The Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences in Ulaanbaatar is a public higher education institution established in 1942 founded by a polish physician Filip Jan Ratajczak. It has branch campuses in Darkhan-Uul, Sainshand, and Gobi-Altai. 150 to 205 students graduate each year. Its School of Public Health has close links with Loma Linda University, which is sponsoring tobacco-control research there. It is affiliated with the International University of Health and Welfare in Narita where students can gain clinical experience which is problematic in Mongolia.
Genitourinary infections (GUIs) during pregnancy are a significant clinical concern linked to maternal morbidity. To investigate the potential causal effect of gut Streptococcus abundance on the risk of maternal genitourinary infection during pregnancy using Mendelian randomization (MR), we performed a two-sample MR analysis using publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics. Genetic instruments for gut Streptococcus abundance were obtained from the MiBioGen consortium (N = 18,340). Outcome data for maternal genitourinary infection (ICD-10 O23.x) were sourced from the FinnGen consortium (N = 111,731). The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary analysis, supplemented by sensitivity analyses including MR-Egger, weighted median, and MR-PRESSO to assess pleiotropy. We further assessed potential mediation via systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6) and associations with adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs). Genetically predicted higher gut Streptococcus abundance was associated with a reduced risk of maternal genitourinary infection (IVW odds ratio [OR] = 0.63, 95
This update and revision of the international guideline for urticaria was developed in accordance with the methods recommended by Cochrane and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) working group. It is an initiative of the Global Allergy and Asthma Excellence Network (GA(2)LEN) and its Urticaria and Angioedema Centers of Reference and Excellence (UCAREs and ACAREs), with the participation of 210 delegates from 107 national and international societies, from 59 countries. The consensus conference was held on December 6th, 2024. This guideline was acknowledged and accepted by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS). Urticaria is a frequent, mast cell-driven disease, defined by a rapid appearance of wheals, angioedema, or both. The lifetime prevalence of acute urticaria is estimated to be approximately 20%. Chronic urticaria, categorized as either chronic spontaneous urticaria or chronic inducible urticaria, is disabling, impairs quality of life, and affects performance at work and school, however, novel therapies are available. This updated version of the international guideline for urticaria covers the definition and classification of urticaria and outlines expert-guided and evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the different subtypes of urticaria.
Background: Tooth loss in childhood reflects cumulative oral disease and may impair dietary intake, potentially influencing nutritional status. Evidence on the association between tooth loss and anthropometric indicators in school-aged children remains limited. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study used data from a nationwide health screening conducted by the Ministry of Health of Mongolia in 2023–2024. A total of 120,994 children aged 6–9 years were included. Tooth loss was categorized as 0, 1–2, or ≥3 extracted teeth. Nutritional status was assessed using weight-for-height (WHZ), weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ) Z-scores, and body mass index (BMI). Associations between tooth loss and anthropometric indicators were examined using unadjusted and multivariable linear regression models adjusting for age and sex. Results: Overall, 12.5% of children had experienced tooth loss. Mean WHZ and WAZ decreased progressively with increasing tooth loss. In adjusted analyses, children with 1–2 extracted teeth had lower WHZ (β = −0.025; 95% CI: −0.047 to −0.004), and those with ≥3 extracted teeth had substantially lower WHZ (β = −0.058; 95% CI: −0.084 to −0.032), compared with children without tooth loss. Similar associations were observed for WAZ. No significant associations were found between tooth loss and BMI or HAZ. No interactions with age or sex were detected. Conclusions: Tooth loss was independently associated with lower indicators of current nutritional status among children aged 6–9 years. These findings underscore the importance of integrating oral health and nutrition strategies in childhood health programs.
Introduction:COVID-19 boosters restore waning immunity. After demonstrating non-inferiority of 15 μg versus 30 μg BNT162b2 at 28 days in Mongolian adults, we assessed 24-month immunogenicity and safety. Methods:In this randomised, controlled trial, adults primed with ChAdOx1-S, BBIBP-CorV, or Gam-COVID-Vac were assigned (1:1) to 15 μg or 30 μg BNT162b2. Anti-spike IgG, surrogate virus neutralisation (sVNT) against Wuhan-Hu-1 and Omicron BA.1, and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release assays (Ag1/Ag2) were assessed to 24 months. SARS-CoV-2 infections and serious adverse events (SAEs) were recorded. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05265065. Results:Of 601 participants, 520 (86.5%) completed follow-up. IgG and IFN-γ responses were comparable between arms at 24 months (IgG geometric mean ratio (GMR) 1.06 [95% CI 0.95-1.18]; Ag1 GMR 1.17 [95% CI 0.82-1.66]; Ag2 GMR 1.06 [95% CI 0.73-1.54]). Median sVNT inhibition remained high (Wuhan-Hu-1 88% [interquartile range (IQR) 86-90]; Omicron BA.1 85% [IQR 70-88]). Twenty-eight SARS-CoV-2 infections occurred. Fifty-three SAEs were balanced by study arm, and none were vaccine related. Discussion:Equivalent immunity and safety from 15 μg and 30 μg BNT162b2 boosters support fractional dosing as a cost-saving strategy. Clinical Trial Registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05265065, identifier NCT05265065.
Species-level resolution is essential to understand gastric microbiome recovery after Helicobacter pylori eradication, yet short-read 16 S rRNA approaches often obscure clinically relevant changes. Gastric biopsies from 121 adults in Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia (71 H. pylori–positive, 50 H. pylori–negative) were analyzed, including nine paired pre- and post-eradication gastric biopsy samples collected six months apart, enabling exploratory longitudinal analysis. Full-length 16 S rRNA (V1–V9) sequencing was performed using the Oxford Nanopore platform with EMU taxonomic assignment (SILVA v138.1/NCBI RefSeq). Ecological changes were evaluated using diversity indices, principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) with PERMANOVA, and differential abundance testing (DESeq2, FDR < 0.05). Eradication therapy (esomeprazole–bismuth–doxycycline–levofloxacin) achieved success in 54 of 57 H. pylori–positive patients (94.7
