Lingering challenges in malaria elimination efforts in sub-Saharan Africa: Insights and potential solutions.

Introduction: Between 2000 and 2015, significant gains were recorded in reducing the global burden of malaria due to enhanced global collaboration and increased funding. However, progress has stagnated post-2015, and the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have reversed some of these gains, necessitating a critical reevaluation of interventions. This paper aims to analyze the setbacks and offer recommendations for advancement in malaria control and prevention in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: We conducted searches on Google Scholar, PubMed, and relevant organization websites to identify relevant studies on malaria control and prevention and associated challenges in sub-Saharan Africa from 2015 to the present. Additionally, studies on individual sub-Saharan African countries were reviewed to ensure comprehensiveness. Data from selected studies were extracted and analyzed using a narrative synthesis approach to offer a concise overview of the evidence. Findings: We observe that the halt in progress of malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa has deep roots in socioeconomic, political, and environmental factors. These challenges are exacerbated by the population explosion in the region, low coverage of interventions due to funding deficits and incessant crises, and the degradation of the efficacy of existing malaria commodities. Conclusion: Sub-Saharan Africa is at a crossroads in its fight against malaria. Promising new frontiers such as malaria vaccines, preventive monoclonal antibodies, new-generation insecticide-treated nets, and potentially artificial intelligence-driven technologies offer hope in advancing malaria control and prevention in the region. Through commitment and collaboration, leveraging these opportunities can help surmount challenges and ultimately eliminate malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.

Controlling Charge Percolation in Solutions of Metal Redox Active Polymers: Implications of Microscopic Polyelectrolyte Dynamics on Macroscopic Energy Storage.

Soluble redox-active polymers (RAPs) enable size-exclusion nonaqueous redox flow batteries (NaRFBs) which promise high energy density. Pendants along the RAPs not only store charge but also engage in electron transfer to varying extents based on their designs. Here, we explore these phenomena in Metal-containing Redox Active Polymers (M-RAPs, M = Ru, Fe, Co). We assess by using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry with ultramicroelectrodes the current response to electrolyte concentration spanning 3 orders of magnitude. Currents scaled as Ru-RAP > Fe-RAP ≫ Co-RAP, consistent with electron self-exchange trends in the small molecule analogues of the MII/III redox pair. Varying the ionic strength of the electrolyte also revealed nonmonotonic behavior, evidencing the impact of polyelectrolytic dynamics on M-RAP redox response. We developed a model to account for the behavior by combining kinetic Monte Carlo and Brownian dynamics near a boundary representing an electrode. While 1D pendant-to-pendant charge transfer along the chain is not a strong function of electrolyte concentration, the microstructure of the RAP at different electrolyte concentrations is decisively impacted, yielding qualitative trends to those observed experimentally. M-RAP size-exclusion NaRFBs using a poly viologen as negolyte varied in average potential with ∼1.54 V for Ru-RAP, ∼1.37 V for Fe-RAP, and ∼0.52 V for Co-RAP. Comparison of batteries at their optimal and suboptimal solution conditions as gauged from analytical experiments showed clear correlations in performance. This work provides a blueprint for understanding the factors underpinning charge transfer in solutions of RAPs for batteries and beyond.

Controlling π-Conjugated Polymer-Acceptor Interactions by Designing Polymers with a Mixture of π-Face Strapped and Nonstrapped Monomers.

Controlling π-conjugated polymer-acceptor complex interaction, including the interaction strength and location along the polymer backbone, is central to organic electronics and energy applications. Straps in the strapped π-conjugated polymers mask the π-face of the polymer backbone and hence are useful to control the interactions of the π-face of the polymer backbone with other polymer chains and small molecules compared to the conventional pendant solubilizing chains. Herein, we have synthesized a series of strapped π-conjugated copolymers containing a mixture of strapped and nonstrapped comonomers to control the polymer-acceptor interactions. Simulations confirmed that the acceptor is directed toward the nonstrapped repeat unit. More importantly, strapped copolymers overcome a major drawback of homopolymers and display higher photoinduced photoluminescence (PL) quenching, which is a measure of electron transfer from the polymer to acceptor, compared to that of both the strapped homopolymer and the conventional polymer with pendant solubilizing chains. We have also shown that this strategy applies not only to strapped polymers, but also to the conventional polymers with pendant solubilizing chains. The increase in PL quenching is attributed to the absence of a steric sheath around the comonomers and their random location along the polymer backbone, which enhances the probability of non-neighbor acceptor binding events along the polymer backbone. Thus, by mixing insulated and noninsulated monomers along the polymer backbone, the location of the acceptor along the polymer backbone, polymer-acceptor interaction strength, and the efficiency of photoinduced charge transfer are controllable compared to the homopolymers.

Radiographic findings after treatment with balloon brachytherapy accelerated partial breast irradiation.

The use of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) following breast-conserving surgery is rapidly gaining popularity as an alternative to whole-breast irradiation (WBI) in selected patients with early-stage breast cancer. Although data on the long-term effectiveness and safety of APBI accelerated partial breast irradiation are still being gathered, the shorter treatment course and narrowed radiation target of APBI accelerated partial breast irradiation provide an attractive alternative for carefully selected patients. These patients include those with relatively small tumors (≤3 cm), negative or close margins, and negative sentinel lymph nodes. Possible long-term complications include telangiectasia and the development of a palpable mass at the lumpectomy site. Mammographic findings in patients who have undergone APBI accelerated partial breast irradiation are distinct from those in patients who have undergone conventional WBI whole-breast irradiation . The most common post-APBI accelerated partial breast irradiation radiographic findings include formation of seromas at the lumpectomy site, focal parenchymal changes such as increased trabeculation and parenchymal distortion, fat necrosis, and skin changes such as thickening or retraction. Given the continued evolution of breast cancer treatment, it is important that radiologists have a comprehensive understanding of APBI accelerated partial breast irradiation in terms of rationale, patient selection criteria, common postprocedural radiographic findings (and how they differ from post-WBI whole-breast irradiation findings), and advantages and potential complications.