Conectar
To investigate associations between body composition indices and metabolic status among normal-weight adults.
Cross-sectional study using data from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (phaseVII: 2019–2021).
Primary care and community health services in an urban Tehran population.
1298 adults (40.5% men, 59.5% women), aged 18–80years, body mass index (BMI) 18.5–24.9 kg/m². Exclusions: known diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, malignancy, pregnancy or lactation, diuretic or glucocorticoid use. Participants were classified as metabolically healthy normal weight (MHNW) or unhealthy (MUHNW).
The primary outcome was the association between body composition and anthropometric indices with metabolic status. The secondary outcome was identification of the strongest predictors of MUHNW. Body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis to obtain fat mass (FM), body fat percentage (BFP), skeletal muscle mass percentage (SMM%), fat mass index (FMI), fat-free mass index, skeletal muscle indices and the fat-to-muscle mass ratio (FMR). Anthropometric measures included waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Associations were examined using logistic regression adjusted for age, smoking and physical activity.
Mean age: 37.5±12.8 y; MUHNW participants were older than MHNW (44.5±13.2 vs 35.8±12.1 years, p
BMI, WC, WHR and body fat indices were positively associated with metabolically unhealthy status among normal-weight adults of both sexes. WHR was the strongest predictor, highlighting its value for identifying at-risk individuals where advanced body composition tools are unavailable.
Findings of previous studies on associations between dairy consumption and metabolic health status were inconsistent. This study aimed to assess the link between consumption of dairy foods and metabolic health status, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and adropin levels in adults.
Cross-sectional.
An observational study in Isfahan, Iran.
Adults (n=527) selected by multistage cluster random sampling. Dietary intakes were assessed via a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire.
Anthropometric indices, blood pressure and biochemical parameters were assessed. The criteria proposed by Wildman et al were used to categorise participants into metabolically healthy and metabolically unhealthy (MU).
Participants had a mean age of 42.66 years (45.7% women). Moderate consumption of total dairy was, respectively, linked to 58% lower odds of MU (OR T2 vs T1=0.42; 95% CI 0.18 to 0.96), after taking all confounders into account. Participants in the middle versus low tertile of low-fat dairy intake showed 51% marginally lower odds of MU (OR T2 vs T1=0.49; 95% CI 0.22 to 1.08; p=0.08). No significant association was discovered between high-fat dairy intake and MU chance. However, higher total dairy intake was associated with lower odds of hypertension (OR T3 vs T1=0.36; 95% CI: 0.14 to 0.93). No significant associations were observed between dairy intake and BDNF or adropin levels.
Moderate consumption of total and low-fat dairy was associated with lower odds of being metabolically unhealthy in Iranian adults, but high-fat dairy intake was not. Hypertension was less common among individuals with higher dairy intake. No association was found between dairy intake and serum levels of BDNF or adropin.
To explore how factors in the complex aortic surgical care context can affect care provision towards patients' postoperative recovery.
Secondary qualitative analysis.
Results about patients' recovery after complex aortic surgery was presented in focus groups with healthcare professionals in 2022. Reflexive thematic analysis, using the Fundamentals of Care framework, was conducted to explore contextual factors affecting care provision.
Healthcare professionals' descriptions resulted in one main theme: Care provision is challenged by discrepancies in values, goals and norms and unclear responsibilities within the context, and two subthemes: Values, goals and norms determine what care is provided; Taking responsibility for care requires resources, evaluation and feedback.
Healthcare professionals describe care provision as affected by a dynamic integration of contextual factors. Healthcare professionals need to be made aware of their own role in this context. Care provision needs to be guided by feedback from patients and healthcare professionals, and work with patients' resources at both an individual, system and societal level.
The results provide knowledge regarding how contextual factors in dynamic integration can affect care provision in a complex surgical context. Healthcare professionals, leaders and policy makers all have responsibility to focus on patients' values and goals, and empower adequate care through feedback loops and resource management.
The context-of-care dimension of the Fundamentals of Care framework has been scarcely described. Our results illustrate how an integration of factors affects care provision, where values, goals, and norms affect what care is provided, and responsibility for care belongs to everyone in the care system. The results can contribute to the description of the context-of-care dimension within the framework and enable professionals to understand how they, as part of the context, could affect care towards patient recovery.
This study adhered to the Equator research reporting checklist: Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research: a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups.
No patient or public contribution.
To examine inpatient benzodiazepine receptor agonists prescribing patterns and assess how hospitalisation affects use at discharge.
Subanalysis of the WEsleep trial, a cluster-randomised controlled single-centre study conducted at Amsterdam University Medical Center (Amsterdam UMC) (two locations) between July 2023 and March 2024. Twelve departments (six medical, six surgical) were matched and randomised to intervention or standard care. On intervention wards, multiple measures to improve sleep were implemented, including minimising nighttime disruptions.
Amsterdam UMC, across medical and surgical hospital departments.
Adult patients admitted for ≥2 nights (medical) or undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery in a surgical department.
Benzodiazepine use was classified as no use, pre-admission use or new in-hospital initiation. Prescribing patterns were summarised descriptively according to type, timing, indication and discharge status.
Of 746 patients, 187 (25%) used benzodiazepines: 80 (43%) had pre-admission use, and 107 (57%) were newly initiated during their hospital stay. Among pre-admission users, two discontinued and five had adjustments at discharge. Among newly initiated users, 94 (88%) had their benzodiazepine discontinued at discharge. Approximately half of pre-admission prescriptions and one-third of in-hospital prescriptions lacked a documented indication.
Although most newly initiated benzodiazepine treatments were discontinued during hospitalisation, pre-existing use was rarely reassessed and nearly 10% of new users were discharged with a prescription. Structured deprescribing protocols, better documentation of indications and improved discharge planning are needed to promote safer and more rational benzodiazepine use.
Skin tears (ST) are common traumatic wounds, particularly among older adults, that can lead to complications if not accurately assessed and classified. The International Skin Tear Advisory Panel (ISTAP) classification system is widely used internationally; however, no validated Persian version currently exists. To culturally adapt, and evaluate the clinimetric properties of the Persian version of the ISTAP Classification System. This methodological study was conducted from February to May 2025 in multiple phases. After forward–backward translation and expert review, face and content validity were assessed. Criterion validity was assessed by comparing nurses' classifications with expert consensus using weighted Cohen's kappa coefficient. Construct validity was examined using the known-groups method, comparing skin tear frequency and severity between 30 elderly patients with impaired mobility and 30 younger adults without impaired mobility. Reliability was evaluated using Fleiss' kappa coefficient for multiple raters, and weighted Cohen's kappa coefficient for inter-rater and intra-rater agreement. Diagnostic accuracy indices, including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (LR+), negative likelihood ratio (LR–), odds ratio (OR) and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), were calculated for each skin tear type. Content validity was excellent (content validity ratio (CVR): 0.82–1.00; item-level content validity index (I-CVI): 0.91–1.00; scale-level content validity index (S-CVI/Ave): 0.94). Criterion validity showed almost perfect agreement with experts (weighted κ = 0.902, p < 0.001). Construct validity was supported by significant group differences in skin tear frequency (Fisher's exact p = 0.001) and severity (t(58) = 2.12, p = 0.039). Reliability was substantial to almost perfect across analyses (Fleiss' κ = 0.8447; inter-rater weighted κ = 0.66; intra-rater weighted κ = 0.86). Diagnostic accuracy was excellent for all types (AUC = 0.99), with sensitivity 97.5%–99.2%, specificity 98.4%–99.6%, PPV 97.5%–99.3%, NPV 98.1%–99.6% and very high OR and LR values. The Persian version of the ISTAP Classification System demonstrated excellent validity, reliability and diagnostic accuracy, supporting its use as a standardised tool for assessing ST in Persian-speaking healthcare settings.
To develop and externally validate a two-stage machine learning framework that integrates polygenic risk and clinical variables for early identification of individuals at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
We conducted a prospective prediction study using data from the All of Us Research Program for model development and the UK Biobank for external validation. Two models were constructed. Stage 1 used gradient boosted decision trees (XGBoost) with cross validation, automated hyperparameter optimisation and class weighting to predict 5-year incident type 2 diabetes using demographic, clinical and polygenic predictors. Stage 2 incorporated glycated haemoglobin or fasting glucose measurements to refine risk estimates. Model interpretation used SHapley Additive exPlanations values and permutation importance, and logistic regression and random forest models served as comparators. Discrimination of all models was compared using the DeLong test.
The Stage 1 model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.81 in All of Us and 0.82 in UK Biobank, performing significantly better than the phenotype-only model in UK Biobank (DeLong p=1.05x10–⁷⁶). Higher polygenic risk quartiles were associated with increased incidence of type 2 diabetes in both cohorts (global 2 p
A two-stage machine learning framework that integrates genetic and clinical information can support personalised screening for type 2 diabetes across diverse populations. The approach demonstrated robust performance across cohorts and offers a practical structure for early risk identification.
Identify and describe patient engagement interventions used to improve medication management in older adults during transitions of care.
A mixed-methods systematic review.
A comprehensive search of all study designs was conducted. Studies were categorised using the ladder of patient and family engagement, a framework that positions engagement from low (passive) to high (active partnership) patient engagement.
Six databases were searched from inception to April 2024.
The search yielded 29 reports, with 25 classified as studies. Most interventions (n = 19, 76%) were low-level interventions that comprised informing patients in a passive manner. Interventions that facilitated high-level engagement (n = 6, 24%) where patients were integrated in the decision-making process were associated with consistently improved patient and healthcare long-term outcomes.
While low and high-level engagement interventions were associated with significantly decreased hospital readmission rates, high-level interventions consistently demonstrated positive patient outcomes. Interventions supporting older adults beyond discharge achieved meaningful and lasting patient and healthcare outcomes for older adults.
Findings provide clinical reference for designing engagement interventions, highlighting long-term benefits of partnership-based approaches and continuity beyond discharge.
Engagement in medication management during transitions of care varied significantly. High-level engagement was consistently linked to improved patient and healthcare outcomes but was often resource intensive. This review identifies the need to design balanced interventions that align with the preferences of older adults and real-world contextual healthcare settings.
PRISMA guidelines.
No patient or public contribution.
PROSPERO (registration number CRD42024557385).
by Aniket Pramanick, Yufang Hou, Saif M. Mohammad, Iryna Gurevych
Large Language Models (LLMs) have ushered in a transformative era in Natural Language Processing (NLP), reshaping research and extending NLP’s influence to other fields of study. However, there is little to no work examining the degree to which LLMs influence other research fields. This work empirically and systematically examines the influence and use of LLMs in fields beyond NLP. We curate 106 LLMs and analyze ∼148k papers citing LLMs to quantify their influence and reveal trends in their usage patterns. Our analysis reveals not only the increasing prevalence of LLMs in non-CS fields but also the disparities in their usage, with some fields utilizing them more frequently than others since 2018, notably Linguistics and Engineering together accounting for ∼45% of LLM citations. Our findings further indicate that most of these fields predominantly employ task-agnostic LLMs, proficient in zero or few-shot learning without requiring further fine-tuning, to address their domain-specific problems. This study sheds light on the cross-disciplinary impact of NLP through LLMs, providing a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges.Improving neonatal health—including growth, weight gain, neurodevelopment and parent–infant bonding—relies heavily on active parental involvement in neonatal care. Family-centred care models emphasise parental participation, which has been associated with improved physiological stability in infants, reduced parental stress and enhanced emotional bonding. This systematic review aims to synthesise existing evidence on the benefits of parental involvement in neonatal care, highlight best practices and identify gaps requiring further research. A rigorous methodology has been outlined to ensure the reliability and transparency of the review process.
A comprehensive search strategy will be implemented across major databases, including PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science, supplemented by manual searches. The review will include randomised controlled trials published between 2000 and January 2025. Studies will be screened according to predefined inclusion criteria, and outcomes of interest will include neonatal growth, weight gain, neurodevelopmental outcomes and parent–infant bonding. Two independent reviewers will perform study selection, data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment, with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. Data from included studies will be synthesised using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. If studies are sufficiently homogeneous in design, interventions and outcomes, a meta-analysis will be conducted using appropriate effect measures (eg, mean difference or standardised mean difference for continuous outcomes, and risk ratios for dichotomous outcomes).
As no primary data will be collected, ethical approval is not required. The findings will be presented at relevant conferences and published in a peer-reviewed journal.
CRD420251000485.
Patients and families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds face distinct challenges during end-of-life care (EOLC) in intensive care unit (ICU) settings, where communication, cultural expectations and decision-making may conflict with clinical norms. These complexities have important implications for intensive and palliative care teams.
To map literature on clinician, patient and family perspectives on end-of-life communication with CALD populations in ICUs, and identify barriers and facilitators to culturally responsive care.
This scoping review followed Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. The protocol was registered with the Open Science Framework and published in BMJ Open. Screening, review and data extraction were conducted by multiple reviewers using Covidence and the Joanna Briggs Institute tool, with findings synthesised through inductive thematic analysis.
The primary outcome was to identify barriers and facilitators to communication between clinicians, patients and families from CALD backgrounds during EOLC. Secondary outcomes were to map the scope of evidence, describe study characteristics and participant demographics, and summarise themes on cultural sensitivity, clinician awareness, family involvement, decision-making and integration of support services.
Thirty of 766 screened studies were included. Three themes emerged: communication challenges; cultural sensitivity and humility and decision-making and support. Barriers included limited access to palliative care, language discordance, underuse of interpreters, clinician discomfort and conflicting care expectations. Facilitators included structured meetings, inclusive practices and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Structural, communicative and cultural barriers undermine equitable EOLC for CALD patients. Embedding palliative care principles, cultural responsiveness and shared decision-making into ICU practice requires coordinated input from a multidisciplinary team involving physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual care, psychologists and interpreters. System-level reforms in training, service delivery and research are needed to ensure person-centred care.
Registered with BMJ Open DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-090168
To explore public perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in India, and to identify underlying factors influencing attitudes toward vaccination during the second wave of the pandemic.
A cross-sectional qualitative study based on a grounded theory approach.
Community-based interviews conducted in Mumbai, a densely populated metropolitan city in India, during the second COVID-19 wave (April–June 2021).
Twenty purposively selected adults (men and women aged 22–87 years) from varied educational and occupational backgrounds. Inclusion criteria were willingness to participate and the ability to provide informed consent; individuals directly involved in COVID-19 vaccine policy or administration were excluded.
In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted using an interview guide exploring perceptions of COVID-19 vaccination. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed inductively following grounded theory principles. Reflexivity was maintained throughout data collection and analysis.
Key emergent themes relating to vaccine acceptance, hesitancy and influencing factors such as safety concerns, efficacy perceptions, media influence and social determinants of vaccine choice.
Attitudes toward vaccination ranged from strong acceptance to hesitancy driven by concerns about safety, side effects and the speed of vaccine development. Media coverage, peer and healthcare professional opinions, and personal experiences shaped the decision of the participants. Cost considerations and lack of vaccine choice influenced uptake. Many participants favoured vaccination being voluntary rather than mandatory for the general population.
Trust in authorities, transparent risk communication and culturally sensitive engagement are critical to improving vaccine confidence. Public health strategies should address safety concerns, ensure equitable access and promote consistent messaging to enhance vaccine acceptance in current and future pandemic contexts.
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disorder causing progressive fibrosis of internal organs and skin, leading to increased thickness and rigidity. It frequently results in malnutrition, which can decrease survival rates and physical performance, while also imposing financial burdens on healthcare systems and society. Multimodal nutritional interventions may encompass various approaches, including nutritional counselling, consumption of oral nutritional supplements and disease-specific dietary regimens based on nutritional needs. The present clinical trial is designed to examine the effectiveness of multimodal nutritional intervention on nutritional status, quality of life, food intake, body composition and fatigue in patients with SSc.
This is a parallel, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial that will investigate the impacts of multimodal nutritional interventions in SSc patients. 46 qualified SSc participants will be chosen at random and given multimodal nutritional intervention or dietary recommendations for a period of 8 weeks. The primary outcomes of this study are changes in nutritional status and quality of life. The secondary outcomes include changes in body composition, fatigue, body weight, body mass index and calf circumference. Statistical analysis will be conducted using the SPSS software (Version 24).
The current trial received approval from the Medical Ethics Committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran (IR.TUMS.MEDICINE.REC.1403.345). The findings will be submitted to international, peer-reviewed publications and presented at national and international conferences.
IRCT20220208053971N4.
Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) associated with an underlying connective tissue disease (CTD), also known as a systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease or SARD, are chronic conditions with a tendency to progress. CTD-ILDs are increasingly diagnosed and pose an important global health challenge. This systematic review aims to provide an overarching evaluation of their epidemiology and disease burden in Asia. In this review, the term CTD-ILD will be used to denote all major forms of ILD arising in the context of a SARD.
This systematic review will adhere to the standards of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, including a flow diagram to depict the process by four independent reviewers that will assess titles and abstracts against the following predetermined criteria. A systematic review of the literature search published from 2000 to 2024 will be conducted using five electronic databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. Publications that meet the inclusion criteria of this review will be subjected to a full-text review to extract relevant data. Collated data will be analysed and organised into categories based on the expected outcome and objectives. The quality of published evidence, including heterogeneity across studies, will be checked against PRISMA checklists and assessed by Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
Ethics approval is not applicable for this study since no original data will be collected. The findings of this review will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication in a scientific journal and conference communications, with the aim of contributing insights to the field by identifying research gaps and informing clinical practice.
The protocol of this systematic review is registered with the National Medical & Research Register (ID-24–03600-GUB) and International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews PROSPERO (CRD420251037095).
The global population of older adults has grown at an unprecedented rate, and projections indicate that the number of older adults will continue to increase considerably in the coming decades. The clinical complexity of older adults living in retirement homes, also known as assisted living settings, is also increasing, and the regulations to ensure quality and safety standards in retirement homes are highly variable. The purpose of this scoping review is to map and summarise the methods used to monitor and measure the safety of older adults living in retirement homes, providing an overview of existing approaches and areas requiring further investigation.
This scoping review will follow the five stages of the Arksey and O’Malley scoping review process. We will report this review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. A comprehensive search of four electronic databases (MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO) and Web of Science Core Collection) will be performed, and reference lists of included articles will be searched. We will conduct a two-step screening process, data extraction and analysis of the included studies. We will include all primary study designs that report on safety measurement and monitoring of any type of harms. Relevant grey literature will also be identified. We will exclude studies that only report results from facilities providing 24-hour skilled nursing care or specialised care services, and those not published in English or French. This protocol is registered on the Open Science Framework (osf.io/8rheq).
No ethical approval is needed for the review, and we plan to present the results at research conferences and in a peer-reviewed article. Our findings may inform future research studies that seek to support and improve safety practices in retirement homes.
To assess the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of ‘Partners for Patient Safety’ (P4PS) programme for strengthening competencies and patient engagement at the organisational level.
Prospective study with three measurement points (baseline, interim and follow-up) and an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach for formative and process evaluation.
Oncology-focused patient and family advisory councils (PFACs) integrated into healthcare organisations and networks in five German federal states.
Initially, 36 stakeholders of six PFACs were recruited. At follow-up, 27 participated in all intervention modules and completed all surveys. From those, 14 participated in follow-up interviews.
The P4PS programme consists of two sequentially implemented modules: (1) an e-learning module and (2) a 4-hour on-site workshop. The programme focuses on the following topics: patient safety (PS), communication strategies and PFAC engagement in respective care organisations.
Primary outcome measures were feasibility domains, assessed via standardised (acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility) and self-developed measures (relevance, acceptability and social validity, complexity and practicability, demand and implementation, and adaptability). Secondary outcome measure was preliminary effectiveness, measured via changes in self-assessed competencies in PS, communication and engagement.
Feasibility ratings were high across standardised and self-developed measures (median range: 4–5 of 5). Qualitative data showed P4PS programme’s practical relevance, need for organisational support and its adaptability across PFAC contexts. Effectiveness analyses showed significant improvements in PS competencies (adjusted pV) and selected domains of PFAC engagement (adjusted pd=–0.77 to –1.37). Participants expressed strong expectations for future improvements in competencies regarding PS, communication and PFAC engagement.
This P4PS programme showed high feasibility and effectiveness, it increased key competencies, clarified roles and promoted active PFAC engagement in PS. Future work needs to address organisational support and sustainable implementation with application to context as well as long-term evaluation across different care settings.
DRKS00034733; German Clinical Trials Register.
This study assessed the association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure during pregnancy and stillbirth in Pakistan. We hypothesised that higher PM2.5 exposure is linked to increased stillbirth risk.
A cross-sectional study using secondary data from the 2017 to 2018 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS), combined with satellite-derived PM2.5 exposure data.
The study covered urban and rural areas across Pakistan, including all four provinces (Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan) and administrative regions (Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Islamabad, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Azad Jammu Kashmir).
The study included 9172 married women aged 15–49 with at least one birth in the past 5 years. Women with incomplete pregnancy outcome data were excluded.
PM2.5 exposure was estimated using satellite data, matching PDHS clusters with the nearest air quality point via MATLAB. Monthly average exposure was categorised into quartiles.
Stillbirth, defined as pregnancy loss at ≥28 weeks gestation.
Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between PM2.5 and stillbirth, adjusting for maternal age, gravidity, wealth index, birth interval, previous adverse pregnancy outcome and region of residence. The stillbirth rate in Pakistan for the most recent pregnancy was 17.0 (14.5–19.9) per 1000 births, with highest rates (28.9) in Baluchistan province. The mean level of PM2.5 exposure in Pakistan was 53.96 (SD 20.42; range 5.9–209.4) µg/m3. PM2.5 exposure was higher for urban (56.43) than rural (51.87) pregnancies, highest in Sindh (78.06) and lowest in GB (13.41) provinces. For every 1 µg/m3 average increase in PM2.5 during the pregnancy period, there was approximately 1% increase in stillbirth.
Increased PM2.5 exposure was strongly associated with stillbirth risk. This underscores the need for targeted public health interventions, such as government regulations, emission controls and clean energy initiatives to protect pregnant women in high-risk areas.
To identify enablers and barriers for scaling up non-communicable disease (NCD) interventions across diverse global contexts and to map these factors to the WHO’s health system building blocks.
A multi-method qualitative study applying the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to analyse data from multiple projects nearing or completing scale-up.
Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases-funded implementation research projects conducted across 18 low- and middle-income countries and high-income settings.
Data was derived from documents (n=77) including peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, and reports and interviews with stakeholders (n=18) (eg, principal investigators, medical professionals, public health workers).
Various context-specific interventions targeting sustainable scale-up of NCD (eg, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease) interventions at the community, primary care or policy levels.
The primary outcome was identifying contextual enablers and barriers to intervention scale-up. Secondary outcomes included exploring how these factors aligned with health system building blocks (eg, leadership/governance, healthcare workforce).
Twenty enablers (eg, intervention adaptability, strong stakeholder engagement, local empowerment) and 25 barriers (eg, resource limitations, intervention complexity, stakeholder burnout) were identified. Contextual alignment, supportive governance and capacity building were critical for sustainability, while cultural misalignment and socio-political instability frequently hampered scaling efforts.
Tailoring interventions to local health systems, ensuring stakeholder co-ownership and incorporating strategies to mitigate stakeholder burn-out are essential to achieving sustainable, scalable NCD solutions. Future research should focus on integrating systematic cultural adaptation, sustainable financing and workforce capacity building into scale-up planning.
by Michele Letitia Tchabou Tientcheu, Pierre Marie Kaktcham, Edith Marius Foko Kouam, Laverdure Tchamani Piame, Lysette Chabrone Djodjeu Kamega, Aarzoo , Agnihotri Shekhar, Singh Bhim Pratap, François Zambou Ngoufack
Conventional culture media such as de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe are essential for the growth of lactic acid bacteria and the production of metabolites used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. However, their high cost limits their application, particularly in low and middle-income countries. This study aimed to develop a cost-effective and efficient culture medium based on agro-industrial and environmental by-products, pineapple peels, sugarcane molasses, and black soldier fly larvae cake. After physico-chemical analysis of the by-products, excluding sugarcane molasses, a statistical mixture design was used to determine the optimal proportions for supporting lactic acid bacteria growth and bacteriocin production. Growth and metabolite production were monitored via plate count and agar well diffusion assays respectively. The strains tested belonged to the genera Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, Lactococcus, and Bacillus as an out taxa group. The larvae cake showed high protein (48.47 ± 0.14%) and amino acid (17 types) content, while pineapple peels and molasses were rich in carbohydrates (89.52 ± 0.16% and 86.86 ± 0.07%). Based on regression models, the compromise formulation was defined as 55.15% larvae cake hydrolysate, 19.85% pineapple peel hydrolysate, and 25.00% sugarcane molasses. This medium highly supported lactic acid bacteria growth (9.43–9.86 log CFU/mL) compared to MRS and M17 (9.20–9.69 log CFU/mL), with Lactobacillus strains performing better. It also supported bacteriocin activity (11.0–14.5 mm inhibition zones), higher or similar to MRS and M17, with Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis MA2 exhibiting the strongest effect. These results highlight the potential of this formulation as a sustainable, low-cost alternative for microbiology and biotechnology, particularly in resource-limited settings. The determination of its formula will allow its manufacture once the proximate compositions of the ingredients are known, regardless their origin. Future investigations will focus on optimisation of culture conditions, powder form formulation, and cost evaluation.
FreshRSS 