2021, and the third between June–August 2021

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe

Development of a Miniaturized Biphasic Constant-Current Charge-Balanced Stimulator for Freely Moving Animals

Neurological disorders are diseases that target the central and peripheral nervous system. These disorders include Alzheimer, Parkinson’s disease and other dementias. Common treatment for some neurological disorders are drugs and when this method is not so effective, the next method is electrical stimulation, where a Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) device is surgically implanted. In spite of extensive application in humans and research in animals, the mechanisms of DBS remain unclear. This thesis presents a miniaturized discrete system for long-term, biphasic constant current, charge balanced stimulation for DBS research in small animals with independently programmable anodic and cathodic currents and pulse widths, frequency, pulse order and inter pulse interval. It features a single current source and an H-bridge for setting current direction. The system is highly customizable, permitting trade-off between voltage compliance and the range, resolution and accuracy of currents and between power consumption and temporal resolution with minimal hardware modification

Broad Phase Collision Detection

SpaceCollisionSystem simulates systems of many moving objects and allows for comparison of several broad phase collision detection algorithms. The program consists of a graphical user interface (GUI) with user contorls and a display for visualizing the simulation. The user can select from the following algorithms: Brute Force Quadtree/Octree Spatial Index Spatial Hash Sweep and Prune Multidimensional Sweep and Prune Additionally, the user select from the following environments: 2-dimensional square space 3-dimensional cube space 3-dimensional unbounded space with gravit

Dataset: COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices in urban slums in Nairobi, Kenya

To control the spread of coronavirus, the Kenyan Ministry of Health COVID-19 Taskforce has implemented initial prevention and mitigation measures. Of concern are the densely overcrowded, poor urban slums where sanitation and social distancing measures are near impossible. COVID-19 would spread rapidly and be devastating under these conditions. To inform the Taskforce strategy, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilizes rapid phone-based surveys to collection information on knowledge, attitudes and practices among ~2,000 heads of household sampled from existing prospective cohort studies across five Nairobi urban slums. Iterations of the survey will be conducted every 1-2 weeks. Baseline findings on awareness of COVID-19 symptoms, perceived risk, awareness of and ability to carry out preventive behaviors, misconceptions, and fears will inform Taskforce interventions. In subsequent rounds, behavior change messages will be randomly assigned to measure effectiveness, or if randomization is not feasible, survey questions on exposure and response to government campaigns will be evaluated using causal inference approaches

Hearing Loss in the Elderly: A Proposal for Intervention in Primary Health Care

To evaluate the performance of professionals regarding knowledge about hearing loss in the elderly, through theoretical and practical training by a speech therapist. An intervention study was carried out with 87 Primary Health Care professionals in a municipality of Brazil. A survey of the participants’ knowledge related to hearing loss was performed using a data collection instrument composed of items related to both sociodemographic conditions and specific questions concerning the topic. This instrument was applied in two stages: before training and after training. The participants’ performance in relation to knowledge about hearing health was estimated by subtracting the post-training score from that obtained in pre-training. Participants were classified in higher performance (≥4 points) and lower performance (<4 points) groups. Other variables were collected: sex, age, occupation, schooling level, and length of professional service in health. The performance comparison estimated mean and the 95% confidence interval were calculated by the aforementioned variables using Student’s t -test. A comparison of these variables with higher performance was conducted using the X 2 test with a significance level of 5%. After training, there was an increase in the average performance of about 30% ( p  < .01). The highest performance was more frequent among professionals who reported having high school and below levels of education ( p  < .01) and who were community health agents ( p  = .01). The performance of the professionals regarding their knowledge about screening for hearing loss increased. The training showed low complexity and was feasible for health professionals

Association between hearing loss and cognitive decline in the elderly: A systematic review with meta-analysis study.

ObjectiveHearing loss has been pointed out as a potential predictor for cognitive decline. This study conducted a systematic review to evaluate the scientific evidence on the association between hearing loss in the elderly and cognitive decline, as well as whether race/color influences this relationship.MethodThe search for studies was performed in the following electronic databases: MedLine/PubMed Web of Science, Scopus and Virtual Health Library, and MedRkiv up to August 2022. Studies with epidemiological designs that assess the association between hearing loss and cognitive decline in the elderly were eligible for inclusion. Three independent reviewers performed the selection, data extraction and evaluation of the quality of the studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A meta-analysis using a random effects model estimated the global association measurements (Beta coefficient: β) and their 95% confidence intervals (95%CI), and the Higgins and Thompson indicator (I2) was also estimated to assess statistical heterogeneity among the studies.Results5,207 records were identified in the database surveys, of which only 18 were eligible studies, totaling 19,551 individuals. Hearing loss was associated with cognitive decline in the elderly, with statistical significance: β = -0.13; 95%CI = -0.23 to -0.04; I2 = 98.70%). For black individuals, the magnitude of the association increased: β = -0.64; 95%CI = -3.36 to 2.07; I2 = 95.65%, but it was not statistically significant.ConclusionThe findings of this systematic review showed the existence of a significant relationship between hearing loss and cognitive decline in the elderly, as well as signaling that among black individuals the magnitude of the association can be increased

Relationship Among Mothers' Glycemic Level, Periodontitis, and Birth Weight

BARRETO, Mauricio Lima. “Documento produzido em parceria ou por autor vinculado à Fiocruz, mas não consta à informação no documento”.Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2018-03-01T13:32:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Gomes IS Relationship Between Mothers’ Glycemic Level....pdf: 493798 bytes, checksum: 5ed09e3e3cc0524ca2269cb0870303ad (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2018-03-01T16:19:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Gomes IS Relationship Between Mothers’ Glycemic Level....pdf: 493798 bytes, checksum: 5ed09e3e3cc0524ca2269cb0870303ad (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-01T16:19:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gomes IS Relationship Between Mothers’ Glycemic Level....pdf: 493798 bytes, checksum: 5ed09e3e3cc0524ca2269cb0870303ad (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016Foundation of the State of Bahia, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, and Feira de Santana State UniversityFeira de Santana State University. Department of Health. Salvador, BA, BrazilFeira de Santana State University. Department of Health. Salvador, BA, BrazilFeira de Santana State University. Department of Health. Salvador, BA, Brazil / Federal University of Recôncavo of Bahia. Santo Antonio de Jesus, BA, BrasilFederal University of Bahia. Department of Medicine. Salvador, BA, BrasilFederal University of Bahia. Department of Preventive Dentistry. Salvador, BA, BrasilFeira de Santana State University. Department of Health. Salvador, BA, Brasil / Federal University of Bahia. Department of Preventive Dentistry. Salvador, BA, BrasilFeira de Santana State University. Department of Health. Salvador, BA, BrazilFederal University of Bahia. Department of Pharmacy. Salvador, BA, BrazilFeira de Santana State University. Department of Health. Salvador, BA, BrazilFeira de Santana State University. Department of Health. Salvador, BA, BrazilFederal University of Maranhão. Department of Dentistry. São Luís, MA, BrazilFederal University of Bahia. Department of Public Health. Salvador, BA, BrazilUniversity of Otago. Sir John Walsh Research Institute. Dunedin, New ZealandThe aim of this study is to determine the influence of glycemic level on the relationship between periodontitis and low birth weight (LBW). Methods: A case-control study was conducted with 372 females divided into cases (109 mothers of newborns with birth weight <2,500 g) and controls (263 mothers of newborns with birth weight ‡2,500 g). The birth weight of children was obtained from medical records, whereas information on sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health characteristics of the participants was obtained through an interview. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were measured, and probing depth, clinical attachment levels, and bleeding on probing were used to determine the periodontal status. Results were analyzed using logistic regression. Results: The likelihood of having children with LBW among the mothers with periodontitis was six times greater than that observed among mothers without periodontitis (adjusted odds ratio [ORadjusted] = 6.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.47 to 15.17), even after adjustment. There was also a strong, statistically significant relationship between periodontitis and LBW in both the normal glycemic–level group (HbA1c levels <5.6%, unadjusted odds ratio [ORunadjusted] = 8.30, 95% CI = 3.56 to 19.35) and the high glycemic–level group (HbA1c levels ‡5.6% and <6.5%, ORunadjusted = 5.73, 95% CI = 1.75 to 18.70). After adjustment for confounders, the magnitude of the association continued to be strong in the normal glycemic–level group (ORadjusted = 7.59, 95% CI = 2.7 to 24.28), an increase of 25% when compared to the main association measurement. In those with high glycemic levels (ORadjusted = 4.03, 95% CI = 0.81 to 19.96), the OR decreased almost 50%, and the association lost statistical significance. Conclusion: Periodontitis and glycemic levels appeared to have opposing influences on birth weight, with periodontitis being associated with LBW and the magnitude of the association being altered depending on maternal blood glucose level