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\n \n \n \nPosted 30/08/2023. This study by Makoto Saito and colleagues analysing 213 severe malaria cases in pregnancy at SMRU, MORU and OUCRU showed vital organ dysfunction led to high maternal and fetal mortality. In contrast, severe anaemia or hyperparasitaemia alone did not. This marked difference may explain the variation of mortality reported in the literature. Early diagnosis and treatment of malaria and anaemia in antenatal care should be promoted.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 05/09/2023. Arjun Chandna and colleagues show that a point-of-care test for the soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has good prognostic accuracy to predict oxygen requirement in patients presenting with moderate Covid-19 and suggest that suPAR should be explored for risk stratification of other infectious diseases.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 31/08/2023. Vendors at wet markets in Laos may be exposed to different zoonotic pathogens depending on the types of food they sell. A one-year serological survey by Matthew Robinson and colleagues identified that individuals selling vegetables, domestic farmed meat, or wildlife meat, were potentially infected by important bacterial pathogens associated with both farmed animals and wildlife.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 18/08/2023. Fever is a common reason to seek healthcare in Southeast Asia, and the decline of malaria has further complicated fever perceptions and actions taken. This mixed-methods study from 2019, on Thai-Myanmar border revealed diverse range of fever conceptions, symptoms and believed causes. Napat Khirikoekkong, Supa-at Asarath and colleagues mapped out context-specific healthcare seeking strategies and discussed its influencing key determinants.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 16/08/2023. Tools for safe community-based childhood pneumonia management are needed. Studies often do not include outpatients or consider whether laboratory tests add value to clinical assessment. Arjun Chandna and colleagues found that Angiopoietin-2 improved performance of a validated risk score (LqSOFA) to predict oxygen requirement amongst refugee children with pneumonia on the Thailand-Myanmar border.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 30/06/2023. Millions of affordable healthy homes are needed for the rapidly expanding population of sub-Saharan Africa. A pilot project in northern Tanzania demonstrates the potential of novel house designs to reduce infectious disease transmission in homes. Lorenz von Seidlein and colleagues describe the challenges experienced during the construction and initial evaluation of the novel homes.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 20/06/2023. The SEBCOV study reveals captivating insights into the Malaysian experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a nationwide Movement Control Order and a race to administer vaccines, Malaysians faced unprecedented challenges. Phaik Kin Cheah, Phaik Yeong Cheah and colleagues highlight the coping strategies, economic impacts, lifestyle changes, and evolving perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 16/06/2023. The decline of malaria in Southeast Asia means other causes of fever are increasingly relevant, but often undiagnosed. Deployment of novel point-of-care tests for acute febrile illnesses in primary care settings is feasible if tests are user-friendly, well-selected for local pathogens, accompanied by disease-specific education, and have simple management algorithms. By Thomas Peto and Bipin Adhikari
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\n \n \n \nPosted 09/05/2023. Implementation of evidence-based newborn care interventions in low-resource settings works! Very and moderate preterm neonatal mortality reduced by 68% and 53% between 2008-2017 in refugees and migrants. Find out how Ahmar Hashmi, Verena Carrara, Rose McGready and SMRU colleagues achieved this.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 08/06/2023. Richard Maude and colleagues investigated dengue in Myanmar, focusing on its epidemiology, association with climate, and short-term prediction. Dengue was observed to be widespread across the country, with an increasing spatial reach. Incidence was influenced by climate factors, but varied across different regions. Utilizing time series analysis, researchers also forecasted dengue incidence one month ahead at subnational levels. The findings highlight the potential of spatiotemporal modelling to quantify risk factor associations and generate short-term predictions, assisting in intervention planning.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 26/05/2023. In a recent study from Angkor Hospital for Children, Paul Turner and colleagues recruited over 2,000 Cambodian children with clinical pneumonia in the first three years following pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) introduction nationally. PCV13 vaccinated children were less likely to have severe presentations, i.e. x-ray confirmed or hypoxic pneumonia, compared to non-vaccinated children.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 23/05/2023. Napat Khirikoekkong, Supa-at Asarath, Phaik Yeong Cheah, and colleagues analyse how the socio-cultural norm of Arr-nar or Kreng-jai influences the research experiences of individuals taking part in research on the Thai-Myanmar border. Arr-nar (in Burmese/Karen) or Kreng-jai (in Thai) encompasses multiple meanings including consideration for others and graciousness.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 02/05/2023. The \u2018Antibiotic footprint\u2019 concept supports a global reduction in antibiotic overuse. In this paper, Direk Limmathurotsakul and colleagues describe \u2018antibiotic footprint calculator\u2019, an open-access, web-based application that lets anyone calculate how different individual decisions can reduce or increase their own personal antibiotic footprint.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 10/03/2023. Timo Tolppa and CCAA colleagues conducted a qualitative study across 4 South Asian countries to understand the implementation of a critical care registry, which is used to enable quality improvement and research. Implementation was possible due to motivated champions, a supportive community of practice and efforts to fit the registry with existing practice.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 07/03/2023. Understanding the Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity of vivax patients is critical for the appropriate choice of radical cure regimens for vivax malaria. Village malaria workers (VMWs) in rural Cambodia are frequently the first and only health care providers for malaria patients but lack G6PD diagnostics. Bipin Adhikari and colleagues found that after training VMWs can use biosensors to assess G6PD activity just as well as laboratory technicians.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 07/02/2023. Rachel Greer and team in Chiangrai, Thailand found that the challenges research participants face in their daily lives, such as, language barriers and limited access to healthcare can influence their experiences of taking part in research. Researchers need to be responsive towards these specific vulnerabilities in order to reduce the burdens and maximize the benefits of research for participants.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 14/12/2022. Malaria outbreaks can be driven by genetic selection rather than environmental or behavioural causes. Varanya Wasakul, Olivo Miotto and colleagues investigated a Plasmodium falciparum outbreak in Attapeu, Laos, in 2020-2021, using genomic epidemiology methods to elucidate parasite population dynamics, identify the outbreak\u2019s causes and reconstruct the origin of the circulating strains.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 22/12/2022. On Jan 27, 2022, WHO recommended a moratorium on the deployment of rectal artesunate suppositories for severe malaria and in doing so stopped the roll-out of a lifesaving intervention. The decision is based on data from a large demonstration project CARAMAL. Lorenz von Seidlein discusses the project and its consequences with two leaders of the project in a point- counterpoint published in the Lancet infectious Diseases.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 23/12/2022. December 2022 sees two notable anniversaries: the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Pasteur and the third anniversary of China's announcement of the COVID-19 outbreak. On these coinciding events, Phaik Yeong Cheah and colleagues reflect on past and current global challenges to bring epidemics under control.
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\n \n \n \nPosted 20/12/2022. G6PD deficiency is a major risk factor for severe neonatal jaundice among neonates born at the Thailand-Myanmar border. Early identification of G6PD deficiency can dramatically improve clinical care. In this study Germana Bancone and colleagues showed that a new point-of-care quantitative G6PD test used by trained midwives can reliably identify neonates with abnormal G6PD at birth.
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