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Item Ring-enhancing brain lesions in a patient with advanced retroviral disease(2026-3-11) Chang Chee YikThe patient is a 30-year-old man who was recently diagnosed with HIV infection and has a CD4 count of 30 cells/mm3. He presented with a one-week history of intermittent fever and right-sided body weakness, and upon examination, was found to have right hemiparesis. There were no other features of opportunistic infections noted. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain revealed a hypodense lesion with a rounded enhancing rim in the left basal ganglia, measuring 3 x 3 x 2.5 cm. The lesion was associated with marked deep white matter oedema, causing effacement of the lateral and third ventricles, as well as a slightly dilated temporal horn of the right lateral ventricle. The left cerebral sulci were also effaced (Figure 1).Item Mechanistic Insights to Advance Infectious Diseases Practice(2026-3-14) Nellore Anoma; Ison Michael G.Item Prevalence and risk factors for key infectious diseases amongst migrants to the UK: a systematic review(2026-3-3) Baggaley Rebecca F.; Hooper Carys M.; Silva Luisa; Lal Zainab; Bird Paul; Menezes Dee; Zenner Dominik; Martin Christopher A.; Pareek ManishAbstract Background Migrants are at increased risk of infections including HIV, tuberculosis and viral hepatitis, with poorer outcomes. Early diagnosis and management can reduce morbidity, mortality and onward transmission. This systematic review summarises prevalence of HIV, latent and active tuberculosis and hepatitis B and C among UK migrants and evaluates associated risk factors. Methods PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched from 2004 to 11 June 2025. The review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines and registered with PROSPERO (registration CRD42024521191). Quality assessment was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Studies. High heterogeneity (I 2 = 95.2%, 99.2%, 87.2%, 96.9% and 91.6% for IGRA, active TB, HIV, HBV and HCV yields, respectively) indicated that meta-analysis was not appropriate. The impact of risk factors on prevalence was explored through meta-regression and descriptive analysis. Results Of 2033 identified records, 36 were included, reporting Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) ( n = 13), active TB ( n = 10), HIV ( n = 12), HBV ( n = 16) and HCV ( n = 11) test yields. An additional two publications excluded from the main analysis for reporting duplicate study data were included in the risk factor analysis because they stratified prevalence by additional risk factors. Highest yield was for IGRA which, excluding one lower prevalence outlier (6.9% ( n = 1617)), was 15.1%–22.1%. There was high heterogeneity in active TB prevalence: 62–1,484/100,000. HIV prevalence among larger studies ( n > 200) was 0.18%–0.48%. HBV prevalence was 0.00%–8.93% (all studies) and 1.06%–4.75% for larger studies ( n > 1000). HCV prevalence was lower: 0.00%–1.67%, with only two of 11 included estimates above 0.50%. There was considerable heterogeneity in risk factors analysed making comparisons difficult. Conclusions Despite heterogeneity, infection prevalence was generally high, particularly IGRA yield and HBV. This underscores the need to maintain effective monitoring, testing and treatment for key infections among migrant populations, especially given the rapidly evolving epidemiological and demographic landscape for this population.Item Lipid-pathogen interactions: sphingolipids in Chlamydia trachomatis infection(2026-6) D’Spain Samantha K; Derré IsabelleItem From Project Continuity to Institutionalised Viability: Rethinking Sustainability In NGO-Led Education in Zambia(2026-3-11) Namuchana Maimbolwa; Masaiti Gift; Mwelwa KapambweIn the context of NGO-led educational campaigns, the concept of sustainability is often related to the simple continuation of programmes after donor funding exhaustion. However, this project-based understanding obscures the institutional conditions that enable long-term functioning within public education systems. The article is based on a convergent mixed-methods inquiry conducted with six education-oriented non-governmental organisations and representatives of the Ministry of Education in Zambia to examine how educational interventions can be sustained amid resource volatility. Ordinal regression analysis shows that financial resilience and operational viability explain a substantial proportion of variance in sustainability strategies (Nagelkerke R² = .416). Whereas financial diversification can help mitigate funding shocks, governance coherence, monitoring architecture, coordination routines, and institutional alignment have a stronger structural impact on sustainability outcomes. Qualitative results also provide further insights into the fact that participation and capacity-building, despite their ubiquity, are often poorly embedded in the Ministry of Education's planning, budgeting, and performance-management systems. As a result, the research modifies a conceptual change between project continuity and institutionalised viability. Sustainability is redefined as system-level capacity that arises when feasible operational routines become institutionalised within structures of state governance and remain responsive under conditions of scarce resources. The article provides a clear explanation of why funding plurality is insufficient to ensure the endurance of programmes, drawing on the resource dependency, institutionalisation, and dynamic capability literature. Sustainability in resource-constrained educational systems is not realised through projects as independent entities, but rather through the institutionalisation of their operational logic in public systems. This reframing has significant implications for both NGOs, donors, and policymakers who hope to achieve enduring education reform within the funding period.Item Warming temperatures reduce lifespan and vectorial capacity of Anopheles mosquitoes in Ghana(2026-6) Yamba Edmund I.; Badu Kingsley; Kyeimiah Thomas A.; Abrokwah Nathaniel O.; Asare Stephen; Adjei Mary J.; Johnson Joyce Ama; Amekudzi Leonard K.Item Assessment of the Economic Effects of Drought and Strategic Adaptation Mechanisms Among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES) in Lusaka District, Zambia(2026-3-31) Chibale Vanessa; Saul Simbeye TinklerDrought is a prolonged period of abnormally low precipitation, leading to a significant water deficit that adversely affects the environment, agriculture, and various socio-economic activities. Severe weather phenomena, including droughts, floods, wildfires and hurricanes inflict rapid and significant economic losses among businessmen and women. They interrupt commercial activities, harm critical infrastructure, wipe out agricultural production, and force many communities to relocate. The aim of this study was to assess the economic effects of drought and identify strategic adaptation mechanisms employed by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Lusaka District, Zambia. A cross-sectional research design was used in this study. This study used a stratified random sampling method to select 384 participants (owners and managers of SMEs) from SMEs within such targeted sites as Town Centers, Soweto market, City Market, and Buseko Market. Approval was obtained from the University of Zambia Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (UNZABREC) REF. No. 5913-2024 and the Lusaka City Council to ensure ethical compliance for the study. Respondents were informed that participating in this study was completely voluntary and that, they were free to withdraw from the study at any time without any consequence. The participants were informed that taking part in the study would not put them at risk of harm and that they would not gain any immediate personal benefits from their involvement. Respondents were also assured that the collected data would not be disclosed to anyone and that confidentiality and anonymity would be maintained throughout the study. After all aspects of the study had been clearly explained and the participants had demonstrated understanding, written informed consent was obtained from each respondent prior to the commencement of data collection. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire with closed-ended questions. The collected primary data was analysed using SPSS version 28, and the analysed data were presented using pie charts and tables. The results from this study demonstrated that, most of the respondents (63.2%) reported that drought lead to reduced operational costs and increased profitability among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Lusaka District. The study also found that, few study participants (20%) indicated that, drought decreased revenue, increased operational costs, and caused challenges to the continuity of businesses. The findings from this study found that, most of the respondents (52.1%) diversified their products and services to meet changing demands of their customers during droughts. In contrast, increasing staff wages emerged as the second most significant strategy adopted by 27.1% (104) of SMEs. The study further disclosed that, the majority of respondents (82.1%) reported that limited access to financial resources and credit facilities emerged as a major challenge faced by small and medium enterprises in implementing effective drought adaptation strategies in Lusaka District of Zambia. While the majority of SMEs reported increased profitability and reduced operational costs due to strategic adaptations, a notable minority highlighted challenges such as revenue loss, increased expenses, and operational disruptions. The author recommends that, to enhance resilience, SMEs in Lusaka District should build on adaptive strategies such as product diversification and wage adjustments, while policymakers and financial institutions should work to overcome the critical barriers of limited access to credit and financial resources.Item Multi-event dynamic capture-recapture model for big data: Estimating undetected COVID-19 cases in British Columbia, Canada(2026-6) Olobatuyi Kehinde; Ma Junling; Brown Patrick; Cowen Laura L.E.Item Assessment of drug therapy problems and associated factors among PLWHA and tuberculosis admitted to two referral hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia(2026-3-18) Mbambala Divine; Munkombwe Derick; Muungu Lungwani T.; Hangoma Jimmy M.; Kampamba Martin