Tobacco and Cannabis Debris Survey Protocol

Tobacco and cannabis product use can result in debris (a.k.a. litter) on the landscape, with implications to soil and water quality and thus potential impacts to ecosystems. More information is needed regarding how much debris exists on the landscape, such that the magnitude of potential associated environment problems can be quantified. Such information can raise awareness in the public about environmental hazards from tobacco and cannabis product use. The goal of this protocol is to quantify, via a timed survey approach, the tobacco and cannabis debris load (i.e. cigarette butts, cannabis or e-cigarette waste) at study sites. Multiple sites in a geographical location may be of interest for comparative analysis, for example sites used regularly by humans (e.g. trails, parking lots, around buildings, garbage cans) versus other sites that are suspected to have low human use. In any case, the same survey data sheet would be used (included with this protocol). Each survey will take 15 minutes per site to conduct. In the process of surveying, debris is collected and retained for later sorting, counting, and photographic documentation. The time to sort and count the collected debris will depend on the quantity and diversity of debris collected.

Acquired HIV drug resistance among children and adults receiving antiretroviral therapy in Tanzania: a national representative survey protocol

IntroductionTanzania is making an enormous effort in scaling-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, people living with HIV (PLHIV) continue to succumb to the challenge of drug resistance. Evidence on drug resistance for a national survey is unavailable in Tanzania. Therefore, we sought to assess viral suppression (vs) rates and magnitude of acquired drug resistance (ADR) among PLHIV.Methods and analysisA national survey will be conducted from 26 July to 29 October 2021 in 22 regions, recruiting 2160 participants. These will include adults on ART for 9–15 months and ≥48 months and children on ART for 9–15 months and ≥36 months. A standardised questionnaire will capture participants’ demographic and clinical data. Plasma and dried blood spot will be prepared for viral load testing and drug resistance genotyping. Statistical analyses to determine the burden of ADR, characteristics and factors associated therewith will be done using STATA V.15.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been obtained from the National Health Research Ethics Committee of Tanzania (NIMR/HQ/R.8a/Vol.IX/3432). Appropriate participant informed consent or parental consent and assent will be obtained. Dissemination will include a survey report, conference presentations, policy briefs and peer-reviewed publications.

The Gambia National Eye Health Survey 2019: survey protocol

Two national surveys of vision impairment and blindness were undertaken in The Gambia in 1986 and 1996. These provided data for the inception of The Gambia’s National Eye Health Programme (NEHP) within the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. There have been important developments in the eye health services provided by the NEHP in the last 20 years. At the same time, the population has also undergone major demographic changes that may have led to substantial changes in the burden of eye disease. We conducted a National Eye Health Survey of vision impairment, blindness and its comorbidities in adults in The Gambia in 2019. We examined a nationally representative population-based sample of adults 35 years and above to permit direct comparison with the data available from the previous surveys. Alongside a comprehensive vision and eye examination, the survey provides nationally representative data on important comorbidities in this population: diabetes, hypertension, obesity, hearing impairment, disability and mental health. Secondly, it estimates access to assistive technologies and eye health services. Thirdly, it is powered to allow a five-year follow up cohort study to measure the incidence and progression of eye disease.

A Longitudinal Normative Dataset and Protocol for Speech and Language Biomarker Research

Although speech and language biomarker (SLB) research studies have shown methodological and clinical promise, some common limitations of these studies include small sample sizes, limited longitudinal data, and a lack of a standardized survey protocol. Here, we introduce the Voiceome Protocol and the corresponding Voiceome Dataset as standards which can be utilized and adapted by other SLB researchers. The Voiceome Protocol includes 12 types of voice tasks, along with health and demographic questions that have been shown to affect speech. The longitudinal Voiceome Dataset consisted of the Voiceome Protocol survey taken on (up to) four occasions, each separated by roughly three weeks (22.80 +/- 20.91 days). Of 6,650 total participants, 1,382 completed at least two Voiceome surveys. The results of the Voiceome Dataset are largely consistent with results from standard clinical literature, suggesting that the Voiceome Study is a high-fidelity, normative dataset and scalable protocol that can be used to advance SLB research.

Risk factors associated with day-30 mortality in patients over 60 years old admitted in ICU for severe COVID-19: the Senior-COVID-Rea Multicentre Survey protocol

IntroductionWith the spread of COVID-19 epidemic, health plans must be adapted continuously. There is an urgent need to define the best care courses of patients with COVID-19, especially in intensive care units (ICUs), according to their individualised benefit/risk ratio. Since older age is associated with poorer short-term and long-term outcomes, prediction models are needed, that may assist clinicians in their ICU admission decision. Senior-COVID-Rea was designed to evaluate, in patients over 60 years old admitted in ICU for severe COVID-19 disease, the impact of age and geriatric and paraclinical parameters on their mortality 30 days after ICU admission.Methods and analysisThis is a multicentre survey protocol to be conducted in seven hospitals of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, France. All patients over 60 years old admitted in ICU for severe COVID-19 infection (or their legally acceptable representative) will be proposed to enter the study and to fill in a questionnaire regarding their functional and nutritional parameters 1 month before COVID-19 infection. Paraclinical parameters at ICU admission will be collected: lymphocytes and neutrophils counts, high-fluorescent lymphoid cells and immature granulocytes percentages (Sysmex data), D-dimers, C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatinine, CT scan for lung extension rate as well as clinical resuscitation scores, and the delay between the first signs of infection and ICU admission. The primary outcome will be the overall survival at day 30 post-ICU admission. The analysis of factors predicting mortality at day 30 will be carried out using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. Multivariate logistic regression will consider up to 15 factors.The ambition of this trial, which takes into account the different approaches of geriatric vulnerability, is to define the respective abilities of different operational criteria of frailty to predict patients’ outcomes.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol was ethically approved. The results of the primary and secondary objectives will be published in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberNCT04422340.

Poaching Threatens the Establishment of a Lynx Population, Highlighting the Need for a Centralized Judiciary Approach

Illegal hunting represents a major threat to the conservation of predators, but its impact remains difficult to assess as there are strong incentives to conceal this criminal activity. Attributing declines of carnivores to poaching is therefore an important conservation challenge. We present a case study of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in the Swiss Alps (Valais) where the current distribution range is smaller than in the recent past and population density is by ≥80% lower than in the adjacent Swiss Prealps. We tested four hypotheses to explain this lower density: (1) a too low density of camera-traps deployed for lynx surveys in Valais compared to the Prealps (methodological artifact); (2) less favorable environmental conditions around the camera-trap sites; (3) lower densities of the main prey; and (4) poaching. We estimated lynx and ungulate densities and environmental conditions at trail camera sites and could clearly reject the first three hypotheses because: (1) the survey protocol was similarly effective; (2) environmental conditions around the trapping sites in Valais were even more favorable for lynx detection than in the Prealps; and (3) prey supply was even larger in Valais. Concerning hypothesis 4, we discovered a network of illegal lynx traps (neck snares) in the main immigration corridor into Valais from the thriving adjacent lynx population in the Prealps, suggesting intense local poaching. Our findings substantiate the suspicions of long-lasting lynx poaching as a threat to the establishment and survival of the Valais population. The fact that instances of poaching were publicly known since 1995 but remained unabated for at least two decades, until the first conviction occurred, questions the commitment of local authorities to address this case of wildlife crime. Our study demonstrates the need for inquiries about poaching of top predators to be carried out at the highest levels of jurisdiction to avoid any risk of collusion between law enforcement agents and poachers.