Quaternized Cyclodextrin Grafted Chitosan Associated With High Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid Nanoparticles For Cosmetics

An excellent moisturizer, hyaluronic acid (HA(, provides biocompatibility and viscoelastic properties that is extensively utilized in cosmetics. High molecular weight HA (HMW-HA, 1.2 MDa( is a typical used form, however its benefits is limited due to its large molecule. In our previous study, the association with quaternized cyclodextrin grafted chitosan (QCD-g-CS( can improve skin penetration and provide positive charge promoting skin adhesion. Thus, the purpose of this study was to produce and characterize HMW-HA associated QCD-g-CS nanoparticles for cosmetic utilization. The HMW-HA nanoparticles (0.01 HA per 1 QCD-g-CS mole ratio( was the best formula with low particles size (348.20 ± 8.67 nm(, narrow polydispersity index (0.083 ± 0.02(and positive zeta potential (16.00 ± 0.36 mV(. The association efficiency and loading efficiency were analyzed by UPLC and shown to be 82.64 ± 0.39% and 20.09 ± 0.57%, respectively. The conjugation between carboxylic moieties of HMW-HA and amide of QCD-g-CS was confirmed by FTIR. The TEM imaging showed the spherical morphology of these nanoparticles. According to cytotoxicity test, these nanoparticles (0.01 to 0.10 mg/ml( were safe in human skin fibroblasts

Identifying malaria transmission foci for elimination using human mobility data

Humans move frequently and tend to carry parasites among areas with endemic malaria and into areas where local transmission is unsustainable. Human-mediated parasite mobility can thus sustain parasite populations in areas where they would otherwise be absent. Data describing human mobility and malaria epidemiology can help classify landscapes into parasite demographic sources and sinks, ecological concepts that have parallels in malaria control discussions of transmission foci. By linking transmission to parasite flow, it is possible to stratify landscapes for malaria control and elimination, as sources are disproportionately important to the regional persistence of malaria parasites. Here, we identify putative malaria sources and sinks for pre-elimination Namibia using malaria parasite rate (PR) maps and call data records from mobile phones, using a steady-state analysis of a malaria transmission model to infer where infections most likely occurred. We also examined how the landscape of transmission and burden changed from the pre-elimination setting by comparing the location and extent of predicted pre-elimination transmission foci with modeled incidence for 2009. This comparison suggests that while transmission was spatially focal pre-elimination, the spatial distribution of cases changed as burden declined. The changing spatial distribution of burden could be due to importation, with cases focused around importation hotspots, or due to heterogeneous application of elimination effort. While this framework is an important step towards understanding progressive changes in malaria distribution and the role of subnational transmission dynamics in a policy-relevant way, future work should account for international parasite movement, utilize real time surveillance data, and relax the steady state assumption required by the presented model

Mapping adolescent first births within three east African countries using data from Demographic and Health Surveys: exploring geospatial methods to inform policy

Background: Early adolescent pregnancy presents a major barrier to the health and wellbeing of young women and their children. Previous studies suggest geographic heterogeneity in adolescent births, with clear “hot spots” experiencing very high prevalence of teenage pregnancy. As the reduction of adolescent pregnancy is a priority in many countries, further detailed information of the geographical areas where they most commonly occur is of value to national and district level policy makers. The aim of this study is to develop a comprehensive assessment of the geographical distribution of adolescent first births in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania using Demographic and Household (DHS) data using descriptive, spatial analysis and spatial modelling methods.Methods: The most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) among women aged 20 to 29 in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda were utilised. Analyses were carried out on first births occurring before the age of 20 years, but were disaggregated in to three age groups: &lt;16, 16/17 and 18/19 years. In addition to basic descriptive choropleths, prevalence maps were created from the GPS-located cluster data utilising adaptive bandwidth kernel density estimates. To map adolescent first birth at district level with estimates of uncertainty, a Bayesian hierarchical regression modelling approach was used, employing the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) technique.Results: The findings show marked geographic heterogeneity among adolescent first births, particularly among those under 16 years. Disparities are greater in Kenya and Uganda than Tanzania. The INLA analysis which produces estimates from smaller areas suggest “pockets” of high prevalence of first births, with marked differences between neighbouring districts. Many of these high prevalence areas can be linked with underlying poverty.Conclusions: There is marked geographic heterogeneity in the prevalence of adolescent first births in East Africa, particularly in the youngest age groups. Geospatial techniques can identify these inequalities and provide policy-makers with the information needed to target areas of high prevalence and focus scarce resources where they are most needed.<br/

Activity-specific mobility of adults in a rural region of western Kenya

Improving rural household access to resources such as markets, schools and healthcare can help alleviate poverty in low-income settings. Current models of geographic accessibility to various resources rarely take individual variation into account due to a lack of appropriate data, yet understanding mobility at an individual level is key to knowing how people access their local resources. Our study used both an activity-specific survey and GPS trackers to evaluate how adults in a rural area of western Kenya accessed local resources. We calculated the travel time and time spent at six different types of resource and compared the GPS and survey data to see how well they matched. We found links between several demographic characteristics and the time spent at different resources, and that the GPS data reflected the survey data well for time spent at some types of resource, but poorly for others. We conclude that demography and activity are important drivers of mobility, and a better understanding of individual variation in mobility could be obtained through the use of GPS trackers on a wider scale

Making SDGs work for climate change hotspots

The impacts of climate change on people's livelihoods have been widely documented. It is expected that climate and environmental change will hamper poverty reduction, or even exacerbate poverty in some or all of its dimensions. Changes in the biophysical environment, such as droughts, flooding, water quantity and quality, and degrading ecosystems, are expected to affect opportunities for people to generate income. These changes, combined with a deficiency in coping strategies and innovation to adapt to particular climate change threats, are in turn likely to lead to increased economic and social vulnerability of households and communities, especially amongst the poorest

The Hitchhiking Parasite: Why Human Movement Matters to Malaria Transmission and What We Can Do About It

The failure of the Global Malaria Eradication Program (GMEP) during the 1960s highlighted the relevance of human movement to both re-introducing parasites in elimination settings and spreading drug-resistant parasites widely. Today, given the sophisticated surveillance of human movement patterns and key traveler groups, it is hoped that interventions can be implemented to protect and treat travelers, prevent onward transmission in low transmission settings, and eliminate sources of transmission, including sources of drug-resistant parasites

Hangover and Hydration Therapy in the Time of Intravenous Drug Shortages

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141258/1/jpen0921.pd

Geographic information system for improving maternal and newborn health: recommendations for policy and programs

This correspondence argues and offers recommendations for how Geographic Information System (GIS) applied to maternal and newborn health data could potentially be used as part of the broader efforts for ending preventable maternal and newborn mortality. These recommendations were generated from a technical consultation on reporting and mapping maternal deaths that was held in Washington, DC from January 12 to 13, 2015 and hosted by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) global Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP). Approximately 72 participants from over 25 global health organizations, government agencies, donors, universities, and other groups participated in the meeting.The meeting placed emphases on how improved use of mapping could contribute to the post-2015 United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agenda in general and to contribute to better maternal and neonatal health outcomes in particular. Researchers and policy makers have been calling for more equitable improvement in Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH), specifically addressing hard-to-reach populations at sub-national levels. Data visualization using mapping and geospatial analyses play a significant role in addressing the emerging need for improved spatial investigation at subnational scale. This correspondence identifies key challenges and recommendations so GIS may be better applied to maternal health programs in resource poor settings. The challenges and recommendations are broadly grouped into three categories: ancillary geospatial and MNH data sources, technical and human resources needs and community participation