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Background: Lung health is a critical area for research in sub-Saharan Africa. The International Multidisciplinary Programme to Address Lung Health and TB in Africa (IMPALA) is a collaborative programme that seeks to fill evidence gaps to address high-burden lung health issues in Africa. In order to generate demand for and facilitate use of IMPALA research by policy-makers and other decision-makers at the regional level, an analysis of regional lung health policies and stakeholders will be undertaken to inform a programmatic strategy for policy engagement.Methods and Analysis: This analysis will be conducted in three phases. The first phase will be a rapid desk review of regional lung health policies and stakeholders that seeks to understand the regional lung health policy landscape, which issues are prioritised in existing regional policy, key regional actors, and opportunities for engagement with key stakeholders. The second phase will be a rapid desk review of the scientific literature, expanding on the work in the first phase by looking at the external factors that influence regional lung health policy, the ways in which regional bodies influence policy at the national level, investments in lung health, structures for discussion and advocacy, and the role of evidence at the regional level. The third phase will involve a survey of IMPALA partners and researchers as well as interviews with key regional stakeholders to further shed light on regional policies, including policy priorities and gaps, policy implementation status and challenges, stakeholders, and platforms for engagement and promoting uptake of evidence.Discussion: Health policy analysis provides insights into power dynamics and the political nature of the prioritisation of health issues, which are often overlooked. In order to ensure the uptake of new knowledge and evidence generated by IMPALA, it is important to consider these complex factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the U.S. there is an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs). One of the most prevalent STIs is the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Certain high risk strains of HPV are believed to cause virtually all cervical cancers, over 90% of anal cancers, 70% of oropharyngeal cancers, and the majority of anal genital warts. HPV is preventable through vaccination and is available for both men and women. Several educational interventions have been employed, yet baseline awareness and knowledge related to HPV and 9vHPV remains relatively low among young men. What is not known is the most effective method for providing HPV and 9vHPV information to young men. The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn from young men on how they would like to receive HPV and 9vHPV information. Men between the ages of 18–26 were invited to participate in the study. Ten focus group sessions with a total of 68 participants were conducted from three Midwest community colleges. Analysis resulted in themes related to STIs, HPV and 9vHPV knowledge, 9vHPV receipt, sexual health communication, and communication strategies. Findings suggest that there is not a "one size fits all" preferred communication modality. Recommendations for effective HPV communication include healthcare practitioner self-awareness, community environments where healthcare practitioners can engage in HPV related cancer prevention activities and advocacy for medically accurate sexual health education. Insight into the best way to communicate HPV and 9vHPV information to young men will lead toward improvement in health literacy around HPV, increased 9vHPV uptake, as well as effective health promotion and disease prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine surgical site infection rates before and after the addition of a closing protocol to an existing surgical site infection risk-reduction bundle used during cesarean delivery.Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study to review the association of a closing protocol with rates of surgical site infection after cesarean delivery. The closing protocol included fresh surgical instruments and physician and scrub nurse glove change before fascia closure. Surgical site infections were defined using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. Eligible patients underwent cesarean delivery at our institution from July 1, 2013, through December 31, 2015 (n=1,708; preimplementation group), or from June 1, 2016, through April 30, 2018 (n=1,228; postimplementation group).Results: The surgical site infection rate was 2.3% preimplementation and 2.7% postimplementation (difference 0.4%, 95% CI -1.6 to 0.7%]. The mean [SD] duration of the surgical procedure was longer postimplementation (59.6 [23.7] vs 55.6 [21.5] minutes; P<.001).Conclusion: Addition of a closing tray and glove change to our existing surgical site infection risk-reduction bundle was not associated with a reduction in the frequency of postcesarean surgical site infection but was associated with longer operating times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]