Knowledge for democracy in Myanmar : final evaluation

This evaluation report describes the framework used to undertake the evaluation of the K4DM Initiative. Three key evaluation questions were answered, and conclusions and recommendations are provided

Hospital-based Diagnosis of Hemorrhagic Fever, Encephalitis, and Hepatitis in Cambodian Children

Surveillance was conducted for three clinical syndromes (hemorrhagic fever, encephalitis, and hepatitis) in Cambodian children admitted to the National Pediatric Hospital in Phnom Penh from July 1996 through September 1998. Acute- and convalescent-phase sera, and cerebrospinal fluid, when applicable, underwent diagnostic evaluation for infections with Dengue virus (DENV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and Hepatitis A, B, C, and E viruses. Of 621 children admitted with hemorrhagic fever, 499 (80%) were confirmed to have either primary or secondary DENV infection. DENV rates were as high as 10.6/100 hospital admissions in September 1998. Of 50 children with clinical encephalitis, 9 (18%) had serologic evidence of JEV infection. Forty-four children had clinical hepatitis, most (55%) due to Hepatitis A virus (HAV). One patient had Hepatitis B virus, and no patients had hepatitis C or E. This study identified a large number of children with vaccine-preventable diseases (JEV and HAV)

Final evaluation : knowledge for democracy in Myanmar

The needs of research systems in fragile contexts like Myanmar are particular and varied, requiring relevant, appropriate, and innovative forms of support that contribute to the system overall and do not adversely affect its development. Through its provision of capacity-strengthening support and mentorship to Myanmar individual researchers, universities, think tanks, networks, and certain state actors, K4DM substantively improved the enabling environment for research on gender, democratization, decentralization, environmentalism, and inclusive growth in a very challenging context

Formative evaluation at midterm of the knowledge for democracy Myanmar intiative - Amaltas

The Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar Initiative (K4DM) is a five-year initiative to redress the decades-long systematic underinvestment in research and higher education in Myanmar. This detailed mid-term evaluation (2019) reviews project aims: to strengthen local evidence-gathering and analysis in universities, think tanks, civil society organizations and government with a view to enhancing policy-relevant evidence generation; and to support the political and economic empowerment of women and men in Myanmar.Global Affairs CanadaCommerce et Développement Canad

Assessing depressive symptoms among people living with HIV in Yangon city, Myanmar: Does being a member of self-help group matter?

BackgroundWhile self-help groups have been formed among people living with HIV, few studies have been conducted to assess the role of self-help groups in mitigating depressive symptoms. This study investigated the association between self-help group membership and depressive symptoms among people living with HIV in Yangon, Myanmar.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, data were collected from people living with HIV at three antiretroviral therapy clinics in 2017. Multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out to examine the associations between having self-help group membership and depressive symptoms. Three ART clinics were purposively selected based on the recommendation from the National AIDS Program in Myanmar. At these clinics, people living with HIV were recruited by a convenience sampling method.ResultsAmong people living with HIV recruited in this study (n = 464), 201 (43.3%) were members of a self-help group. The membership was not associated with having depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98-2.59). Factors associated with having depressive symptoms were female (AOR 3.70, 95% CI 1.54-8.88) and lack of social support (AOR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.98) among self-help group members, and female (AOR 3.47, 95% CI 1.70-7.09), lack of social support (AOR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97-0.99), and internalized stigma (AOR 1.28, 95% 1.08-1.53) among non-members.ConclusionsThis study did not find evidence on the association between membership in self-help groups and depressive symptoms among people living with HIV. Social support was a protective factor against depressive symptoms both self-help group members and non-members, although the level of social support was lower among members than non-members. The activities of self-help groups and care provided by the ART clinics should be strengthened to address mental health problems among people living with HIV in the study site

Chemokine receptor-specific antibodies in cancer immunotherapy: achievements and challenges

15 p.-2 tab.The 1990s brought a burst of information regarding the structure, expression pattern, and role in leukocyte migration and adhesion of chemokines and their receptors. At that time, the FDA approved the first therapeutic antibodies for cancer treatment. A few years later,it was reported that the chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CCR7 were involved on directing metastases to liver, lung, bone marrow, or lymph nodes, and the over-expression of CCR4, CCR6, and CCR9 by certain tumors. The possibility of inhibiting the interaction of chemokine receptors present on the surface of tumor cells with their ligands emerged as a new therapeutic approach. Therefore, many research groups and companies began to develop small molecule antagonists and specific antibodies, aiming to neutralize signaling from these receptors. Despite great expectations, so far, only one anti-chemokine receptor antibody has been approved for its clinical use, mogamulizumab, an anti-CCR4 antibody, granted in Japan to treat refractory adult T-cell leukemia and lymphoma. Here, we review the main achievements obtained with anti-chemokine receptor antibodies for cancer immunotherapy, including discovery and clinical studies, proposed mechanisms of action, and therapeutic applications.Thework in the authors’laboratory was supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III(PI10/00594 and PI14/00703) and the CSIC(201320E109 and 201420E109), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad to Leonor Kremer.Peer reviewe