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Stephen S Johnston,1 Brian Po-Han Chen,2 Pragya Rai,1 Philippe Grange,3 Harikumaran R Dwarakanathan,4 Tony Amos,5 Barbara H Johnson,1 Sudip K Ghosh,2 Noor Buchholz6 1MedTech Epidemiology and Real-World Data Sciences, Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ, USA; 2Health Economics and Market Access, Ethicon, Raritan, NJ, USA; 3Medical Affairs, Johnson & Johnson, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 4MuSigma, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India; 5Real World and Integrated Evidence Strategy, LCI, Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ, USA; 6U-Merge Ltd. (Urology for Emerging Countries), London, UKCorrespondence: Stephen S Johnston, Real-World Data Analytics and Research, Epidemiology - MedTech Epidemiology and Real-World Data Sciences, Johnson & Johnson, 410 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA, Tel +1-443-254-2222, Email sjohn147@its.jnj.comPurpose: This study describes the incremental healthcare costs associated with retreatment among adults undergoing ureteroscopy (URS) or percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for upper urinary tract stones (UUTS).Patients and Methods: The IBM® MarketScan® Commercial Database was used to identify adults aged 18– 64 years with UUTS treated with URS or PCNL between January 2010 and December 2019. Patients had 12 months of continuous insurance coverage before (baseline) and after (follow-up) the first (index) procedure. The primary outcome was total all-cause healthcare costs measured over the 365-day follow-up period, not inclusive of index costs. Generalized linear models were used to estimate the incremental costs associated with retreatment within 90 (early) or 91– 365 days post-index (later) relative no retreatment. The models adjusted for demographics, comorbidities, stone(s) location, treatment setting, procedural characteristics (eg, 1-step vs 2-step PCNL) and index year.Results: Approximately 23% (27,402/119,800) of URS patients were retreated (82% had early retreatments). The adjusted mean total cost was &dollar;10,478 (95% CI: &dollar;10,281—&dollar;10,675) for patients with no retreatment, &dollar;25,476 (95% CI: &dollar;24,947—&dollar;26,004) for early retreatment (&dollar;14,998 incremental increase, p< 0.01), and &dollar;32,868 [95% CI: &dollar;31,887—&dollar;33,850] for later retreatment (&dollar;22,391 incremental increase, p< 0.01). Approximately 36% (1957/5516) of PCNL patients were retreated (78% had early retreatments). The adjusted mean total cost was &dollar;13,446 (95% CI: &dollar;12,659—&dollar;14,273) for patients with no retreatment, &dollar;37,036 [95% CI: &dollar;34,926—&dollar;39,145]) for early retreatment (&dollar;23,570 incremental increase, p< 0.01), and &dollar;35,359 (95% CI: &dollar;32,234—&dollar;38,484) for later retreatment (&dollar;21,893 incremental increase, p< 0.01).Conclusion: Retreatment during the first year following URS or PCNL was needed in 23% and 36% of patients, respectively, and was associated with an economic burden of up to &dollar;23,500 per patient. The high rate of retreatment and associated costs demonstrate there is an unmet need to improve mid- to long-term results in URS and PCNL.Keywords: economic analysis, follow-up, kidney stone, post-procedure, urolithiasis

Land use and land cover (LULC) changes are one of the main factors contributing to ecosystem degradation and global climate change. This study used the Gontougo Region as a study area, which is fast changing in land occupation and most vulnerable to climate change. The machine learning (ML) method through Google Earth Engine (GEE) is a widely used technique for the spatiotemporal evaluation of LULC changes and their effects on land surface temperature (LST). Using Landsat 8 OLI and TIRS images from 2015 to 2022, we analyzed vegetation cover using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and computed LST. Their correlation was significant, and the Pearson correlation (r) was negative for each correlation over the year. The correspondence of the NDVI and LST reclassifications has also shown that non-vegetation land corresponds to very high temperatures (34.33°C–45.22°C in 2015 and 34.26°C–45.81°C in 2022) and that high vegetation land corresponds to low temperatures (17.33°C–28.77°C in 2015 and 16.53 29.11°C in 2022). Moreover, using a random forest algorithm (RFA) and Sentinel-2 images for 2015 and 2022, we obtained six LULC classes: bareland and settlement, forest, waterbody, savannah, annual crops, and perennial crops. The overall accuracy (OA) of each LULC map was 93.77% and 96.01%, respectively. Similarly, the kappa was 0.87 in 2015 and 0.92 in 2022. The LULC classes forest and annual crops lost 48.13% and 65.14%, respectively, of their areas for the benefit of perennial crops from 2015 to 2022. The correlation between LULC and LST showed that the forest class registered the low mean temperature (28.69°C in 2015 and 28.46°C in 2022), and the bareland/settlement registered the highest mean temperature (35.18°C in 2015 and 35.41°C in 2022). The results show that high-resolution images can be used for monitoring biophysical parameters in vegetation and surface temperature and showed benefits for evaluating food security.

The management of domestic wastewater and rainwater is a major concern for the population of Yopougon. The study presents the causes of wastewater discharge from dysfunctional sewers and their health impacts on the population. It also highlights the environmental and health risk associated with poor solid and liquid waste management. This was based on literature search, semi-participatory workshop, physicochemical and bacteriological characterization of wastewater and finally through a household survey. The field survey was conducted on 245 household heads obtained using the Canadian statistical guidelines. The results obtained indicated that all main pollution indicators were; total nitrogen (TN, 525 ± 0.02 to 3077 ± 0.3 mg/l), nitrates (NO3, 146 ± 0.01 to 1347 ± 0.12 mg/l), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD, 278 ± 195.16 to 645 ± 391.74 mg/l), chemical oxygen demand (COD, 940 ± 650.54 to 4050.5 ± 71.42 mg/l) and total dissolved solids (TDS, 151 ± 9.9 to 766 ± 237.59 mg/l) which were above the values recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Cote d'Ivoire national policy guidelines standards for the discharge of effluents into the environment. The analysis of the bacterial flora of the effluents revealed that the concentrations of Total Coliforms and fecal streptococci exceeded the values recommended by the WHO and national policy guidelines standards. This means that the populations of this area are prone to infectious diseases. Diseases such as malaria (84.53%), respiratory infections (61%), diarrhea (48.66%), intestinal diseases (44.5%), and typhoid fever (28.84%) were prevalent in the surveyed households.

In Cote d'Ivoire, the failure of urban sewage systems is a crucial problem for the drainage of wastewater and rainwater. This failure is due to many factors and therefore, calls for diagnostic studies. The present study aimed at analyzing these networks in order to identify the different factors that contribute to the operational and structural degradation in selected sewerage and drainage networks in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. The method used in the study involved semi-structured interviews, video camera inspection and socio-environmental field surveys (geographical survey and household survey), followed by descriptive statistics. The results revealed that many structural, environmental and behavioral practice contribute to the progressive degradation of urban sewage systems. These factors are essentially those that prevent the normal flow of wastewater in the pipes such as the illegal dumping of solid waste, the unauthorized connection of wastewater networks, unsustainable urban agricultural practices, as well as the high concentration of vegetation on both sides of the network and the dilapidated infrastructure of the wastewater and rainwater networks. It was found that these factors are at the origin of the clogging and degradation of the sewers since 85% of the residents used these sewers as a dumping ground for solid waste.

This study examines the collaborative approach in China-Africa satellite remote sensing initiatives based on solutions of satellite data acquiring, sharing and application experiences. It specifically addresses the data coverage requirements and current coverage scenarios of China's natural resources land satellites in Africa. By establishing the China-Africa Cooperation Centers on Satellite Remote Sensing Application, adopting a multi-level distributed technology center model, and implementing cross-continental remote sensing cloud services through an internet-based cloud platform, this initiative aims to enhance the direct utilization of satellite data in Africa. Furthermore, strategic satellite observation window designs tailored to seasonal changes have increased the frequency of valid coverage over the entire African continent to at least once a year. Such advancements pave the way for real-time monitoring applications, particularly in crucial areas such as sustainable development projects and disaster response efforts. Therefore, the study also provides some useful case studies that are anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater pollution is a major concern in Ghana, directly impacting human health. However, the underlying drivers of exposure and risks are not comprehensively understood, emphasizing the severity and impact of these diseases. This study assessed the interaction between water and human health, specifically focusing on the risk factors for waterborne diseases and the drivers of water pollution among residents near the Tano River Basin, Ghana. A sample size of 400 households was selected from five communities within the basin based on their proximity to the Tano River. In addition, the study combined both spatial and non-spatial data sources to map potential flood zones for the basin. The study found that inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene practices, and contamination from illegal mining were the primary causative factors of waterborne diseases. Additionally, floods and improper waste management significantly contributed to disease outbreaks. The flood susceptibility analysis indicated that areas highly susceptible to flooding cover 21.2% of the basin, predominantly in the southern part. The results highlight the urgent need for comprehensive interventions to address the drivers of waterborne diseases. This study will contribute to the local authorities in developing plans to prevent waterborne diseases and mitigate their economic and public health impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Mosquito biting rates and host preferences are crucial determinants of human exposure to vector-borne diseases and the impact of vector control measures. The human landing catch (HLC) is a gold standard method for measuring human exposure to bites, but presents risks to participants by requiring some exposure to mosquito vectors. Mosquito electrocuting traps (METs) represent an exposure-free alternative to HLCs for measuring human exposure to malaria vectors. However, original MET prototypes were too small for measuring whole-body biting rates on humans or large animals like cattle. Here a much larger MET capable of encompassing humans or cattle was designed, and its performance was evaluated relative to both the original small MET and HLC and for quantifying malaria vector host preferences. Methods Human landing catch, small human-baited METs (MET-SH), and large METs baited with either a human (MET-LH) or calves (MET-LC) were simultaneously used to capture wild malaria vectors outdoors in rural southern Tanzania. The four capture methods were compared in a Latin-square design over 20 nights. Malaria vector host preferences were estimated through comparison of the number of mosquitoes caught by large METs baited with either humans or cattle. Results The MET-LH caught more than twice as many Anopheles arabiensis than either the MET-SH or HLC. It also caught higher number of Anopheles funestus sensu lato (s.l.) compared to the MET-SH or HLC. Similar numbers of An. funestus sensu stricto (s.s.) were caught in MET-LH and MET-SH collections. Catches of An. arabiensis with human or cattle-baited large METs were similar, indicating no clear preference for either host. In contrast, An. funestus s.s. exhibited a strong, but incomplete preference for humans. Conclusions METs are a sensitive, practical tool for assessing mosquito biting rates and host preferences, and represent a safer alternative to the HLC. Additionally these findings suggest the HLC underestimate whole-body human exposure. MET collections indicated the An. funestus s.s. population in this setting had a higher than expected attack rate on cattle, potentially making eliminating of this species more difficult with human-targetted control measures. Supplementary vector control tools targetted at livestock may be required to effectively tackle this species.