Search

Your search keyword '"Leslie Roberts"' showing total 440 results
Start Over Author "Leslie Roberts"
440 results on '"Leslie Roberts"'

1. Learning from health information challenges in the Central African Republic: where documenting health and humanitarian needs requires fresh approaches

Author

Anna Kuehne and Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Special situations and conditions, RC952-1245, Medical emergencies. Critical care. Intensive care. First aid, RC86-88.9
Abstract

Abstract The Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the world’s poorest and most fragile countries. Maybe there is no nation on the planet where the official health statistics are so poor. Evidence presented in this Conflict and Health themed collection to document humanitarian needs in CAR, suggests that UN statistics dramatically under-estimate the birth and death rates in conflict settings. To be current and valid, health indicator data in violent settings require more frequent measurement, more triangulation and granular exploration, and creative approaches based on few assumptions. In a world increasingly dependent on model driven data—data often inaccurate in conflict settings—we hope that this collection will allow those service providers and researchers operating in CAR to share their work and help us better learn how to learn. We particularly invite research from professionals working in CAR that documents humanitarian needs and presents indicators of population health where official estimates might not articulate the true extent of the health crisis.

Published
2021
Full Text
View/download PDF

2. Surveys about attended births appear to be deceptive in CAR: are the population saying what they think NGO’s want to hear?

Author

Philippe Wol, Christina Kay, and Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Special situations and conditions, RC952-1245, Medical emergencies. Critical care. Intensive care. First aid, RC86-88.9
Abstract

Abstract Background Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and donors often promote certain practices to a community, such as in-facility births and then evaluate the efficacy of those interventions, in part, by surveying those populations. Methods A project to assess the accuracy of birth and death monitoring by local community-based monitors was undertaken with a partner health agency in areas (pop. 94,000) where they supported medical facilities. Thirty clusters of 30 households each were selected at random, probability proportional to size. Half of those households were enrolled for a monthly visitation surveillance process. To gain insights into the effects of the agency’s services, an additional 240 households were selected at random and interviewed from 8 nearby “matched villages” not serviced by any NGO as a comparison sample. Results The 896 households with 4243 living residents within the NGO service area were interviewed about household births and deaths within the past 8 months. They reported an annualized birth rate of 5.6% (95% CI: 4.5–6.7) with only 3% of those births occurring at home. The reported death rate was 4.2/1000/month (95% CI: 3.3–5.0). In the “matched villages,” the population reported a similar birth and death rate, but they reported 29% of births occurring within the home. The monthly surveillance data found over the year that followed that 32% of births occurred at the home. Clinic and hospital birth attendance data suggested an attended annual birth rate of only 2.8%, consistent with the surveillance data implication that a huge fraction of births occur at home. Conclusion It is believed that because the baseline interviews occurred with a stranger, this induced interviewees to say what they thought the interviewers wanted to hear. This calls into question the validity of household surveys when agencies have a known agenda or position, and highlights the need for external validation or triangulation of survey findings.

Published
2021
Full Text
View/download PDF

3. Estimating the size of the homeless adolescent population across seven cities in Cambodia

Author

Lindsay Stark, Beth L. Rubenstein, Kimchoeun Pak, Rosemary Taing, Gary Yu, Sok Kosal, and Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Homeless, Adolescents, Capture-recapture, Cambodia, Medicine (General), R5-920
Abstract

Abstract Background The Government of Cambodia has committed to supporting family care for vulnerable children, including homeless populations. Collecting baseline data on the numbers and characteristics of homeless adolescents was prioritized to illuminate the scope of the issue, mobilize resources and direct the response. Methods Administrative zones across seven cities were purposively selected to cover the main urban areas known to have homeless populations in Cambodia. A complete enumeration of homeless individuals between the ages of 13 and 17 was attempted in the selected areas. In addition, a second independent count was conducted to enable a statistical estimation of completeness based on overlap across counts. This technique is known as capture-recapture. Adolescents were also interviewed about their schooling, health and other circumstances. Results After adjustment by the capture-recapture corrective multipliers (range: 3.53 -27.08), the study yielded an estimate of 2,697 13–17 year old homeless adolescents across all seven cities. The total number of homeless boys counted was significantly greater than homeless girls, especially in older ages. Conclusions To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time capture-recapture methods have been applied to a homeless estimation of this scale in a resource-limited setting. Findings suggest the number of homeless adolescents in Cambodia is much greater than one would expect if relying on single count data alone and that this population faces many hardships.

Published
2017
Full Text
View/download PDF

4. Mental Health Courts

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology, HV1-9960
Abstract

Mental health courts (MHCs) are emerging as a critical element in the nationwide effort to counter overcrowding in the US prison system and more adequately address the plight of offenders who are diagnosed with a mental illness. The goals of MHCs, an example of problem-solving courts, are to improve the quality of life for those involved in the criminal justice system, link clients to community treatment resources, and reduce recidivism and crime rates in a more cost-effective manner than within the traditional criminal justice process. This article provides a brief history of MHCs, including the rationale behind their initial implementation, an overview of their clientele and process, a review of the role social workers play, arguments for and against their broader introduction, and specific research recommendations to better ascertain their current and future effectiveness. Although MHCs are still too nascent to draw broad conclusions about their rates of efficacy, early results are promising.

Published
2019

5. Mental Health Courts: An Interface Between Social Work and Criminal Justice

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Social service, Social work, Mental health, Criminology, Mental health courts, MHCs, Mental illness, Mass incarceration, Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology, HV1-9960
Abstract

Mental health courts (MHCs) are emerging as a critical element in the nationwide effort to counter overcrowding in the US prison system and more adequately address the plight of offenders who are diagnosed with a mental illness. The goals of MHCs, an example of problem-solving courts, are to improve the quality of life for those involved in the criminal justice system, link clients to community treatment resources, and reduce recidivism and crime rates in a more cost-effective manner than within the traditional criminal justice process. This article provides a brief history of MHCs, including the rationale behind their initial implementation, an overview of their clientele and process, a review of the role social workers play, arguments for and against their broader introduction, and specific research recommendations to better ascertain their current and future effectiveness. Although MHCs are still too nascent to draw broad conclusions about their rates of efficacy, early results are promising.

Published
2012
Full Text
View/download PDF

7. Lingering fever

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Multidisciplinary
Abstract

The battle against malaria in Africa has stalled. Can research in Mozambique explain why—and how to get it back on track?

Published
2022

10. Investigating the Neuroprotective Effect of Oral Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation in Type 1 Diabetes (nPROOFS1): A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

Author

Richard J MacIsaac, Jordan T. Kamel, Sabine Braat, Leslie Roberts, Laura E Downie, Jennifer P. Craig, and Alexis Ceecee Britten-Jones

Subjects
Adult, Male, medicine.medical_specialty, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Placebo-controlled study, Nerve fiber, Placebo, Gastroenterology, law.invention, Cornea, Double-Blind Method, Randomized controlled trial, law, Diabetes mellitus, Internal medicine, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Internal Medicine, medicine, Humans, Adverse effect, Aged, Type 1 diabetes, business.industry, Diabetic retinopathy, Middle Aged, medicine.disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1, Neuroprotective Agents, medicine.anatomical_structure, Dietary Supplements, Female, business
Abstract

This randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the effects of oral omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid supplementation on peripheral nerves in type 1 diabetes. Participants with type 1 diabetes were assigned (1:1) to n-3 (1,800 mg/day fish oil) or placebo (600 mg/day olive oil) supplements for 180 days. The primary outcome was change from baseline in central corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL) at day 180. Secondary outcomes included change in other corneal nerve parameters, corneal sensitivity, peripheral small and large nerve fiber function, and ocular surface measures. Efficacy was analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Safety assessments included diabetic retinopathy grade and adverse events. Between July 2017 and September 2019, 43 participants received n-3 (n = 21) or placebo (n = 22) supplements. All participants, except for two assigned to placebo, completed the trial. At day 180, the estimated increase in CNFL in the n-3 group, compared with placebo, was 2.70 mm/mm2 (95% CI 1.64, 3.75). The Omega-3 Index increased relative to placebo (3.3% [95% CI 2.4, 4.2]). There were no differences in most small or large nerve fiber functional parameters. Adverse events were similar between groups. In conclusion, we found in this randomized controlled trial that long-chain n-3 supplements impart corneal neuroregenerative effects in type 1 diabetes, indicating a role in modulating peripheral nerve health.

Published
2021

11. The Electrophysiological Findings in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 6: Evidence From 24 Patients

Author

Mahi Jasinarachchi, David J. Szmulewicz, WenWen Zhang, Linda Seiderer, and Leslie Roberts

Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty, Physiology, Neural Conduction, Somatosensory system, Impaired glucose tolerance, Polyneuropathies, Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory, Physiology (medical), Internal medicine, medicine, Humans, Spinocerebellar Ataxias, Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6, Aged, business.industry, Peripheral Nervous System Diseases, Middle Aged, medicine.disease, Sudomotor, Peripheral neuropathy, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Neurology, Somatosensory evoked potential, Spinocerebellar ataxia, Reflex, Neurology (clinical), business
Abstract

Purpose Peripheral neuropathy has been reported commonly in several spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) types. To date, there is a lack of robust evidence for neuropathy or neuronopathy in SCA type 6 (SCA6). Here, we aim to evaluate the presence of neuropathy or neuronopathy in a cohort of SCA6 patients. Methods Twenty-four individuals with genetically confirmed SCA6 underwent detailed neurophysiological assessment. This included nerve conduction studies, and in some, cutaneous silent periods, blink reflexes, tilt table tests, quantitative sudomotor axon reflex tests, and somatosensory (median and tibial) evoked potentials. Results Mean age was 56.1 years (range, 22-94 years) at the time of testing. Four patients were presymptomatic of SCA6 at recruitment. The mean disease duration of symptomatic patients was 11.9 years (range, 1-40 years). Most patients (79.2%, 19/24) had no neurophysiological evidence of a peripheral neuropathy. One with impaired glucose tolerance had mild, large, and small fiber sensorimotor polyneuropathy. One elderly patient had length-dependent axonal sensorimotor polyneuropathy. Two had minor sensory abnormalities (one had type II diabetes and previous chemotherapy). One other had minor small fiber abnormalities. Ten patients (41.7%) had median neuropathies at the wrist. All somatosensory evoked potential (15/15), and most autonomic function tests (13/14) were normal. Conclusions A large proportion of subjects (79.2%) in our cohort had no evidence of large or small fiber neuropathy. This study does not support the presence of neuropathy or neuronopathy as a common finding in SCA6 and confirms the importance of considering comorbidities as the cause of neurophysiological abnormalities.

Published
2021

13. How COVID hurt the fight against other dangerous diseases

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
0303 health sciences, 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak, Multidisciplinary, Battle, Tuberculosis, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), 030306 microbiology, media_common.quotation_subject, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), virus diseases, Criminology, equipment and supplies, medicine.disease, complex mixtures, Measles, Poliomyelitis, 03 medical and health sciences, Tuberculosis diagnosis, Political science, medicine, human activities, health care economics and organizations, media_common
Abstract

Campaigns to battle tuberculosis, measles and polio have all been set back. Campaigns to battle tuberculosis, measles and polio have all been set back.

Published
2021

17. Detecting subtle yet fast skeletal muscle contractions with ultrasoft and durable graphene-based cellular materials

Author

George P. Simon, Yilun Liu, Mark J. Cook, Kangyan Wang, Jefferson Zhe Liu, Leslie Roberts, Huichao Liu, Zheng Qi, Ling Qiu, Dan Li, Zijun He, and Stephen Jia Wang

Subjects
Multidisciplinary, medicine.anatomical_structure, Chemistry, Graphene, law, Biophysics, medicine, Skeletal muscle, law.invention
Abstract

Human bodily movements are primarily controlled by the contractions of skeletal muscles. Unlike joint or skeletal movements that are generally performed in the large displacement range, the contractions of the skeletal muscles that underpin these movements are subtle in intensity yet high in frequency. This subtlety of movement makes it a formidable challenge to develop wearable and durable soft materials to electrically monitor such motions with high fidelity for the purpose of, for example, muscle/neuromuscular disease diagnosis. Here we report that an intrinsically fragile ultralow-density graphene-based cellular monolith sandwiched between silicone rubbers can exhibit a highly effective stress and strain transfer mechanism at its interface with the rubber, with a remarkable improvement in stretchability (>100%). In particular, this hybrid also exhibits a highly sensitive, broadband-frequency electrical response (up to 180 Hz) for a wide range of strains. By correlating the mechanical signal of muscle movements obtained from this hybrid material with electromyography, we demonstrate that the strain sensor based on this hybrid material may provide a new, soft and wearable mechanomyography approach for real-time monitoring of complex neuromuscular–skeletal interactions in a broad range of healthcare and human–machine interface applications. This work also provides a new architecture-enabled functional soft material platform for wearable electronics.

Published
2021

18. Reducing glucose variability with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion is associated with reversal of axonal dysfunction in type 1 diabetes mellitus

Author

Mark J. Cook, Jordan T. Kamel, Margaret Loh, Leslie Roberts, and Richard J MacIsaac

Subjects
Adult, Blood Glucose, Male, 0301 basic medicine, medicine.medical_specialty, Physiology, medicine.medical_treatment, 030105 genetics & heredity, Neuroprotection, Young Adult, 03 medical and health sciences, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Insulin Infusion Systems, 0302 clinical medicine, Diabetic Neuropathies, Physiology (medical), Diabetes mellitus, Internal medicine, medicine, Humans, Hypoglycemic Agents, Insulin, Longitudinal Studies, Young adult, Glycemic, Glycated Hemoglobin, Motor Neurons, Neurologic Examination, Type 1 diabetes, business.industry, Electrodiagnosis, Middle Aged, medicine.disease, Axons, Subcutaneous insulin, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1, Neuroprotective Agents, Treatment Outcome, Cardiology, Female, Neurology (clinical), Hemoglobin, business, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Abstract

Introduction We assess whether improvement in control of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) can protect peripheral nerve function. Methods Twelve patients with T1DM treated with multiple daily insulin injections were assessed with nerve excitability testing prior to and 3 months after initiation of CSII. Results Although commencing treatment with CSII for 3 months improved mean glycosylated hemoglobin, it did not significantly alter nerve excitability or glycemic variability (GV). In four patients, some deterioration in GV was observed, while eight patients had improvement in SD and mean amplitude of glycemic excursions. For these eight patients, there was normalization of depolarizing and hyperpolarizing threshold electrotonus and recovery cycle superexcitablity. Discussion When CSII initiation is able to reduce glycemic variability in T1DM, reversal of axonal dysfunction is seen, likely due to normalization of sodium-potassium pump function and restoration of transaxonal membrane potential.

Published
2019

19. Small, furry and powerful: are mouse lemurs the next big thing in genetics?

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Male, Rainforest, Parks, Recreational, ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species, Animal Identification Systems, Lemur, Mice, 03 medical and health sciences, Atlases as Topic, 0302 clinical medicine, biology.animal, Genetics, Madagascar, Animals, Humans, Model organism, 030304 developmental biology, 0303 health sciences, Multidisciplinary, biology, ved/biology, Congresses as Topic, 030227 psychiatry, Evolutionary biology, Models, Animal, Female, Cheirogaleidae
Abstract

More-human than mice, the world’s tiniest primates may just have what it takes to become the next top model organism. More-human than mice, the world’s tiniest primates may just have what it takes to become the next top model organism.

Published
2019

20. Plan aims to slash toll from bacterial meningitis

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Multidisciplinary, Geography, biology, Agroforestry, Slash (logging), Toll, biology.protein, Bacterial meningitis
Abstract

New five-in-one vaccine could help end epidemics in Africa and cut deaths worldwide by 70%, WHO says

Published
2021

21. Taliban's rise puts polio eradication in danger

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Vaccination, Economic growth, Multidisciplinary, Afghan, Political science, Poliomyelitis eradication, medicine, medicine.disease, Polio Vaccination, Poliomyelitis
Abstract

The U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is imperiling the 3-decade global quest to eradicate polio. The Taliban, which now controls large swaths of the country, has blocked house-to-house polio vaccination in areas under its reign the past 3 years, putting up to 3 million children out of reach of the campaign. The Taliban may well wrest complete control from the Afghan government—which supports the eradication campaign—after U.S. forces are gone. But some inside and outside the Global Polio Eradication Initiative say a clear resolution to the conflict, regardless of who prevails, may actually aid eradication efforts. They hope the campaign will be able to work with the Taliban to keep vaccinations going if it consolidates power.

Published
2021

22. Placebo effect in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy: The PATH study and a systematic review

Author

Martin Stangel, K. George, Inna Rubanovits, A. Kutschenko, Michael Schroeter, Juliane Klehmet, Tsugio Akutsu, Robert D. Henderson, S. Mumfrey, Takuya Ohkubo, Helmar C. Lehmann, Mari Auranen, Paul Bassett, Giuseppe Lauria, A. Di Muzio, Kenichi Kaida, David Yarnitsky, S. Larue, R. Gold, Fabian Klostermann, Karissa L. Gable, Ivo N. van Schaik, Gens Sobue, A Schenone, U. Sorro, Jeffrey A. Allen, S. Attarian, A. Algom, U. Chyrchel-Paszkiewicz, J. Haas, Jens Ejbye Schmidt, I. N. van Schaik, Jasper M. Morrow, Ingemar S. J. Merkies, R. Carne, C. Marquez Infante, Michael P. Lunn, Khema Sharma, E. Chi Ho Lai, Billie L. Durn, Satoshi Kuwabara, D. Kramer, David Gosal, P. MacDonald, Janneke G. J. Hoeijmakers, Giovanni Antonini, Senda Ajroud-Driss, S. Muley, Takanori Yokota, Tim Hagenacker, Eroboghene E. Ubogu, M. Kawai, Maria Salvado, Jean Pouget, Mika Saarela, John T. Kissel, Alexander Shtilbans, K. Kanai, B. Murinson, Olaf Hoffmann, Claudia Sommer, Sandro Sorbi, P. Berlit, Norman Latov, Nora A. Visser, C. G. Faber, A. Wielanek, J. Demeestere, Ericka Simpson, Ginna Gonzalez, Konrad Rejdak, C. Casanovas Pons, Alessandro Testori, Orell Mielke, T. Kalous, Alexa Cleasby, Vera Bril, J. Sussova, D. Mueller, Katrin Gross-Paju, Dale J. Lange, Nicolette C. Notermans, Florian Then Bergh, R. Talab, Kazumasa Yokoyama, M. Zibetti, C. Trebst, Marina Grandis, Miriam Freimer, E. Delmon, David R. Cornblath, Masahiro Mori, H. Onoue, Richard J. Barohn, D. Liebetanz, M. Chatzopoulos, J. Oechtering, F. Ciccocioppo, T. Rao, P. Van Damme, A. Sabet, Takashi Kanda, J. Zschuentzsch, Hans-Peter Hartung, S. Benitez, D. Aufauvre, M. Bednar, M. Tomiyama, G. Le Masson, C. D'Amour, Richard A. Lewis, Anne D. Sperfeld, I. Melamed, Lisa D. Hobson-Webb, Stefan Blum, Dario Cocito, K. Nishiyama, Daniele Cazzato, F. Bethke, Toomas Toomsoo, Said R. Beydoun, Leslie Roberts, David Walk, Josep Gamez, Masahiro Iijima, A. Jaspert-Grehl, Israel V. Drory, P. Kunc, John-Philip Lawo, C. Goerlitz, H. Johl, R. Yoon, Daniela M. Menichella, T. Lavin, Stefania Morino, K. Ohyama, Masayuki Baba, M. Antonia, Shafeeq Ladha, Claude Desnuelle, Pierre Clavelou, Andreas Meisel, Martin Vališ, Filip Eftimov, P. Baum, Sabrina Matà, Russell L. Chin, Mazen M. Dimachkie, ANS - Neuroinfection & -inflammation, Neurology, and AII - Inflammatory diseases

Subjects
Research design, CIDP, immunoglobulin, non-relapse, placebo, relapse, Humans, Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating, Immunologic Factors, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Placebo Effect, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Research Design, Research Report, medicine.medical_specialty, Outcome Assessment, SUBCUTANEOUS IMMUNOGLOBULIN, Polyradiculoneuropathy, non‐relapse, Severe disease, PLASMA-EXCHANGE, Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, Placebo, THERAPY, Immunoglobulin G, 03 medical and health sciences, DOUBLE-BLIND, 0302 clinical medicine, Internal medicine, Clinical endpoint, Medicine, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating, biology, business.industry, General Neuroscience, INTRAVENOUS IMMUNOGLOBULIN TREATMENT, Research Reports, medicine.disease, Health Care, INTERFERON BETA-1A, 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis, biology.protein, TRIAL, Neurology (clinical), business, Polyneuropathy, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Abstract

The Polyneuropathy And Treatment with Hizentra (PATH) study required subjects with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) to show dependency on immunoglobulin G (IgG) and then be restabilized on IgG before being randomized to placebo or one of two doses of subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG). Nineteen of the 51 subjects (37%) randomized to placebo did not relapse over the next 24 weeks. This article explores the reasons for this effect. A post‐hoc analysis of the PATH placebo group was undertaken. A literature search identified other placebo‐controlled CIDP trials for review and comparison. In PATH, subjects randomized to placebo who did not relapse were significantly older, had more severe disease, and took longer to deteriorate in the IgG dependency period compared with those who relapsed. Published trials in CIDP, whose primary endpoint was stability or deterioration, had a mean non‐deterioration (placebo effect) of 43%, while trials with a primary endpoint of improvement had a placebo response of only 11%. Placebo is an important variable in the design of CIDP trials. Trials designed to show clinical improvement will have a significantly lower effect of this phenomenon than those designed to show stability or deterioration.

Published
2020

23. Pandemics fallout on malaria control appears limited so far

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Bed nets, 0303 health sciences, Economic growth, Multidisciplinary, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), 030231 tropical medicine, Diagnostic test, medicine.disease, World health, 030308 mycology & parasitology, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Political science, parasitic diseases, Pandemic, Global health, medicine, Malaria control, Malaria
Abstract

Back in March when COVID-19 hit, some scientists worried malaria cases and deaths might soar. African countries went on lockdown; worried about mass gatherings, they suspended campaigns to distribute mosquito-fighting bed nets. Fears abounded that with clinics overwhelmed by COVID-19, patients would be unable to get treatment for malaria. But that has not happened. Lobbied hard by the World Health Organization9s Global Malaria Programme and its partners, countries resumed bed net campaigns. Rapid diagnostic tests and effective malaria drugs remain available. The situation could still go south as the COVID-19 epidemic accelerates—there are worrying signs—but for now, the pandemic seems to have had little effect on malaria control.

Published
2020
Full Text
View/download PDF

25. The Presence and Significance of A-Waves-A Retrospective Review of 679 Patients

Author

Leslie Roberts and WenWen Zhang

Subjects
Axonal neuropathy, Retrospective review, Normal nerve conduction studies, Physiology, business.industry, Neural Conduction, Peripheral Nervous System Diseases, Retrospective cohort study, Anterior Horn Cell Disease, Neurology, Physiology (medical), Anesthesia, Demyelinating neuropathy, Entrapment Neuropathy, Medicine, Humans, Clinical significance, Neurology (clinical), Tibial Nerve, business, Ulnar Nerve, Retrospective Studies
Abstract

Purpose A-waves are late responses that have been reported in healthy individuals and patients with neurologic conditions. The mechanism(s) responsible for their generation and their clinical significance are not fully understood. The aim was to better characterize A-waves. Methods A retrospective study was conducted in a high-volume Neurophysiology Department in a tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Consecutive neurophysiological tests including F-wave studies performed between July 2017 and September 2018 were reviewed to identify A-waves. Patients' characteristics and neurophysiological diagnoses were recorded. Results A total of 679 patients were included in the analysis and a total of 2,730 nerves were studied. A-waves were most commonly found in tibial nerves, followed by peroneal, median, and ulnar nerves. A-waves were seen in 39.4% of individuals with otherwise normal nerve conduction studies and 39.1% of individuals with entrapment neuropathy. They were most seen in demyelinating neuropathy (85.7%), followed by mixed neuropathy (73.3%), anterior horn cell disease (66.7%), axonal neuropathy (61.2%), and radiculopathy (53.1%). Most patients with demyelinating neuropathy had multiple A-waves (61.9%), but these were also seen in 15.2% of individuals with otherwise normal nerve conduction studies and in 40% of those with other neurologic conditions. A-waves were more often seen in individuals older than 60 years. Conclusions A-waves are commonly seen in symptomatic individuals with otherwise normal nerve conduction studies and individuals with various neurologic conditions but are more commonly found in nerves with otherwise abnormal electrophysiological testing. A-waves are most seen in tibial nerves. Multiple A-waves were more commonly seen in demyelinating neuropathy than other conditions.

Published
2020

26. Polio vaccinators are back after pandemic pause

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Economic growth, 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak, Multidisciplinary, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), virus diseases, 030229 sport sciences, medicine.disease, Poliomyelitis, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Vaccination Campaigns, Political science, Poliomyelitis eradication, Pandemic, medicine, Mass vaccination, health care economics and organizations, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Abstract

In March, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) abruptly halted all mass vaccination campaigns, worried they could inadvertently spread the novel coronavirus. The move further imperiled the troubled 3-decade drive to wipe out polio. But now, armed with new data and perspective, GPEI and the countries it supports are resuming vaccination campaigns. Burkina Faso was first in early July; Pakistan followed this week. Polio cases are surging in many countries, and models suggested there might be "explosive" outbreaks if campaigns don9t restart soon. To reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus, vaccinators will be screened, wear masks, use hand sanitizer, and practice physical distancing as much as possible.

Published
2020
Full Text
View/download PDF

28. ‘We have no choice.’ Pandemic forces polio eradication group to halt campaigns

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Live virus, Economic growth, Multidisciplinary, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), virus diseases, Oral polio vaccine, medicine.disease, complex mixtures, Polio Vaccination, Poliomyelitis, Poliomyelitis eradication, Polio virus, Political science, Pandemic, medicine, health care economics and organizations
Abstract

Going door-to-door to deliver the oral polio vaccine would put both communities and health workers at risk of COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic is imperiling the worldwide, 3-decade drive to wipe out polio In an unprecedented move, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has recommended suspending polio vaccination campaigns to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus On 24 March, GPEI’s leadership called on all countries to postpone until at least the second half of this year both mass campaigns to boost immunity to the polio virus and the targeted campaigns underway in Africa to stop outbreaks sparked by the live virus vaccine itself

Published
2020
Full Text
View/download PDF

29. Scratching the Surface: Leslie Roberts

Author

Jarrett Fuller, Leslie Roberts, Jarrett Fuller, and Leslie Roberts

Abstract

Leslie Roberts is an author, journalist, essayist, and educator. She’s the chair of the graduate writing program at California College of Arts in San Francisco and the author, most recently, of Here Is Where I Walk. At CCA, Leslie teaches courses on writing for designers and is the cofounder of Ecopoesis, a multidisciplinary group focusing on making and messaging around ecologies. In this episode, Jarrett and Leslie talk about her background as a journalist, teaching writing to designers, and finding new stories around how we talk about the environment., https://www.librarystack.org/scratching-the-surface-leslie-roberts/?ref=unknown

Published
2020

30. Single-fiber F waves compared with conventional surface F waves, and their utility in detecting early diabetic neuropathy

Author

Leslie Roberts, Rory Knight-Sadler, Mark J. Cook, and Jordan T. Kamel

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, medicine.medical_specialty, Diabetic neuropathy, medicine.diagnostic_test, Physiology, business.industry, Single fiber, Electromyography, medicine.disease, Clinical neurology, 03 medical and health sciences, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, 030104 developmental biology, 0302 clinical medicine, Muscle nerve, Physiology (medical), Internal medicine, Diabetes mellitus, medicine, Cardiology, Neurology (clinical), Latency (engineering), business, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery, Subclinical infection
Abstract

Introduction The single-fiber F-wave (SFF-wave) technique assesses the entire length of single motor fibers using a concentric needle. Herein we investigated the utility of this approach in the detection of early diabetes-related neuropathy, and compared it with the use of conventional surface F waves (CF waves). Methods Sixteen patients with diabetes and either no neuropathy or mild neuropathy were assessed and compared with 16 age- and height-matched control participants. Results Both CF and SFF waves were abnormal in all 5 patients who had mild neuropathy. However, SFF waves demonstrated subclinical abnormalities in 7 of 11 patients (64%) with no neuropathy, whereas only 2 of these patients (18%) had prolonged CF waves. Minimum F-wave latency was comparable between techniques, but maximum SFF-wave latency was more frequently prolonged, as these delayed motor units were better isolated, rather than buried among summated CF-wave responses. Discussion SFF waves highlight the segmental involvement in diabetic neuropathy, and use of the SFF-wave technique detects more abnormalities than with CF waves. Muscle Nerve 58: 665-670, 2018.

Published
2018

32. Safety and efficacy of eculizumab in anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive refractory generalised myasthenia gravis (REGAIN): a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study

Author

Kazumi Takada, Vladislav Abramov, Seiko Yoshida, Pinar Ozcelik, Carolina Miranda, Jennifer Kane, Kaitlyn McKenna, Natasha Campbell, Sharon P. Nations, Shitiz Kumar Sriwastava, Yuko Fujii, Mayumi Murata, Linda Wagemaekers, Angela Andoin, Mollie Vanderhook, Yoshinori Okubo, Martin Bilsker, Taira Uehara, Vera Bril, Julia Wanschitz, Stanislava Toncrova, Mariela Bettini, Kazumi Futono, Shachie Aranke, Yool-hee Kim, Hiroyuki Murai, Anne Nyrhinen, Vinay Chaudhry, Raffaele Iorio, Takashi Kanda, Brittany Harvey, Francisco Javier Rodriguez de Rivera, Henning Andersen, Marianne de Visser, Miwako Sato, Yasuhiro Maeda, Fabienne Deruelle, Marina Pozo, Adam Hart, Masaki Saitoh, Wladimir Bocca Vieira de Rezende Pinto, Said R. Beydoun, Lindsay Zilliox, Akihiro Mukaino, Cinzia Caserta, Mahi Jasinarachchi, Andrea M. Corse, Nikoletta Papadopoulou, JuYoung Kwon, Fernanda Carrara, Juliet Saba, Masayuki Makamori, Vittorio Frasca, Luciana Souza Duca, Hoo Nam Kang, C. Trebst, Celile Phan, Muzeyyen Ugur, Eduardo Ng, Jonathan McKinnon, Hila Bali Kuperman, David Feder, Judit Matolcsi, Jiri Pitha, Martin Stangel, Kate Beck, Gabriel Paiva, Diego Lopergolo, Katrien De Mey, Hidenori Matsuo, Lucas Eduardo Pazetto, Eugene Lai, Amanda Anderson, Ann D'Hondt, Tetsuya Akiyama, Beverly Fyfe, Bella Gross, Elisabet Arribas-Ibar, Kathy de Koning, Gulmohor Roy, Dmitry Pokhabov, Maria Johanna Keijzers, Nicholas Ventura, Tessa Marburger, John Loor, Ji Eun Lee, Alessandro Filla, Celal Tuga, Stephanie Scala, Rudy Mercelis, Marc H. De Baets, Hisako Kobayashi, Stanislav Vohanka, Ana Paula Macagnan, Ana Carolina Amaral de Andrade, Heike Arndt, Giovanni Antonini, Yumi Yamashita, Gwendal Le Masson, Sonia Garcia, Sarah Verjans, James F. Howard, Zaeem A. Siddiqi, Yuen T. So, Megumi Koga, Exuperio Diez Tejedor, Teresa Costabile, Mihoko Takada Takada, Steve Hopkins, Jonathan S. Katz, Charlene Hafer-Macko, Erica Nogueira Coelho, Hung Youl Seok, Carol Herbert, Yuriko Nagane, Didem Altiparmak, Sachiko Kamakura, Mohammad Sanjak, Caroline Moreau, Jordi Díaz-Manera, Sivakumar Sathasivam, Michael Vytopil, Amelia Evoli, Masakatsu Motomura, Ester Reggio, Guy Van den Abeele, Hélène Zéphir, Asya Yarmoschuk, Jasmine Hewlett, Amy Wilson, Sachie Fukui, Cavit Boz, Iandra Souza, Morgane Gaboreau, Ivana Jurajdova, Sonia Decressac, Yong Seo Koo, Valentina Pegoraro, Seung Min Kim, Benison Keung, Rosana Rocha, Nanna Witting, John Vissing, Elaine Weiner, Ali Malekniazi, Larisa Babenko, Amanda C. Guidon, Gal Maier, Charlotte Smetcoren, Robert M. Pascuzzi, Domenico Marco Bonifati, Yumiko Nakamura, Tamires Cristina Gomes da Silva, Takashi Murahara, Sarah Plevka, Tomoko Tsuda, John C. Kincaid, Arnaud Lacour, Ibrez Bandukwala, Alan R. Berger, Chang Nyoung Lee, Jae-Sung Lim, Vern C. Juel, Tulio E. Bertorini, Valeria Cavalcante Lino, Namie Taichi, Ju-Hong Min, Josep Gamez, Nelly Greenbereg, William S. David, Srikanth Muppidi, Husnu Efendi, Pedro Lopez Ruiz, Baki Dogan, Cansu Semiz, Natalia Julia Palacios, Sharon Downing, Paola Cudia, Daniel Jacobs, Can Ebru Bekircan-Kurt, Takayasu Fukudome, Kristen Roe, Lena Bjarbo, Nicole Kassebaum, Makoto Samukawa, Shizuka Asada, Christina Dheel, Fatima Maqsood, Eun Bi Hwang, Kevin Daniels, Sevim Erdem-Ozdamar, Olivier Stevens, Claudio Mazia, Karan Alcon, Sibel Gazioglu, Keiko Kikutake, Luis Lay, Petra Tilkin, Corrado Angelini, Derrick Blackmore, Kimiaki Utsugisawa, Despoina Charalambous, Tuula Harrison, Kristin Huynh, Huned S. Patwa, Laura Echevarria, Henrique Mohr, Christian Homedes-Pedret, Richard J. Barohn, Byung Jo Kim, Daniel DiCapua, Terry McClain, Debora Dada Martineli Torres, Maria Salvado Figueras, Ana Paula Melo, Riley Snook, Miki Ogawa, Marcelo Annes, Yuka Saito, Isabel Illa, Evanthia Bernitsas, Nicole Smalley, Molly Lindsay, Robert G. Miller, Olga Azrilin, Silvia Bonanno, Evgeniya Kosykh, Marcela Wolfova, Olivier Outteryck, Shirli Toska, Anna Kostera-Pruszczyk, HyeJin Ra, Rup Tandan, Sotirios Papagiannopoulos, Natasha Willlems, Anne Mette Ostergaard Autzen, Meinoshin Okumura, Patrick Vermersch, Sarada Sakamuri, Maria Antonia Alberti Aguilo, Shigemi Shimose, Cynthia Carter, Ira Blount, Lisa Thompson, Maurer Pereira Martins, Richard Nowak, Hyung Seok Lee, Anna Kaminska, Joan Bratton, Nazire Pinar Acar, Junichi Ogasawara, Mohamed Mahdi-Rogers, Teiichiro Mitazaki, Marek Čierny, Craig Donahue, Jaya Trivedi, Neelam Goyal, Gonzalo Vidal, Brandy Quarles, Akiko Kanzaki, Yasuko Ikeda, Tomomi Kobashikawa, Morris Brown, Daisuke Yamamoto, Michel Deneve, Denis Korobko, Beth DiSanzo, Benedikt Schoser, Heidi Boterhoven, Eri Kobayashi, Maoko Shirane, Cristiani Fernanda Butinhao, Eriko Higuchi, Takashi Hayashi, Masanori Takahashi, Anne-Cécile Wielanek-Bachelet, Benjamin Rix Brooks, Emanuela Onesti, Tahseen Mozaffar, Liang Lu, Sevasti Bostantzopoulou, Christophe Vial, Shawn J. Bird, Sandi Mumfrey-Thomas, Julie Khoury, Kara Patrick, Kenichi Tsukita, Yoshiko Sano, Hiroshi Nakazora, David P. Richman, Gavin Brown, Yoon-Ho Hong, Tomohiro Kawamura, Igor Dias Brockhausen, Ye Liu, Acary Souza Bulle Oliveira, Soichiro Funaka, Tomoya Hasuike, Frank Lin, Luis Antonio Querol Gutierrez, Namita Goyal, Elena Pinzan, Michelle Mellion, Silvia Messina, Christopher Lindberg, Csilla Rozsa, J. Chad Hoyle, Yoko Kaneko, Gustavo Duran, Francesco Patti, Arshira Seddigh, Ele Kim Perez, Jayashri Srinivasan, Michael Benatar, Philip Van Damme, Salma Akhter, Daniel Ambrosio, Maria Salvado, Floyd Jones, Mark Sivak, Anneke J. van der Kooi, Karen Callison, Catherine Nigro, Rebekah Garcia, Thomas Arnold, Hideki Arima, Brigid Crabtree, Mary Varghese, Aditya Kumar, Miri Kim, Fanny O'Brien, Naya McKinnon, Lauren Wheeler, Hong Vu, Shunsuke Yoshimura, Masatoshi Omoto, Jeffrey T. Guptill, Maria Gabriele, Francoise Bouhour, Veena Mathew, Ritsu Nakayama, Rosa Hasan, Francesco Saccà, Mohammed Salajegheh, Diana Dimitrova, Alzira Alves de Siqueira Carvalho, Maurizio Inghilleri, George Sachs, Rekha Pillai, Enrico Marano, Monika Konyane, Anh Tran, Seda Aydinlik, Kendrick Henderson, Fumie Meguro, Alexandre Guerreiro, Amaiak Chilingaryan, Tiyonnoh Cash, Jun Kawamata, Julie Steele, Helene Gervais-Bernard, Thomas Harbo, Alejandra Dalila Garcia, Musa Kazim Onar, Sabrina Sacconi, Carlos Casasnovas Pons, Nadezhda Malkova, Denis Sazonov, Mireya Fernandez-Fournier, Karin Fricke, Laurie Gutmann, Amy Saklad, Clara Schommer, Sandra Taber, Fiona Norwood, Tugce Kirbas Cavdar, Monique Miesen, Fernanda Troili, Masanori Watanabe, Ratna Bhavaraju-Sanka, Ted M. Burns, Sari Atula, Faisal Sohail, Barbora Kurkova, Brigitta Szabadosne, Luciana Renata Cubas Volpe, Jane Pedersen, Jing Jing Wang, Masashi Inoue, Antonella Di Pasquale, Megan Kramer, Magda Chmelikova, Mehran Soltani, Tuan Vu, Laura Fionda, Eliz Agopian, Susan Shin, Anthony A. Amato, Lotte Vinge, Hakan Cavus, Gil I. Wolfe, Joan Nye, Delphine Mahieu, Miguel Wilken, Markus Färkkilä, Catherine Faber, Erin Manning, Emiko Tsuda, Rami Massie, Paolo Emilio Alboini, Yasmeen Shabbir, Angela Campanella, Aikaterini Dimitriou, Marcelo Rugiero, Cynthia Bodkin, Gyorgyi Szabo, Sharon Halton, Akshay Shah, Yasuko Maeda, Hans D. Katzberg, Yagmur Caliskan, Jaimin Shah, Katsuhisa Masaki, Valentina Damato, Blanka Andersson, Aline de Cassia Santos, Masahiro Mori, Renato Mantegazza, Misa Shimpo, Joanne Nemeth, Livia Dezsi, Anna De Rosa, Doreen Ho, Julie Moutarde, Efstathia Mitropoulou, Amy Woodall, Angela Micheels, László Vécsei, Byoung Joon Kim, Lisa Smith, Tomihiro Imai, Harpreet Kaur, Lorenzo Maggi, Jane Distad, Anita Mogensen, Ericka Simpson, Anne Cooley, Eliana Reyes, Ha Young Shin, Da Yoon Koh, Stefan Gingele, Susan Strom, Ezgi Yilmaz, Manisha Chopra, Anna Melnikova, Edouard Millois, Ludwig Gutmann, Miriam Freimer, Hirokazu Shinozaki, Heena Olalde, Kerry Naunton, Shunya Nakane, Ihsan Sengun, Dimos-Dimitrios Mitsikostas, Edina Varga, Juha-Pekka Erälinna, Wolfgang Löscher, Jan De Bleecker, Elena Bravver, Ana Lazaro, Eun Bin Cho, Thomas Cochrane, Jonathan Goldstein, Lisa D. Hobson-Webb, Michaela Tyblova, Angela Marsil, J. Edward Hartmann, Miyuki Morikawa, Karen Zakalik, Claude Desnuelle, Iveta Novakova, Michiaki Koga, Melinda Horvath, Luiz Otavio Maia Gonçalves, Elena Cortes Vicente, Alejandro Tobon Gonzalez, Stanley H. Appel, Brian Minton, Daniele Orrico, Brian Droker, Jacob Kaufman, Erica Coelho, Chafic Karam, Mikko Laaksonen, Katherine Amato, Jinmyoung Seok, Natalia Prando, Pauline Lahaut, Kaori Osakada, Phillipa Lamont, Alexandros Tselis, Daiane da Cruz Pacheco, Joan Højgaard, Hirokazu Shiraishi, Josef Bednarik, Stefania Morino, Mark Levine-Weinberg, Sara-Claude Michon, Yusuke Fukuda, Michael Pulley, Koichi Narikawa, Ricardo Rojas Garcia, Betsy Mosmiller, James Gilchrist, Maria da Penha Morita Ananias, Maryanne Burdette, Shingo Konno, Janelle Butters, Stephan Wenninger, Debbie Davies, Thomas Skripuletz, Mohammad Alsharabati, Katarina Reguliova, Gabor Lovas, Yuichiro Gondo, Miju Shin, HyeLim Lee, Bruno Bezerra Rosa, Michael D. Weiss, Martha Zampaki, Andrea Caramma, Jeffrey V. Rosenfeld, Cigdem Ozen Aydin, Shara Holzberg, Hélène Merle, Olga Zapletalova, Kurt-Wolfram Suehs, Robert P. Lisak, Dale J. Lange, Albert Hietala, Sedat Sen, Elena Giacomelli, Akiyuki Uzawa, Tomás Augusto Suriane Fialho, Matteo Garibaldi, Nadia Sattar, Wai-Kuen Leong, Lindsay Kaplan, Tetsuya Kanai, Jaana Eriksson, Akiko Nagaishi, Khema Sharma, Tamar Gibson, Mohamed Kazamel, Yulia Nesterova, Sascha Alvermann, Murat Terzi, Taylor Darnell, Donna Carnes, Victor Balyazin, John T. Kissel, Waqar Waheed, Jana Junkerova, Kimberly Robeson, Nicholas Vlaikidis, Nicholas Silvestri, Fredrik Piehl, Maurício André Gheller Friedrich, Shun Shimohama, Nuria Vidal, Eleni Kasioti, H. James Jones, Michael K. Hehir, Luiz Augusto da Silva, Dave Watling, Leslie Roberts, Casey Faigle, Caroline Hourquin, Olli Oksaranta, Tomomi Imamura, Shin Hisahara, Dennis Jeffery, Marie-Hélène Soriani, M. Kawai, Chieko Yoshikawa, Roseann Keo, Angela Genge, Michelangelo Maestri Tassoni, Milvia Pleitez, Michael H. Rivner, Maki Jingu, Giorgia Puorro, Andrea Swenson, Saiju Jacob, Carolina Ortea, Shuichiro Suzuki, Marguerite Engel, Ikuko Kamegamori, SangAe Park, Guilhem Sole, Lesly Welsh, Nichole Gallatti, Jakit Gollogly, Daniel Jons, Yasuteru Sano, Takuya Matsushita, Omar Khan, Maria Cristina Gori, Thabata Veiga, Julie Agriesti, Jos Maessen, Sandra Guinrich, Francesca Bevilacqua, Laura Haar, Jordana Gonçalves Geraldo, Justin Y. Kwan, Hidekazu Suzuki, Dai Matsuse, Kelly Jia, Ozlem Tun, Lara Katzin, Yasushi Suzuki, Shannon Lucy, Carlo Antozzi, ANS - Neuroinfection & -inflammation, Neurology, Howard, James F, Utsugisawa, Kimiaki, Benatar, Michael, Murai, Hiroyuki, Barohn, Richard J, Illa, Isabel, Jacob, Saiju, Vissing, John, Burns, Ted M, Kissel, John T, Muppidi, Srikanth, Nowak, Richard J, O'Brien, Fanny, Wang, Jing-Jing, Mantegazza, Renato, Mazia, Claudio Gabriel, Wilken, Miguel, Ortea, Carolina, Saba, Juliet, Rugiero, Marcelo, Bettini, Mariela, Vidal, Gonzalo, Garcia, Alejandra Dalila, Lamont, Phillipa, Leong, Wai-Kuen, Boterhoven, Heidi, Fyfe, Beverly, Roberts, Leslie, Jasinarachchi, Mahi, Willlems, Natasha, Wanschitz, Julia, Löscher, Wolfgang, De Bleecker, Jan, Van den Abeele, Guy, de Koning, Kathy, De Mey, Katrien, Mercelis, Rudy, Wagemaekers, Linda, Mahieu, Delphine, Van Damme, Philip, Smetcoren, Charlotte, Stevens, Olivier, Verjans, Sarah, D'Hondt, Ann, Tilkin, Petra, Alves de Siqueira Carvalho, Alzira, Hasan, Rosa, Dias Brockhausen, Igor, Feder, David, Ambrosio, Daniel, Melo, Ana Paula, Rocha, Rosana, Rosa, Bruno, Veiga, Thabata, Augusto da Silva, Luiz, Gonçalves Geraldo, Jordana, da Penha Morita Ananias, Maria, Nogueira Coelho, Erica, Paiva, Gabriel, Pozo, Marina, Prando, Natalia, Dada Martineli Torres, Debora, Fernanda Butinhao, Cristiani, Coelho, Erica, Renata Cubas Volpe, Luciana, Duran, Gustavo, Gomes da Silva, Tamires Cristina, Otavio Maia Gonçalves, Luiz, Pazetto, Lucas Eduardo, Souza Duca, Luciana, Suriane Fialho, Tomás Augusto, Gheller Friedrich, Maurício André, Guerreiro, Alexandre, Mohr, Henrique, Pereira Martins, Maurer, da Cruz Pacheco, Daiane, Macagnan, Ana Paula, de Cassia Santos, Aline, Bulle Oliveira, Acary Souza, Amaral de Andrade, Ana Carolina, Annes, Marcelo, Cavalcante Lino, Valeria, Pinto, Wladimir, Miranda, Carolina, Carrara, Fernanda, Souza, Iandra, Genge, Angela, Massie, Rami, Campbell, Natasha, Bril, Vera, Katzberg, Han, Soltani, Mehran, Ng, Eduardo, Siddiqi, Zaeem, Phan, Celile, Blackmore, Derrick, Vohanka, Stanislav, Bednarik, Josef, Chmelikova, Magda, Cierny, Marek, Toncrova, Stanislava, Junkerova, Jana, Kurkova, Barbora, Reguliova, Katarina, Zapletalova, Olga, Pitha, Jiri, Novakova, Iveta, Tyblova, Michaela, Wolfova, Marcela, Jurajdova, Ivana, Andersen, Henning, Harbo, Thoma, Vinge, Lotte, Mogensen, Anita, Højgaard, Joan, Witting, Nanna, Autzen, Anne Mette, Pedersen, Jane, Färkkilä, Marku, Atula, Sari, Nyrhinen, Anne, Erälinna, Juha-Pekka, Laaksonen, Mikko, Oksaranta, Olli, Eriksson, Jaana, Harrison, Tuula, Desnuelle, Claude, Sacconi, Sabrina, Soriani, Marie-Hélène, Decressac, Sonia, Moutarde, Julie, Lahaut, Pauline, Solé, Guilhem, Le Masson, Gwendal, Wielanek-Bachelet, Anne-Cécile, Gaboreau, Morgane, Moreau, Caroline, Wilson, Amy, Vial, Christophe, Bouhour, Françoise, Gervais-Bernard, Helene, Merle, Hélène, Hourquin, Caroline, Lacour, Arnaud, Outteryck, Olivier, Vermersch, Patrick, Zephir, Hélène, Millois, Edouard, Deneve, Michel, Deruelle, Fabienne, Schoser, Benedikt, Wenninger, Stephan, Stangel, Martin, Alvermann, Sascha, Gingele, Stefan, Skripuletz, Thoma, Suehs, Kurt-Wolfram, Trebst, Corinna, Fricke, Karin, Papagiannopoulos, Sotirio, Bostantzopoulou, Sevasti, Vlaikidis, Nichola, Zampaki, Martha, Papadopoulou, Nikoletta, Mitsikostas, Dimos-Dimitrio, Kasioti, Eleni, Mitropoulou, Efstathia, Charalambous, Despoina, Rozsa, Csilla, Horvath, Melinda, Lovas, Gabor, Matolcsi, Judit, Szabo, Gyorgyi, Szabadosne, Brigitta, Vecsei, Laszlo, Dezsi, Livia, Varga, Edina, Konyane, Monika, Gross, Bella, Azrilin, Olga, Greenbereg, Nelly, Bali Kuperman, Hila, Antonini, Giovanni, Garibaldi, Matteo, Morino, Stefania, Troili, Fernanda, Di Pasquale, Antonella, Filla, Alessandro, Costabile, Teresa, Marano, Enrico, Sacca, Francesco, Marsili, Angela, Puorro, Giorgia, Maestri Tassoni, Michelangelo, De Rosa, Anna, Bonanno, Silvia, Antozzi, Carlo, Maggi, Lorenzo, Campanella, Angela, Angelini, Corrado, Cudia, Paola, Pegoraro, Valentina, Pinzan, Elena, Bevilacqua, Francesca, Orrico, Daniele, Bonifati, Domenico Marco, Evoli, Amelia, Alboini, Paolo Emilio, D'Amato, Valentina, Iorio, Raffaele, Inghilleri, Maurizio, Fionda, Laura, Frasca, Vittorio, Giacomelli, Elena, Gori, Maria, Lopergolo, Diego, Onesti, Emanuela, Gabriele, Maria, Patti, Francesco, Salvatore Caramma, Andrea, Messina, Silvia, Reggio, Ester, Caserta, Cinzia, Uzawa, Akiyuki, Kanai, Tetsuya, Mori, Masahiro, Kaneko, Yoko, Kanzaki, Akiko, Kobayashi, Eri, Masaki, Katsuhisa, Matsuse, Dai, Matsushita, Takuya, Uehara, Taira, Shimpo, Misa, Jingu, Maki, Kikutake, Keiko, Nakamura, Yumiko, Sano, Yoshiko, Nagane, Yuriko, Kamegamori, Ikuko, Fujii, Yuko, Futono, Kazumi, Tsuda, Tomoko, Saito, Yuka, Suzuki, Hidekazu, Morikawa, Miyuki, Samukawa, Makoto, Kamakura, Sachiko, Shiraishi, Hirokazu, Mitazaki, Teiichiro, Motomura, Masakatsu, Mukaino, Akihiro, Yoshimura, Shunsuke, Asada, Shizuka, Kobashikawa, Tomomi, Koga, Megumi, Maeda, Yasuko, Takada, Kazumi, Takada, Mihoko Takada, Yamashita, Yumi, Yoshida, Seiko, Suzuki, Yasushi, Akiyama, Tetsuya, Narikawa, Koichi, Tsukita, Kenichi, Meguro, Fumie, Fukuda, Yusuke, Sato, Miwako, Matsuo, Hidenori, Fukudome, Takayasu, Gondo, Yuichiro, Maeda, Yasuhiro, Nagaishi, Akiko, Nakane, Shunya, Okubo, Yoshinori, Okumura, Meinoshin, Funaka, Soichiro, Kawamura, Tomohiro, Makamori, Masayuki, Takahashi, Masanori, Hasuike, Tomoya, Higuchi, Eriko, Kobayashi, Hisako, Osakada, Kaori, Taichi, Namie, Tsuda, Emiko, Hayashi, Takashi, Hisahara, Shin, Imai, Tomihiro, Kawamata, Jun, Murahara, Takashi, Saitoh, Masaki, Shimohama, Shun, Suzuki, Shuichiro, Yamamoto, Daisuke, Konno, Shingo, Imamura, Tomomi, Inoue, Masashi, Murata, Mayumi, Nakazora, Hiroshi, Nakayama, Ritsu, Ikeda, Yasuko, Ogawa, Miki, Shirane, Maoko, Kanda, Takashi, Kawai, Motoharu, Koga, Michiaki, Ogasawara, Junichi, Omoto, Masatoshi, Sano, Yasuteru, Arima, Hideki, Fukui, Sachie, Shimose, Shigemi, Shinozaki, Hirokazu, Watanabe, Masanori, Yoshikawa, Chieko, van der Kooi, Anneke, de Visser, Marianne, Gibson, Tamar, Maessen, Jo, de Baets, Marc, Faber, Catherine, Keijzers, Maria Johanna, Miesen, Monique, Kostera-Pruszczyk, Anna, Kaminska, Anna, Kim, Byung-Jo, Lee, Chang Nyoung, Koo, Yong Seo, Seok, Hung Youl, Kang, Hoo Nam, Ra, Hyejin, Kim, Byoung Joon, Cho, Eun Bin, Lee, Hyelim, Min, Ju-Hong, Seok, Jinmyoung, Koh, Da Yoon, Kwon, Juyoung, Lee, Jieun, Park, Sangae, Hong, Yoon-Ho, Lim, Jae-Sung, Kim, Miri, Kim, Seung Min, Kim, Yool-hee, Lee, Hyung Seok, Shin, Ha Young, Hwang, Eun Bi, Shin, Miju, Sazonov, Deni, Yarmoschuk, Asya, Babenko, Larisa, Malkova, Nadezhda, Melnikova, Anna, Korobko, Deni, Kosykh, Evgeniya, Pokhabov, Dmitry, Nesterova, Yulia, Abramov, Vladislav, Balyazin, Victor, Casasnovas Pons, Carlo, Alberti Aguilo, Maria, Homedes-Pedret, Christian, Palacios, Natalia Julia, Lazaro, Ana, Diez Tejedor, Exuperio, Fernandez-Fournier, Mireya, Lopez Ruiz, Pedro, Rodriguez de Rivera, Francisco Javier, Salvado Figueras, Maria, Gamez, Josep, Salvado, Maria, Cortes Vicente, Elena, Diaz-Manera, Jordi, Querol Gutierrez, Lui, Rojas Garcia, Ricardo, Vidal, Nuria, Arribas-Ibar, Elisabet, Piehl, Fredrik, Hietala, Albert, Bjarbo, Lena, Lindberg, Christopher, Jons, Daniel, Andersson, Blanka, Sengun, Ihsan, Ozcelik, Pinar, Tuga, Celal, Ugur, Muzeyyen, Boz, Cavit, Altiparmak, Didem, Gazioglu, Sibel, Ozen Aydin, Cigdem, Erdem-Ozdamar, Sevim, Bekircan-Kurt, Can Ebru, Yilmaz, Ezgi, Acar, Nazire Pinar, Caliskan, Yagmur, Efendi, Husnu, Aydinlik, Seda, Cavus, Hakan, Semiz, Cansu, Tun, Ozlem, Terzi, Murat, Dogan, Baki, Onar, Musa Kazim, Sen, Sedat, Cavdar, Tugce Kirba, Norwood, Fiona, Dimitriou, Aikaterini, Gollogly, Jakit, Mahdi-Rogers, Mohamed, Seddigh, Arshira, Maier, Gal, Sohail, Faisal, Sathasivam, Sivakumar, Arndt, Heike, Davies, Debbie, Watling, Dave, Rivner, Michael, Hartmann, J. Edward, Quarles, Brandy, Smalley, Nicole, Amato, Anthony, Cochrane, Thoma, Salajegheh, Mohammed, Roe, Kristen, Amato, Katherine, Toska, Shirli, Wolfe, Gil, Silvestri, Nichola, Patrick, Kara, Zakalik, Karen, Katz, Jonathan, Miller, Robert, Engel, Marguerite, Bravver, Elena, Brooks, Benjamin, Plevka, Sarah, Burdette, Maryanne, Sanjak, Mohammad, Kramer, Megan, Nemeth, Joanne, Schommer, Clara, Juel, Vern, Guptill, Jeffrey, Hobson-Webb, Lisa, Beck, Kate, Carnes, Donna, Loor, John, Anderson, Amanda, Lange, Dale, Agopian, Eliz, Goldstein, Jonathan, Manning, Erin, Kaplan, Lindsay, Holzberg, Shara, Kassebaum, Nicole, Pascuzzi, Robert, Bodkin, Cynthia, Kincaid, John, Snook, Riley, Guinrich, Sandra, Micheels, Angela, Chaudhry, Vinay, Corse, Andrea, Mosmiller, Betsy, Ho, Doreen, Srinivasan, Jayashri, Vytopil, Michael, Ventura, Nichola, Scala, Stephanie, Carter, Cynthia, Donahue, Craig, Herbert, Carol, Weiner, Elaine, Mckinnon, Jonathan, Haar, Laura, Mckinnon, Naya, Alcon, Karan, Daniels, Kevin, Sattar, Nadia, Jeffery, Denni, Mckenna, Kaitlyn, Guidon, Amanda, David, William, Dheel, Christina, Levine-Weinberg, Mark, Nigro, Catherine, Simpson, Ericka, Appel, Stanley H, Lai, Eugene, Lay, Lui, Pleitez, Milvia, Halton, Sharon, Faigle, Casey, Thompson, Lisa, Sivak, Mark, Shin, Susan, Bratton, Joan, Jacobs, Daniel, Brown, Gavin, Bandukwala, Ibrez, Brown, Morri, Kane, Jennifer, Blount, Ira, Freimer, Miriam, Hoyle, J. Chad, Agriesti, Julie, Khoury, Julie, Marburger, Tessa, Kaur, Harpreet, Dimitrova, Diana, Mellion, Michelle, Sachs, George, Crabtree, Brigid, Keo, Roseann, Perez, Ele Kim, Taber, Sandra, Gilchrist, Jame, Andoin, Angela, Darnell, Taylor, Goyal, Neelam, Sakamuri, Sarada, So, Yuen T, Welsh, Lesly Welsh, Bhavaraju-Sanka, Ratna, Tobon Gonzalez, Alejandro, Jones, Floyd, Saklad, Amy, Nations, Sharon, Trivedi, Jaya, Hopkins, Steve, Kazamel, Mohamed, Alsharabati, Mohammad, Lu, Liang, Mumfrey-Thomas, Sandi, Woodall, Amy, Richman, David, Butters, Janelle, Lindsay, Molly, Mozaffar, Tahseen, Cash, Tiyonnoh, Goyal, Namita, Roy, Gulmohor, Mathew, Veena, Maqsood, Fatima, Minton, Brian, Jones, H. Jame, Rosenfeld, Jeffrey, Garcia, Rebekah, Garcia, Sonia, Echevarria, Laura, Pulley, Michael, Aranke, Shachie, Berger, Alan Ro, Shah, Jaimin, Shabbir, Yasmeen, Smith, Lisa, Varghese, Mary, Gutmann, Laurie, Gutmann, Ludwig, Swenson, Andrea, Olalde, Heena, Hafer-Macko, Charlene, Kwan, Justin, Zilliox, Lindsay, Callison, Karen, Disanzo, Beth, Naunton, Kerry, Bilsker, Martin, Sharma, Khema, Reyes, Eliana, Cooley, Anne, Michon, Sara-Claude, Steele, Julie, Karam, Chafic Karam, Chopra, Manisha, Bird, Shawn, Kaufman, Jacob, Gallatti, Nichole, Vu, Tuan, Katzin, Lara, Mcclain, Terry, Harvey, Brittany, Hart, Adam, Huynh, Kristin, Beydoun, Said, Chilingaryan, Amaiak, Droker, Brian, Lin, Frank, Shah, Akshay, Tran, Anh, Akhter, Salma, Malekniazi, Ali, Tandan, Rup, Hehir, Michael, Waheed, Waqar, Lucy, Shannon, Weiss, Michael, Distad, Jane, Downing, Sharon, Strom, Susan, Lisak, Robert, Bernitsas, Evanthia, Khan, Omar, Kumar Sriwastava, Shitiz, Tselis, Alexandro, Jia, Kelly, Bertorini, Tulio, Arnold, Thoma, Henderson, Kendrick, Pillai, Rekha, Liu, Ye, Wheeler, Lauren, Hewlett, Jasmine, Vanderhook, Mollie, Dicapua, Daniel, Keung, Benison, Kumar, Aditya, Patwa, Huned, Robeson, Kimberly, Nye, Joan, Vu, Hong, Howard, J, Utsugisawa, K, Benatar, M, Murai, H, Barohn, R, Illa, I, Jacob, S, Vissing, J, Burns, T, Kissel, J, Muppidi, S, Nowak, R, O'Brien, F, Wang, J, Mantegazza, R, and Bonanno, S

Subjects
Male, 0301 basic medicine, medicine.medical_treatment, Drug Resistance, Adult, Aged, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized, Autoantibodies, Double-Blind Method, Female, Humans, Middle Aged, Myasthenia Gravis, Receptors, Cholinergic, Outcome Assessment (Health Care), Severity of Illness Index, Neurology (clinical), law.invention, Complement inhibitor, 0302 clinical medicine, Randomized controlled trial, law, Monoclonal, Receptors, Clinical endpoint, Humanized, Cholinergic, education.field_of_study, Eculizumab, Autoantibodie, Myasthenia Gravi, Settore MED/26 - NEUROLOGIA, Human, medicine.drug, Meningitides, medicine.medical_specialty, Population, Placebo, Antibodies, 03 medical and health sciences, Internal medicine, medicine, education, business.industry, Surgery, Thymectomy, 030104 developmental biology, business, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Abstract

Background Complement is likely to have a role in refractory generalised myasthenia gravis, but no approved therapies specifically target this system. Results from a phase 2 study suggested that eculizumab, a terminal complement inhibitor, produced clinically meaningful improvements in patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive refractory generalised myasthenia gravis. We further assessed the efficacy and safety of eculizumab in this patient population in a phase 3 trial. Methods We did a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study (REGAIN) in 76 hospitals and specialised clinics in 17 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Eligible patients were aged at least 18 years, with a Myasthenia Gravis-Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) score of 6 or more, Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) class II-IV disease, vaccination against Neisseria meningitides, and previous treatment with at least two immunosuppressive therapies or one immunosuppressive therapy and chronic intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange for 12 months without symptom control. Patients with a history of thymoma or thymic neoplasms, thymectomy within 12 months before screening, or use of intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange within 4 weeks before randomisation, or rituximab within 6 months before screening, were excluded. We randomly assigned participants (1:1) to either intravenous eculizumab or intravenous matched placebo for 26 weeks. Dosing for eculizumab was 900 mg on day 1 and at weeks 1, 2, and 3; 1200 mg at week 4; and 1200 mg given every second week thereafter as maintenance dosing. Randomisation was done centrally with an interactive voice or web-response system with patients stratified to one of four groups based on MGFA disease classification. Where possible, patients were maintained on existing myasthenia gravis therapies and rescue medication was allowed at the study physician's discretion. Patients, investigators, staff, and outcome assessors were masked to treatment assignment. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change from baseline to week 26 in MG-ADL total score measured by worst-rank ANCOVA. The efficacy population set was defined as all patients randomly assigned to treatment groups who received at least one dose of study drug, had a valid baseline MG-ADL assessment, and at least one post-baseline MG-ADL assessment. The safety analyses included all randomly assigned patients who received eculizumab or placebo. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01997229. Findings Between April 30, 2014, and Feb 19, 2016, we randomly assigned and treated 125 patients, 62 with eculizumab and 63 with placebo. The primary analysis showed no significant difference between eculizumab and placebo (least-squares mean rank 56·6 [SEM 4·5] vs 68·3 [4·5]; rank-based treatment difference -11·7, 95% CI -24·3 to 0·96; p=0·0698). No deaths or cases of meningococcal infection occurred during the study. The most common adverse events in both groups were headache and upper respiratory tract infection (ten [16%] for both events in the eculizumab group and 12 [19%] for both in the placebo group). Myasthenia gravis exacerbations were reported by six (10%) patients in the eculizumab group and 15 (24%) in the placebo group. Six (10%) patients in the eculizumab group and 12 (19%) in the placebo group required rescue therapy. Interpretation The change in the MG-ADL score was not statistically significant between eculizumab and placebo, as measured by the worst-rank analysis. Eculizumab was well tolerated. The use of a worst-rank analytical approach proved to be an important limitation of this study since the secondary and sensitivity analyses results were inconsistent with the primary endpoint result; further research into the role of complement is needed. Funding Alexion Pharmaceuticals.

Published
2017

33. Polio vaccination to resume across Afghanistan

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Multidisciplinary, business.industry, Environmental health, Medicine, business, Polio Vaccination
Abstract

Success depends on shoring up the country’s health system

Published
2021

34. How COVID is derailing the fight against HIV, TB and malaria

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak, Multidisciplinary, Tuberculosis, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), business.industry, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), medicine.disease, Virology, Tuberculosis diagnosis, Pandemic, Health care, medicine, business, Malaria
Abstract

The pandemic’s effects on efforts to thwart other infectious diseases could exceed the direct impact of COVID-19. The pandemic’s effects on efforts to thwart other infectious diseases could exceed the direct impact of COVID-19.

Published
2021

35. New polio vaccine could boost faltering eradication drive

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Economic growth, Polio vaccine, Multidisciplinary, Poliomyelitis eradication, Political science, Oral polio vaccine, health care economics and organizations, World health, Regulatory authority
Abstract

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is about to roll out a brand-new vaccine that just might overcome one of the biggest obstacles to polio eradication: out-of-control outbreaks caused by the polio vaccine itself. The new vaccine, a modern, stabilized version of Albert Sabin9s oral polio vaccine, is so urgently needed that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has paid for nearly 200 million doses to be produced by an Indonesian manufacturer even before clinical trials are complete. The World Health Organization is ready to grant an emergency use listing, a new approval mechanism never before used for a vaccine, as soon as Indonesia9s regulatory authority gives the product the nod. The first drops could be delivered in several countries by the end of the year.

Published
2020

36. Pandemic brings mass vaccinations to a halt

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
030203 arthritis & rheumatology, Economic growth, Multidisciplinary, Poverty, Disease Eradication, medicine.disease, Measles, Poliomyelitis, Dilemma, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Political science, Pandemic, Global health, medicine, Mass vaccination, 030212 general & internal medicine
Abstract

"A devil9s choice." That9s how Seth Berkley, head of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, describes the dilemma facing global health organizations in the past few weeks. They could either continue to support mass vaccination campaigns in poor countries but risk that they would inadvertently help spread COVID-19—or recommend their suspension, inevitably triggering an upsurge of many other infectious diseases. In the end, they chose the latter, and mass vaccination campaigns against a host of diseases are now grinding to a halt in many countries. The fallout may last long after the pandemic subsides. And in the case of polio, the pause imperils the success of a 3-decade eradication campaign that was already in trouble.

Published
2020

37. Why measles deaths are surging — and coronavirus could make it worse

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, Multidisciplinary, viruses, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Developing country, medicine.disease, medicine.disease_cause, Measles, Poliomyelitis, 03 medical and health sciences, 030104 developmental biology, 0302 clinical medicine, Geography, Vaccination Campaigns, Pandemic, medicine, 030212 general & internal medicine, Measles vaccine, Socioeconomics, Coronavirus
Abstract

The world’s most contagious virus has killed thousands in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 23 countries have suspended measles vaccination campaigns as they cope with SARS-CoV-2. The world’s most contagious virus has killed thousands in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 23 countries have suspended measles vaccination campaigns as they cope with SARS-CoV-2.

Published
2020

38. Global polio eradication falters in the final stretch

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, Economic growth, Multidisciplinary, Outbreak, medicine.disease, Poliomyelitis, 03 medical and health sciences, 030104 developmental biology, 0302 clinical medicine, Political science, Poliomyelitis eradication, medicine, 030212 general & internal medicine, Chess endgame, health care economics and organizations
Abstract

The "endgame" in the campaign to eradicate polio suffered major setbacks in 2019. While the effort lost ground in Afghanistan and Pakistan, an especially alarming situation developed in Africa, where 196 children were paralyzed not by the wild virus, but by a vaccine-derived strain called type 2. A brand new vaccine is now being rushed through development to quash type 2 outbreaks; it could be rolled out for emergency use as early as the middle of this year. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is also debating whether to combat the resurgent virus by re-enlisting a triple-whammy vaccine pulled from global use in 2016. That would be a controversial move, setting back the initiative several years, as well as a potential public relations disaster.

Published
2020

39. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid oral supplements for improving peripheral nerve health: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Author

Jordan T. Kamel, Leslie Roberts, Alexis Ceecee Zhang, Jennifer P. Craig, Richard J MacIsaac, Laura E Downie, Ljoudmila Busija, and Manikkuwadura Eranda Harshan De Silva

Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty, Medicine (miscellaneous), Administration, Oral, Context (language use), Placebo, law.invention, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Randomized controlled trial, law, Internal medicine, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Peripheral Nervous System, medicine, Humans, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Nutrition and Dietetics, business.industry, Sensory loss, medicine.disease, Clinical trial, Peripheral neuropathy, medicine.anatomical_structure, 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis, Meta-analysis, Peripheral nervous system, Dietary Supplements, business, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Abstract

Context Peripheral nerve damage can occur in a variety of systemic conditions and can have a profound impact on functional and psychological health. Currently, therapeutic interventions for peripheral nerve damage are limited. Objective The aim of this systematic review, conducted in accordance with the Cochrane Collaboration’s handbook and reported according to the PRISMA checklist, was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of omega-3 oral supplements for improving peripheral nerve structure and function. Data Sources PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases, along with clinical trial registries, were searched from inception to February 2019. Evidence was identified, critically appraised, and synthesized, and the certainty of evidence was appraised using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Study Selection Randomized controlled trials assessing the effects of omega-3 oral supplementation on outcomes of peripheral nerve structure, peripheral nerve function, or both were eligible for inclusion. Titles and abstracts of identified articles were independently assessed for potential eligibility by 2 review authors. For studies judged as eligible or potentially eligible, full text articles were retrieved and independently assessed by 2 review authors to determine eligibility; disagreements were resolved by consensus. Data Extraction Fifteen trials were included. Two clinically similar studies that investigated the effect of omega-3 supplementation in individuals receiving chemotherapy were meta-analyzed. Pooled data showed a reduced incidence of peripheral neuropathy (RR = 0.58; 95%CI, 0.43–0.77) and a preservation of sensory nerve action potential amplitudes with omega-3 supplementation compared with placebo (MD = 4.19 µV; 95%CI; 2.19–6.19). Conclusion This review finds, with low certainty, that omega-3 supplementation attenuates sensory loss and reduces the incidence of neuropathy secondary to oxaliplatin and paclitaxel treatment relative to placebo. There is currently limited evidence to ascertain whether omega-3 supplementation is beneficial in other systemic conditions characterized by peripheral nerve damage. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO registration number CRD 42018086297

Published
2019

41. Sweating the small things

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
Program evaluation, Economic growth, medicine.medical_specialty, Developing country, Population health, Political science, Health care, medicine, Madagascar, Humans, Community Health Services, Developing Countries, Poverty, Organizations, Multidisciplinary, Data collection, Health Equity, business.industry, Public health, Data Collection, Health equity, Public Health, Rural Health Services, business, Delivery of Health Care, Public Health Administration, Program Evaluation
Abstract

An eclectic group of scientists is trying to build a health system piece by piece in Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world. They are working in a rugged, rural district, trying to strengthen all levels of health care at the same time, from rural clinics to the district hospital. The emphasis is on meticulous data gathering and rigorous analysis so the team can document what works, fix what doesn9t, and create a model health system that could be scaled up to cover all of Madagascar and, perhaps, be adapted for other countries. So far, it seems to be paying off, with dramatic improvements in key population health indicators in the pilot area.

Published
2019

43. Restabilization treatment after intravenous immunoglobulin withdrawal in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy: Results from the pre-randomization phase of the Polyneuropathy And Treatment with Hizentra study

Author

Michael Schroeter, Amgad Shebl, Leslie Roberts, Takuya Ohkubo, M. Chatzopoulos, Nan van Geloven, Robert D. Henderson, Catharina G. Faber, R. Talab, K. George, A. Kutschenko, E. Chi-Ho Lai, M. Bednar, Inna Rubanovits, Claudia Sommer, J. Oechtering, M. Tomiyama, Hans-Peter Hartung, Mari Auranen, G. Le Masson, Konrad Rejdak, Marina Grandis, Eroboghene E. Ubogu, Senda Ajroud-Driss, Tim Hagenacker, Lisa D. Hobson-Webb, Masayuki Baba, Khema Sharma, Miriam Freimer, Kazumasa Yokoyama, U. Chyrchel-Paszkiewicz, Karissa L. Gable, P. Van Damme, J. Zschuentzsch, I. N. van Schaik, S. Benitez, K. Nishiyama, J. Demeestere, Daniele Cazzato, F. Bethke, R. Carne, Gen Sobue, C. Marquez Infante, Norman Latov, David Walk, B. Murinson, Katrin Gross-Paju, Helmar C. Lehmann, M. Antonia, Ginna Gonzalez, M. Zibetti, Anne-Cécile Wielanek-Bachelet, Vera Bril, Stefania Morino, Mika Saarela, S. Mumfrey, Said R. Beydoun, Takanori Yokota, Maria Salvado, John T. Kissel, C. D'Amour, Ericka Simpson, D. Aufauvre, P. MacDonald, Orell Mielke, David R. Cornblath, Masahiro Iijima, Janneke G. J. Hoeijmakers, Nora A. Visser, Takashi Kanda, K. Kanai, Jeffrey A. Allen, Richard A. Lewis, Anne D. Sperfeld, J. Sussova, D. Mueller, A. Algom, Fabian Klostermann, I. Melamed, David Yarnitsky, J. Haas, Josep Gamez, A Schenone, P. Kunc, Ingemar S. J. Merkies, C. Trebst, F. Ciccocioppo, Ralf Gold, Vivian E. Drory, H. Onoue, Stefan Blum, P. Berlit, S. Muley, Tsugio Akutsu, T. Kalous, Michael P. Lunn, Alessandro Testori, Dale J. Lange, Giuseppe Lauria, D. Liebetanz, A. Jaspert-Grehl, Giovanni Antonini, Masahiro Mori, S. Larue, John-Philip Lawo, C. Goerlitz, H. Johl, M. Kawai, Nicolette C. Notermans, U. Sorro, R. Yoon, Daniela M. Menichella, T. Lavin, Billie L. Durn, J. Morrow, Richard J. Barohn, Dario Cocito, T. Rao, Martin Stangel, Satoshi Kuwabara, Jean Pouget, Emilien Delmont, David Gosal, Alexander Shtilbans, Sandro Sorbi, Florian Then Bergh, J. Schmidt, Shahram Attarian, Pierre Clavelou, Andreas Meisel, Sabrina Matà, Russell L. Chin, Mazen M. Dimachkie, Juliane Klehmet, K. Ohyama, Martin Vališ, Filip Eftimov, Shafeeq Ladha, A. Sabet, P. Baum, Claude Desnuelle, Kenichi Kaida, D. Kramer, Olaf Hoffmann, C. Casanovas Pons, A. Di Muzio, Ivo N. van Schaik, Toomas Toomsoo, Amsterdam Neuroscience - Neuroinfection & -inflammation, Neurology, AII - Inflammatory diseases, CSL Behring, Meridian HealthComms, and Demeestere, Jelle

Subjects
Research Report, Male, Outcome Assessment, inflammatory neuropathy cause and treatment (INCAT), chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), polyneuropathy and treatment with Hizentra (PATH), Privigen, Neuroscience (all), Neurology (clinical), Medizin, Polyneuropathy and treatment with Hizentra (PATH), Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, law.invention, Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), 0302 clinical medicine, Randomized controlled trial, law, hemic and lymphatic diseases, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, 80 and over, Young adult, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating, Aged, 80 and over, biology, Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), General Neuroscience, Immunoglobulins, Intravenous, Middle Aged, 3. Good health, Methylprednisolone, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (cidp), inflammatory neuropathy cause and treatment (incat), intravenous immunoglobulin (ivig), polyneuropathy and treatment with hizentra (path), privigen, 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis, Anesthesia, Female, Antibody, Intravenous, Polyneuropathy, Adult, Aged, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Immunoglobulin G, Immunologic Factors, Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating, Young Adult, medicine.drug, Randomization, Neuroscience(all), Clinical Neurology, Polyradiculoneuropathy, Immunoglobulins, Inflammatory neuropathy cause and treatment (INCAT), 03 medical and health sciences, medicine, Journal Article, business.industry, Research Reports, medicine.disease, Health Care, biology.protein, business, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Abstract

PATH study group., In patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is recommended to be periodically reduced to assess the need for ongoing therapy. However, little is known about the effectiveness of restabilization with IVIG in patients who worsen after IVIG withdrawal. In the Polyneuropathy And Treatment with Hizentra (PATH) study, the pre‐randomization period included sudden stopping of IVIG followed by 12 weeks of observation. Those deteriorating were then restabilized with IVIG. Of 245 subjects who stopped IVIG, 28 did not show signs of clinical deterioration within 12 weeks. Two hundred and seven received IVIG restabilization with an induction dose of 2 g/kg bodyweight (bw) IgPro10 (Privigen, CSL Behring, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania) and maintenance doses of 1 g/kg bw every 3 weeks for up to 13 weeks. Signs of clinical improvement were seen in almost all (n = 188; 91%) subjects. During IVIG restabilization, 35 subjects either did not show CIDP stability (n = 21, analyzed as n = 22 as an additional subject was randomized in error) or withdrew for other reasons (n = 14). Of the 22 subjects who did not achieve clinical stability, follow‐up information in 16 subjects after an additional 4 weeks was obtained. Nine subjects were reported to have improved, leaving a maximum of 27 subjects (13%) who either showed no signs of clinical improvement during the restabilization phase and 4 weeks post‐study or withdrew for other reasons. In conclusion, sudden IVIG withdrawal was effective in detecting ongoing immunoglobulin G dependency with a small risk for subjects not returning to their baseline 17 weeks after withdrawal., Editorial support was provided by Meridian HealthComms Ltd, funded by CSL Behring.

Published
2019

44. Malaria wars

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, medicine.medical_specialty, Multidisciplinary, fungi, food and beverages, Biology, medicine.disease, Multiple drug resistance, 03 medical and health sciences, 030104 developmental biology, parasitic diseases, medicine, Intensive care medicine, Malaria
Abstract

Can malaria be eliminated from the Mekong region before multiple-drug resistance makes it untreatable?

Published
2016

45. Proposed diagnostic criteria for cerebellar ataxia with neuropathy and vestibular areflexia syndrome (CANVAS)

Author

Catriona McLean, Elsdon Storey, G. Michael Halmagyi, Hamish G. MacDougall, David J. Szmulewicz, and Leslie Roberts

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, Vestibular system, Pediatrics, medicine.medical_specialty, Vestibular areflexia, Ataxia, Cerebellar ataxia, business.industry, Causative gene, Review, Clinical neurology, Sensory function, 03 medical and health sciences, 030104 developmental biology, 0302 clinical medicine, medicine, Neurology (clinical), medicine.symptom, business, Neuroscience, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery, Affected offspring
Abstract

Purpose of review:Diagnosis of ataxic disorders is an important clinical challenge upon which prognostication, management, patient solace, and, above all, the hope of future treatment all rely. Heritable diseases and the possibility of affected offspring carry the added burden of portending adverse health, social and financial ramifications.Recent findings:Cerebellar ataxia with neuropathy and vestibular areflexia syndrome (CANVAS) is an inherited multisystem ataxia compromising cerebellar, vestibular, and sensory function. It is not uncommon, but despite early attempts the genetic defect is yet to be identified. As the search for the causative gene continues, we have found it useful to further define this syndrome in terms of its likely phenotype.Summary:We propose staged diagnostic criteria based on the identified pathology in CANVAS. We envisage that these criteria will aid the clinician in diagnosing CANVAS and the researcher in further elucidating this complex disorder.

Published
2016

46. Support for UNRWA’s survival

Author

Karl Blanchet, Abbas El-Zein, Ana Langer, Miho Sato, Sawsan Abdulrahim, Kim Abouchacra, Rima Afifi, Vittorio Agnoletto, Hidechika Akashi, Mohamad Alameddine, Éimhín Ansbro, Vera Araújo-Soares, Nassim Assefi, Matt Baillie Smith, Marco Bardus, Jacqueline Bhabha, Espen Bjertness, Josephine Borghi, Joanna Busza, Melani Cammett, Oona Campbell, Jad Chaaban, Iain Chalmers, Francesco Checchi, Goodarz Danaei, Hassan Dhaini, Karin Diaconu, Ishac Diwan, Paula Dominguez-Salas, Elizabeth Dubois, Faysal El Kak, Eugenia Eng, Nir Eyal, Wafaie Fawzi, Gene Feder, Rika Fujiya, Shota Furukawa, Kiyoko Furusawa, Akane Futami, Aline Germani, Hala Ghattas, Rita Giacaman, Ryunosuke Goto, Liz Grant, Paul Gregg Greenough, Rima Habib, Amy Hagopian, Shakoor Hajat, Fabienne Hariga, Ayako Hatano, Alastair Hay, Gerd Holmboe-Ottesen, Sayaka Horiuchi, William Hsiao, Daniela Huber, Darryl Humble, Taizo Imano, Yosuke Inoue, Aya Ishizuka, Ruba Ismail, Rumi Iwata, Samer Jabbour, Diana Jamal, Zeina Jamaluddine, Masamine Jimba, Tamar Kabakian, Yasuhiko Kamiya, Evangelos Karademas, Kenichi Kashiwagi, Yasushi Katsuma, Miyuki Kinjo, Junko Kiriya, Akiko Kitamura, Margaret E Kruk, Kazumi Kubota, Jennifer Leaning, Mhoira Leng, Lana Logam, Jihad Makhoul, Akihisa Matsuno, Yoshimi Matsuo, David McCoy, Terry McGovern, Martin McKee, Barbara McPake, Nada Melhem, Anne Merriman, Susan Michie, Christopher Millett, Chiaki Mishima, Takashi Miyachi, Hiroaki Miyata, Rob Moodie, Mariko Morioka, Kim Mulholland, Ghina Mumtaz, Adrianna Murphy, Eiji Nagasawa, Kenichiro Nagata, Martine Najem Kteily, Haruyo Nakamura, Rima Nakkash, Makiko Nambu, Mica Nava, Erica L Nelson, Aiko Nishikida, Shuhei Nomura, Sayumi Nozaki, Iman Nuwayhid, Kate O'Donnell, Masaaki Ohashi, Kelli O'Laughlin, Jennifer Palmer, Preeti Patel, Ronak Patel, Phuong Pham, Harumi Quezada-Yamamoto, Sami Ramia, Salman Rawaf, May Rihani, Bayard Roberts, Leslie Roberts, Tilman A Ruff, Nadine Sahyoun, Haruka Sakamoto, Nisreen Salti, Motoya Sato, Richard Sennett, Tim Shallice, Peter Shannon, Suhail Shiekh, Kiho Shin, Abla M Sibai, Maia Sieverding, Neha Singh, Richard Sullivan, Takao Takahara, Tomoyuki Tanigawa, Hiroko Taniguchi, Adrienne Testa, Alban Thomas, Atsuro Tsutsumi, Manami Uechi, Akira Usuki, Sara Valente de Almeida, Sue Wareham, Graham Watt, Robert West, Peter Wigg, Carol Wigg, Daniel Wikler, Sophie Witter, Nasser Yassin, Youseph Yazdi, Yasue Yoshino, Aisha Yousafzai, John S Yudkin, Mohammad H Zaman, and Huda Zurayk

Subjects
Right of return, L700, Economic growth, Refugees, L900, United Nations, L400, Humanitarian aid, business.industry, Refugee, Relief Work, Homeland, General Medicine, 11 Medical And Health Sciences, Arabs, B900, 159 signatories, Political science, Statelessness, General & Internal Medicine, Agency (sociology), Humans, business, Functional illiteracy
Abstract

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides life-saving humanitarian aid for 5·4 million Palestine refugees now entering their eighth decade of statelessness and conflict. About a third of Palestine refugees still live in 58 recognised camps. UNRWA operates 702 schools and 144 health centres, some of which are affected by the ongoing humanitarian disasters in Syria and the Gaza Strip. It has dramatically reduced the prevalence of infectious diseases, mortality, and illiteracy. Its social services include rebuilding infrastructure and homes that have been destroyed by conflict and providing cash assistance and micro-finance loans for Palestinians whose rights are curtailed and who are denied the right of return to their homeland.

Published
2018

47. Alarming polio outbreak spreads in Congo, threatening global eradication efforts

Author

Leslie Roberts

Subjects
03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Multidisciplinary, business.industry, 030503 health policy & services, Environmental health, Medicine, Outbreak, 030212 general & internal medicine, 0305 other medical science, business, medicine.disease, Poliomyelitis
Published
2018

49. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for improving peripheral nerve health: protocol for a systematic review

Author

Jennifer P. Craig, Laura E Downie, Jordan T. Kamel, Leslie Roberts, Lucy Busija, Alexis Ceecee Zhang, and Richard J MacIsaac

Subjects
Research design, medicine.medical_specialty, Diabetic neuropathy, Neurology, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Peripheral nerve, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, medicine, Protocol, therapeutics, complementary medicine, Humans, 030212 general & internal medicine, Medical nutrition therapy, Intensive care medicine, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Protocol (science), neuropathology, business.industry, Peripheral Nervous System Diseases, adult neurology, General Medicine, medicine.disease, diabetic neuropathy, Clinical trial, Clinical research, Research Design, Dietary Supplements, Nutrition Therapy, business, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery, Systematic Reviews as Topic
Abstract

IntroductionDamage to peripheral nerves occurs in a variety of health conditions. Preserving nerve integrity, to prevent progressive nerve damage, remains a clinical challenge. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are implicated in the development and maintenance of healthy nerves and may be beneficial for promoting peripheral nerve health. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the effects of oral omega-3 PUFA supplementation on peripheral nerve integrity, including both subjective and objective measures of peripheral nerve structure and/or function.Methods and analysisA systematic review of randomised controlled trials that have evaluated the effects of omega-3 PUFA supplementation on peripheral nerve assessments will be conducted. Comprehensive electronic database searches will be performed in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), US National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Registry and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. The title, abstract and keywords of identified articles will be assessed for eligibility by two reviewers. Full-text articles will be obtained for all studies judged as eligible or potentially eligible; these studies will be independently assessed by two reviewers to determine eligibility. Disagreements will be resolved by consensus. Risk of bias assessment will be performed using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool to appraise the quality of included studies. If clinically meaningful, and there are a sufficient number of eligible studies, a meta-analysis will be conducted and a summary of findings table will be provided.Ethics and disseminationThis is a systematic review that will involve the analysis of previously published data, and therefore ethics approval is not required. A manuscript reporting the results of this systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and may also be presented at relevant scientific conferences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018086297.

Published
2018

Catalog

Books, media, physical & digital resources
See catalog results