Aisha Osman

Background: Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infection is a global health concern because of its morbidity and increasing antimicrobial resistance. Sub-Saharan Africa is believed to carry a disproportionately high burden of NG infection, but the epidemiology of NG infection in this region has not been comprehensively synthesized. This study systematically reviewed and analyzed NG prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa to characterize prevalence patterns and identify populations at risk. Methods and findings: A systematic review was conducted and reported following PRISMA guidelines. Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from inception to June 4, 2025. Eligible studies reported NG prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa. Random-effects meta-analyses generated pooled prevalence estimates, and random-effects meta-regression analyses identified associations and sources of heterogeneity. Nine hundred fifty publications contributed 1,604 prevalence measures spanning 1964–2025. In the general population, pooled urogenital prevalence was 3.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.9–3.5), with substantial between-study heterogeneity and a wide prediction interval, indicating considerable variation in prevalence across settings. Prevalence was high in key populations: among female sex workers, 11.5% (95% CI: 9.9–13.2) for urogenital and 2.0% (95% CI: 0.4–4.5) for anorectal infection; and among men who have sex with men, 2.8% (95% CI: 2.4–3.3) for urogenital, 8.3% (95% CI: 5.8–11.0) for anorectal, and 5.7% (95% CI: 3.6–8.3) for oropharyngeal infection. Symptomatic men exhibited high urogenital prevalence (51.5%; 95% CI: 47.5–55.5), and symptomatic women showed 9.0% (95% CI: 7.7–10.4). Among women with adverse pregnancy or birth outcomes, urogenital prevalence was 8.6% (95% CI: 5.3–12.6). Meta-regression analyses explained over half of the variability in prevalence, showing a long-term decline of 1% per year, a clear population type gradient, subregional differences, and decreasing prevalence with increasing age, but no variation by sex. These findings may be affected by variability in data availability across countries, anatomical sites, and population groups, as well as heterogeneity across included studies. Conclusions: NG prevalence remains markedly high in this region but has declined over time. These findings highlight the need for strengthened surveillance, expanded prevention and diagnostic strategies, and continued monitoring of gonococcal antimicrobial resistance to support effective control efforts in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and 2 infections are lifelong and can cause symptomatic genital ulcer disease (GUD). HSV-2 almost always causes sexually transmitted genital infection, while HSV-1 mainly causes oral infection but can be sexually transmitted to cause genital infection. This study estimated genital infection with both HSV types and associated GUD globally in 2020, breaking down the data by World Health Organization (WHO) region and sex for females and males. Methods: A calibrated mathematical model was employed to generate estimates for the incidence and prevalence of HSV-2 infection, genital HSV-1 infection, and GUD caused by both HSV types. Estimates for non-genital infections caused by HSV-1 were also generated. Model input was derived from a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analyses of HSV prevalence data for all WHO regions. Results: Globally in 2020 there were 25.6 million (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 23.1-29.4 million) people aged 15 to 49 years with new HSV-2 infections and 519.5 million (95% UI: 464.3-611.3 million), or 13.3% (95% UI: 11.9-15.6%), with existing (prevalent) HSV-2 infections. In addition, there were 16.8 million (95% UI: 10.6-22.4 million) people aged 15-49 years with new genital HSV-1 infections and 376.2 million (95% UI: 235.6-483.5 million), or 10.2% (95% UI: 6.4-13.1%), with prevalent genital HSV-1 infections. The estimated number of people aged 15 to 49 years with at least one episode of HSV-attributable genital ulcer disease in 2020 was 187.9 million (95% UI: 116.0-291.8 million) for HSV-2 and 16.7 million (95% UI: 9.3-25.2 million) for HSV-1, totaling 204.6 million (95% UI: 132.3-306.5). Conclusion: Genital HSV infections have a high incidence and prevalence worldwide, contributing to a significant GUD disease burden. New prevention and treatment measures, such as prophylactic and therapeutic HSV vaccines, are critically needed to control HSV infections and reduce the associated disease burden.

The public considers community pharmacists the most accessible healthcare providers. Services provided by pharmacists such as dispensing, counseling, and monitoring of adverse drug reactions have positive effects on patient health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Qatari community pharmacists' data gathering, labeling, dispensing, and counseling practices in response to patients with adverse drug events (ADE). This study is a simulated client (SC) observational descriptive study. Thirty community pharmacies were chosen at random and placed in one of the two groups with 15 interactions over the phone and 15 interactions in person. The case is about a patient with PCOS taking metformin who presented with bothersome diarrhea and sought assistance from a pharmacist. Simulated clients used the Data Collection Tool to gather data. Each simulated client completed forty interactions with community pharmacists. Ninety percent of pharmacists dispensed medication, mostly antibiotics (37.5%) and antidiarrheal (67.5%). A total of 7 pharmacists (17.5%) made referrals. The majority of pharmacists (87.5% and 82.5%, respectively) failed to obtain crucial patient information, such as the frequency and duration of diarrhea. The SC had to remind all the pharmacists that this is an ADE from metformin. More than one-third of pharmacists (43.75%) who dispensed medication did not label any of it. No significant difference was found between groups in data gathering and dispensing (P-value >0.05). Current community pharmacy consultation, labeling, and counseling practices on ADEs are inconsistent with evidence-based practice and need to be improved. Such a study is scarce, and it is the first simulated client approach assessing the community pharmacy responses to ADE in the State of Qatar. This topic is important for minimizing the practice gap and to develop professional training programs that are desperately needed to advance the profession. Keywords: patient, pharmacies, adverse drug events, Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, Qatar. https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.50.3.6

Upon increased demand for protein synthesis, accumulation of misfolded and/or unfolded proteins within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a pro-survival response is activated termed unfolded protein response (UPR), aiming at restoring the proper function of the ER. Prolonged activation of the UPR leads, however, to ER stress, a cellular state that contributes to the pathogenesis of various chronic diseases including obesity and diabetes. ER stress response by itself can result in endothelial dysfunction, a hallmark of cardiovascular disease, through various cellular mechanisms including apoptosis, insulin resistance, inflammation and oxidative stress. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), particularly large EVs (lEVs) commonly referred to as microparticles (MPs), are membrane vesicles. They are considered as a fingerprint of their originating cells, carrying a variety of molecular components of their parent cells. lEVs are emerging as major contributors to endothelial cell dysfunction in various metabolic disease conditions. However, the mechanisms underpinning the role of lEVs in endothelial dysfunction are not fully elucidated. Recently, ER stress emerged as a bridging molecular link between lEVs and endothelial cell dysfunction. Therefore, in the current review, we summarized the roles of lEVs and ER stress in endothelial dysfunction and discussed the molecular crosstalk and relationship between ER stress and lEVs in endothelial dysfunction.

Objective: Cisplatin is a standard treatment approach against lung adenocarcinoma. Resistance to cisplatin and the toxic side effects of cisplatin continue to remain a challenge. Combining drugs with different mechanisms is being investigated as a means to overcome these challenges. In ovarian cancer cells, the knockdown of RSK2 increased the sensitivity of cisplatin. RSK is a downstream mediator of the MAPK pathway that is responsible for cell survival, proliferation and migration. Methods: Our study examined the effect of cisplatin, BI-D1870 (RSK inhibitor) or their combination on cell migration, apoptosis, autophagy and cell cycle in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Key Findings: The combination of cisplatin and BI-D1870 potentiated the antimigration rate, the activation of caspases-3 and was associated with a significant decrease in RSK1 and ERK expression when compared to cisplatin alone. The combination of cisplatin and BI-D1870 also resulted in the inhibition of LC3 II to LC3 I expression when compared to BI-D1870. The combination of cisplatin and BI-D1870 increased the number of cells in the G2/M-phase when compared to cisplatin alone. Conclusions: These findings suggest that combining cisplatin with agents that target the RSK mediated cell survival pathway, may potentiate the cisplatin effect in lung adenocarcinoma.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that results from the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas; it leads to the under or nonproduction of insulin. T1D is associate...