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Open Access
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Article
| Open AccessIndoor air surveillance and factors associated with respiratory pathogen detection in community settings in Belgium
Surveillance of respiratory pathogens in air may improve understanding of indoor transmission risks but impacts of context-specific factors on pathogen abundance are not well understood. Here, the authors investigate factors associated with 29 respiratory pathogens through surveillance of 21 community settings in Belgium.
- Joren Raymenants
- , Caspar Geenen
- & Emmanuel André
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Article
| Open AccessEffectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster doses against Omicron severe outcomes
This study investigates the protection provided by mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster doses against Omicron-associated severe disease in adults aged 50 and older. The authors use data from Ontario, Canada, and find that booster doses provide strong protection but that it declined during the period of BA.4/BA.5 predominance.
- Ramandip Grewal
- , Lena Nguyen
- & Jeffrey C. Kwong
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Article
| Open AccessSequence terminus dependent PCR for site-specific mutation and modification detection
Rapid and facile detection of specific nucleic acid modifications could have numerous applications. Here the authors present Specific Terminal Mediated Polymerase Chain Reaction (STEM-PCR) as a generic and accessible approach, and demonstrate proof-of-principle cancer biomarker detection.
- Gaolian Xu
- , Hao Yang
- & Hongchen Gu
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Article
| Open AccessMaternal SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and infant protection against SARS-CoV-2 during the first six months of life
This study investigates the impact of maternal COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy on infant infection during the first six months of life. Using data from California, USA, the authors find that protection against infection during the period of Delta dominance was high, but that it declined during the Omicron period.
- Ousseny Zerbo
- , G. Thomas Ray
- & Nicola P. Klein
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Article
| Open AccessTEFM variants impair mitochondrial transcription causing childhood-onset neurological disease
Van Haute et al describe autosomal recessive TEFM variants that impair mitochondrial transcription elongation and reduce the levels of promoter distal mitochondrial RNA transcripts, leading to heterogeneous mitochondrial diseases with a treatable neuromuscular transmission defect.
- Lindsey Van Haute
- , Emily O’Connor
- & Rita Horvath
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Article
| Open AccessResponsive materials and mechanisms as thermal safety systems for skin-interfaced electronic devices
Minimizing patient risk to thermal failure in wearable electronics typically requires complex circuit control, sensors, or passive materials. Here, Yoo et al. present an active materials system with a self-inflating bladder that delaminates upon excessive heat, mitigating the risk of thermal injury.
- Seonggwang Yoo
- , Tianyu Yang
- & John A. Rogers
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Article
| Open AccessNational surveillance data analysis of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in England by women of reproductive age
Women of reproductive age may have specific concerns relating to perceived impacts on fertility and menstrual cycles that make them hesitant to receive COVID-19 vaccination. In this study, the authors explore COVID-19 vaccine uptake rates in women of reproductive age using linked data for ~13 million women in England.
- Laura A. Magee
- , Erika Molteni
- & Sara White
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Article
| Open AccessAssociations of timing of physical activity with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a prospective cohort study
There is a growing interest in the role of timing of physical activity (PA) in improving health. Here, using a large-scale cohort study, the authors show that moderate-to-vigorous PA at the optimal time of day robustly predicts lower mortality risk and may maximize the beneficial effect of PA.
- Hongliang Feng
- , Lulu Yang
- & Jihui Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessAcoustic metamaterials-driven transdermal drug delivery for rapid and on-demand management of acute disease
Treating acute disease like anaphylaxis is challenging due to the inability to administer therapeutics in a timely manner and regulate pharmacokinetics precisely within a short time window. Here the authors develop active acoustic metamaterials-driven transdermal drug delivery for rapid and on-demand acute disease management.
- Junhua Xu
- , Hongwei Cai
- & Feng Guo
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Perspective
| Open AccessMedical microrobots in reproductive medicine from the bench to the clinic
Microrobotics is an emerging technology with wide implications for medical fields, such as assisted reproduction. Here the authors show how the key challenges regarding materials, processes and engineering as well as ethical and regulatory implications can be addressed towards a clinical adoption.
- Richard Nauber
- , Sandhya R. Goudu
- & Mariana Medina-Sánchez
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Article
| Open AccessQuantifying the direct and indirect protection provided by insecticide treated bed nets against malaria
Long lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets (LLINs) provide protection from malaria through both direct effects to the user and indirect community-level effects. Here, the authors use mathematical modelling to assess the relative contributions of these effects under different insecticide resistance and LLIN usage scenarios.
- H. Juliette T. Unwin
- , Ellie Sherrard-Smith
- & Azra C. Ghani
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Article
| Open AccessEfficacy and clinicogenomic correlates of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors alone or with chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer
Immune checkpoint inhibitors with or without chemotherapy are now standard of care for non-small cell lung cancer. However, the benefits of combination vs sequential therapy have not been fully explored. Here, the authors analysed 1,133 patient records and show combination therapy showed increased protection against early progression, but similar overall survival.
- Lingzhi Hong
- , Muhammad Aminu
- & Natalie I. Vokes
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Article
| Open AccessA scoping review of the impacts of COVID-19 physical distancing measures on vulnerable population groups
Physical distancing measures introduced to control the spread of COVID-19 had socio-economic trade-offs that may have particularly impacted vulnerable population groups. Here, the authors perform a scoping review and summarise the impacts on different vulnerable groups described in 265 studies.
- Lili Li
- , Araz Taeihagh
- & Si Ying Tan
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Article
| Open AccessQuantifying PON1 on HDL with nanoparticle-gated electrokinetic membrane sensor for accurate cardiovascular risk assessment
Measuring proteomic subfractions of HDL can help during cardiovascular risk assessment. Here, the authors show, using a Nanoparticle-Gated Electrokinetic Membrane Sensor, the efficacy of Paroxonase 1 on HDL in its ability to diagnose cardiovascular disease compared to other commonly used methods.
- Sonu Kumar
- , Nalin Maniya
- & Hsueh-Chia Chang
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Article
| Open AccessRapid emergence of extensively drug-resistant Shigella sonnei in France
There have been increasing reports of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Shigella sonnei infections in recent years. In this laboratory surveillance study from France, the authors document the rise of XDR isolates from 2005 to 2021 and perform whole genome sequencing to investigate their genomic diversity and evolutionary history.
- Sophie Lefèvre
- , Elisabeth Njamkepo
- & François-Xavier Weill
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Article
| Open AccessProjected health impact of post-discharge malaria chemoprevention among children with severe malarial anaemia in Africa
Trial data have shown that post-discharge malaria chemoprevention (PDMC) reduces the risk of readmission and death in children previously hospitalised with severe malarial anaemia. Here, the authors use mathematical modelling to estimate the potential epidemiological impacts of PDMC in malaria-endemic countries in Africa.
- Lucy C. Okell
- , Titus K. Kwambai
- & Amani Thomas Mori
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Article
| Open AccessImpact of the Euro 2020 championship on the spread of COVID-19
In this Bayesian inference study, the authors aim to quantify the impact of the men’s 2020 UEFA Euro Football Championship on COVID-19 spread in twelve participating countries. They estimate that 0.84 million cases and 1,700 deaths were attributable to the championship, with most impacts in England and Scotland.
- Jonas Dehning
- , Sebastian B. Mohr
- & Viola Priesemann
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Article
| Open AccessEffectiveness of mRNA-1273 vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 omicron subvariants BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5
In this study, the authors estimate the effectiveness of the mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine for Omicron subvariants using data from the USA on ~31,000 cases and ~92,000 matched controls. They find that effectiveness against infection waned rapidly after third and fourth doses, but effectiveness against hospitalization remained high.
- Hung Fu Tseng
- , Bradley K. Ackerson
- & Lei Qian
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Article
| Open AccessProviding normative information increases intentions to accept a COVID-19 vaccine
The authors show that accurate information about descriptive norms can increase intentions to accept a vaccine for COVID-19. They show that these effects are largely consistent in the 23 included countries and are concentrated among people who were otherwise uncertain about accepting a vaccine.
- Alex Moehring
- , Avinash Collis
- & Dean Eckles
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Article
| Open AccessEvaluation of mortality attributable to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administration using national level data from Qatar
This study assesses the probability that deaths following a COVID-19 vaccination are attributable to the vaccine. The authors review all deaths that occurred within 30 days of vaccine receipt in Qatar until June 2022 and find that deaths attributable to vaccination are extremely rare.
- Adeel A. Butt
- , Mylai D. Guerrero
- & Abdul-Badi Abou-Samra
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Comment
| Open AccessCreative arts and digitial interventions as potential tools in prevention and recovery from the mental health consequences of adverse childhood experiences
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can harm mental health across the lifespan and reduce life expectancy. We provide a commentary of evidence on the health impacts, and how creative arts and digital interventions may support prevention and recovery.
- Kamaldeep Bhui
- , Sania Shakoor
- & Michaela Otis
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Article
| Open AccessAdipose-targeted triiodothyronine therapy counteracts obesity-related metabolic complications and atherosclerosis with negligible side effects
Although thyroid hormone (TH) has anti-obesity potential, systemic administration of TH causes severe adverse effects without obvious weight loss. Here, the authors show that adipose tissue-targeted delivery of TH with liposomes is a safe and efficient strategy to treat obesity and its related complications in mice.
- Kang Chen
- , Lai Yee Cheong
- & Aimin Xu
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Article
| Open AccessA photoacoustic patch for three-dimensional imaging of hemoglobin and core temperature
The authors present a wearable photoacoustic patch, which integrates laser diodes and piezoelectric transducers for three-dimensional imaging of hemoglobin and temperature in deep tissues.
- Xiaoxiang Gao
- , Xiangjun Chen
- & Sheng Xu
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Article
| Open AccessThe burden of heatwave-related preterm births and associated human capital losses in China
Frequent heatwaves caused by global warming can lead to an increased risk of preterm birth, however, what remains unknown is the extent to which anthropogenic climate change has contributed to such burdens. Here, the authors combine health impact and economic assessment methods to comprehensively evaluate the entire preterm birth burden of heatwave exposure.
- Yali Zhang
- , Shakoor Hajat
- & Cunrui Huang
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Article
| Open AccessInferring time-varying generation time, serial interval, and incubation period distributions for COVID-19
The generation time (interval between successive infections in a transmission chain) is an important parameter for epidemiological modeling. Here, the authors develop a framework for estimating this parameter and how it changes over time and apply it to data from China in the first months of the pandemic.
- Dongxuan Chen
- , Yiu-Chung Lau
- & Sheikh Taslim Ali
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Article
| Open AccessEffectiveness of ChAdOx1-S COVID-19 booster vaccination against the Omicron and Delta variants in England
Vaccine effectiveness of a ChAdOx1-S booster was estimated in a test-negative case-control study in England. Protection was found to be moderate against mild disease but remained high and comparable to that of an mRNA booster against hospitalisation with Omicron.
- Freja Cordelia Møller Kirsebom
- , Nick Andrews
- & Jamie Lopez Bernal
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Article
| Open AccessAn umbrella review of the evidence linking oral health and systemic noncommunicable diseases
Previous studies have supported a potential bidirectional association between oral diseases and systemic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) Here the authors perform an umbrella review of meta-analyses for the association between oral health and NCDs, and report that 27 NCDs were associated with oral disease, however, the overall strength of evidence was found to be unfavorable and with methodological inconsistencies.
- João Botelho
- , Paulo Mascarenhas
- & Vanessa Machado
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Comment
| Open AccessA call for immediate action to increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake to prepare for the third pandemic winter
This Comment piece summarises current challenges regarding routine vaccine uptake in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and provides recommendations on how to increase uptake. To implement these recommendations, the article points to evidence-based resources that can support health-care workers, policy makers and communicators.
- Cornelia Betsch
- , Philipp Schmid
- & Amanda Garrison
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Article
| Open AccessThe overlapping burden of the three leading causes of disability and death in sub-Saharan African children
In this disease mapping study, the authors estimate disability-adjusted life year rates for three of the major causes of mortality for children under five 43 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. They identify significant heterogeneity at the subnational level, highlighting the need for a targeted intervention approach.
- Robert C. Reiner Jr.
- , Catherine A. Welgan
- & Simon I. Hay
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Article
| Open AccessFederated learning enables big data for rare cancer boundary detection
Federated ML (FL) provides an alternative to train accurate and generalizable ML models, by only sharing numerical model updates. Here, the authors present the largest FL study to-date to generate an automatic tumor boundary detector for glioblastoma.
- Sarthak Pati
- , Ujjwal Baid
- & Spyridon Bakas
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Article
| Open AccessStrong pathogen competition in neonatal gut colonisation
Opportunistic bacterial pathogen species frequently colonise the human gut as a normal part of the ecosystem but strain-level colonisation and competition dynamics in healthy hosts is yet to be established. Authors seek to understand the relationship between colonisation potential and ecological factors modulating pathogen prevalence in disease in a longitudinal cohort.
- Tommi Mäklin
- , Harry A. Thorpe
- & Jukka Corander
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Article
| Open AccessIntermittent scavenging of storage lesion from stored red blood cells by electrospun nanofibrous sheets enhances their quality and shelf-life
In situ generated lesion of red blood cells decreases the quality of stored blood and limits its shelf-life. Here, the authors demonstrate that intermittent scavenging of storage lesions using electrostatic interactions by nanofibrous sheets could enhance the quality and shelf-life of stored blood.
- Subhashini Pandey
- , Manohar Mahato
- & Praveen Kumar Vemula
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Article
| Open AccessPost-covid medical complaints following infection with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron vs Delta variants
The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is associated with less severe disease but less is known about variant-specific risk of long-term complaints. Monitoring 1.3 million individuals from Norway for post-acute COVID-19 complaints up to 126 days shows that the burden is similar for Omicron and Delta for most complaints except for musculoskeletal pain.
- Karin Magnusson
- , Doris Tove Kristoffersen
- & Jonas Minet Kinge
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Article
| Open AccessEstimation of stillbirths attributable to ambient fine particles in 137 countries
Gestational exposure to ambient fine particles increases the risk of stillbirth, but the related disease burden is unknown, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Here, the authors combine state-of-the-art estimates on stillbirths, and multiple exposure–response functions to evaluate the burden in 137 countries.
- Tao Xue
- , Mingkun Tong
- & Tong Zhu
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Article
| Open AccessValidation of Food Compass with a healthy diet, cardiometabolic health, and mortality among U.S. adults, 1999–2018
The Food Compass is a nutrient profiling system to characterize the healthfulness of diverse foods, beverages and meals. In a nationally representative cohort of 47,999 U.S. adults, the authors validate a person’s individual Food Compass Score against health outcomes.
- Meghan O’Hearn
- , Joshua Erndt-Marino
- & Dariush Mozaffarian
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Comment
| Open AccessDeveloping medical imaging AI for emerging infectious diseases
Very few of the COVID-19 ML models were fit for deployment in real-world settings. In this Comment, Huang et al. discuss the main steps required to develop clinically useful models in the context of an emerging infectious disease.
- Shih-Cheng Huang
- , Akshay S. Chaudhari
- & Matthew P. Lungren
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Article
| Open AccessA multicentre single arm phase 2 trial of neoadjuvant pyrotinib and letrozole plus dalpiciclib for triple-positive breast cancer
Neoadjuvant therapy is recommended for patients with locally advanced breast cancer. Here the authors report the results of a phase 2 clinical trial of oral neoadjuvant therapy with pyrotinib (pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor), letrozole (aromatase inhibitor) and dalpiciclib (CDK4/6 inhibitor) in patients with treatment-naïve and stage II-III triple positive breast cancer.
- Nan Niu
- , Fang Qiu
- & Caigang Liu
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal disparities in SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance
In this study, the authors provide a global overview of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing, and estimate the proportion of cases sequenced and time to genome upload. They identify disparities and highlight the need to strengthen surveillance in lower and middle income countries.
- Anderson F. Brito
- , Elizaveta Semenova
- & Nuno R. Faria
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Article
| Open AccessVariant-specific symptoms of COVID-19 in a study of 1,542,510 adults in England
In this study, the authors assess changing symptom profiles associated with different SARS-CoV-2 variants from May 2020 to March 2022 in England. Using data from the REACT-1 study, they find that Omicron infection is more often associated with cold and influenza-like symptoms, and less with loss of taste and smell.
- Matthew Whitaker
- , Joshua Elliott
- & Paul Elliott
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Article
| Open AccessWireless theranostic smart contact lens for monitoring and control of intraocular pressure in glaucoma
Glaucoma is an irreversible ocular disease that may lead to vision loss. Here the authors develop a theranostic smart contact lens with an intraocular pressure sensor, a flexible drug delivery system, wireless power and communication systems and an application specific integrated circuit chip for both monitoring and control of intraocular pressure in glaucoma induced rabbits.
- Tae Yeon Kim
- , Jee Won Mok
- & Sei Kwang Hahn
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Article
| Open AccessDevelopment and validation of self-monitoring auto-updating prognostic models of survival for hospitalized COVID-19 patients
Despite rapid and significant changes during the pandemic, prognostic models for COVID-19 patients do not currently account for data drifts. Here, the authors develop a framework for continuously monitoring and updating prognostic models and applied it to predict 28-day survival in COVID-19 patients.
- Todd J. Levy
- , Kevin Coppa
- & Theodoros P. Zanos
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Article
| Open AccessAssociations of hurricane exposure and forecasting with impaired birth outcomes
Early forecasts give people in a storm’s path time to prepare, but less is known about the cost to society when forecasts are incorrect. In this observational study, the authors examine over 700,000 births in the path of Hurricane Irene and find exposure was associated with impaired birth outcomes.
- Jacob Hochard
- , Yuanhao Li
- & Nino Abashidze
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Article
| Open AccessViral load dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variants following multiple vaccine doses and previous infection
COVID vaccination can reduce virus levels in breakthrough infections, which in turn may reduce transmission of the virus. By using qRT-PCR cycle threshold as a surrogate of virus levels, the authors here show that this positive effect of vaccination wanes relatively quickly for Omicron breakthrough infection.
- Yonatan Woodbridge
- , Sharon Amit
- & Naama M. Kopelman
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Article
| Open AccessAn epifluidic electronic patch with spiking sweat clearance for event-driven perspiration monitoring
Sensory neurons convert external stimuli into spike signals, enabling energy-efficient information processing. Here, Kwak et al. present a sensory neuron-inspired epifluidic wireless patch and demonstrate spike-based energy-efficient sweat monitoring.
- Sangha Kim
- , Seongjin Park
- & Rhokyun Kwak
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Article
| Open AccessAnalysis of anti-SARS-CoV-2 Omicron-neutralizing antibody titers in different vaccinated and unvaccinated convalescent plasma sources
Although COVID-19 convalescent plasma is commonly used for the treatment of immunosuppressed patients, this approach has yielded mixed results. Here, the authors present a systematic review of Omicron-neutralization data in convalescent plasma from vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
- David J. Sullivan
- , Massimo Franchini
- & Daniele Focosi
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Article
| Open AccessTracing the international arrivals of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants after Aotearoa New Zealand reopened its border
In March 2022, Aotearoa New Zealand re-opened its border allowing quarantine-free travel for many travellers. Here, the authors describe circulating Omicron sub-variants before and after the reopening of the border and show that the rate of viral introductions grew roughly linearly with the increase in daily international travel.
- Jordan Douglas
- , David Winter
- & Jemma L. Geoghegan
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessReply to: Intergenerational nutrition benefits of India’s national school feeding program: Reality or a bridge too far?
- Suman Chakrabarti
- , Samuel Scott
- & Daniel Gilligan
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessIntergenerational nutrition benefits of India’s national school feeding program: Reality or a bridge too far?
- Harshpal Singh Sachdev
- , Clive Osmond
- & Tinku Thomas
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal mortality of snakebite envenoming between 1990 and 2019
Snakebite envenoming is a leading cause of mortality among neglected tropical diseases. Here, the authors analyze a global data repository and estimate that snakebite envenoming caused over 63,000 deaths in 2019, primarily concentrated in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Nicholas L. S. Roberts
- , Emily K. Johnson
- & Kanyin Liane Ong