To explore the opportunities, challenges and perceived strategies for the uptake of OraQuick HIV self-testing (HIVST) among female sex workers in Ethiopia.

A phenomenological study design, with the Integrated Behavioural Model used as a framework for analysis and interpretation.

Woldia, North Wollo, Ethiopia, 13–30 February 2024.

Twenty female sex workers and 18 key informants in Woldia participated in in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions.

The advantages related to OraQuick HIVST include its privacy, ease of use, reduced waiting time, lowered transportation costs, usability for immobile individuals, application in screening for index case testing programmes, providing confidence and reliability and the elimination of the need for healthcare providers during testing. Perceived possible challenges for the uptake of OraQuick HIVST included kit shortage, absence of policies or guidelines for HIVST, lack of post-test counselling and immediate treatment for positive individuals, potential psychological trauma such as suicidal ideation or attempts, lack of linkage to care for those with reactive results, inaccurate reporting of positive results or result concealment and doubts about reliability before education. Strategies perceived for enhancing the uptake of OraQuick HIVST included making the HIVST kit accessible to higher education communities, addressing HIVST-related doubts by including phone or email contact information, advocating and creating awareness about OraQuick HIVST and ensuring the availability of kits in easily accessible locations.

The study findings highlight many positive opportunities related to the uptake of OraQuick HIVST. Policymakers should prioritise addressing the challenges identified and implementing the proposed strategies to enhance the uptake of OraQuick HIVST, potentially leading to improved HIV testing rates and outcomes.

Traditional peoples and communities (TPCs), such as indigenous peoples and quilombolas (communities descended from escaped African slaves), face challenges related to food security and the impact of the food environment on their health. Changes in food systems, urbanisation and loss of territorial rights have contributed to less healthy eating patterns, with increased consumption of ultra-processed foods and a higher prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases. Despite this, there are gaps in knowledge about how the food environments of these communities are investigated, especially in relation to the physical, economic, political and sociocultural dimensions.

This scoping review will be conducted following the methodological framework developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute for scoping reviews, and its reporting will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-Extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. A systematic search will be carried out in the following databases: PubMed, SciELO, Web of Science, Embase and EBSCO, using terms related to traditional populations and food environments. The studies to be included will be selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria defined based on the population, concept and context technique. The study population will include TPCs, such as indigenous peoples and quilombolas; the concept will address the food environment in its physical, economic, political and sociocultural dimensions; and the context will encompass studies conducted at a global level, without any restrictions on geographic location. The study type will include original articles and grey literature. The screening of studies will involve independent reviewers and predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data synthesis will be presented in tables, including information on focus, geographic scope and methodology of the selected studies. The risk of bias will be assessed using the Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies of Exposure tool.

As the study does not involve the collection of primary data or human participants, it does not require ethical approval. The results will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and presented at public health and nutrition conferences, contributing to the advancement of knowledge on food environments of TPCs.

Suicidal thoughts and behaviours are linked to a wide range of mental health conditions. New interest in the psychiatric benefits of nitrous oxide (N₂O) has only recently emerged. The broad pharmacological effects of N₂O are thought to be due in large part to N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonism and opioid effects. The purpose of this study protocol is to test whether inhalational N₂O exerts rapid antisuicidal effects as a transdiagnostic treatment for suicidal ideation.

This is the protocol of a single-centre pilot study of N₂O inhalation in 85 psychiatric inpatients. The initial 45-min double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled inhalation session either consists of 50% N₂O and 50% oxygen (‘active treatment’) or 50% oxygen plus air. The primary outcome is the change in Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation scores between the day before and the day after inhalation. A second inhalation containing N₂O will be administered 1 week after the first inhalation to ensure that all study participants receive the active treatment at least once. For the mechanism of action and prediction, a nested biomarker substudy will employ multimodal techniques, including analysis of hair and blood samples and electroencephalography.

This study was approved by the local ethics committee (‘Kantonale Ethikkommission—Kanton Zürich’) and by the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic). Study results will be disseminated primarily by peer-reviewed scientific journals and also by conference presentations, patient and public events and social media.

ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT06636357.

Pre-eclampsia causes significant maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. It also causes changes in the cardiovascular, endothelial and metabolic systems, from which women may not fully recover after delivery. This study examined the association between the time of onset of pre-eclampsia and the risk for cardiovascular disease (using glucose tolerance, lipid profile and blood pressure) and renal function at 6 weeks post partum.

A prospective cohort study.

Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Mother and Child Centre, Gbaja, Surulere and Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria.

44 women with pre-eclampsia were studied and data on their sociodemographic characteristics, gestational age at diagnosis and blood pressure were collected on admission. They were followed up through delivery till 6 weeks post partum, when blood pressure check, 75 g oral glucose tolerance test, fasting lipid profile and serum creatinine were done.

The exposure was pre-eclampsia. The outcomes were cardiovascular disease risk markers, viz persistent hypertension, glucose intolerance and dyslipidaemia, and renal function at 6 weeks post partum in women who had pre-eclampsia.

Data were analysed using Stata V.16.1. Mann Whitney-U test was used to compare medians and Fisher's exact test was used to compare the categorical variables.

Of the women studied, 13 (29.5%) had early onset pre-eclampsia and 31 (70.5%) had late onset pre-eclampsia. Mean gestational age at diagnosis was 30.8±1.57 weeks in women with early-onset pre-eclampsia and 35.6±1.26 weeks in women with late-onset pre-eclampsia (p

The prevalence of persistent hypertension at 6 weeks post partum is high in women with pre-eclampsia. Serum triglyceride concentration was significantly higher in early onset compared with late onset pre-eclampsia; subsequent studies powered to determine the full cardiovascular risk and how long to follow postnatal women up will be beneficial.

Despite growing evidence to characterise cancer-associated cognitive decline (CACD) in women with breast cancer, interventions to mitigate CACD are limited. Emerging evidence suggests aerobic exercise may enhance cognition after breast cancer diagnosis and treatment; yet, CACD remains an understudied outcome of exercise, and few high-quality studies have been conducted. In addition to knowledge gaps in effectiveness, the translation of exercise interventions to community settings remains challenging. The Breast cancer Reasoning and Activity INtervention (BRAIN) investigates the effectiveness of aerobic exercise training, delivered in a community-based setting, for improving cognitive function in women with breast cancer and gathers information on the implementation success of the intervention.

This Hybrid Type I effectiveness–implementation study is conducted at an academic medical centre in the southwestern United States in partnership with a non-profit, community health and wellness organisation. The study enrols 160 women diagnosed with stage I–IIIa breast cancer and within 3–36 months of treatment completion into a 1:1 randomised controlled trial. Individuals randomised to the exercise group receive a 6-month, individually tailored aerobic exercise programme delivered by exercise trainers employed at local community fitness centres. The programme is progressive in nature and designed to help participants achieve aerobic exercise levels consistent with guidelines for cancer survivors. Individuals randomise to the control group receive a 6-month health education control intervention delivered virtually by hospital-based health educators. Cognitive performance (primary), self-reported cognition, patient-reported outcomes, physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are measured at baseline, 6 months (postintervention) and 12 months (follow-up). Brain structure and function are measured via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at baseline and 6 months. Implementation outcomes are defined by the RE-AIM framework, which includes reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance. RE-AIM outcomes are measured at baseline, 6 months, 12 months and ongoing during the study.

This study was approved by the Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board (#23-000020). All participants provide informed consent prior to participation. Findings will be disseminated to scientific, clinical and community audiences through manuscripts, presentations and newsletters.

NCT04816006.

The involvement of male partners in the care and treatment of HIV-positive pregnant women is essential for improving health outcomes and ensuring optimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Although ART has been shown to be effective in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, maintaining adherence to the prescribed triple ART regimen remains a significant challenge. However, there has been a lack of research on the role of male partners in supporting ART adherence during pregnancy.

To assess male partner involvement in triple ART drug adherence and associated factors among HIV-positive pregnant women in government hospitals of the North Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia, 2023.

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted.

The study was carried out in hospitals located in the North Gojjam Zone of Northwest Ethiopia.

The study was conducted among 410 male partners of HIV-positive pregnant women from 1 April 2023 to 30 May 2023.

The primary outcome was to assess the involvement of male partners in triple ART adherence, while the secondary outcome was to identify factors associated with the involvement of male partners on triple ART adherence among HIV-positive pregnant women. The association between variables was assessed using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models, and a p value

A total of 410 participants were included, with a response rate of 97.2%. The prevalence of male partner involvement in triple ART drug adherence among HIV-positive pregnant women was 21.2%. Multivariable logistic regression showed that educational status (AOR (Adjusted Odds Ratio)=2.5, 95% CI 1.26 to 4.96), place of residence (AOR=4.8, 95% CI 3.17 to 7.27), and the time taken to travel from home to the facility (AOR=3.1, 95% CI 1.51 to 6.36) were significantly associated with male partner involvement.

This study demonstrates that compared with a study conducted in Malawi, male partner involvement in triple ART drug adherence was lower. Male partner involvement in triple ART adherence among HIV-positive pregnant women was strongly associated with educational status, place of residence and the time taken to travel from home to the health facility. Empowering men to actively participate in healthcare decisions and treatment plans for their partners can foster a sense of responsibility and enhance commitment to adherence.

Inflammation is indicated as one of the factors that play a role in the development of schizophrenia, with several studies having found considerable inconsistencies in their results. Few have investigated the role of inflammation in primary psychosis in blood and cerebrospinal fluids simultaneously, the aim of this study being to investigate the expression of blood and cerebrospinal fluid inflammatory cytokines in treatment-naive first-episode psychotic participants.

This is a combined cross-sectional and prospective observational study, which is currently taking place in Durban, South Africa, will recruit 60 participants (30 cases and 30 matched controls). The primary objective is to describe baseline CSF and longitudinal expression/levels of inflammatory cytokines in the blood in persons diagnosed with first-episode psychosis (FEP) for 12 months. The secondary objective is to describe the associations between inflammatory cytokines and psychosis severity, neurocognitive performance, antipsychotic response and metabolic changes at different time points (baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months).

We will collect the sociodemographic details of all participants, and the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Childhood Trauma Scale, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status Update, metabolic markers and inflammatory markers (venous blood and lumbar puncture cerebrospinal fluid) for those with FEP. Data from matched controls will only be collected at one point and no follow-ups (cross-sectional).

The study protocol has been approved by the University of KwaZulu-Natal Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (BREC/00004714/2022). The study is nested in an ongoing study titled the burden of HIV and Psychosis in an African setting: a longitudinal study of HIV-infected and non-infected patients with First-Episode Psychosis (BREC 571/18). The results will be actively disseminated through peer-reviewed journal publications and conference presentations.