47 research outputs found
Salt intake across the hypertension care cascade in the Bangladeshi adult population: a nationally representative cross-sectional study
No full textObjectives This study aimed to examine the distribution of daily salt intake across the hypertension care cascade and assess the proportional distribution of these care cascade categories across various salt consumption level.
Design A population-based national cross-sectional study.
Settings Data from the Bangladesh STEPS 2018 survey were used, encompassing both urban and rural strata within all eight divisions. National estimates were generated from weighted data.
Participants A diverse population of 6754 men and women aged 18–69 years was included in the study.
Outcome measures Daily salt consumption was estimated using the spot urine sodium concentration following Tanaka equation. Distribution of salt intake among different categories of hypertension care cascade, including hypertensives, aware of hypertension status, on treatment and under control, was assessed.
Results Individuals with hypertension consume more salt on average (9.18 g/day, 95% CI 9.02 to 9.33) than those without hypertension (8.95 g/day, 95% CI 8.84 to 9.05) (p<0.02). No significant differences were found in salt intake when comparing aware versus unaware, treated versus untreated and controlled versus uncontrolled hypertension. In the overall population, 2.7% (95% CI 2.1% to 3.6%) of individuals without hypertension adhered to the recommended salt intake (<5 g/day) while 1.6% (95% CI 1.0% to 2.4%) with hypertension did so (p<0.03). Among individuals with hypertension, 2.4% (95% CI 1.4% to 4.0%) of those aware followed the guideline while only 0.8% (95% CI 0.4% to 1.9%) of those unaware adhered (p<0.03). Additionally, no significant differences were observed in adherence between the treated versus untreated and controlled versus uncontrolled hypertension.
Conclusions Individuals with hypertension consume significantly more salt than those without, with no significant variations in salt intake based on aware, treated and controlled hypertension. Adhering to WHO salt intake guidelines aids better blood pressure management. By addressing salt consumption across hypertension care cascade, substantial progress can be made in better blood pressure control
Molecular dynamics studies of the structure–dynamics relationship in concentrated nonaqueous electrolytic solutions
No full textEnergy storage is essential for maintaining power grid stability while integrating diverse sources of energy, e.g., nuclear, renewable, and others. Such diversity of sources is essential for energy security. The solution phase of electrolytes provides the medium for ionic charge transport between the electrodes of electrochemical systems used in energy storage. The chemically-specific equilibrium spatial distribution of ionic species in electrolytic solutions, and the chemical equilibrium that exists between dissociated and associated charged entities are the main challenging factors contributing to the lack of a universal description for electrolytes properties in terms of microscopic molecular properties, and we need a system (or class of systems)-specific collective descriptors through which we can understand and guide the design of liquid electrolytes with desirable properties. Understanding the physical and electrochemical rate processes occurring in the bulk of concentrated nonaqueous electrolytic solutions is a major step towards the control and design of electrochemical systems, e.g., nonaqueous redox flow batteries which are indispensable part of a sustainable power grid . Herein, a combination of computational molecular dynamics carried by myself, Hossam Farag, and conductance measurements and experimental SAXS provided by our collaborators (Dr. Ilya Shkrob, Dr. Tao Li, Dr. Susan Odom, and Lily Robertson), is used to probe the dynamics of nonaqueous electrolytic solutions as a varying function of the battery state of charge (SOC) and the electrolyte concentration.
Two solutions were compared: one containing metal cation electrolyte prone to form rigid hetero-charge network, and the other containing phenothiazine organic catholyte preferring softer homo-radical stacking. For the latter, conductivity data show that a faster charge transport is present at high electrolyte concentrations. This difference in behavior becomes less pronounced as the concentration is lowered and absent in the dilute limit. Our findings indicate enhanced dynamics in terms of bulk ionic conductivity driven by a softer medium-range emergent homo-radical stacking structure as revealed by the MD simulations results.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2022-12-01The student, Hossam Farag, accepted the attached license on 2020-12-11 at 16:25.The student, Hossam Farag, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2020-12-11 at 16:36.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2020-12-14 at 08:42.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16124 on 2022-01-12 at 13:02:48Made available in DSpace on 2022-01-12T22:51:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 5
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Effects of Ramadan on food intake, glucose homeostasis, lipid profiles and body composition composition
No full textThe current study was sponsored by the Vice Chancellery of Research & Technology Affairs at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah – Iran (Grant no. 91058). The authors are deeply grateful to all participants for their time and blood sample donation. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Author contributions. Project design: SMN, JRS. Data collection: SMN, YP, SP, MD, PN, RM. Data analysis: SMN, RM, JRS. Writing paper. SMN, JRS.Peer reviewe
Translation of DASS 21 into Bangla and validation among medical students
No full textStandard scale to assess the symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress among MBBS students are essential to take necessary steps to treat or prevent any psychiatric morbidity. But there was no such convenient tool in Bangla to measure the stated symptoms. With an objective to obtain a convenient scale to measure severity of above symptoms, short version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS 21) was translated into Bangla and the study was carried out to validate this Bangla version with permission from the author of the original instrument. Two translations and back translations were carried out. A harmonized version was produced after meetings by persons involved in translation process in meetings. After pretesting on ten students and reviewing by panel of experts, finalized Bangla version of DASS 21 (DASS 21 -BV) was obtained. A cross sectional study was carried out among MBBS students of Pabna Medical College, Pabna using purposive sampling technique to validate this scale. They were given both Bangla and English version of the scale 3 to 7 days apart. Analysis was done on 15 samples. Correlation for depression subscale was 0.976, anxiety subscale was 0.917 and stress subscale was 0.931. Correlation was significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Cronbachs Alpha for Depression, Anxiety and Stress subscales were 0.987, 0.957, 0.964 respectively. This Validated Bangla version of DASS 21 can be used to measure severity of depression among medical students and persons having similar academic background treatable.Bang J Psychiatry Dec 2014; 28(2): 67-70</jats:p
Improving Gamma Imaging in Proton Therapy by Sanitizing Compton Camera Simulated Patient Data using Neural Networks through the BRIDE Pipeline
No full text2024 IEEE International Conference on Big Data (BigData), 15-18 December 2024, Washington, DC, USAPrecision medicine in cancer treatment increasingly relies on advanced radiotherapies, such as proton beam radiotherapy, to enhance efficacy of the treatment. When the proton beam in this treatment interacts with patient matter, the excited nuclei may emit prompt gamma ray interactions that can be captured by a Compton camera. The image reconstruction from this captured data faces the issue of mischaracterizing the sequences of incoming scattering events, leading to excessive background noise. To address this problem, several machine learning models such as Feedfoward Neural Networks (FNN) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) were developed in PyTorch to properly characterize the scattering sequences on simulated datasets, including newly-created patient medium data, which were generated by using a pipeline comprised of the GEANT4 and Monte-Carlo Detector Effects (MCDE) softwares. These models were implemented using the novel ‘Big-data REU Integrated Development and Experimentation’ (BRIDE) platform, a modular pipeline that streamlines preprocessing, feature engineering, and model development and evaluation on parallelized GPU processors. Hyperparameter studies were done on the novel patient data as well as on water phantom datasets used during previous research. Patient data was more difficult than water phantom data to classify for both FNN and RNN models. FNN models had higher accuracy on patient medium data but lower accuracy on water phantom data when compared to RNN models. Previous results on several different datasets were reproduced on BRIDE and multiple new models achieved greater performance than in previous research.This work is supported by the grant “REU Site: Online Interdisciplinary Big Data Analytics in Science and Engineering” from the National Science Foundation (grant no. OAC– 2348755). Undergraduate assistant co-author Obe acknowledges support from an REU Supplement. Co-authors Sharma and Ren acknowledge support from the NIH. The hardware used in the computational studies is part of the UMBC High Performance Computing Facility (HPCF). The facility is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation through the MRI program (grant nos. CNS–0821258, CNS–1228778, OAC–1726023, and CNS–1920079) and the SCREMS program (grant no. DMS–0821311), with additional substantial support from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). See hpcf.umbc.edu for more information on HPCF and the projects using its resources.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10825318
Accelerating Real-Time Imaging for Radiotherapy: Leveraging Multi-GPU Training with PyTorch
No full text2023 Symposium for Undergraduate Research in Data Science, Systems, and Security (REU Symposium 2023); Jacksonville, Florida, USA; December 15-17, 2023Proton beam therapy is an advanced form of cancer radiotherapy that uses high-energy proton beams to deliver precise and targeted radiation to tumors. This helps to mitigate unnecessary radiation exposure in healthy tissues. Realtime imaging of prompt gamma rays with Compton cameras has been suggested to improve therapy efficacy. However, the camera’s non-zero time resolution leads to incorrect interaction classifications and noisy images that are insufficient for accurately assessing proton delivery in patients. To address the challenges posed by the Compton camera’s image quality, machine learning techniques are employed to classify and refine the generated data. These machine-learning techniques include recurrent and feedforward neural networks. A PyTorch model was designed to improve the data captured by the Compton camera. This decision was driven by PyTorch’s flexibility, powerful capabilities in handling sequential data, and enhanced GPU usage. This accelerates the model’s computations on large-scale radiotherapy data. Through hyperparameter tuning, the validation accuracy of our PyTorch model has been improved from an initial 7% to over 60%. Moreover, the PyTorch Distributed Data Parallelism strategy was used to train the RNN models on multiple GPUs, which significantly reduced the training time with a minor impact on model accuracy.This work is supported by the NSF-grant “REU Site: Online Interdisciplinary Big Data Analytics in Science and Engineering” from the National Science Foundation (grant no. OAC–2050943). Co-author Ren acknowledges support from the NIH-grant R01–CA279013. Co-author Cham additionally acknowledges support as HPCF RA. The hardware used in the computational studies is part of the UMBC High Performance Computing Facility (HPCF). The facility is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation through the MRI program (grant nos. CNS–0821258, CNS–1228778, OAC–1726023, and CNS–1920079) and the SCREMS program (grant no. DMS–0821311), with additional substantial support from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). See hpcf.umbc.edu for more information on HPCF and the projects using its resources.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10459864
Enhancing Real-Time Imaging for Radiotherapy: Leveraging Hyperparameter Tuning with PyTorch
No full textProton beam therapy is an advanced form of cancer radiotherapy that uses high-energy proton beams to deliver precise and targeted radiation to tumors, mitigating unnecessary radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissues.
Utilizing real-time imaging of prompt gamma rays can enhance the effectiveness of this therapy. Compton cameras are proposed for this purpose, capturing prompt gamma rays emitted by proton beams as they traverse a patient’s body. However, the Compton camera’s non-zero time resolution results in simultaneous recording of interactions, causing reconstructed images to be noisy and lacking the necessary level of detail to effectively assess proton delivery for the
patient. In an effort to address the challenges posed by the Compton camera’s resolution and its impact on image quality, machine learning techniques, such as recurrent neural networks, are employed to classify and refine the generated data. These advanced algorithms can effectively distinguish various interaction types and enhance the captured information, leading to more
precise evaluations of proton delivery during the patient’s treatment. To achieve the objectives of enhancing data captured by the Compton camera, a PyTorch model was specifically designed. This decision was driven by PyTorch’s flexibility, powerful capabilities in handling sequential data, and enhanced GPU usage, accelerating the model’s computations and further optimizing the processing of large-scale data. The model successfully
demonstrated faster training performance compared to previous approaches and achieves an overall fair accuracy with so far limited hyperparameter tuning, highlighting its effectiveness in advancing real-time imaging of prompt gamma rays for enhanced evaluation of proton delivery
in cancer therapy.This work is supported by the grant “REU Site: Online Interdisciplinary Big Data Analytics in Science and Engineering” from the National Science Foundation (grant no. OAC–2050943). Co-author Cham additionally acknowledges support as HPCF RA. Co-author Polf acknowledges
support from the NIH. The hardware used in the computational studies is part of the UMBC High Performance Computing Facility (HPCF). The facility is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation through the MRI program (grant nos. CNS–0821258, CNS–1228778, OAC–1726023, and
CNS–1920079) and the SCREMS program (grant no. DMS–0821311), with additional substantial support from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). See hpcf.umbc.edu for more information on HPCF and the projects using its resources.https://userpages.umbc.edu/~gobbert/papers/BigDataREU2023Team2.pdfhttps://umbc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=5c33df60-1820-4b03-ac8a-b04d0157a2b
The dark side of mast cells and their role in metastasis
No full textKomarowska Marta Diana, Korakiewicz Gabriela, Pilaszewicz Agata, Hermanowicz Adam, Reszec Joanna, Debek Wojciech, Chyczewski Lech. The dark side of mast cells and their role in metastasis. Journal of Health Sciences. 2014;4(14):273-284. ISSN 1429-9623 / 2300-665X.
http://journal.rsw.edu.pl/index.php/JHS/article/view/2014%3B4%2814%29%3A273-284
https://pbn.nauka.gov.pl/works/513198
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13372
http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13372
The journal has had 5 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland parametric evaluation. Part B item 1107. (17.12.2013).
© The Author (s) 2014;
This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Radom University in Radom, Poland
Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original author(s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial
use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Conflict of interest: None declared. Received: 15.11.2014. Revised 05.12.2014. Accepted: 10.12.2014.
The dark side of mast cells and their role in metastasis
Marta Diana Komarowska1, Gabriela Korakiewicz2, Agata Pilaszewicz2, Adam Hermanowicz1, Joanna Reszec2, Wojciech Debek1, Lech Chyczewski2
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Medical University of Bialystok
Waszyngtona 17
15-274 Bialystok
Department of Medical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Bialystok
Waszyngtona 13
15-269 Bialystok
Poland
Corresponding author
Adam Hermanowicz MD, PhD
Pediatric Surgery Department
Waszyngtona 17
15-274 Bialystok
Tel +48608612288
Email: [email protected]
We confirm that all authors have read and approved the submission of the manuscript, the manuscript has not been published and is not being considered for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part, in any language, except as an abstract. We also declare no financial relationships with any industry (through investments, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria). The authors declare no conflict of interests.
Word count 4886
Abstract:
Mast cells are one of the best and least understood components of the immune system. They play a crucial role in inflammatory diseases as well as in the promotion of progression of many types of neoplasms. This review covers the most important pathological conditions associated with mast cell activity focusing on inflammatory diseases, e.g. inflammatory bowel disease, chronic pancreatitis, asthma, and mostly on tumor growth and metastases.
Keywords: mast cells, inflammatory diseases, tumor growth, metastases.Komarowska Marta Diana, Korakiewicz Gabriela, Pilaszewicz Agata, Hermanowicz Adam, Reszec Joanna, Debek Wojciech, Chyczewski Lech. The dark side of mast cells and their role in metastasis. Journal of Health Sciences. 2014;4(14):273-284. ISSN 1429-9623 / 2300-665X.
http://journal.rsw.edu.pl/index.php/JHS/article/view/2014%3B4%2814%29%3A273-284
https://pbn.nauka.gov.pl/works/513198
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13372
http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1337
Innovative Open Education: Fostering Resilient Societies for Sustainable Economic Development. Conference Proceedings – PCF11 Selected Papers
No full textThis book of proceedings presents selected papers from the Eleventh Pan-Commonwealth Forum (PCF11), co-hosted by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and the Government of Botswana in Gaborone from 10–12 September 2025. The purpose of this publication is to curate and disseminate high-quality, peer-reviewed contributions that reflect both scholarly insight and practical innovation. It serves as a resource for advancing policy, practice and research in open and distance learning (ODL) in support of Sustainable Development Goal 4 on inclusive, equitable quality education and lifelong learning.
The central theme of PCF11, also reflected in the title of this book—Innovative Open Education: Fostering Resilient Societies for Sustainable Economic Development—highlights the role of openness in building social resilience, widening access, reducing inequities and supporting sustainable economic growth. The book is organised around four interrelated sub-themes that structure the proceedings and frame contemporary debates in the field: (1) changing mindsets for inclusive open education; (2) gender, technology and innovation in open education; (3) skills development through lifelong open education; and (4) sustaining communities of learning and practice in innovative open education.
The volume includes a carefully selected set of papers identified through a rigorous two-phase blind peer review process, with sub-theme leaders nominating the highest-ranked contributions for publication. Together, these papers illustrate diverse experiences, evidence-based practices and policy-relevant insights from across the Commonwealth.
The primary target audience for this book comprises policymakers, development practitioners, academics, researchers, technology innovators, COL stakeholders and partner institutions engaged in open, online and flexible learning. As such, the proceedings aim to inform decision-making, inspire innovation and strengthen collaboration in pursuit of resilient, inclusive and sustainable education systems.
Title: Recognition of Prior Learning and Micro-credentials for Enhancing Inclusion, Access and Success in the UCT Postgraduate Diploma in Blended and Online Learning Design: A Social Justice Lens
Author(s): Tabisa Mayisela; Shanali Govender; Daniela Gachago Pages: 11–22
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.001
Title: Changing Mindset for Open and Distance Learning System: University of The Gambia Experience
Author(s): Kayode S. Adekeye; Ousainou Sarr; Raphael K. Ayeni; Mbemba Hydara; Jane-Frances Agbu; Francisca U. Ezike
Pages: 23–42
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.002
Title: Unlocking the Potential of Open Educational Practices in Bangladesh — Why Mindset Shift Matters
Author(s): Mostafa Azad Kamal; Jane-Frances Agbu; Md. Mahfuzur Rahman
Pages: 43–54
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.003
Title: Pedagogy of Care in a Blended Teaching and Learning Distance Teacher Education Programme
Author(s): F. R. Aluko; M. A. Ooko
Pages: 55–64
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.004
Title: Enhancing Teacher–Student Interaction through Open Education in Hybrid Learning in Cameroonian Universities
Author(s): Shaibou Abdoulai Haji; Jane-Frances Agbu
Pages: 65–77
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.005
Title: Leveraging Technology-Enabled Learning and Open Educational Resources for Educational Equity: A Case Study in a Small Island State
Author(s): Romeela Mohee; Anjusha Durbarry
Pages: 79–88
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.006
Title: Empowering Future Teachers: Skills Development and Training Needs for AI Integration in ODL Teacher Education
Author(s): Geesje van den Berg
Pages: 89–99
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.007
Title: Leveraging AI-Driven Chatbots to Enhance First-Year Student Support: The USP SEM ZERO-GPT Initiative
Author(s): Raveena Goundar; Rajni Chand; Mohammed Hussein Pages: 100–110
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.008
Title: The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Teacher Education Students’ Assessment Practices in Open Distance E-learning
Author(s): Patience Kelebogile Mudau
Pages: 111–124
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.009
Title: Gender and Disability-related Influences on Teachers’ Access to Technology-Mediated Professional Learning in Tanzania
Author(s): Sara Hennessy; Kristeen Chachage; Saalim Koomar; Calvin Swai; Taskeen Adam; Fika Mwakabungu; Winston Massam; Jonathan H. Paskali; Nidhi Singal
Pages: 125–139
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.010
Title: The Vocational Training Development Institute: An Investigation into the Utilisation of Digital Learning Strategies in TVET to Facilitate Accessibility, Flexibility, Engagement and Skills Development
Author(s): Jacqueline Solomon-Wallder; Mark McKnight; Roxanne Hinds
Pages: 141–164
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.011
Title: Implementing Blended Delivery in TEVET: Insights from a Preparatory (PBDT) Course in Zambia
Author(s): Twaambo Chiinza; Alice P. Shemi
Pages: 165–178
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.012
Title: Engaging NEET Youths through Vocational Education: A Case of the Open School of Bangladesh Open University
Author(s): Md. Mizanoor Rahman; Santosh Panda
Pages: 179–187
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.013
Title: Open Schooling in Southern Africa: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities
Author(s): Ephraim Mhlanga
Pages: 188–197
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.014
Title: Building Resilient Graduates: Moi University’s Model for Enhancing Employability and Lifelong Learning in a Dynamic Labour Market
Author(s): Lumala Masibo; Jako Olivier
Pages: 198–208
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.015
Title: Stakeholders’ Perceptions of the Adoption of E-apprenticeship Programmes in Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Nigeria
Author(s): Michael Shittu; Robert Okinda; Anthony C. Achuenu; Alabi M. Olowo
Pages: 209–223
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.016
Title: Towards a Commonwealth Credit Transfer Framework for Micro-Credentials: Advancing Education for a More Resilient Workforce Author(s): Jako Olivier; Jane-Frances Agbu; Schontal Moore; Sanjaya Mishra; Betty Ogange; Evode Mukama; Robert Okinda Pages: 225–236
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.017
Title: Collaborative Approaches in Open Education: Leveraging OER Creation, Adaptation and use for Sustainable Development Author(s): Shepherd Mlambo; Nokulunga Sithabile Ndlovu; Thabo Gina
Pages: 237–248
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.018
Title: Empowering Voices in Open Education: Reflections and Future Directions from the Global OER Graduate Network’s 10th Anniversary Author(s): Robert Farrow; Carina Bossu; Beck Pitt
Pages: 249–257
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.019
Title: Collaborative Peer Learning for International Course Development in the Empowering Women and Girls (EWG) Project: Challenges and Lessons Learned Through this Case Study
Author(s): Philip Uys
Pages: 258–268
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.020
Title: Building Sustainable Communities of Practice Through Mentor-Supported OER Development: An Iterative Approach in Pacific STEM Education
Author(s): Amanda Grey; Betty Ogange; Rajni Chand; Ashish Agrawal
Pages: 269–282
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/11599/6064.02
Study and implementation of urogenital schistosomiasis elimination in Zanzibar (Unguja and Pemba islands) using an integrated multidisciplinary approach
No full textABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection that continues to be a major public health problem in many developing countries being responsible for an estimated burden of at least 1.4 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in Africa alone. However, morbidity due to schistosomiasis has been greatly reduced in some parts of the world, including Zanzibar. The Zanzibar government is now committed to eliminate urogenital schistosomiasis. Over the next 3--5 years, the whole at-risk population will be administered praziquantel (40 mg/kg) biannually. Additionally, snail control and behaviour change interventions will be implemented in selected communities and the impact measured in a randomized intervention trial. METHODS: In this 5-year research study, on both Unguja and Pemba islands, urogenital schistosomiasis will be assessed in 45 communities with urine filtration and reagent strips in 4,500 schoolchildren aged 9--12 years annually, and in 4,500 first-year schoolchildren and 2,250 adults in years 1 and 5. Additionally, from first-year schoolchildren, a finger-prick blood sample will be collected and examined for Schistosoma haematobium infection biomarkers. Changes in prevalence and infection intensity will be assessed annually. Among the 45 communities, 15 were randomized for biannual snail control with niclosamide, in concordance with preventive chemotherapy campaigns. The reduction of Bulinus globosus snail populations and S. haematobium-infected snails will be investigated. In 15 other communities, interventions triggering behaviour change have been designed and will be implemented in collaboration with the community. A change in knowledge, attitudes and practices will be assessed annually through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with schoolchildren, teachers, parents and community leaders. In all 45 communities, changes in the health system, water and sanitation infrastructure will be annually tracked by standardized questionnaire-interviews with community leaders. Additional issues potentially impacting on study outcomes and all incurring costs will be monitored and recorded. DISCUSSION: Elimination of schistosomiasis has become a priority on the agenda of the Zanzibar government and the international community. Our study will contribute to identifying what, in addition to preventive chemotherapy, needs to be done to prevent, control, and ultimately eliminate schistosomiasis, and to draw lessons for current and future schistosomiasis elimination programmes in Africa and elsewhere.Trial registrationISRCTN4883768
