Non-inferiority (NI) trial designs, which assess whether an experimental intervention is no worse than the standard of care, have become increasingly prevalent in recent years. Current thinking suggests that the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis is considered anti-conservative in the presence of protocol violations when compared with the per-protocol (PP) analysis.

We aim to conduct a methodological review of NI trials to compare the results from ITT and PP analysis in NI trials. A comprehensive electronic search strategy will be used to identify studies indexed in MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. We will include 390 NI trials published prior to 31 December 2024. The primary outcomes are the treatment effect estimates from ITT and PP analyses. Secondary outcomes are the CI widths and the bounds of the CIs from the ITT and PP analyses. Analysis will calculate the relative difference in the point estimates, CI widths and CI bounds between the two approaches. Linear models will be used to investigate the relationship between the outcomes and the proportion of patients excluded from the PP analysis.

This is a methodological review that has been registered on the International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO, CRD420251125360). Research ethics is not required as the project is a methodological review of previously published trials. Study findings will be shared via peer-reviewed publications and presentations at academic conferences.

There is a pressing need for effective interventions that can support healthcare workers and caregivers in the challenging yet crucial task of disclosing the HIV status to infected children and adolescents. Previously, we developed and tested a successful disclosure intervention called Sankofa in Ghana. In an ongoing 5-year follow-up study, Sankofa 2, we aim to build on the successful Sankofa trial by testing the intervention on a larger scale.

This study is a pragmatic, stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial.

It is being conducted in 12 HIV paediatric clinics in Ghana to examine the effectiveness, health benefits, cost and implementation of the Sankofa intervention. Caregiver–child dyads (n=700) will be enrolled. Evaluation of effectiveness, health benefits, cost and implementation of the Paediatric HIV disclosure intervention, Sankofa 2, is posed to offer valuable insights for scale-up and sustainability.

Ethical clearance has been obtained from the Ghana Health Service Ethics Review Committee, the University of Ghana Ethical and Protocol Review Committee, the Committee on Human Research Publication and Ethics of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the Johns Hopkins Medicine Institutional Review Board and the Yale School of Medicine Human Investigation Committee. The clinical trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on 5 March 2021. All caregiver participants are required to provide written informed consent and the children assent before enrolment. If either the child or caregiver says no to the study, the dyad is not eligible for the study. No study-related procedures are performed until consent is obtained. The results of the trial will be added on ClinicalTrials.gov, published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences.

NCT04791865.

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.