Health care articles within Nature Communications

Featured

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Manual processes to produce ocular prostheses are time-consuming and yield varying quality. Here, authors present an automatic digital end-to-end process for custom ocular prostheses. It creates shape and appearance from image data of an OCT device and produces them using a full-colour 3D printer.

    • Johann Reinhard
    • , Philipp Urban
    •  & Mandeep S. Sagoo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The long-term health consequences of COVID-19 infection are not fully understood. In this retrospective cohort study from Hong Kong, the authors describe changes in the risk of various clinical outcomes including all-cause mortality for one year following COVID-19 infection and how they vary by vaccination status.

    • Ivan Chun Hang Lam
    • , Ran Zhang
    •  & Eric Yuk Fai Wan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A key aim in the development of diagnostic assays is improving diagnostic speed while maintaining sensitivity. Here the authors report an approach for the rapid and accurate analysis of lateral flow tests, which integrates time-series deep learning and AI verification, achieving a diagnostic time of 1-2 minutes.

    • Seungmin Lee 
    • , Jeong Soo Park
    •  & Jeong Hoon Lee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The CONSORT-AI extension was developed to provide specific guidance for randomised controlled trials involving Artificial Intelligence (AI) interventions. Here, the authors show that since publication of CONSORT-AI, several AI-specific considerations remain systematically underreported.

    • Alexander P. L. Martindale
    • , Benjamin Ng
    •  & Xiaoxuan Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Healthcare data democratization is often hampered by privacy constraints governing the sensitive healthcare data. Here, the authors show that encoding healthcare data could be a potential solution for achieving healthcare democratization within the context of deep learning.

    • Anshul Thakur
    • , Tingting Zhu
    •  & David A. Clifton

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Genomic surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum could improve monitoring of drug resistance, but implementation has been hampered due to the large and complex genome. Here, de Cesare et al. develop a flexible and cost-effective nanopore sequencing approach to detect drug resistance and diagnostic escape for P. falciparum malaria.

    • Mariateresa de Cesare
    • , Mulenga Mwenda
    •  & Jason A. Hendry

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Escherichia coli ST131 is a globally dominant multidrug resistant clone associated with high rates of recurring urinary tract infections. In this genomic epidemiology study, the authors describe the evolution, population structure, and antimicrobial resistance in 142 E. coli ST131 samples from Wales, UK.

    • Rhys T. White
    • , Matthew J. Bull
    •  & Scott A. Beatson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Accurate localization of abnormalities is crucial in the interpretation of chest X-rays. Here the authors present a deep learning framework for simultaneous localization of 14 thoracic abnormalities and calculation of cardiothoracic ratio, based on large X-ray dataset with bounding boxes created via a human-in-the-loop approach.

    • Weijie Fan
    • , Yi Yang
    •  & Dong Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The optimal timing between first and second mRNA COVID-19 vaccine doses has not been established. Here, the authors use electronic health record data from Georgia, USA in a target trial emulation study to estimate vaccine effectiveness against infection for different dose intervals.

    • Kayoko Shioda
    • , Alexander Breskin
    •  & Elizabeth T. Rogawski McQuade

  • Article
    | Open Access

    West Nile Virus is emerging as an important pathogen in Europe, likely driven by recent climate and land-use changes. Here, the authors estimate the extent of the climate change-driven impact by modelling the change in West Nile Virus ecological suitability across the continent in the absence of climate change.

    • Diana Erazo
    • , Luke Grant
    •  & Simon Dellicour

  • Editorial
    | Open Access

    Africa is undergoing a demographic transition1 that has led to significant reductions in the number of individuals living in extreme poverty, and to positive shifts in related health outcomes, across its diverse populations2. Building on these successes requires a consideration of intersecting factors that impact health metrics, which is the focus of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals3. To support researchers in their efforts towards reaching these goals, Nature Communications, Communications Medicine and Scientific Reports invite submissions of papers that advance our understanding of all aspects of health in Africa.

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Pertussis immunisation for pregnant women has been introduced to protect newborns, but immunological evidence suggests that this lessens subsequent infant immune response to vaccination. Here, the authors assess the epidemiological impacts of both consequences of maternal immunisation on infant infection.

    • Michael Briga
    • , Elizabeth Goult
    •  & Matthieu Domenech de Cellès

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors develop a high-throughput method to quantify Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis (BL. infantis), a proficient HMO-utilizer, from metagenomic sequencing, and applied it to a longitudinal cohort consisting of 21 mother-infant dyads, suggesting BL. infantis colonization to start late in the breast-feeding period.

    • Dena Ennis
    • , Shimrit Shmorak
    •  & Moran Yassour

  • Comment
    | Open Access

    The African continent demonstrated decisive leadership throughout its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leveraging lessons learned from previous outbreaks and acting quickly to limit the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We propose a framework to build on these successes that calls for greater collaboration between African leaders, and greater inclusion of African voices in the global health ecosystem.

    • Nicaise Ndembi
    • , Aggrey Aluso
    •  & Jean Kaseya

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Monitoring antimicrobial resistance in food animals is challenging due to limited surveillance systems. Here, the authors combine data from point prevalence surveys in lower- and middle-income settings to map resistance to seven antimicrobials and predict which are likely to exceed key resistance thresholds.

    • Cheng Zhao
    • , Yu Wang
    •  & Thomas P. Van Boeckel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The rapid identification of drug-resistant bacteria is vital for effective treatment and to avoid antibiotic misuse. Here authors report a paper-based sensor which utilises chromogenic carbapenem and cephalosporin substrates for the identification and discrimination of β-lactamase subtypes.

    • Wenshuai Li
    • , Jingqi Li
    •  & Dingbin Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Segmentation is an important fundamental task in medical image analysis. Here the authors show a deep learning model for efficient and accurate segmentation across a wide range of medical image modalities and anatomies.

    • Jun Ma
    • , Yuting He
    •  & Bo Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chronic SARS-CoV-2 infections have been hypothesised to be sources of new variants. Here, the authors use large-scale genome sequencing data to identify mutations predictive of chronic infections, which may therefore be relevant in future variants.

    • Sheri Harari
    • , Danielle Miller
    •  & Adi Stern

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Live poultry markets in rural areas can be hotspots for transmission of pathogens, but the effects of markets on selection of viral virulence are not known. This study demonstrates through mathematical modelling that high turnover rate and persistence of viral particles can select for highly virulent pathogens in markets.

    • Justin K. Sheen
    • , Fidisoa Rasambainarivo
    •  & C. Jessica E. Metcalf

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Seasonal influenza levels were unusually low when non-pharmaceutical interventions for COVID-19 were in place. Here, the authors analyse serological and epidemiological evidence for the hypothesis that such lulls in influenza transmission lead to reduced immunity and therefore larger epidemics in subsequent seasons.

    • Simon P. J. de Jong
    • , Zandra C. Felix Garza
    •  & Colin A. Russell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite being recommended, day-zero biopsies are often not performed, due to the cost and time. Here, the authors show that machine learning and donor’s basic parameters can predict the biopsy, offering a reliable virtual estimation of the day-zero biopsy findings.

    • Daniel Yoo
    • , Gillian Divard
    •  & Alexandre Loupy

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Artificial intelligence has become popular as a cancer classification tool, but there is distrust of such systems due to their lack of transparency. Here, the authors develop an explainable AI system which produces text- and region-based explanations alongside its classifications which was assessed using clinicians’ diagnostic accuracy, diagnostic confidence, and their trust in the system.

    • Tirtha Chanda
    • , Katja Hauser
    •  & Titus J. Brinker

  • Article
    | Open Access

    SARS-CoV-2 coinfections may lead to recombination events which could be important in the emergence of new variants. Here, the authors develop an automated bioinformatics pipeline to identify coinfections in genomic data and test it on >2 million publicly available raw read data sets collected globally.

    • Orsolya Anna Pipek
    • , Anna Medgyes-Horváth
    •  & István Csabai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Microneedle patches that can actively address individual needles are challenging to realize. Here, the authors introduce a spatiotemporal on-demand patch for precise and personalized drug delivery, utilizing electrically triggered control with drug-loaded microneedles and biocompatible metallic membranes.

    • Yihang Wang
    • , Zeka Chen
    •  & Wubin Bai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A personalized letter from the Medical Examiner-Coroner in Los Angeles County has proven effective at reducing opioid and benzodiazepine prescribing. Here the authors show that the introduction of if/when-then planning prompts in to the letter further reduced opioid prescribing by 12.85% and benzodiazepine prescribing by 8.32%; they were most effective for clinicians with multiple patient deaths due to accidental opioid-related overdose.

    • Jason N. Doctor
    • , Marcella A. Kelley
    •  & Emily P. Stewart

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Prelithiation can introduce controllable amounts of lithium within porous silicon, however it yields a highly reactive material unsuitable for biomedicine. In this study, the authors present a strategy to lithiate porous silicon nanowires, resulting in a biocompatible and bioresorbable material.

    • Martti Kaasalainen
    • , Ran Zhang
    •  & Ciro Chiappini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Many diseases can display distinct brain imaging phenotypes across individuals, potentially reflecting disease subtypes. However, biological interpretability is limited if the derived subtypes are not associated with genetic drivers or susceptibility factors. Here, the authors describe a deep-learning method that links imaging phenotypes with genetic factors, thereby conferring genetic correlations to the disease subtypes.

    • Zhijian Yang
    • , Junhao Wen
    •  & Christos Davatzikos

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bacteria in the same environment can share genetic material but the extent to which this influences development of antimicrobial resistance is unclear. Here, the authors investigate the evidence for co-evolution of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria found coexisting in animals and the environment in chicken farms and slaughterhouses in China.

    • Michelle Baker
    • , Xibin Zhang
    •  & Tania Dottorini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Available viscoelastic models of blood flow and blood coagulation are unsuited for a cybermedical input-output type of control system application. Here the authors present validated viscoelastic coagulation models that use quickly-measurable protein concentrations to forecast slow clot strength curves for future automation.

    • Damon E. Ghetmiri
    • , Alessia J. Venturi
    •  & Amor A. Menezes

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The unequal distribution of medical resources means that bronchoscopic services are often unavailable in underdeveloped areas. Here, the authors present an AI co-pilot bronchoscope robot that features a user-friendly plug-and-play catheter and an AI-human shared control algorithm, to enable novice doctors to conduct lung examinations safely.

    • Jingyu Zhang
    • , Lilu Liu
    •  & Haojian Lu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common chronic gastrointestinal disorder. Here, in a randomized, parallel-group, positive-drug, and placebo-controlled clinical trial, the authors show that supplementation with the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BL-99 (BL-99) improves FD clinical response rate and promotes accumulation of SCFA-producing microbiota.

    • Qi Zhang
    • , Guang Li
    •  & Fazheng Ren

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chronic spontaneous urticarial is an inflammatory skin disease which has been linked to intestinal dysbiosis. Here the authors implicate intestinal dysbiosis with the inflammatory response in a murine model of urticaria.

    • Lei Zhu
    • , Xingxing Jian
    •  & Jie Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding how the immune system’s functionality declines with age is crucial for addressing aging-related health issues. Here, the authors demonstrate that activating TLR5 in the mucosal layer can significantly improve healthspan and longevity, suggesting a novel approach for aging interventions.

    • Jae Sung Lim
    • , Eun Jae Jeon
    •  & Kyung A Cho

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bacillus Calmette-Guèrin vaccination prevents tuberculosis but some individuals control infection without immunization. Here the authors employ functional assessment of effector responses against mycobacteria to find that distinct gene expression profiles for pre-existing capacity to control and control induced by BCG vaccination.

    • Krista E. van Meijgaarden
    • , Wenchao Li
    •  & Simone A. Joosten

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The relation between daily meal and fasting timing with cardiovascular disease incidence remains unclear. Here, authors show that a later daily meal timing is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk, especially in women. This study suggests that adopting earlier daily eating patterns may be beneficial for cardiovascular prevention.

    • Anna Palomar-Cros
    • , Valentina A. Andreeva
    •  & Bernard Srour

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinomas (cHCC-CCA) are challenging to diagnose, as they exhibit features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICCA). Here, the authors use deep learning to re-classify cHCC-CCA tumours into HCC or ICCA based on histopathology images.

    • Julien Calderaro
    • , Narmin Ghaffari Laleh
    •  & Jakob Nikolas Kather

Browse broader subjects

Browse narrower subjects

Browse Health care across other nature.com journals