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BACKGROUND: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common prenatal infection and the main infectious cause of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in developed countries. Long-term neuropsychological outcome of cCMV infection is still not well understood. This is the first study that presents linguistic follow-up data performed on adults who were infected in utero.METHOD: All individuals from a
Rapeseed is the second most cultivated oilseed after soybean and is mainly used to produce vegetable oil. The by-product rapeseed press cake is rich in high-quality proteins, thus having the possibility of becoming a new plant protein food source. This study aimed to investigate how the precipitation pH affects the protein yield, protein content, and emulsifying properties when industrially cold-p
In Europe, rapeseed is a common oilseed crop, resulting in the production of 20 million tons of rapeseed press cake yearly. This press cake can be further upcycled and a protein fraction can be extracted for food purposes, leaving de-proteinized fiber-rich residues. This study examined the use of these residues in the production of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) and of the spent substrate
Heavy metal pollution from untreated industrial wastewater has become a major concern to the environment and public health in many rapidly growing cities in low-income countries. Previous studies on heavy metals of urban wastewater systems have focused on long-term (weekly or seasonal) variations, while only few studies investigated short-term (daily) variation to capture potential bulk discharges
Background: The African continent hosts many industrial mining projects, and many more are planned due to recent prospecting discoveries and increasing demand for various minerals to promote a low-carbon future. The extraction of natural resources in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) represents an opportunity for economic development but also poses a threat to population health through rapid urbanisation a
Climate change affects both mental and physical health. Besides limiting the extent and consequences of climate change, mitigation and adaptation measures can have additional and potentially unintended health impacts. This scoping review outlines how health effects of climate mitigation and adaptation measures have been studied in the scientific literature. We conducted a systematic literature sea
Large infrastructure projects, such as mining and renewable energy projects, can affect the health of surrounding communities by changing the natural, physical and social environment. While there is limited understanding of potential health impacts of such projects on local populations in general, there is a particular need for community-driven and equity-oriented approaches to predict and manage
The extraction of natural resources, such as minerals, oil, and gas, can have profound economic effects. The application of economic analysis methods in impact studies of resource extraction projects holds potential to inform decision-making in order to optimise gains and minimise negative externalities. This paper aims to identify and characterise peer-reviewed publications that report on economi
Natural resource extraction projects, including those in the mining sector, have various effects on human health and wellbeing, with communities in resource-rich areas in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) being particularly vulnerable. While impact assessments (IA) can predict and mitigate negative effects, it is unclear whether and to what extent health aspects are included in current IA practice in SSA.
Background: Access to improved water and sanitation infrastructures are key determinants of health. The sub-Saharan African region in particular is lagging behind the ambitious goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to ensure universal access to improved and reliable water and sanitation for all (Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6). Large mining projects can promote economic growth
Climate change has various adverse impacts on public health, ranging from heat-related illness to an increased risk of undernutrition in low-income countries. Health impact assessment (HIA) has been advocated as a valuable tool to systematically identify and quantify the effects of climate change on public health and to inform and evaluate the impact of disease-specific adaptation measures as well
Background: Natural resource extraction projects offer both opportunities and risks for sustainable development and health in host communities. Often, however, the health of the community suffers. Health impact assessment (HIA) can mitigate the risks and promote the benefits of development but is not routinely done in the developing regions that could benefit the most. Objective: Our study aims to
Background: Poor housing conditions, such as poor building materials and weak structures as well as high levels of indoor air pollution, are important risk factors for a broad range of diseases, including acute respiratory infections (ARI). In mining areas, research on the determinants of respiratory health predominantly focuses on exposures to outdoor air pollutants deriving from mining operation
Background: Natural resource extraction projects can have positive but also negative effects on the health of affected communities, governed by demographic, economic, environmental, physical and social changes. Negative effects often prevail and these might widen existing health inequities. Health impact assessment (HIA) is a decision-support tool that aims at maximizing benefits and minimizing ne
Compared internationally, the history of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) is unusual. Founded in 1944, at a time of utmost isolation, it was a response to specific needs of the government of Switzerland during the Second World War. In 1943, the Swiss Federal Council approached universities in Switzerland and asked them to submit project proposal that had the potential to
Industrial mining transforms local landscapes, including important health determinants like clean water and sanitation. In this paper, we combined macro-level quantitative and micro-level qualitative data to show how mining projects affect water infrastructures and ultimately the health of affected communities. Although we observed a positive trend of water infrastructure in mining settings, surro
Studies on annual settlement growth have mainly focused on larger cities or incorporated data rarely available in, or applicable to, sparsely populated areas in sub-Saharan Africa, such as aerial photography or night-time light data. The aim of the present study is to quantify settlement growth in rural communities in Burkina Faso affected by industrial mining, which often experience substantial i
We set up a mortality surveillance system around two of the largest gold mines in Tanzania between February 2019 and February 2020 to estimate the mortality impact of gold mines. Death circumstances were collected using a standardized verbal autopsy tool, and causes of death were assigned using the InSilicoVA algorithm. We compared cause-specific mortality fractions in mining communities with othe
Evacuation through inward opening doors can present challenges for safe egress during fire incidents. This study comprehensively investigates the dynamics and challenges associated with this type of evacuation, aiming to provide valuable insights for fire safety design. A literature review and experimental evacuation experiments were conducted. The experiments compare occupant movement towards and
