Professor Mike English explains how KEMRI-Wellcome are ''working with government to generate patient level data from a network of Kenyan hospitals as a platform for research'.
A birthday message for GHT and all its members from Mr Joby George, research nurse, India.
In celebration of Global Health Trials' fifth birthday (May 11th 2015) Professor Trudie Lang, Principal Investigator of the programme, talks to us about why Global Health Trials was started, why people should share their experience, and what the future holds.
Strengthening capacity to apply health research evidence in policy making: experience from four countries
by Sarah Hawkes, Bhupinder K Aulakh, Nidhee Jadeja, Michelle Jimenez, Kent Buse, Iqbal Anwar, Sandhya Barge, M. Oladoyin Odubanjo, Abhay Shukla, Abdul Ghaffar, Jimmy WhitworthLittle experience of strengthening the capacity of policy makers in low- and middle- income countries has been published to date. This article describe the experiences of five projects (in Bangladesh, Gambia, India and Nigeria) - author available to comment!
Notes on How to Survive a GCP Audit forum discussion based on the GCP Inspection Course (Global Health Network eLearning course)
by A. Nair, C. Ovenstone, B. Wright, E. Allen, C. ReddyEquator Network - Interview with the Equator Centre's Deputy Director
by Lab talk, Oxford MedSci NewsABRAID – The Atlas of Baseline Risk Assessment for Infectious Diseases - Call for feedback
by Dr Catherine MoyesABRAID, new website of infectious diseases risk maps
Emergence and potential for spread of Chikungunya virus in Brazil
by By Nunes MR et al.2015In December 2013, an outbreak of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) caused by the Asian genotype was notified in the Caribbean. The outbreak has since spread to 38 regions in the Americas. By September 2014, the first autochthonous CHIKV infections were confirmed in Oiapoque, North Brazil, and in Feira de Santana, Northeast Brazil. METHODS: We compiled epidemiological and clinical data on suspected CHIKV cases in Brazil and polymerase-chain-reaction-based diagnostic was conducted on 68 serum samples from patients with symptom onset between April and September 2014. Two imported and four autochthonous cases were selected for virus propagation, RNA isolation, full-length genome sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. We then followed CDC/PAHO guidelines to estimate the risk of establishment of CHIKV in Brazilian municipalities. RESULTS: We detected 41 CHIKV importations and 27 autochthonous cases in Brazil. Epidemiological and phylogenetic analyses indicated local transmission of the Asian CHIKV genotype in Oiapoque. Unexpectedly, we also discovered that the ECSA genotype is circulating in Feira de Santana. The presumed index case of the ECSA genotype was an individual who had recently returned from Angola and developed symptoms in Feira de Santana. We estimate that, if CHIKV becomes established in Brazil, transmission could occur in 94% of municipalities in the country and provide maps of the risk of importation of each strain of CHIKV in Brazil. CONCLUSIONS: The etiological strains associated with the early-phase CHIKV outbreaks in Brazil belong to the Asian and ECSA genotypes. Continued surveillance and vector mitigation strategies are needed to reduce the future public health impact of CHIKV in the Americas.
The INDEPTH Network
by INDEPTH NetworkWe are a network of health and demographic surveillance systems (HDSSs) that provide a more complete picture. Since HDSSs collect data from whole communities over extended time periods, they more accurately reflect health and population problems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
SAYE: The Story of an Antimalarial Phytomedicine from Burkina Faso
by Dakuyo Zéphirin, Meda Aline Lamien, Ollo Da, Kiendrebeogo Martin, Traoré-Coulibaly Maminata, Novak Johannes, Benoit-Vical Françoise, Weisbord Emma, Willcox MerlinSPIRIT guidelines for Protocol Writing
by SPIRIT-StatementLinks to the SPIRIT guidelines for protocol development and information about these guidelines - all free and open access.
INTERGROWTH-21st Newborn Size at Birth Chart
by INTERGROWTH-21stPractical chart for health practitioners to use to assess newborn size (weight, length, head circumference) at birth against global standards. This version of the chart is being piloted within the University of Oxford hospital network, and plans to pilot in the INTERGROWTH-21st study sites and in Boston area hospitals are developing quickly. Practitioners can download and use this version of the chart freely. To connect with the INTERGROWTH-21st team regarding your experience with piloting this chart, or to request modifications to the chart (e.g. language; different institutional logo), please contact intergrowth21st@tghn.org.
Research Administration and Grant Management
by Research Administration Tools.orgLinks to resources provided by iRIM (the Initiative on Research and Innovation Management) - free online presentations and tutorials relating to how to manage grants and perform administration of clinical research projects effectively.
Managing clinical trials, of whatever size and complexity, requires efficient trial management. Trials fail because tried and tested systems handed down through apprenticeships have not been documented, evaluated or published to guide new trialists starting out in this important field.
This paper is published in BioMedCentral, with link provided in this article. Building research capacity in health services has been recognised internationally as important in order to produce a sound evidence base for decision-making in policy and practice.
TWiGH takes a look at the past year and prospects for the coming months in Ebola affected countries.