scholarly journals A quasi-experimental study estimating the impact of long-lasting insecticidal nets with and without piperonyl butoxide on pregnancy outcomes

2022 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle E. Roh ◽  
Brenda Oundo ◽  
Grant Dorsey ◽  
Stephen Shiboski ◽  
Roly Gosling ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are the main vector control tool for pregnant women, but their efficacy may be compromised, in part, due to pyrethroid resistance. In 2017, the Ugandan Ministry of Health embedded a cluster randomized controlled trial into the national LLIN campaign, where a random subset of health subdistricts (HSDs) received LLINs treated with piperonyl butoxide (PBO), a chemical synergist known to partially restore pyrethroid sensitivity. Using data from a small, non-randomly selected subset of HSDs, this secondary analysis used quasi-experimental methods to quantify the overall impact of the LLIN campaign on pregnancy outcomes. In an exploratory analysis, differences between PBO and conventional (non-PBO) LLINs on pregnancy outcomes were assessed. Methods Birth registry data (n = 39,085) were retrospectively collected from 21 health facilities across 12 HSDs, 29 months before and 9 months after the LLIN campaign (from 2015 to 2018). Of the 12 HSDs, six received conventional LLINs, five received PBO LLINs, and one received a mix of conventional and PBO LLINs. Interrupted time-series analyses (ITSAs) were used to estimate changes in monthly incidence of stillbirth and low birthweight (LBW; <2500 g) before-and-after the campaign. Poisson regression with robust standard errors modeled campaign effects, adjusting for health facility-level differences, seasonal variation, and time-varying maternal characteristics. Comparisons between PBO and conventional LLINs were estimated using difference-in-differences estimators. Results ITSAs estimated the campaign was associated with a 26% [95% CI: 7–41] reduction in stillbirth incidence (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.74 [0.59–0.93]) and a 15% [-7, 33] reduction in LBW incidence (IRR=0.85 [0.67–1.07]) over a 9-month period. The effect on stillbirth incidence was greatest for women delivering 7–9 months after the campaign (IRR=0.60 [0.41–0.87]) for whom the LLINs would have covered most of their pregnancy. The IRRs estimated from difference-in-differences analyses comparing PBO to conventional LLINs was 0.78 [95% CI: 0.52, 1.16] for stillbirth incidence and 1.15 [95% CI: 0.87, 1.52] for LBW incidence. Conclusions In this region of Uganda, where pyrethroid resistance is high, this study found that a mass LLIN campaign was associated with reduced stillbirth incidence. Effects of the campaign were greatest for women who would have received LLINs early in pregnancy, suggesting malaria protection early in pregnancy can have important benefits that are not necessarily realized through antenatal malaria services. Results from the exploratory analyses comparing PBO and conventional LLINs on pregnancy outcomes were inconclusive, largely due to the wide confidence intervals that crossed the null. Thus, future studies with larger sample sizes are needed.

2019 ◽  
Vol 220 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob M Riveron ◽  
Silvie Huijben ◽  
Williams Tchapga ◽  
Magellan Tchouakui ◽  
Murielle J Wondji ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Insecticide resistance poses a serious threat to insecticide-based interventions in Africa. There is a fear that resistance escalation could jeopardize malaria control efforts. Monitoring of cases of aggravation of resistance intensity and its impact on the efficacy of control tools is crucial to predict consequences of resistance. Methods The resistance levels of an Anopheles funestus population from Palmeira, southern Mozambique, were characterized and their impact on the efficacy of various insecticide-treated nets established. Results A dramatic loss of efficacy of all long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), including piperonyl butoxide (PBO)–based nets (Olyset Plus), was observed. This An. funestus population consistently (2016, 2017, and 2018) exhibited a high degree of pyrethroid resistance. Molecular analyses revealed that this resistance escalation was associated with a massive overexpression of the duplicated cytochrome P450 genes CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b, and also the fixation of the resistance CYP6P9a_R allele in this population in 2016 (100%) in contrast to 2002 (5%). However, the low recovery of susceptibility after PBO synergist assay suggests that other resistance mechanisms could be involved. Conclusions The loss of efficacy of pyrethroid-based LLINs with and without PBO is a concern for the effectiveness of insecticide-based interventions, and action should be taken to prevent the spread of such super-resistance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Wagman ◽  
Kenyssony Varela ◽  
Rose Zulliger ◽  
Abuchahama Saifodine ◽  
Rodaly Muthoni ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The need to develop new products and novel approaches for malaria vector control is recognized as a global health priority. One approach to meeting this need has been the development of new products for indoor residual spraying (IRS) with novel active ingredients for public health. While initial results showing the impact of several of these next-generation IRS products have been encouraging, questions remain about how to best deploy them for maximum impact. To help address these questions, a 2-year cluster-randomized controlled trial to measure the impact of IRS with a microencapsulated formulation of pirimiphos-methyl (PM) in an area with high ownership of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) was conducted in a high-transmission district of central Mozambique with pyrethroid resistant vectors. Presented here are the results of the vector surveillance component of the trial. Methods The 2 year, two-armed trial was conducted in Mopeia District, Zambezia Province, Mozambique. In ten sentinel villages, five that received IRS with PM in October–November 2016 and again in October–November 2017 and five that received no IRS, indoor light trap collections and paired indoor-outdoor human landing collections catches (HLCs) were conducted monthly from September 2016 through October 2018. A universal coverage campaign in June 2017, just prior to the second spray round, distributed 131,540 standard alpha-cypermethrin LLINs across all study villages and increased overall net usage rates in children under 5 years old to over 90%. Results The primary malaria vector during the trial was Anopheles funestus sensu lato (s.l.), and standard World Health Organization (WHO) tube tests with this population indicated variable but increasing resistance to pyrethroids (including alpha-cypermethrin, from > 85% mortality in 2017 to 7% mortality in 2018) and uniform susceptibility to PM (100% mortality in both years). Over the entire duration of the study, IRS reduced An. funestus s.l. densities by 48% (CI95 33–59%; p < 0.001) in indoor light traps and by 74% (CI95 38–90%; p = 0.010) during indoor and outdoor HLC, though in each study year reductions in vector density were consistently greatest in those months immediately following the IRS campaigns and waned over time. Overall there was no strong preference for An. funestus to feed indoors or outdoors, and these biting behaviours did not differ significantly across study arms: observed indoor-outdoor biting ratios were 1.10 (CI95 1.00–1.21) in no-IRS villages and 0.88 (CI95 0.67–1.15) in IRS villages. The impact of IRS was consistent in reducing HLC exposures both indoors (75% reduction: CI95 47–88%; p = 0. < 0.001) and outdoors (68% reduction: CI95 22–87%; p = 0.012). While substantially fewer Anopheles gambiae s.l. were collected during the study, trends show a similar impact of IRS on this key vector group as well, with a 33% (CI95 7–53%; p = 0.019) reduction in mosquitoes collected in light traps and a non-statistically significant 39% reduction (p = 0.249) in HLC landing rates. Conclusion IRS with PM used in addition to pyrethroid-only LLINs substantially reduced human exposures to malaria vectors during both years of the cluster-randomized controlled trial in Mopeia—a high-burden district where the primary vector, An. funestus s.l., was equally likely to feed indoors or outdoors and demonstrated increasing resistance to pyrethroids. Findings suggest that IRS with PM can provide effective vector control, including in some settings where pyrethroid-only ITNs are widely used. Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov, NCT02910934. Registered 22 September 2016, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02910934.


2020 ◽  
Vol 376 (1818) ◽  
pp. 20190817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Hellewell ◽  
Ellie Sherrard-Smith ◽  
Sheila Ogoma ◽  
Thomas S. Churcher

Malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa relies on the widespread use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) or the indoor residual spraying of insecticide. Disease transmission may be maintained even when these indoor interventions are universally used as some mosquitoes will bite in the early morning and evening when people are outside. As countries seek to eliminate malaria, they can target outdoor biting using new vector control tools such as spatial repellent emanators, which emit airborne insecticide to form a protective area around the user. Field data are used to incorporate a low-technology emanator into a mathematical model of malaria transmission to predict its public health impact across a range of scenarios. Targeting outdoor biting by repeatedly distributing emanators alongside LLINs increases the chance of elimination, but the additional benefit depends on the level of anthropophagy in the local mosquito population, emanator effectiveness and the pre-intervention proportion of mosquitoes biting outdoors. High proportions of pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes diminish LLIN impact because of reduced mosquito mortality. When mosquitoes are highly anthropophagic, this reduced mortality leads to more outdoor biting and a reduced additional benefit of emanators, even if emanators are assumed to retain their effectiveness in the presence of pyrethroid resistance. Different target product profiles are examined, which show the extra epidemiological benefits of spatial repellents that induce mosquito mortality. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases’.


2019 ◽  
Vol 09 (03) ◽  
pp. e226-e234
Author(s):  
Anna Maya Powell ◽  
Judy R. Shary ◽  
Christopher Louden ◽  
Vishwanathan Ramakrishnan ◽  
Allison Ross Eckard ◽  
...  

Objective Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is associated with vitamin D deficiency and poor pregnancy outcomes. We studied a nested cohort from a randomized controlled trial to investigate the association between BV and vitamin D concentration in pregnancy. Study Design Subjects with randomly assigned 400 versus 4,400 IU of daily cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) had vaginal swabs collected for Gram staining and Nugent score calculation, as well as plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) measurement at three pregnancy time points. Results Fifty-two (21.2%) of the 245 women included in the analysis were diagnosed with BV at study entry. Women with BV were also more likely to be African American (p < 0.0001) and have lower 25(OH)D concentrations at 22 to 24 weeks' gestation (p = 0.03). There were no differences in pregnancy outcomes of interest within this group compared with the remaining study subjects. In mixed regression modeling, while race (p = 0.001) and age (p = 0.03) were significant predictors of BV prevalence independently, 25(OH)D concentration (p = 0.81), gestational age (p = 0.06), and body mass index (p = 0.87) were not. Conclusion Neither vitamin D deficiency in early pregnancy nor supplementation decreased BV incidence during pregnancy. Pregnancy outcomes (preterm birth and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy) were similar among women with and without BV.


2013 ◽  
Vol 208 (1) ◽  
pp. S191
Author(s):  
Morgan Swank ◽  
Aaron Caughey ◽  
Christine Farinelli ◽  
Elliott Main ◽  
Kathryn Melsop ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kobié H. Toé ◽  
Frank Mechan ◽  
Julie-Anne A. Tangena ◽  
Marion Morris ◽  
Joanna Solino ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) treated with pyrethroids are the foundation of malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa. Rising pyrethroid resistance in vectors, however, has driven the development of alternative net formulations. Here the durability of polyethylene nets with a novel combination of a pyrethroid, permethrin, and the insect juvenile hormone mimic, pyriproxyfen (PPF), compared to a standard permethrin LLIN, was assessed in rural Burkina Faso. Methods A compound-randomized controlled trial was completed in two villages. In one village 326 of the PPF-permethrin nets (Olyset Duo) and 327 standard LLINs (Olyset) were distributed to assess bioefficacy. In a second village, 170 PPF-permethrin nets and 376 LLINs were distributed to assess survivorship. Nets were followed at 6-monthly intervals for 3 years. Bioefficacy was assessed by exposing permethrin-susceptible and resistant Anopheles gambiae sensu lato mosquito strains to standard World Health Organization (WHO) cone and tunnel tests with impacts on fertility measured in the resistant strain. Insecticide content was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. LLIN survivorship was recorded with a questionnaire and assessed by comparing the physical integrity using the proportionate hole index (pHI). Results The PPF-permethrin net met WHO bioefficacy criteria (≥ 80% mortality or ≥ 95% knockdown) for the first 18 months, compared to 6 months for the standard LLIN. Mean mosquito mortality for PPF-permethrin nets, across all time points, was 8.6% (CI 2.6–14.6%) higher than the standard LLIN. Fertility rates were reduced after PPF-permethrin net exposure at 1-month post distribution, but not later. Permethrin content of both types of nets remained within the target range of 20 g/kg ± 25% for 242/248 nets tested. The pyriproxyfen content of PPF-permethrin nets declined by 54%, from 10.4 g/kg (CI 10.2–10.6) to 4.7 g/kg (CI 3.5–6.0, p < 0.001) over 36 months. Net survivorship was poor, with only 13% of PPF-permethrin nets and 12% of LLINs still present in the original household after 36 months. There was no difference in the fabric integrity or survivorship between the two net types. Conclusion The PPF-permethrin net, Olyset Duo, met or exceeded the performance of the WHO-recommended standard LLIN (Olyset) in the current study but both net types failed the 3-year WHO bioefficacy criteria.


2012 ◽  
Vol 206 (1) ◽  
pp. S178
Author(s):  
Judith Chung ◽  
Brian T. Nguyen ◽  
Jonathan M. Snowden ◽  
Yvonne W. Cheng ◽  
Susan Tran ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerlie Ann A. Zamora ◽  
Daisy C. Garcia

Background. The unavailability of transport incubators in resource-limited areas increases the risk for hypothermia in low birthweight neonates requiring transfer to another hospital. The kangaroo mother care (KMC) position may be a better alternative than swaddling the neonates during transport. Objective. To determine the safety and efficacy of KMC as an alternative means of transport of preterm and term small-for-gestational age (SGA) infants who need to be transferred to a higher level of care. Specifically, it aims to establish if KMC is safe and efficacious in terms of thermoregulation during inter-facility transfers. It also aims to determine the impact of transport distance from the referring hospital, age of gestation, sex, birthweight, and Apgar score on the efficacy of KMC in preventing hypothermia. Methods. We did a prospective, single-blinded, parallel-randomized controlled trial from September 2016 to October 2017 from a community-based primary care facility to a tertiary government hospital. We included newborn preterm infants and term SGA infants weighing 1200–1800 grams, delivered at health centers, district and provincial hospitals who needed to be transferred for a higher level of care. Outcomes included physiologic variables such as temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate. We conducted statistical analysis using t-test, risk ratio, and multiple regression analysis. Results. Thirty-one neonates were randomized to KMC transport (n=15) and conventional transport (swaddled) (n=16). Fifty percent of the swaddled infants developed hypothermia against none in the KMC infants. The risk of hypothermia was reduced by 93.75% in the neonates transported in KMC. The gestational age, birthweight, sex, Apgar scores and distance travelled had no confounding effect on the neonates’ temperature during transport. Conclusions. Kangaroo mother care transport is a safe, effective, and low-cost alternative in inter-facility neonatal transport especially in limited-resource areas.


2022 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Osarfo ◽  
Gifty Dufie Ampofo ◽  
Harry Tagbor

Abstract Background There has been a global decline in malaria transmission over the past decade. However, not much is known of the impact of this observation on the burden of malaria infection in pregnancy in endemic regions including Ghana. A narrative review was undertaken to help describe trends in malaria infection in pregnancy in Ghana. Among others, such information is important in showing any progress made in malaria in pregnancy control. Methods To describe trends in pregnancy-associated malaria infection in Ghana, a search and review of literature reporting data on the prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infection in pregnancy was conducted. Results Thirty-six (36) studies, conducted over 1994–2019, were included in the review. In the northern savannah zone with largely seasonal malaria transmission, prevalence appeared to reduce from about 50–60% in 1994–2010 to 13–26% by 2019. In the middle transitional/forest zone, where transmission is perennial with peaks in the rainy season, prevalence apparently reduced from 60% in the late 1990 s to about 5–20% by 2018. In the coastal savannah area, there was apparent reduction from 28 to 35% in 2003–2010 to 5–11% by 2018–2019. The burden of malaria infection in pregnancy continues to be highest among teenagers and younger-aged pregnant women and paucigravidae. Conclusions There appears to be a decline in asymptomatic parasite prevalence in pregnancy in Ghana though this has not been uniform across the different transmission zones. The greatest declines were noticeably in urban settings. Submicroscopic parasitaemia remains a challenge for control efforts. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of the reduced parasite prevalence on maternal anaemia and low birthweight and to assess the local burden of submicroscopic parasitaemia in relation to pregnancy outcomes.


Author(s):  
Lorena Gutiérrez-Puertas ◽  
Verónica V. Márquez-Hernández ◽  
Vanesa Gutiérrez-Puertas ◽  
Genoveva Granados-Gámez ◽  
Gabriel Aguilera-Manrique

Introduction: Nursing students establish therapeutic relationships with their patients and as future nursing professionals, they should be trained to be effective communicators. The objective of this systematic review was to know the impact of educational interventions on nursing students to develop their communication skills with patients. Methods: A systematic review of literature was carried out. The following databases were consulted: CINAHL, PubMed (Ovid Medline), SCOPUS and Web of Science. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guided this review. As for inclusion criteria, published articles in English from 2000 to 2020 were included. The methodological rigor of the included articles was evaluated with the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Randomized Controlled Trial or Quasi-Experimental Studies. Changes in communication skills with the patient after the implementation of an intervention were analyzed. Results: Of the included studies in this systematic review (N = 19), two studies were randomized controlled trials, others were single group quasi-experimental studies (N = 11) and two group quasi-experimental studies (n = 6). The majority of the studies were carried out in the USA (n = 7). The most frequent educational intervention was simulation (n = 11). As for the improvement of communication skills, 13 of the 19 articles found statistically significant differences in patient-centered communication skills of nursing students. Conclusions: This systematic review provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of interventions used to train nursing students in patient-centered communication. Although all the interventions obtained significant results in communication skills, it has not yet been determined which methodology is more effective.


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