tudy summarizes the epidemiological characteristics of 19 infectious diseases and indicates that the rigorous control measures for COVID-19 are also effective for majority of infectious diseases.

The importance of antenatal care (ANC) visits in safe motherhood and childbirth is well-documented. However, less is known how social determinants of health interact with ANC visits in shaping the uptake of professional delivery care services in low-income countries. This study examines the associations of ANC visits with institutional delivery care utilization outcomes in Afghanistan. Further, we assess the extent to which ANC visits intersect with education, wealth, and household decision-making autonomy in predicting two outcomes of delivery care utilization- delivery at a health facility and delivery assisted by a skilled birth attendant.

We used data from the Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey (AfDHS) 2015. The analytic sample included 15,590 women of reproductive age (15-49). We assessed the associations using logistic regression models, estimated the predicted probability of delivery care outcomes using statistical interactions, and presented estimates in margins plot.

Multivariable adjuststatus. The results have implications for promoting safe motherhood and childbirth through improving women’s social status.

Approximately half (55%) of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is known to show abnormal brain images, including high signal intensity in T2 or fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. In a minority of anti-NMDAR encephalitis cases, high signal intensity on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has been reported, a finding that is highly suggestive of a stroke.

We present the case of a 66-year-old man who experienced two separate focal seizure events, which involved first the right and then the left upper extremity in a short period of time. The patient showed focal clonic seizures involving right arm and hand, which sometimes evolved to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures on his first admission. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed high signal intensity on DWI and low signal intensity on the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map of the left caudate nucleus and putamen. The patient was discharged symptom-free with anti-epileptic drugs for 2 weeks. The second admission ocSF study could help rule out autoimmune encephalitis. We also suggest that DWI/ADC map images may be useful for the early detection of anti-NMDAR encephalitis.

Malaria during pregnancy is a major cause of maternal morbidity globally and leads to poor birth outcomes. The World Health Organization has recommended the use of insecticide treated bed nets (ITN) as one of the effective malaria preventive strategies among pregnant women in malaria endemic areas. This study, therefore, seeks to examine the individual and household factors associated with the use of ITNs among pregnant women in Ghana.

Data for this study was obtained from the 2019 Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey (GMIS) conducted between September 25 and November 24, 2019. The weighted sample comprised 353 pregnant women aged 15-49 years. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 22 using both descriptive and multilevel logistics regression modelling. Statistically significant level was set at p < 0.05.

The study found that 49.2% of pregnant women in Ghana use ITN to prevent malaria. Pregnant women aged 35-49 years (AOR = 3.403, CI 1.191-9.725), those with no formal education (AOR = 5.585, CI = 1.315-23.716 strengthening malaria prevention campaigns and develop new interventions to help increase ITN utilization among vulnerable population living in malaria- endemic areas.

Individual socio-demographic and household factors such as pregnant women’s age, educational level, place of residence, ethnicity, sex and age of household head, and household wealth quintile are associated with the use of ITN for malaria prevention among pregnant women. These factors ought to be considered in strengthening malaria prevention campaigns and develop new interventions to help increase ITN utilization among vulnerable population living in malaria- endemic areas.

Pregnancy nausea and vomiting (NVP) are associated with a wide range of physical and mental changes in the mothers and could affect their adaptation to pregnancy. There is a gap of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of a positive psychology approach counselling on improving coping patterns in women with NVP.

This study aimed to determine the effect of supportive counselling with a positive psychology approach on improving coping patterns in women with NVP.

The current study was a randomized controlled trial on 60 pregnant women who experienced nausea and vomiting in Zanjan a province in the northwest of Iran, 2020-2021. Using four-block random sampling, eligible women were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. According to the Seligman protocol, the intervention group received supportive counselling in six sessions of 45 min3 times a week. The revised prenatal coping inventory (Nu PCI) was used to collect data and analyzed using Chi-square, repeated measures ANOVA, and MANOVA at acal Trials website under the code IRCT20150731023423N17 . Registration date 2020-10-31, Expected recruitment start date 2020-11-01. IRCT Id IRCT20150731023423N17.

As a Neglected Tropical Disease associated with Latin America, Chagas Disease (CD) is little known in non-endemic territories of the Americas, Europe and Western Pacific, making its control challenging, with limited detection rates, healthcare access and consequent epidemiological silence. This is reinforced by its biomedical characteristics-it is usually asymptomatic-and the fact that it mostly affects people with low social and financial resources. Because CD is mainly a chronic infection, which principally causes a cardiomyopathy and can also cause a prothrombotic status, it increases the risk of contracting severe COVID-19.

In order to get an accurate picture of CD and COVID-19 overlapping and co-infection, this operational research draws on community-based experience and participative-action-research components. It was conducted during the Bolivian elections in Barcelona on a representative sample of that community.

The results show that 55% of the people interviewed had already undergone a previous T. cruzi infection screening-among which 81% were diagnosed in Catalonia and 19% in Bolivia. The prevalence of T. cruzi infection was 18.3% (with 3.3% of discordant results), the SARS-CoV-2 22.3% and the coinfection rate, 6%. The benefits of an integrated approach for COVID-19 and CD were shown, since it only took an average of 25% of additional time per patient and undoubtedly empowered the patients about the co-infection, its detection and care. Finally, the rapid diagnostic test used for COVID-19 showed a sensitivity of 89.5%.

This research addresses CD and its co-infection, through an innovative way, an opportunity of systematic integration, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research addresses CD and its co-infection, through an innovative way, an opportunity of systematic integration, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dietary related misconceptions during pregnancy affect the heath of mothers and their growing babies. Misconceptions vary from place to place and from community to community. Understanding of a given community’s food perceptions during pregnancy helps policy makers able to design cultural appropriate interventions. In Ethiopia, however, evidences on food beliefs and perceptions during pregnancy are limited. Therefore, this study is aimed at qualitatively assessing community food beliefs during pregnancy in rural kebeles of Ofla Woreda, Northern Ethiopia.

We conducted 10 in-depth interviews (n = 10) and four focus group discussions (n = 32) among purposively selected community groups including pregnant mothers, religious leaders, and elders in rural kebeles of Ofla Woreda, Northern Ethiopia. Data were transcribed word-for-word, translated into English, and uploaded into ATLAST ti version 7.5.1.6. Data were analyzed following the principles of thematic analysis. Line-by-line coding was applied to identify cious fasting and other misconceptions would lead to insufficient nutrient intake both to the mothers and their growing fetus. Culturally appropriate intervention to improve awareness on healthy dietary intake during pregnancy is needed.

This study explored misconceptions on food intakes during pregnancy. Positive attitude towards intake of „soft” alcoholic drinks might result in alcohol related teratogenic effects. Restriction on the intakes of nutrient rich diets due to religious fasting and other misconceptions would lead to insufficient nutrient intake both to the mothers and their growing fetus. Culturally appropriate intervention to improve awareness on healthy dietary intake during pregnancy is needed.

Globally, displaced populations face an increased burden of tuberculosis (TB). Uganda is currently hosting unprecedented big numbers of refugees from the East African region. Recent evidence shows increased spread of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) across East Africa as a result of migrants from Somalia- a high MDR-TB prevalent country, calling for urgent identification and management of cases for the countries in the region. One of the strategies recommended is optimization of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of TB in refugees. This study aimed at exploring the barriers to and facilitators for TB case finding and retention in care among urban slum refugees and suggestions on how to improve. This was to guide the development of interventions to improve TB case finding and retention in care among the said population.

A cross-sectional study utilizing qualitative methods was conducted among refugees in an urban slum in Kampala City, Uganda. Key informant interviews with health care workers and communityth workers. Identified intervention strategies included; education, training, enablement, environmental restructuring and persuasion. The findings could serve as a guide for the design and implementation of interventions for improving the same.

Childbirth preparation plays an important role in reducing maternal mortality and improving women’s childbirth experience. Evaluating childbirth readiness levels before and after interventions provides a basis for formulating more targeted and effective interventions. However, existing tools only assess partial childbirth preparation or have limited evidence of reliability and validity. The aim of this study was thus to develop a new instrument for use during the third trimester to comprehensively assess the readiness level of pregnant women, and test the scale’s psychometric properties.

The scale was developed through exploratory mixed methods including qualitative and quantitative phases. A literature review and in-depth semi-structured interviews were utilized to identify the scale items. A Delphi expert consultation evaluated the content validity. Psychometric testing was conducted in a convenience sample of 731 pregnant women in the third trimester (recruited from 3 tertiary hospitals in Hubei province in China).