What is the Zanzibari craftswomen's experience on eyeglass use, business challenges and solutions? Participatory action research using solicited diaries and listening workshop narratives.

Objective: To present older presbyopic Zanzibari craftswomen's firsthand experiences with the eyeglasses, the challenges they face in advancing their businesses and proposed solutions to these challenges.

Design: This participatory action research used solicited diaries, where 10 craftswomen documented their experiences with presbyopia correction for 6 months. The diaries were translated into English for qualitative content analysis.

Does electronic data collection perform better than paper-based data collection in health research fieldwork? A participatory action research in Zanzibar.

Introduction: Technological advancement in low-resource settings is opening the gateway to implementation of electronic data collection methods that improve data quality. We examined the concerns to use electronic data collection tool in Zanzibar, codeveloped a tool that addressed the concerns and evaluated the process and limitations of incorporating an electronic data collection tool aside from paper-based during a community-based study in Zanzibar.

Methods: The science of improvement Plan-Do-Study-Act model guided this mixed-method participatory action research (PAR).

Change in subjective well-being and the associated costs of a woman-targeted presbyopia correction programme among older craftswomen in Zanzibar: a cost-outcome and scenario analysis.

Background: A pilot eyecare programme aimed to address the urgent eye health needs of older Zanzibari craftswomen. We investigated the impact of correcting presbyopia on their subjective well-being (SWB) 6 months post-correction and assessed the cost-effectiveness of a women-targeted presbyopia correction programme.

Methods: This study involved Zanzibari craftswomen aged 40 and older with presenting and corrected distance visual acuity better than 6/12 in both eyes and were presbyopic.

Correcting near vision impairment and women's empowerment: a before-after mixed-methods study among older Zanzibari craftswomen.

Objective: To understand if presbyopia correction could empower older craftswomen entrepreneurs living in Zanzibar.

Design: Mixed-method, before-after intervention study.

Setting: Unguja and Pemba islands, Zanzibar.

Dynamic life cycle assessment of commercial and household food waste: A critical global review of emerging techniques.

DLCA has been applied to several food waste streams, however, to date no critical assessment of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) is available in the scientific literature. Accordingly, the present review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the available literature on DLCA and its application to Household and Commercial Food Waste (HCFW) by providing critical assessment and perspectives for future research. The Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO) framework for literature review was employed, with just 12 relevant studies identified between 1999 and 2022, highlighting a dearth of research on DLCA of food waste and the need for further research.

Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of Copper(II)-1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-pione Against Commensal Bacteria and Fungi Responsible for Vaginal Microbiota Dysbiosis.

The disbalance of vaginal eubiotic microbiota can lead to overgrowth of Candida species and bacteria responsible for aerobic vaginitis, activating inflammatory pathways. The presence of Trichomonas vaginalis, a sexually transmitted protozoan pathogen, can be a predisposing factor for disordering the growth of bacterial/fungal pathogenic species due to the increase in pH and reduction of eubiotic microbiota. Herein, we evaluated the effects of the potent trichomonacidal compound, copper(II)-1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (Cu-phendione), against pathogens responsible for candidiasis and aerobic vaginitis.

Peptidases Are Potential Targets of Copper(II)-1,10-Phenanthroline-5,6-dione Complex, a Promising and Potent New Drug against .

is responsible for 156 million new cases per year worldwide. When present asymptomatically, the parasite can lead to serious complications, such as development of cervical and prostate cancer. As infection increases the acquisition and transmission of HIV, the control of trichomoniasis represents an important niche for the discovery and development of new antiparasitic molecules.

The Anti- and Anti- Action of Copper(II) and Silver(I) 1,10-Phenanthroline-5,6-dione Coordination Compounds.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease caused by protozoa belonging to the genus. Notably, the search for new, promising and potent anti- compounds remains a major goal due to the inefficacy of the available drugs used nowadays. In the present work, we evaluated the effects of 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (phendione) coordinated to silver(I), [Ag(phendione)]ClO (Ag-phendione), and copper(II), [Cu(phendione)](ClO)·4HO (Cu-phendione), as potential drugs to be used in the chemotherapy against and .

Validation and Comparison of Nutrient Intakes from Two Dietary Questionnaires Developed for the Multiethnic Cohort Study.

Background: Quantitative food frequency questionnaires (QFFQs) are often used to measure dietary intakes in large cohort studies but the impact of updating these questionnaires over time is not often examined.

Objective: This study compared nutrient intakes estimated from two different QFFQs to each other and to intakes calculated from three 24-hour dietary recalls (24HDRs).

Design: This study used a cross-sectional design.

A protocol for the cultivation and monitoring of ileal gut microbiota surrogates.

Aims: This research aimed to develop and validate a cultivation and monitoring protocol that is suitable for a surrogate microbial community that accounts for the gut microbiota of the ileum of the small intestine.

Methods And Results: Five bacterial species have been selected as representatives of the ileal gut microbiota and a general anaerobic medium (MS-BHI, as minimally supplemented brain heart infusion) has been constructed and validated against BCCM/LGM recommended and commercial media. Moreover, appropriate selective/differential media have been investigated for monitoring each ileal gut microbiota surrogate.

Visceral obesity with and without metabolic syndrome: incidence and clinical impact in esophageal adenocarcinoma treated with curative intent.

Visceral obesity (VO) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are risk factors for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC); however, their impact on operative and oncological outcomes is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of VO and MetS among patients with EAC, and to assess their independent impact on operative and oncological outcomes. A total of 454 consecutive patients undergoing treatment with curative intent were studied.

Effect of the Rehabilitation Program, ReStOre, on Serum Biomarkers in a Randomized Control Trial of Esophagogastric Cancer Survivors.

Background: The Rehabilitation Strategies Following Esophagogastric cancer (ReStOre) randomized control trial demonstrated a significant improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness of esophagogastric cancer survivors. This follow-up, exploratory study analyzed the biological effect of exercise intervention on levels of 55 serum proteins, encompassing mediators of angiogenesis, inflammation, and vascular injury, from participants on the ReStOre trial.

Methods: Patients >6 months disease free from esophagogastric cancer were randomized to usual care or the 12-week ReStOre program (exercise training, dietary counselling, and multidisciplinary education).

Infrared Based Saliva Screening Test for COVID-19.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in an unprecedented need for diagnostic testing that is critical in controlling the spread of COVID-19. We propose a portable infrared spectrometer with purpose-built transflection accessory for rapid point-of-care detection of COVID-19 markers in saliva. Initially, purified virion particles were characterized with Raman spectroscopy, synchrotron infrared (IR) and AFM-IR.

Detection of MET Exon 14 Skipping Alterations in Lung Cancer Clinical Samples Using a PCR-Based Approach.

The receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) c-MET plays important roles in cancer, yet despite being frequently overexpressed, clinical responses to targeting this receptor have been limited in the clinical setting. A singular significant challenge has been the accurate identification of biomarkers for the selection of responsive patients. However, recently mutations which result in the loss of exon 14 (called METex14 skipping) have emerged as novel biomarkers in non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) to predict for responsiveness to targeted therapy with c-MET inhibitors.

An assessment of contamination fingerprinting techniques for determining the impact of domestic wastewater treatment systems on private well supplies.

Private wells in Ireland and elsewhere have been shown to be prone to microbial contamination with the main suspected sources being practices associated with agriculture and domestic wastewater treatment systems (DWWTS). While the microbial quality of private well water is commonly assessed using faecal indicator bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, such organisms are not usually source-specific, and hence cannot definitively conclude the exact origin of the contamination. This research assessed a range of different chemical contamination fingerprinting techniques (ionic ratios, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, fluorescent whitening compounds, faecal sterol profiles and pharmaceuticals) as to their use to apportion contamination of private wells between human wastewater and animal husbandry wastes in rural areas of Ireland.

A study of the immune infiltrate and patient outcomes in esophageal cancer.

Objectives: Cancer patient outcomes and selection for novel therapies are heavily influenced by the immune contexture of the tumor microenvironment. Esophageal cancer is associated with poor outcomes. In contrast to colorectal cancer, where the immunoscore is increasingly used in prognostic staging, little is known about the immune cell populations in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and their clinical significance.

Late Pregnancy Vitamin D Deficiency is Associated with Doubled Odds of Birth Asphyxia and Emergency Caesarean Section: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the associations between maternal vitamin D status in late pregnancy and emergency caesarean section (EMCS) and birth asphyxia, in a population based sample of women in Sweden.

Methods: Pregnant women were recruited at the antenatal care in Sweden and 1832 women were included after exclusion of miscarriages, terminated pregnancies and missing data on vitamin D status. Mode of delivery was retrieved from medical records.

Screening the nose, throat and the naso-pharynx for methicillin-resistant : a pilot study.

Patients who carry nasal methicillin-resistant (MRSA) may also harbour MRSA in the oro-pharyngeal cavity. However, the naso-oro-pharyngeal co-carriage is infrequently assessed. The incidence of concurrent MRSA carriage of the naso-oro-pharynx was ascertained, and the sensitivity of two methods, a throat swab and a phosphate buffered saline (PBS) oral rinse, for MRSA detection was investigated.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) towards Diet and Health among International Students in Dublin: A Cross-Sectional Study.

International students may have difficulties in dietary acculturation. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of diet and health during the acculturation of international students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 473 international students in Dublin.

Verocytotoxin Escherichia coli-Associated Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome.

Aims To describe laboratory data on clinical human Verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) strains causing haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) and to characterise the VTEC strains, thus contributing to risk mitigation to decrease HUS incidence in Ireland. Methods Laboratory characterisation was performed on isolates from 52 VTEC-associated HUS cases identified in the National clinical VTEC Reference Laboratory (NRL-VTEC) for the years 2012-2014.

Pre-clinical models of small cell lung cancer and the validation of therapeutic targets.

: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive form of lung cancer that has a dismal prognosis. One of the factors hindering therapeutic developments for SCLC is that most SCLC is not surgically resected resulting in a paucity of material for analysis. To address this, significant efforts have been made by investigators to develop pre-clinical models of SCLC allowing for downstream target identification in this difficult to treat cancer.

Breastfeeding practices 2008-2009 among Chinese mothers living in Ireland: a mixed methods study.

Background: Migration to another country has a potential influence on breastfeeding practices. A significant difference in breastfeeding rates between Irish nationals and non-nationals has been reported. This study was conducted to explore breastfeeding practices of the Chinese in Ireland, one of the largest Irish ethnic groups, and to explore the influence of living in Ireland on breastfeeding practices.