Last data update: Sep 16, 2024. (Total: 47680 publications since 2009)
Records 1-9 (of 9 Records) |
Query Trace: Kassim S [original query] |
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Evaluation of the effect of targeted mass drug administration and reactive case detection on malaria transmission and elimination in Eastern Hararghe zone, Oromia, Ethiopia: A cluster randomized control trial
Abdelmenan S , Teka H , Hwang J , Girma S , Chibsa S , Tongren E , Murphy M , Haile M , Dillu D , Kassim J , Behaksra S , Tadesse FG , Yukich J , Berhane Y , Worku A , Keating J , Zewde A , Gadisa E . Trials 2022 23 (1) 267 BACKGROUND: Reactive and proactive case detection measures are widely implemented by national malaria elimination programs globally. Ethiopia decided to include Reactive Case Detection (RCD) and targeted Mass Drug Administration (tMDA) approaches as part of their elimination strategy along with rigorous evaluation. The purpose of this study is to compare the impact of RCD and tMDA on malaria elimination over the 2-year study period, by looking at the annual parasite incidence before and after the intervention. METHODS: The study will be conducted in the East Hararghe zone of Ethiopia. Malaria transmission in the area is low to moderate. This study will deploy a community-based, three-arm, cluster-randomized control trial implemented over 2 years. Forty-eight clusters (16 clusters per arm) will be selected based on the annual number of confirmed malaria cases seen in the cluster. All clusters will receive the current standard of care in terms of malaria elimination interventions provided by the national malaria control program. In addition, following the identification of malaria parasite infection, individuals who reside within a 100-m radius of the index case will receive a diagnosis for malaria and treatment if positive in the RCD arm or presumptive treatment in the tMDA arm. The primary effectiveness endpoint will be measured at baseline and endline for each intervention arm and compared to the control arm using a difference in difference approach. DISCUSSION: This randomized controlled trial will provide evidence of the impact of the proposed intervention approaches for malaria elimination. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04241705 . Registration date: January 27, 2020. |
Development of a pregnancy-specific referencematerial for thyroid biomarkers, vitaminD, and nutritional trace elements in serum
Boggs ASP , Kilpatrick LE , Burdette CQ , Tevis DS , Fultz ZA , Nelson MA , Jarrett JM , Kemp JV , Singh RJ , Grebe SKG , Wise SA , Kassim BL , Long SE . Clin Chem Lab Med 2020 59 (4) 671-679 Objectives Matrix differences among serum samples from non-pregnant and pregnant patients could bias measurements. Standard Reference Material 1949, Frozen Human Prenatal Serum, was developed to provide a quality assurance material for the measurement of hormones and nutritional elements throughout pregnancy. Methods Serum from non-pregnant women and women in each trimester were bottled into four levels based on pregnancy status and trimester. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods were developed and applied to the measurement of thyroid hormones, vitamin D metabolites, and vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP). Copper, selenium, and zinc measurements were conducted by inductively coupled plasma dynamic reaction cell MS. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroglobulin (Tg), and thyroglobulin antibody concentrations were analyzed using immunoassays and LC-MS/MS (Tg only). Results Certified values for thyroxine and triiodothyronine, reference values for vitamin D metabolites, VDBP, selenium, copper, and zinc, and information values for reverse triiodothyronine, TSH, Tg, and Tg antibodies were assigned. Significant differences in serum concentrations were evident for all analytes across the four levels (p≤0.003). TSH measurements were significantly different (p<0.0001) among research-only immunoassays. Tg concentrations were elevated in research-only immunoassays vs. Federal Drug Administration-approved automated immunoassay and LC-MS/MS. Presence of Tg antibodies increased differences between automated immunoassay and LC-MS/MS. Conclusions The analyte concentrations' changes consistent with the literature and the demonstration of matrix interferences in immunoassay Tg measurements indicate the functionality of this material by providing a relevant matrix-matched reference material for the different stages of pregnancy. |
Rollout of ShangRing circumcision with active surveillance for adverse events and monitoring for uptake in Kenya
Odoyo-June E , Owuor N , Kassim S , Davis S , Agot K , Serrem K , Otieno G , Awori Q , Hines J , Toledo C , Laube C , Kisia C , Aoko A , Ojiambo V , Mwandi Z , Juma A , Kigen B . PLoS One 2019 14 (9) e0222942 INTRODUCTION: Since 2011, Kenya has been evaluating ShangRing device for use in its voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) program according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Compared to conventional surgical circumcision, the ShangRing procedure is shorter, does not require suturing and gives better cosmetic outcomes. After a pilot evaluation of ShangRing in 2011, Kenya conducted an active surveillance for adverse events associated with its use from 2016-2018 to further assess its safety, uptake and to identify any operational bottlenecks to its widespread use based on data from a larger pool of procedures in routine health care settings. METHODS: From December 2017 to August 2018, HIV-negative VMMC clients aged 13 years or older seeking VMMC at six sites across five counties in Kenya were offered ShangRing under injectable local anesthetic as an alternative to conventional surgical circumcision. Providers described both procedures to clients before letting them make a choice. Outcome measures recorded for clients who chose ShangRing included the proportions who were clinically eligible, had successful device placement, experienced adverse events (AEs), or failed to return for device removal. Clients failing to return for follow up were sought through phone calls, text messages or home visits to ensure removal and complete information on adverse events. RESULTS: Out of 3,692 eligible clients 1,079 (29.2%) chose ShangRing; of these, 11 (1.0%) were excluded due to ongoing clinical conditions, 17 (1.6%) underwent conventional surgery due to lack of appropriate device size at the time of the procedure, 97.3% (1051/1079) had ShangRing placement. Uptake of ShangRing varied from 11% to 97% across different sites. There was one severe AE, a failed ShangRing placement (0.1%) managed by conventional wound suturing, plus two moderate AEs (0.2%), post removal wound dehiscence and bleeding, that resolved without sequelae. The overall AE rate was 0.3%. All clients returned for device removal from fifth to eleventh day after placement. CONCLUSION: ShangRing circumcision is effective and safe in the Kenyan context but its uptake varies widely in different settings. It should be rolled out under programmatic implementation for eligible males to take advantage of its unique benefits and the freedom of choice beyond conventional surgical MMC. Public education on its availability and unique advantages is necessary to optimize its uptake and to actualize the benefit of its inclusion in VMMC programs. |
Identifying and chronicling childhood lead poisoning prevention program achievements with "success stories"
Lockamy-Kassim E , Friedberg J , Newby C , Lecours C , Credle K , Leonard M . J Public Health Manag Pract 2019 25 S111-s114 Success stories showcase a public health program's progress toward achieving population health objectives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) develops "success stories" in partnership with state and local cooperative agreement recipients as one way to highlight lead poisoning prevention achievements. Success stories can be used to inform policy makers, stakeholders, and the general public. Over time, the process for collecting and developing CLPPP "successes" has evolved. Early efforts to collect success stories from funded recipients resulted in broad or unfocused reports that diminished the program's perceived impact. CDC's CLPPP revised the approach to success story development in order to better articulate the context, intervention or activity, and results related to programs' successes. The new approach results in stronger products ensuring that both CDC and program recipients can use the success stories to demonstrate achievement of key program objectives. We describe how success stories can be used to identify, chronicle, and mobilize public health program achievements using the example of lead poisoning prevention. Success stories allow programs to increase mission awareness, build stakeholder support, generate community interest, and collectively demonstrate progress toward meeting national program objectives. |
Combination of indoor residual spraying with long-lasting insecticide-treated nets for malaria control in Zambezia, Mozambique: a cluster randomised trial and cost-effectiveness study protocol
Chaccour CJ , Alonso S , Zulliger R , Wagman J , Saifodine A , Candrinho B , Macete E , Brew J , Fornadel C , Kassim H , Loch L , Sacoor C , Varela K , Carty CL , Robertson M , Saute F . BMJ Glob Health 2018 3 (1) e000610 Background: Most of the reduction in malaria prevalence seen in Africa since 2000 has been attributed to vector control interventions. Yet increases in the distribution and intensity of insecticide resistance and higher costs of newer insecticides pose a challenge to sustaining these gains. Thus, endemic countries face challenging decisions regarding the choice of vector control interventions. Methods: A cluster randomised trial is being carried out in Mopeia District in the Zambezia Province of Mozambique, where malaria prevalence in children under 5 is high (68% in 2015), despite continuous and campaign distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs). Study arm 1 will continue to use the standard, LLIN-based National Malaria Control Programme vector control strategy (LLINs only), while study arm 2 will receive indoor residual spraying (IRS) once a year for 2 years with a microencapsulated formulation of pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic 300 CS), in addition to the standard LLIN strategy (LLINs+IRS). Prior to the 2016 IRS implementation (the first of two IRS campaigns in this study), 146 clusters were defined and stratified per number of households. Clusters were then randomised 1:1 into the two study arms. The public health impact and cost-effectiveness of IRS intervention will be evaluated over 2 years using multiple methods: (1) monthly active malaria case detection in a cohort of 1548 total children aged 6-59 months; (2) enhanced passive surveillance at health facilities and with community health workers; (3) annual cross-sectional surveys; and (4) entomological surveillance. Prospective microcosting of the intervention and provider and societal costs will be conducted. Insecticide resistance status pattern and changes in local Anopheline populations will be included as important supportive outcomes. Discussion: By evaluating the public health impact and cost-effectiveness of IRS with a non-pyrethroid insecticide in a high-transmission setting with high LLIN ownership, it is expected that this study will provide programmatic and policy-relevant data to guide national and global vector control strategies. Trial registration number: NCT02910934. |
Low forced expiratory volume is associated with earlier death in sickle cell anemia
Kassim AA , Payne AB , Rodeghier M , Macklin EA , Strunk RC , DeBaun MR . Blood 2015 126 (13) 1544-50 Pulmonary complications result in mortality in adults with sickle cell anemia (SCA). We tested the hypothesis that abnormal pulmonary function was associated with earlier death. A prospective cohort of adults with SCA, followed in the Cooperative Study for Sickle Cell Disease, was constructed using the first pulmonary function test (PFT) at >21 years of age. Spirometry measures: FEV1, FVC, and TLC were categorized based on age, gender, height, and race. Pulmonary function patterns were categorized based on the American Thoracic Society guidelines using both spirometry and lung volumes. A cohort of 430 adults with SCA, mean age 32.6 +/-9.5 years at time of first PFT and a median follow-up of 5.5 years, was evaluated. A total of 63 deaths occurred in the cohort; 47% had normal, 29% restrictive, 8% obstructive, 2% mixed, and 14% non-specific lung function patterns. In the final multi-variable model, lower FEV1% predicted was associated with increased hazard of death [HR per %-predicted 1.02 (95% CI 1.00 - 1.04; p=0.037)], as was older age [HR 1.07 (95% CI 1.04-1.10; p<0.001)], male sex [HR 2.09 (95% CI 1.20-3.65; p=0.010)], higher lactate dehydrogenase levels [HR per mg/dl 1.002 (95% CI 1.00-1.003; p=0.015)], and higher acute chest syndrome incidence rate [HR per event/yr 10.4 (95% CI 3.11-34.8; p<0.001)]. Presence of obstructive (HR 1.18 [95% CI: 0.44-3.20; p=0.740]) and restrictive (HR 1.31 [95% CI: 0.64-2.32; p=0.557]) pulmonary function patterns were not associated with earlier death. Understanding the pathophysiology of a low FEV1% predicted in individuals with SCA is warranted, enabling early intervention for those at risk. |
Hepatitis E outbreak, Dadaab refugee camp, Kenya, 2012
Ahmed JA , Moturi E , Spiegel P , Schilperoord M , Burton W , Kassim NH , Mohamed A , Ochieng M , Nderitu L , Navarro-Colorado C , Burke H , Cookson S , Handzel T , Waiboci LW , Montgomery JM , Teshale E , Marano N . Emerg Infect Dis 2013 19 (6) 1010-1 Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is transmitted through the fecal-oral route and is a common cause of viral hepatitis in developing countries. HEV outbreaks have been documented among forcibly displaced persons living in camps in East Africa, but for >10 years, no cases were documented among Somali refugees (1,2). On August 15, 2012, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Nairobi, Kenya, was notified of a cluster of acute jaundice syndrome (AJS) cases in refugee camps in Dadaab, Kenya. On September 5, a CDC epidemiologist assisted the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its partners in assessing AJS case-patients in the camp, enhancing surveillance, and improving medical management of case-patients. We present the epidemiologic and laboratory findings for the AJS cases (defined as acute onset of scleral icterus not due to another underlying condition) identified during this outbreak. | Dadaab refugee camp is located in eastern Kenya near the border with Somalia. It has existed since 1991 and is the largest refugee camp in the world. Dadaab is composed of 5 smaller camps: Dagahaley, Hagadera, Ifo, Ifo II, and Kambioos. As of December 2012, a total of 460,000 refugees, mainly Somalians, were living in the camps; >25% were recent arrivals displaced by the mid-2011 famine in the Horn of Africa (3). Overcrowding and poor sanitation have led to outbreaks of enteric diseases, including cholera and shigellosis (4); in September 2012, an outbreak of cholera occurred simultaneously with the AJS outbreak. |
Interviewing key informants: strategic planning for a global public health management program
Kun KE , Kassim A , Howze E , MacDonald G . Qual Rep 2013 18 (9) 1-17 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Sustainable Management Development Program (SMDP) partners with low- and middle-resource countries to develop management capacity so that effective global public health programs can be implemented and better health outcomes can be achieved. The program's impact however, was variable. Hence, there was a need to both engage in a strategic planning process and collect useful data to inform the process. We therefore designed a qualitative evaluation and findings that emerged concerning our program’s contribution to individual career advancement and professional growth; the need for institutional support and a champion to move public health management capacity development efforts forward in low- and middle-resource countries; and interest in diverse professional learning opportunities contributed to program improvement and suggested new strategic directions for CDC's global public health management service delivery. Our inquiry provides a concrete example of how qualitative methods, specifically key informant interviews, can provide useful data for strategic planning within public health settings. It may be useful to readers who are interested in conducting strategic planning within public health and other related areas including health care, mental and behavioral health, and the social sciences. |
Development and application of a broadly-sensitive dried blood spots-based genotyping assay for global surveillance of HIV-1 drug resistance
Yang C , McNulty A , Diallo K , Zhang J , Titanji B , Kassim S , Wadonda-Kabondo N , Aberle-Grasse J , Kibuka T , Ndumbe PM , Vedapuri S , Zhou Z , Chilima B , Nkengasong JN . J Clin Microbiol 2010 48 (9) 3158-64 As antiretroviral therapy (ART) is scale-up in resource-limited countries, surveillance for HIV drug resistance (DR) is vital to ensure sustained effectiveness of first line ARV. We have developed and applied a broadly-sensitive dried blood spot (DBS)-based genotyping assay for surveillance of HIV-1 DR in international settings. In 2005 and 2006, 171 DBS were collected under field conditions from newly diagnosed HIV-1-infected individuals from Malawi (N=58), Tanzania (N=60), and China (53). In addition, 30 DBS and 40 plasma specimens collected from ART-patients in China and Cameroon, respectively, were also tested. Of the 171 DBS analyzed on the protease and RT regions, 149 (87.1%) were genotyped including 49 (81.7%) from Tanzania, 47 (88.7%) from China, and 53 (91.4%) from Malawi. Among the 70 ART-patient samples analyzed, 100% (30/30) Chinese DBS and 90% (36/40) Cameroonian plasma specimens were genotyped, including 8 samples with viral load <400 copies/ml. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that subtype distributions were as follows: C (34%, 73), B (17.2%, 37), CRF01_AE and CRF02_AG (11.2%, 24 each), A1 (10.2%, 22), unclassifiable (UC) (4.2%, 9). The remaining strains were minor strains comprised of CRF07_BC (2.8%, 6), CRF10_CD (2.3%, 5), URF_A1C and CRF08_BC (1.4%, 3 each), G, URF_BC and D/UC (0.9%, 2 each), and F1, F2 and URF_A1D (0.5%, 1 each). Our results indicate that this broadly-sensitive genotyping assay can be used to genotype DBS collected from areas with diverse HIV-1 group M subtypes and CRFs. Thus, the assay is likely to become a useful screening tool in the global resistance surveillance and monitoring of HIV-1 where multiple subtypes and CRFs are found. |
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