Abstract The rise of data-driven public health has witnessed the integration of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) and artificial intelligence (AI) for real-time disease detection. This convergence demonstrates the potential for predictive modelling to support population-based interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of these technologies, highlighting the utility of WBE for early detection of community transmission. This narrative review, complemented by case examples, examines AI-driven models that support pattern recognition, predict temporal trends, and detect anomalies from wastewater data. Complemented by spatial analytics, early studies suggest that these approaches may support public health practitioners and researchers in mapping pathogen distributions, identifying potential risk hotspots, and exploring community-level transmission dynamics. However, challenges remain in data harmonization, model interpretability, infrastructure readiness, and policy integration. Addressing these methodological and ethical challenges can transform wastewater data into insights that could guide disease monitoring and response, strengthening preparedness for outbreaks and environmental health threats across public health systems.
The presence of synchronous primary tumors in head and neck cancers poses complex challenges for clinical management, requiring careful decision-making by surgical teams. Research suggests that such tumors occur in 1.3–5.8
Southeast Asia plays a vital role in the global alcohol trade, with rapid economic growth and increasing intra-regional travel contributing to shifts in alcohol consumption. This descriptive review of publicly available data sources aims to assess the extent to which alcohol control policies in Southeast Asia align with the World Health Organization (WHO)'s SAFER framework. Data on alcohol consumption, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, religious demographics, and life expectancy were obtained from recent publicly available sources, including the World Bank Group and the WHO. Policy data were collected from official legal documents in each country's official language(s). Measures targeting drink-driving, alcohol availability, and alcohol advertising were most frequently implemented. All countries had some form of alcohol taxation, although levels and structures varied. Treatment services for alcohol use disorders were seldom available. The findings highlight key policy gaps and regional disparities in alcohol regulation. These insights may guide policymakers and stakeholders in developing more effective and harmonized alcohol control strategies. Limitations of the review include the lack of detailed data on policy enforcement and the exclusion of alcohol-related policies not covered by the SAFER framework.
Background/Objectives: Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAI) represent one of the most frequent adverse events during care delivery, with the pediatric population (0-18 years) presenting unique vulnerabilities due to their developing immune systems, dependence on caregivers, and need for invasive devices. Despite the availability of general guidelines, existing high-level evidence is largely extrapolated from adult studies, and pediatric settings differ significantly in patient physiology and equipment size. This scoping review aims to map the key concepts, types of evidence, and research gaps related to strategies preventing HAI in pediatric patients. Methods: This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. The Population, Concept, and Context (PCC) framework will be utilized. We will include any strategy, intervention, or protocol aimed at preventing HAI. A comprehensive search will be conducted across ten major electronic databases and grey literature sources. Two independent reviewers will screen titles, abstracts, and full texts, followed by data extraction using a standardized tool to categorize the interventions and key findings. Results: The findings will synthesize diverse practices into a usable format for clinical decision-makers and identify gaps where primary pediatric research is lacking. This consolidated data aims to guide resource allocation and assist hospital infection control committees in updating pediatric safety protocols. Conclusions: This scoping review will establish a comprehensive baseline of pediatric-specific HAI prevention strategies. The findings will inform evidence-based practice, identify critical research gaps, and guide future investigations in the prevention of pediatric infections in healthcare settings.
Objectives To examine the distribution and frequency of International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), codes in emergency departments (EDs) across Malaysia, providing insights into the most common diagnoses. The aim is to support the development of a principal diagnosis short list for implementing ED-specific diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) to enhance resource allocation and healthcare efficiency.Design A cross-sectional study conducted as part of a functional exercise by the Ministry of Health Malaysia, with systematic retrospective data collection over a 6-week period in 2022.Setting 13 public emergency hospitals across Malaysia, representing state, major specialist, minor specialist and non-specialist hospitals, including facilities from Sabah and Sarawak for geographical diversity.Participants 10 247 ED visit records were collected through systematic random sampling, of which 9942 complete and valid records were retained for analysis after the exclusion of incomplete or erroneous entries.Results The study included 9942 ED patient records from 13 public hospitals across Malaysia over a 6-week period. Of these, 54.4% were male, and 45.5% were female. Malaysian citizens comprised 96.1% of the study population. The most frequently reported diagnoses were respiratory diseases (21.2%), followed by injuries and poisoning (13.2%) and digestive system disorders (8.4%). A total of 946 unique ICD-10 codes were identified, with 73.7% used fewer than five times. The top 20 diagnoses accounted for 42.9% of all records. Acute upper respiratory infection (J06.9) was the most commonly reported diagnosis (961 cases), followed by COVID-19 (U07.1, 608 cases) and gastroenteritis of unspecified origin (A09.9, 313 cases). The data demonstrated variation in the distribution of ICD-10 diagnoses across participating hospitals, highlighting key diagnostic categories relevant for future DRG development.Conclusion This study highlights the diversity of diagnoses in Malaysian EDs and underscores the need for tailored DRGs to optimise healthcare resource allocation. The findings suggest that a principal diagnosis short list may support future efforts to improve classification consistency and inform resource planning, although its effect warrants empirical evaluation. Given the concentration of diagnoses within a limited number of ICD-10 codes, implementing DRGs in emergency care is both feasible and necessary. Future research should expand data collection to capture seasonal trends and refine the principal diagnosis list to further support DRG categorisation and ensure its applicability across varying healthcare demands.
