Validation of modified COVID-19 Phobia Scale (MC19P-SE) to examine the relationships between corona anxiety and COVID-19 symptoms: A case-control study.

Purpose: The main purpose of the present study is to validate the modified COVID-19 phobia scale (MC19P-SE) in Bangla and use it to identify the link between COVID-related anxiety and the onset of COVID-19 symptoms.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted in Sylhet, a northeastern district in Bangladesh, focusing on a population of 18 years or older. The MC19P-SE scale was used to gather data on coronaphobia among the respondents, and factor analysis was used to derive reliable factors.

Joint modelling of anthropometric child undernutrition indicators to identify their risk factors in Bangladesh: evidence from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019.

Objective: Stunting, wasting and underweight are the three widely recognised indicators of child undernutrition. This study aimed to simultaneously model all indicators while accounting for their association using a joint modelling technique to identify their risk factors.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study design.

Gut commensal Bifidobacterium-derived extracellular vesicles modulate the therapeutic effects of anti-PD-1 in lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Although immunotherapy such as anti-programmed death-1 and its ligand 1 (PD-1/L1) is a standard treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), many patients do not derive benefit directly. Several studies have elucidated new strategies to improve the antitumor immune response through gut microbiota modulation.

Adherence to Anti-Malarial Treatment in Malaria Endemic Areas of Bangladesh.

Ensuring adherence to antimalarial treatment is crucial for achieving a radical cure and elimination of malaria, especially in hard-to-reach areas. We conducted this study to assess the current scenario of drug adherence in four endemic sub-districts of Bangladesh. Among 110 enrolled participants, 70% were mono-infected with and the remaining 30% with .

Six-year trajectories and associated factors of positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia patients, siblings, and controls: Genetic Risk and Outcome of Psychosis (GROUP) study.

Positive and negative symptoms are prominent but heterogeneous characteristics of schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). Within the framework of the Genetic Risk and Outcome of Psychosis (GROUP) longitudinal cohort study, we aimed to distinguish and identify the genetic and non-genetics predictors of homogenous subgroups of the long-term course of positive and negative symptoms in SSD patients (n = 1119) and their unaffected siblings (n = 1059) in comparison to controls (n = 586). Data were collected at baseline, and after 3- and 6-year follow-ups.

Recent Global Trends in Vaccinology, Advances and Challenges.

Vaccination/immunization plays a key role in maintaining the optimum health of humans and animals where the prevalence of disease is high and treatment becomes less effective [...

Noise-robust text-dependent speaker identification using cochlear models.

One challenging issue in speaker identification (SID) is to achieve noise-robust performance. Humans can accurately identify speakers, even in noisy environments. We can leverage our knowledge of the function and anatomy of the human auditory pathway to design SID systems that achieve better noise-robust performance than conventional approaches.

Models for estimating and projecting global, regional and national prevalence and disease burden of asthma: a systematic review.

Background: Statistical models are increasingly being used to estimate and project the prevalence and burden of asthma. Given substantial variations in these estimates, there is a need to critically assess the properties of these models and assess their transparency and reproducibility. We aimed to critically appraise the strengths, limitations and reproducibility of existing models for estimating and projecting the global, regional and national prevalence and burden of asthma.

Health literacy of people living with HIV in a rural area in Indonesia: A cross-sectional study.

Indonesia, the fourth most populated country in the world, has experienced a fivefold increase in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-infected individuals since 2001. Little is known about health literacy in people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Indonesia. This study aimed to determine the level of health literacy among PLHIV in Indonesia and assess associations between sociodemographic variables, beliefs about medicines, stigma and health literacy.

Association of schizophrenia polygenic risk score with data-driven cognitive subtypes: A six-year longitudinal study in patients, siblings and controls.

Cross-sectional studies have shown that the polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (PRS) may influence heterogeneity in cognitive performance although evidence from family-based longitudinal study is limited. This study aimed to identify trajectories of cognitive function and assess whether the PRS is associated with baseline cognitive performance and predicted six-year trajectories. We included 1119 patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, and 1059 unaffected siblings and 586 unrelated controls who are eligible at baseline.

Higher educational and economic status are key factors for the timely initiation of breastfeeding in Ethiopia: A review and meta-analysis.

Aim: To investigate the association between initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour after birth (TIBF) and maternal educational status, paternal educational status, household income, marital status, media exposure and parity in Ethiopia.

Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, SCOPUS, CINAHL and WHO Global health library databases. All studies were conducted in Ethiopia and published from 2000 to 2019 were included.

Polygenic risk score for schizophrenia was not associated with glycemic level (HbA1c) in patients with non-affective psychosis: Genetic Risk and Outcome of Psychosis (GROUP) cohort study.

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a common comorbidity in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). The underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms are yet to be fully elucidated, although it can be argued that shared genes, environmental factors or their interaction effect are involved. This study investigated the association between polygenic risk score of SCZ (PRS) and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) while adjusting for polygenic risk score of T2D (PRS), and clinical and demographic covariables.

Immunogenicity, Safety, and Efficacy of a Standalone Universal Influenza Vaccine, FLU-v, in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: FLU-v is a broad-spectrum influenza vaccine that induces antibodies and cell-mediated immunity.

Objective: To compare the safety, immunogenicity, and exploratory efficacy of different formulations and dosing regimens of FLU-v versus placebo.

Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center phase 2b clinical trial.

Modelling the number of antenatal care visits in Bangladesh to determine the risk factors for reduced antenatal care attendance.

The existence of excess zeros in the distribution of antenatal care (ANC) visits in Bangladesh raises the research question of whether there are two separate generating processes in taking ANC and the frequency of ANC. Thus the main objective of this study is to identify a proper count regression model for the number of ANC visits by pregnant women in Bangladesh covering the issues of overdispersion, zero-inflation, and intra-cluster correlation with an additional objective of determining risk factors for ANC use and its frequency. The data have been extracted from the nationally representative 2014 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, where 22% of the total 4493 women did not take any ANC during pregnancy.

Creation of CRISPR-based germline-genome-engineered mice without ex vivo handling of zygotes by i-GONAD.

Methods to create genetically engineered mice involve three major steps: harvesting embryos from one set of females, microinjection of reagents into embryos ex vivo and their surgical transfer to another set of females. Although tedious, these methods have been used for more than three decades to create mouse models. We recently developed a method named GONAD (genome editing via oviductal nucleic acids delivery), which bypasses these steps.

Breast and complementary feeding in Ethiopia: new national evidence from systematic review and meta-analyses of studies in the past 10 years.

Purpose: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to provide a national estimate of breast and complementary feeding practices and its predictors in Ethiopia.

Methods: PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, CINHAL, Web of Science and WHO Global Health Library electronic databases were searched for all available literature published until April 2018. Observational studies including cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies were included.

Analysis for genetic loci controlling protoscolex development in the Echinococcus multilocularis infection using congenic mice.

The resistance/susceptibility to Echinococcus multilocularis infection in mice is genetically controlled. However, genetic factors responsible for these differences remain unknown. Our previous study in genetic linkage analysis has revealed that there is a significant quantitative trait locus (QTL) for the establishment of cyst (Emcys1), and a highly significant QTL for the development of protoscolex of E.

SystEmatic review and meta-aNAlysis of infanT and young child feeding Practices (ENAT-P) in Ethiopia: protocol.

Introduction: Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is the cornerstone of infant and child survival, healthy growth and development, healthy future generations and national development. In spite of the importance of optimal nutrition in low- and middle-income countries, there has been no review conducted in Ethiopia. Thus, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to estimate the national coverage and identify the associated factors of IYCF practices in Ethiopia.

Long-term course of negative symptom subdomains and relationship with outcome in patients with a psychotic disorder.

Background: The longitudinal course of the negative symptoms subdomains social amotivation (SA) and expressive deficits (ED) remains largely unknown. We investigated i) the longitudinal course of SA and ED subdomain scores, ii) whether subgroups based on the course of SA and ED subdomain scores could be identified, iii) whether baseline SA and ED subdomain scores were related to functioning and quality of life six years later and iv) the longitudinal relationship between subgroups and outcomes.

Methods: Measurements at baseline, three and six years from 1067 patients participating in the Genetic Risk and Outcome of Psychosis (GROUP) project were used.

Comorbidity of depression and diabetes: an application of biopsychosocial model.

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is one of the most psychologically demanding chronic medical illness in adult. Comorbidity between diabetes and depression is quite common, but most studies were based on developed country sample. Limited data exists to document biopsychosocial predictors of depressive symptoms in Ethiopian patients.

Cannabis and a lower BMI in psychosis: What is the role of AKT1?

Cannabis use has been associated with favorable outcomes on metabolic risk factors. The cause of this relation is still unknown. In this study we investigated whether this effect is mediated by the AKT1 gene, as activation of the related enzyme by cannabis may cause metabolic changes.

A Robust Speaker Identification System Using the Responses from a Model of the Auditory Periphery.

Speaker identification under noisy conditions is one of the challenging topics in the field of speech processing applications. Motivated by the fact that the neural responses are robust against noise, this paper proposes a new speaker identification system using 2-D neurograms constructed from the responses of a physiologically-based computational model of the auditory periphery. The responses of auditory-nerve fibers for a wide range of characteristic frequency were simulated to speech signals to construct neurograms.

Dynamics of Japanese encephalitis virus transmission among pigs in Northwest Bangladesh and the potential impact of pig vaccination.

Background: Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus infection can cause severe disease in humans, resulting in death or permanent neurologic deficits among survivors. Studies indicate that the incidence of JE is high in northwestern Bangladesh. Pigs are amplifying hosts for JE virus (JEV) and a potentially important source of virus in the environment.