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Professor Joel Tarning received a Bailey K. Ashford Medal at the ASTMH 2019 Conference. The medal is awarded annually for distinguished work in tropical medicine by an early- to mid-career ASMTH member. Joel is Head of Clinical Pharmacology at MORU and his work focuses on applying pharmacokinetic-phamacodynamic modelling to optimise antimalarial drug therapies, in particular for at-risk groups such as malnourished children and pregnant women.
Hide and seek with falsified medicines: Current challenges and physico-chemical and biological approaches for tracing the origin of trafficked products
Posted 28/05/2025. The trade in falsified medical products is a major public health threat and also a huge, profitable business. Despite detection methods, tracing their origin remains difficult. Cathrin Hauk and colleagues explore analytical techniques adapted from other fields such as food, drug, and wildlife investigation to help identify their sources and empower enforcement efforts.
Genetic surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum populations following treatment policy revisions in the Greater Mekong Subregion
Posted 27/05/2025. The GenRe-Mekong project analysed 5,982 Plasmodium falciparum samples in the Greater Mekong Subregion (2017–2022), using genetic surveillance to inform malaria control. A sharp decline in piperaquine-resistant strains followed drug policy changes, highlighting how real-time genetic data can support timely, evidence-based responses to shifting malaria threats. By Varanya Wasakul
Operational evaluation of the deployment of Malaria/CRP Duo and Dengue Duo rapid diagnostic tests for the management of febrile illness by village malaria workers in rural Cambodia
Posted 23/05/2025. Village malaria workers in rural Cambodia provide essential early diagnosis and treatment; however, their importance is diminishing following a significant decline in malaria. James Callery and colleagues explore the potential expansion of their roles to ensure that febrile patients continue to utilise their services until local malaria elimination is achieved and the risk of reimportation subsides.
A comparison of national seasonal influenza treatment guidelines across the Asia Pacific region
Posted 21/05/2025. Seasonal influenza remains a major health burden in Asia. Our new comparative analysis reviews national influenza treatment guidelines across Asia Pacific countries, finding significant variation in availability, rigour, and recommendations. Our findings reveal key opportunities to strengthen evidence-informed, systematic guideline development as part of national and regional influenza preparedness and response. By Ellen Beer.
The impact of mass screening and treatment interventions on malaria incidence and prevalence: a retrospective analysis of a malaria elimination programme in eastern Myanmar, and systematic review and meta-analysis
Posted 20/05/2025. Targeted interventions are often necessary to eliminate malaria, but some are more effective than others. Jade Rae and colleagues investigated the impact of village-level mass screening and treatment interventions, highlighting key factors that influence the effectiveness of targeted malaria interventions, including baseline endemicity, population demographics, and the timing and uptake of the intervention.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Afghanistan
Posted 13/05/2025. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a very neglected tropical disease. Afghanistan has an exceptionally high CL burden fueled by war and poverty. This review focuses on the clinical and epidemiological aspects of CL and highlights the need to grow the research culture so evidence can inform policy. By Bob Taylor
How do study participants want to be informed about study results: Findings from a malaria trial in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Pakistan, and Indonesia
Posted 13/05/2025. Patient interest in receiving clinical trial results varies widely across countries, underscoring that one-size-fits-all strategies fall short. This study, embedded in an antimalarial trial, explores locally tailored dissemination approaches shaped by patient preferences and stakeholder input offering essential guidance for ethical result sharing in diverse global health settings. By Bipin Adhikari
Effect of a novel house design (star home) on indoor malaria mosquito abundance in rural Tanzania: secondary outcomes of an open-label, household, randomised controlled trial
Posted 23/04/2025. A novel screened house design with bedrooms on the second storey reduced indoor mosquito abundance (51% less Anopheles gambiae; 61% less Culex species) and were 0·5°C cooler compared with traditional houses in Mtwara, Tanzania. By Lorenz Von Seidlein
Call for a fairer approach to authorship in publishing biomedical research
Posted 11/04/2025. Phaik Yeong Cheah and Michael Parker advocate for fairer authorship in collaborative biomedical research to enhance equity and inclusiveness. They highlight how current practices overlook contributors and discuss challenges in authorship decisions, including project size, multidisciplinary complexity, and the varied roles of researchers at different stages.
Validating a web application’s use of genetic distance to determine helminth species boundaries and aid in identification
Posted 26/03/2025. Helminth species identification is challenging due to their diversity. Abigail Hui En Chan, Sompob Saralamba and their team developed ABIapp, a user-friendly R/Shiny application that helps researchers visualize taxonomic boundaries using genetic distance data. With up to 76% accuracy, ABIapp outperforms existing web-based tools, providing a valuable resource for helminth research.
Comparing HemoCue® and Quantitative Buffy Coat® and Coulter Counter-measured haemoglobin concentrations in African children with acute uncomplicated malaria: a Bland–Altman analysis
Posted 19/03/2025. Malaria studies often involve blood transfusion to severe malarial anaemic children. Accurate Anaemia diagnosis is crucial for effective management. Hence, important to determine the level of agreement among haemoglobin concentrations measurement methods. HemoCue® should be used with caution in settings where decisions about blood transfusions are made. By Mavuto Mukaka
Tracing epistemic injustice in global antimicrobial resistance research
Posted 14/03/2025. This commentary explores whether there is epistemic injustice in global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research – who sets priorities, who produces knowledge, and which types of knowledge are valued. Prof Phaik Yeong Cheah and colleagues argue that epistemic injustice may have created blind spots in policy. Addressing this requires a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Submicroscopic malaria in pregnancy and associated adverse pregnancy events: A case-cohort study of 4,352 women on the Thailand–Myanmar border
Posted 11/03/2025. Malaria is known to be dangerous for pregnant women and their developing babies. But how much malaria is too much malaria? Using an ultra-sensitive PCR method that detects one parasite per drop of blood, Mary Ellen Gilder and SMRU colleagues found that even infections with very few parasites are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Antibiotic duration for common bacterial infections - a systematic review
Posted 07/03/2025. Reducing antibiotic duration is key to antimicrobial stewardship. A review of 315 trials found strong evidence for shorter courses in common infections but limited data for severe infections and low-income settings. Only 15% had low bias risk. More research is needed in critical care and resource-limited environments. By Mo Yin
Cost-effectiveness of a short-course antibiotic treatment strategy for the treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia: an economic analysis of the REGARD-VAP trial
Posted 04/03/2025. Previously, the REGARD-VAP trial found that giving patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) a personalised, shorter antibiotic treatment was just as effective as usual care. Mo Yin and colleagues showed this approach is also cost-effective in Nepal, Singapore, and Thailand. This approach could save money, reduce antibiotic use, and help policymakers make better healthcare decisions despite some uncertainties.
Dose-Optimization of a Novel Co-Formulated Triple Combination Antimalarial Therapy: Artemether-Lumefantrine-Amodiaquine
Posted 18/02/2025. Emerging artemisinin-resistance in Africa threatens our ability to treat malaria. Joel Tarning and colleagues developed an optimal weight-based dosing of a fixed-dose artemether-lumefantrine-amodiaquine formulation using population pharmacokinetic modelling. Dosing was designed to achieve consistent drug exposure across all body weights. This formulation should simplify manufacturing and improve adherence, when treating resistant malaria.
Overcoming research challenges in resource-limited settings: perspectives from Thailand
Posted 29/01/2025. Conducting research in LMICs is undeniably challenging, with brain drain often surpassing reverse brain drain. We share an opinion discussing both the difficulties and rewards of working in this space. Claire Chewapreecha and Thongchai Chewprecha hope it will encourage international and national funding agencies to invest in LMIC talent, and drive meaningful, lasting impact.
Community responses to a novel house design: A qualitative study of “Star Homes” in Mtwara, southeastern Tanzania
Posted 24/01/2025. Salum Mshamu and colleagues evaluate community responses to novel design homes in Mtwara, Tanzania, aimed at reducing childhood diseases such as malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhoea. Using qualitative research, the study explores how residents and neighbours interact with the novel housing design including its impact on residents' lives, social, cultural, and health-related issues. The findings offer insights for future community wide novel housing interventions.
Acceptability of improved cook stoves-a scoping review of the literature
Posted 21/01/2025. Novel housing interventions (Star Homes) in Tanzania aim to prevent childhood diarrhea, malaria, and respiratory infections by addressing multiple aspects of housing—one of which is cooking stoves. Our research on Star Homes in rural Tanzania revealed inconsistent use of improved cookstoves, sparking a systematic review into factors influencing stove acceptability globally. By Bipin Adhikari
Sustainable antimicrobial resistance surveillance: time for a global funding mechanism
Posted 07/01/2025. The continued costs of a standard national AMR surveillance system are predicted to account for over 5% of the total domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) for 28 LMICs and more than 2% of GGHE-D for 46 LMICs. This high cost is not sustainable without a long-term global financing mechanism. By Liz Ashley