Yearly Archives: 2021

Clinical trials in a COVID-19 pandemic: Shared infrastructure for continuous learning in a rapidly changing landscape

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Clinical Trials

Clinical trials in a COVID-19 pandemic: Shared infrastructure for continuous learning in a rapidly changing landscape
Haley Hedlin, Ariadna Garcia, Yingjie Weng, Ziyuan He, Vandana Sundaram, Bryan Bunning, Vidhya Balasubramanian, Kristen Cunanan, Kristopher Kapphahn, Santosh Gummidipundi, Natasha Purington, Mary Boulos, Manisha Desai

 

First Published February 3, 2021; pp. 324–334

Higher COVID-19 mortality in low-income communities in the City of Cape Town – a descriptive ecological study [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]

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Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 5 Jun 2021]

 

Research Article metrics AWAITING PEER REVIEW
Higher COVID-19 mortality in low-income communities in the City of Cape Town – a descriptive ecological study [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
Hannah Hussey, Nesbert Zinyakatira, Erna Morden, Muzzammil Ismail, Masudah Paleker, Jamy-Lee Bam, Leslie London, Andrew Boulle, Mary-Ann Davies
Peer Reviewers Invited
Funder Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
PUBLISHED 04 Jun 2021

Advancing precision public health using human genomics: examples from the field and future research opportunities

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Genome Medicine
https://genomemedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles
[Accessed 5 Jun 2021]

 

Advancing precision public health using human genomics: examples from the field and future research opportunities
Precision public health is a relatively new field that integrates components of precision medicine, such as human genomics research, with public health concepts to help improve population health. Despite inter…
Authors: Megan C. Roberts, Alison E. Fohner, Latrice Landry, Dana Lee Olstad, Amelia K. Smit, Erin Turbitt and Caitlin G. Allen
Citation: Genome Medicine 2021 13:97
Content type: Opinion
Published on: 1 June 2021

Localisation and local humanitarian action

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Humanitarian Exchange Magazine
Number 79, May 2021
https://odihpn.org/magazine/inclusion-of-persons-with-disabilities-in-humanitarian-action-what-now/

 

Localisation and local humanitarian action
by HPN October 2020
The theme of this edition of Humanitarian Exchange is localisation+ and local humanitarian action. Five years ago this week, donors, United Nations (UN) agencies,  non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) committed within the Grand Bargain to increase multi-year investments in the institutional capacities of local and national responders, and to provide at least 25% of humanitarian funding to them as directly as possible. Since then, there is increasing consensus at policy and normative level, underscored by the Covid-19 pandemic, that local leadership should be supported.  Localisation has gone from a fringe conversation among policy-makers and aid agencies in 2016 to a formal priority under the Grand Bargain. Wider global movements on anti-racism and decolonisation have also brought new momentum to critical reflections on where power, knowledge and capacity reside in the humanitarian system. Yet progress has been slow and major gaps remain between the rhetoric around humanitarian partnerships, funding and coordination and practices on the ground.

Antibody Response to 2-Dose SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Series in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients

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JAMA
June 1, 2021, Vol 325, No. 21, Pages 2133-2218
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

 

Research Letter
Antibody Response to 2-Dose SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Series in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients
Brian J. Boyarsky, MD, PhD; William A. Werbel, MD; Robin K. Avery, MD; et al.
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2021;325(21):2204-2206. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.7489
This follow-up study measures the antibody response following the second dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine in recipients of solid organ transplants.

Overview of the Issue

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Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved (JHCPU)
Volume 32, Number 2, May 2021 Supplement
https://muse.jhu.edu/issue/44396

 

Table of Contents
Overview of the Issue
Kevin B. Johnson, Tiffani J. Bright, Cheryl R. Clark
…The importance of techquity—defined as the strategic development and deployment of technology in health care and health to advance health equity—was even more apparent after the events of 2020. COVID-19 upended access to care and illuminated the impact of structural racism as a cause for a widening gap of access during the pandemic. Black Lives Matter became more than a trending hashtag on Twitter, or a movement resulting in peaceful protests and calls for policy reform: it put additional focus on the issue of race as a social and not a biological construct and called into question the rationale for common practices in health care that were triggered by race. A notable example was the emerging realization that kidney function assessment was tied to race and hardwired into many of our electronic health records. The real-world evidence around our lack of techquity was incontrovertible.
This Supplemental Issue of JHCPU provides articles that describe challenges to techquity, frameworks to improve the role of technology in care, and examples of how technology can transform health, public health, and health care…

Pharmacoeconomics in Africa: needs, prospect and challenges

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Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice
https://joppp.biomedcentral.com/
[Accessed 5 Jun 2021]

 

Pharmacoeconomics in Africa: needs, prospect and challenges
Authors: Temitope Ben-Ajepe, Ifechukwu Benedict Nwogu, Damilola Quazeem Olaoye, Abdulhafeez Ayodele Mustapha, Theogene Uwizeyimana and Yusuff Adebayo Adebisi
Content type: Commentary
31 May 2021
Abstract
Africa as a continent has experienced a continuous increase in the cost of healthcare as its demands increase. With many of these African countries living below the poverty threshold, Africans continue to die from preventable and curable diseases. Population increases have led to an increase in demands for healthcare, which unfortunately have been met with inequitable distribution of drugs. Hence, the outcomes from healthcare interventions are frequently not maximized. These problems notably call for some economic principles and policies to guide medication selection, procurement, or donation for population prioritization or health insurance. Pharmacoeconomics drives efficient use of scarce or limited resources to maximize healthcare benefits and reduce costs. It also brings to play tools that rate therapy choice based on the quality of life added to the patient after a choice of intervention was made over an alternative. In this paper, we commented on the needs, prospect, and challenges of pharmacoeconomics in Africa.

COVID-19 vaccine passport for safe resumption of travel

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Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 28, Issue 4, May 2021
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue

 

Editorial
COVID-19 vaccine passport for safe resumption of travel
Androula Pavli, MD, FRACGP, DTM, PhD, FISTM, Helena C Maltezou, MD, PhD, DU
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 28, Issue 4, May 2021, taab079, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taab079
The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues despite the implementation of effective restrictive public health measures, including strict travel restrictions. In light of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19, ‘vaccine passports’, as a temporary recommendation will facilitate resumption of travel.

What can we learn from COVID-19 vaccine R&D in China? A discussion from a public policy perspective

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Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 28, Issue 4, May 2021
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue

 

Perspectives
What can we learn from COVID-19 vaccine R&D in China? A discussion from a public policy perspective
Yinglian Hu, PhD, Simiao Chen, ScD
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 28, Issue 4, May 2021, taab026, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taab026
Given China’s relatively weak innovative and regulatory capacity compared with developed countries, China’s progress on COVID-19 vaccines is especially impressive. We summarize three key lessons from China’s experience with COVID-19 vaccine R&D: (i) set strategic vaccine R&D goals and achieve broad consensus; (ii) strengthen coordination across government agencies and (iii) adopt the state-driven collaborative model.

A million-dose success for Nepal: insights from Nepal’s national vaccine deployment plan against COVID-19

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Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 28, Issue 4, May 2021
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue

 

A million-dose success for Nepal: insights from Nepal’s national vaccine deployment plan against COVID-19
Suraj Bhattarai, MD, Jaya Dhungana, MN
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 28, Issue 4, May 2021, taab027, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taab027

Making sound public health decisions for the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines

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Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 28, Issue 4, May 2021
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue

 

Making sound public health decisions for the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines
Priyanka, PhD, Om Prakash Choudhary,, PhD, Indraj Singh, MD
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 28, Issue 4, May 2021, taab031, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taab031
The universal mitigation of the pandemic triggered by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 relies on successfully implementing a fast-paced immunization program based on an efficient framework encompassing the in-field logistics of the vaccine distribution, coverage and efficacy. The forthcoming challenges and resolution plans for executing the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination have been comprehensively outlined in the present discourse.

What must be done to tackle vaccine hesitancy and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination in migrants?

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Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 28, Issue 4, May 2021
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue

 

What must be done to tackle vaccine hesitancy and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination in migrants?
Alison F Crawshaw, MSc, Anna Deal, MSc, Kieran Rustage, MPhil, Alice S Forster, PhD, Ines Campos-Matos, MD, PhD …
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 28, Issue 4, May 2021, taab048, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taab048
Migrants have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and emerging evidence suggests they may face barriers to COVID-19 vaccination. Participatory approaches and engagement strategies are urgently needed to strengthen uptake, alongside innovative delivery mechanisms and sharing of best practice, to ensure migrants are better consider within countries’ existing vaccine priority structures.

Inactivated COVID-19 vaccine BBV152/COVAXIN effectively neutralizes recently emerged B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2

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Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 28, Issue 4, May 2021
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue

 

Inactivated COVID-19 vaccine BBV152/COVAXIN effectively neutralizes recently emerged B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2
Gajanan N Sapkal, PhD, Pragya D Yadav, PhD, Raches Ella, MS, Gururaj R Deshpande, PhD, Rima R Sahay, MD …
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 28, Issue 4, May 2021, taab051,

Changes in the incidence of invasive disease due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis during the COVID-19 pandemic in 26 countries and territories in the Invasive Respiratory Infection Surveillance Initiative: a prospective analysis of surveillance data

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Lancet Digital Health
Jun 2021 Volume 3 Number 6 e330-e407
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landig/issue/current

 

Articles
Changes in the incidence of invasive disease due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis during the COVID-19 pandemic in 26 countries and territories in the Invasive Respiratory Infection Surveillance Initiative: a prospective analysis of surveillance data
Angela B Brueggemann, et al

Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) in healthy adults aged 60 years and older: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1/2 clinical trial

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Lancet Infectious Diseases
Jun 2021 Volume 21 Number 6 p743-888, e141-e181
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

 

Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) in healthy adults aged 60 years and older: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1/2 clinical trial
Zhiwei Wu, et al.

Immunogenicity and safety of a novel ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in healthy infants in The Gambia: a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial

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Lancet Infectious Diseases
Jun 2021 Volume 21 Number 6 p743-888, e141-e181
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

 

Immunogenicity and safety of a novel ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in healthy infants in The Gambia: a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial
Ed Clarke, et al.
Open Access

Effects of different types of written vaccination information on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK (OCEANS-III): a single-blind, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial

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Lancet Public Health
Jun 2021 Volume 6 Number 6 e346-e433
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/issue/current

 

Articles
Effects of different types of written vaccination information on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK (OCEANS-III): a single-blind, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial
Daniel Freeman, et al.

A global public health convention for the 21st century

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Lancet Public Health
Jun 2021 Volume 6 Number 6 e346-e433
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/issue/current

 

Health Policy
A global public health convention for the 21st century
Johnathan H Duff, et al
Summary
As shown by COVID-19, infectious diseases with a pandemic potential present a grave threat to health and wellbeing. Although the International Health Regulations provide a framework of binding legal obligations for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, many countries do not comply with these regulations. There is a need for a renewed framework for global collective action that ensures conformity with international regulations and promotes effective prevention and response to pandemic infectious diseases. This Health Policy identifies the necessary characteristics for a new global public health security convention designed to optimise prevention, preparedness, and response to pandemic infectious diseases. We propose ten recommendations to strengthen global public health governance and promote compliance with global health security regulations. Recommendations for a new global public health security convention include greater authority for a global governing body, an improved ability to respond to pandemics, an objective evaluation system for national core public health capacities, more effective enforcement mechanisms, independent and sustainable funding, representativeness, and investment from multiple sectors, among others. The next steps to achieve these recommendations include assembling an invested alliance, specifying the operational structures of a global public health security system, and overcoming barriers such as insufficient political will, scarcity of resources, and individual national interests.

Will SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern affect the promise of vaccines?

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Nature Reviews Immunology
Volume 21 Issue 6, June 2021
https://www.nature.com/nri/volumes/21/issues/6

 

Comment | 29 April 2021
Will SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern affect the promise of vaccines?
This Comment discusses how the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern could impact on the hopes of long-term pandemic control through vaccination and the mutations that might be relevant to the design of modified vaccines.
Ravindra K. Gupta

Prospects for durable immune control of SARS-CoV-2 and prevention of reinfection

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Nature Reviews Immunology
Volume 21 Issue 6, June 2021
https://www.nature.com/nri/volumes/21/issues/6

 

Perspective | 29 April 2021
Prospects for durable immune control of SARS-CoV-2 and prevention of reinfection
The duration of immunity to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from prior infection and longer-term risk of reinfection are currently unclear. Cromer and colleagues discuss the immune control of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the implications of this for the future control of the pandemic.
Deborah Cromer, Jennifer A. Juno, Miles P. Davenport

ENABLE: an engine for European antibacterial drug discovery and development

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Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Volume 20 Issue 6, June 2021
https://www.nature.com/nrd/volumes/20/issues/6

 

Comment | 04 May 2021
ENABLE: an engine for European antibacterial drug discovery and development
ENABLE is an antibacterial drug discovery and development consortium formed as a public–private partnership in 2014 as part of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) New Drugs for Bad Bugs (ND4BB) programme. With the project soon ending, here we provide a brief overview and reflect on its achievements, strengths and weaknesses.
Marie Olliver, Laura Griestop, Anders Karlén

Emerging concepts in the science of vaccine adjuvants

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Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Volume 20 Issue 6, June 2021
https://www.nature.com/nrd/volumes/20/issues/6

 

Review Article | 06 April 2021
Emerging concepts in the science of vaccine adjuvants
This Review discusses how recent advances in understanding the activation of the innate immune system are shedding light on the immunological mechanisms of action of adjuvants and highlights how systems-based approaches are beginning to revitalize adjuvant design and development.
Bali Pulendran, Prabhu S. Arunachalam, Derek T. O’Hagan

Global economic costs due to vivax malaria and the potential impact of its radical cure: A modelling study

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PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 5 Jun 2021)

 

Global economic costs due to vivax malaria and the potential impact of its radical cure: A modelling study
Angela Devine, Katherine E. Battle, Niamh Meagher, Rosalind E. Howes, Saber Dini, Peter W. Gething, Julie A. Simpson, Ric N. Price, Yoel Lubell
Research Article | published 01 Jun 2021 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003614

In science we (should) trust: Expectations and compliance across nine countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 5 Jun 2021]

 

In science we (should) trust: Expectations and compliance across nine countries during the COVID-19 pandemic
Cristina Bicchieri, Enrique Fatas, Abraham Aldama, Andrés Casas, Ishwari Deshpande, Mariagiulia Lauro, Cristina Parilli, Max Spohn, Paula Pereira, Ruiling Wen
Research Article | published 04 Jun 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252892

Influenza vaccine community outreach: Leveraging an interprofessional healthcare student workforce to immunize marginalized populations

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Preventive Medicine
Volume 147 June 2021
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/preventive-medicine/vol/147/suppl/C

 

Research article only
Influenza vaccine community outreach: Leveraging an interprofessional healthcare student workforce to immunize marginalized populations
Sarah H. Brown, Emilie L. Fisher, Alexandra Q. Taylor, Kevin E. Neuzil, … Robert F. Miller
Article 106460

Links between conspiracy beliefs, vaccine knowledge, and trust: Anti-vaccine behavior of Serbian adults

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Social Science & Medicine
Volume 277 May 2021
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/social-science-and-medicine/vol/277/suppl/C

 

Research article Abstract only
Links between conspiracy beliefs, vaccine knowledge, and trust: Anti-vaccine behavior of Serbian adults
J. Milošević Đorđević, S. Mari, M. Vdović, A. Milošević
Article 113930

Global, regional and national disability-adjusted life years due to HIV from 1990 to 2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

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Tropical Medicine & International Health
Volume 26, Issue 6 Pages: i-iv, 609-714 June 2021
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/13653156/current

 

Original Research Papers
Global, regional and national disability-adjusted life years due to HIV from 1990 to 2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Jiayuan Wu, Tianwen Lai, Huanqin Han, Jie Liu, Shuangmiao Wang, Jun Lyu
Pages: 610-620
First Published: 27 February 2021