Interventions to improve vaccination coverage of children in hard-to-reach population: A systematic review

In the last decade, vaccination has reduced a quarter of child deaths worldwide. Vaccination coverage increased, but the coverage remains low in the hard-to-reach population. We searched articles from Pubmed MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Science Direct to systematically review interventions to improve children's vaccination coverage in hard-to-reach populations. The expected outcome was vaccination coverage, which mentioned Odds Ratio, mean difference, or difference-in-difference with a 95% CI or p-value. Out of 102 articles identified, five articles from four different countries met the inclusion criteria. Four of the five studies reported a positive impact in increasing vaccination coverage. Interventions that showed good effectiveness in increasing the coverage of childhood immunizations were the application of mHealth given to vaccinators, multiple interventions involving the community, modification of immunization schedules during outreach activities, and immunization screening cards. Despite the inconsistent finding, mHealth with SMS reminders was the most effective intervention to increase vaccination coverage and relatively low-cost. More research was needed in developing a strategic intervention to increase vaccination coverage of children in hard-to-reach populations.

Stimulated by Novelty? The Role of Psychological Needs and Perceived Creativity

In the current research, we aimed to address the inconsistent finding in the brainstorming literature that cognitive stimulation sometimes results from novel input, yet other times from non-novel input. We expected and found, in three experiments, that the strength and valence of this relationship are moderated by people’s psychological needs for structure and autonomy. Specifically, the effect of novel input (vs. non-novel input), through perceived creativity, on cognitive stimulation was stronger for people who were either low in need for structure or high in need for autonomy. Also, when the input people received did not fit their needs, they experienced less psychological cognitive stimulation from this input (i.e., less task enjoyment and feeling more blocked) compared with when they did not receive any input. Hence, to create the ideal circumstances for people to achieve cognitive stimulation when brainstorming, input novelty should be aligned with their psychological needs.

HBV Infection Status and the Risk of Cholangiocarcinoma in Asia: A Meta-Analysis

Background. The inconsistent finding was between hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). This meta-analysis is to explore this relationship in Asia.Methods. A literature search was performed using PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library to October 30, 2015. Pooled incidence rate and OR with 95% CI were calculated using STATA 11.0.Results. Thirty-nine studies were included. The pooled incidence rate of CCA patients with HBV infection was 31% (95% CI 22%–39%). The pooled OR showed increased risk of CCA incidence with HBV infection (OR = 2.72, 95% CI 1.90–3.88), especially in ICC (OR = 3.184, 95% CI 2.356–4.302), while it showed no risk in ECC (OR = 1.407, 95% CI 0.925–2.141). Also, the pooled OR showed increased risk of ICC and ECC incidence (OR = 6.857, 95% CI 4.421–10.633 and OR = 1.740, 95% CI 1.260–2.404) in patients with HBsAg+/HBcAb+. The pooled OR showed increased risk of ICC incidence (OR = 1.410, 95% CI 1.095–1.816) in patients with HBsAg−/HBcAb+.Conclusion. It is suggested that HBV infection is associated with an increased risk of CCA in Asia. Two HBV infection models (HBsAg+/HBcAb+ and HBsAg−/HBcAb+) increase the risk of CCA, and patients with HBsAg−/HBcAb+ also had a risk of ICC. This trial is registered with PROSPEROCRD42015029264.

Feline babesiosis : signalment, clinical pathology and concurrent infections

Fifty-six cats with naturally occurring Babesia felis infection were studied. No breed or sex predilection could be identified, but there was an apparent predilection for young adult cats less than 3 years of age. Macrocytic, hypochromic, regenerative anaemia was present in 57 % of the cats and in-saline agglutination tests were positive in 16 %. No characteristic changes were observed in total or differential leukocyte counts. Thrombocyte counts were variable and thrombocytopaenia was an inconsistent finding. Hepatic cytosol enzyme activity and total bilirubin concentrations were elevated in the majority of cats. Serum protein values were mostly normal, but increased values were occasionally observed and polyclonal gammopathies were observed in all cats with increased total globulin concentrations. No remarkable changes in renal parameters were observed. A variety of electrolyte abnormalities occurred in a number of cats, but no consistent pattern of change could be identified. A close correlation was evident between peripheral and central parasite counts. Concurrent infections with Haemobartonella felis, feline immunodeficiency virus and/or feline leukemia virus were identified in a number of cats.

Prefrontal function in schizophrenia: confounds and controversies

A wealth of clinical data indirectly implicate dysfunction of frontal cortex in schizophrenia, including negative symptoms, the pattern of neuropsychological deficits, and abnormal eye movements. Neuroimaging studies have provided direct evidence of frontal, particularly prefrontal, malfunction, but the results have been inconsistent and controversial. The burning question is whether prefrontal hypofunction is a pathophysiological characteristic of schizophrenia per se or an artifact of the imaging protocol. In studies of patients at rest, ‘hypofrontality’ has been an inconsistent finding, probably because resting is physiologically and psychologically variable. Cognitive activation paradigms, especially during working memory tasks, have been reliable in showing prefrontal hypofunction in patients, but these results have been challenged as artifacts of poor performance. Performance differences have been addressed by studying patients and controls matched either for poor performance or for normal performance. The former approach, which has the potential of elucidating the specificity of physiological mechanisms associated with poor performance, has shown that prefrontal activity in patients with schizophrenia differs quantitatively and qualitatively from that of normals and of other patient populations who perform at a comparable level. The latter approach, which tends not to find prefrontal differences between patients and controls, may be selecting out important aspects of the disease by focusing on unaffected neural functions. While there are pitfalls to each approach and no single study can address all the potential phenomenological confounds, overall, the functional neuroimaging database in patients with schizophrenia suggests that prefrontal cognitive deficits are because of prefrontal pathophysiology and not the inverse.

Is There a Decline in Picture Naming With Advancing Age?

This review of 25 studies of the picture-naming accuracy of normal aging individuals shows that an age-related decline in picture naming is an inconsistent finding. Naming performance of older adults varied throughout the studies reviewed in this paper. This variability is attributed to the research methods used and to subject characteristics. To date, there are no studies that have considered all “nuisance factors” (e.g., health status, medication) in such a way that would allow support for a decrease in picture-naming accuracy associated with primary aging.