Search

Objective: Because 66/68 joint counts are not always performed in routine care, we aimed to determine which of the modified 28‐joint disease activity index for psoriatic arthritis (DAPSA28) or 28‐joint disease activity score with C‐reactive protein (DAS28‐CRP) should be preferred for monitoring disease activity in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) when the original DAPSA (66/68 joints) is not available. Methods: Prospectively collected real‐world data of European bionaive patients with PsA initiating a first tumor necrosis factor inhibitor were pooled. Remission and response status were evaluated at 6 months by remission (DAPSA ≤ 4, DAPSA28 ≤ 4, and DAS28‐CRP < 2.6), response (75% improvement for DAPSA and DAPSA28), and combined EULAR good/moderate responses for DAS28‐CRP. Logistic regression analyses on multiple imputed data were used to identify baseline predictors. Results: Remission and response cohorts included 3,159 and 1,866 patients, respectively. The 6‐month proportions achieving remission/response were DAPSA (27%/44%), DAPSA28 (28%/44%), and DAS28‐CRP (59%/80%). Of 14 possible baseline predictors, 11 predicted both DAPSA and DAPSA28 remission (8 of which also predicted their response, indicated by "*"): longer disease duration*, male sex*, and higher CRP* were positive, whereas older age*, higher body mass index*, patient fatigue*, and global, physician global, health assessment questionnaire score*, and tender and swollen* joint counts were negative predictors. Eight and five of these predicted DAS28‐CRP remission and response, respectively. Conclusion: In patients with PsA, DAPSA28 should be preferred over DAS28‐CRP as a substitute for DAPSA when 66/68 joint counts are not available because of the large overlap in remission and response status and in predictors between DAPSA and DAPSA28. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rickettsial pathogens are among the emerging and re-emerging vector-borne zoonoses of public health importance. Reports indicate human exposure to Rickettsial pathogens in Namibia through serological surveys, but there is a lack of data on infection rates in tick vectors, hindering the assessment of the relative risk to humans. Our study sought to screen Ixodid ticks collected from livestock for the presence of Rickettsia species in order to determine infection rates in ticks and to determine the Rickettsia species circulating in the country. We collected and pooled Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus ticks from two adjacent regions of Namibia (Khomas and Otjozondjupa) and observed an overall minimum Rickettsia infection rate of 8.6% (26/304), with an estimated overall pooled prevalence of 9.94% (95% CI: 6.5–14.3). There were no statistically significant differences in the estimated pooled prevalence between the two regions or tick genera. Based on the nucleotide sequence similarity and phylogenetic analysis of the outer membrane protein A (n = 9) and citrate synthase (n = 12) genes, BLAST analysis revealed similarity between Rickettsia africae (n = 2) and Rickettsia aeschlimannii (n = 11), with sequence identities ranging from 98.46 to 100%. Our initial study in Namibia indicates that both zoonotic R. africae and R. aeschlimannii are in circulation in the country, with R. aeschlimannii being the predominant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examined the positivity ratio of Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) antibodies in cattle and sheep within Namibia's Omaheke region after a human disease outbreak in the same geographical area. A total of 200 samples (100 cattle and 100 sheep) were randomly collected from animals brought to two regional auction sites, and then tested using the ID Screen® CCHF Double Antigen Multi-Species Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay kit. Of the cattle samples, 36% tested positive, while 22% of the sheep samples were seropositive. The cattle had a significantly higher positivity ratio than sheep at the individual animal level (p = 0.0291). At the herd level, 62.5% of cattle herds and 45.5% of sheep flocks had at least one positive animal, but this difference was statistically insignificant (p = 0.2475). The fourteen cattle farms with at least one seropositive animal were dispersed across the Omaheke region. In contrast, the ten sheep farms with seropositive cases were predominantly situated in the southern half of the region. The study concluded that the CCHF is endemic in the Omaheke region and likely in most of Namibia, underscoring the importance of continued surveillance and preventive measures to mitigate the impact of CCHFV on animal health and potential spillover into human populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feminist media studies in the US and the UK have built a strong tradition of research, which has aimed to look at the correlation between structural gender inequalities in society and how these have been played out in the media. These range from classic studies on soap operas to debates on the sexualization of culture and the construction of forms of femininity within a postfeminist context (i.e. Gill, 2006; McNair, 2002; Ang, 1985; Tuchman at el, 1978). Research on the relationship between gender and the media has arguably become an important arena of inquiry in Latin America. Feminist media studies in countries like Brazil nonetheless is still in need of strengthening and becoming a more robust area of research, despite the emergence of some important work in the field in the last decade (i.e. Ferreira, 2015; Alvarez, 2015: Escosteguy and Messa, 2012). The aim of this paper is to provide a brief critical sketch of some of the research in the field, examining potentialities for further work as well as avenues for theoretical engagement. As Yuval-Davis (1997, 2010) has stated, we cannot take for granted that other national contexts are embedded necessarily within post-feminism narratives and discourses, as identified in the US and Northern Europe. In countries like Brazil, rigid and fixed categories of femininity clash with feminist and post-feminist images and discourses which proliferate in the media and throughout society, mingling discourses around the 'new career women' with pre-feminist narratives and other forms of idealization of Brazilian femininity. This paper also looks at the strengthening of feminist public spheres on online networks through the inclusion of examples from a wider case study conducted elsewhere by the author on the ways that Brazilian feminist movements are making use of technologies for women's empowerment and advancement of rights. Keywords: Feminism Theory, Post-feminism, Post-colonialism, the Third World, Brazil, Introduction Research that problematises the relationship between gender and communication structures, from television and radio to new technologies, at both the production and reception levels, has slowly started to grow [...]