Impact of Semi-Annual Albendazole on Lymphatic Filariasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection: Parasitological Assessment after 14 Rounds of Community Treatment

Between October 2012 and October 2015, we conducted a community trial to assess the impact of semi-annual (twice yearly) community treatment with albendazole on lymphatic filariasis in Seke Pembe, a village in the Republic of the Congo. Semi-annual community treatment with albendazole has been continued in the community since October 2015. We conducted an additional parasitological assessment survey in October 2019, 6 months after the 14th round of semi-annual treatment. Between October 2012 and October 2015, Wuchereria bancrofti antigenemia and microfilaremia rates in the community had decreased from 17.3% to 4.7% and from 5.3% to 0.3%, respectively. In October 2019, the antigenemia rate had decreased further to 2.8% (19 of 687). No microfilariae were found in night blood smears from persons with circulating filarial antigenemia (0 of 16), suggesting that W. bancrofti transmission has been interrupted in Seke Pembe. Semi-annual albendazole treatments also reduced significantly infection rates with soil-transmitted helminths.

Population-based virucidal phthalocyanine gargle/rinse protocol to reduce the risk of coronavirus disease-2019: a community trial

Purpose: In this community trial, the objective was to evaluate the incidence of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) cases in two similar communities in three distinct phases: phase 1 (before the intervention), 2 (during the intervention), and 3 (after the intervention).Methods: The test community received the oral antiseptic intervention (experimental), while the control community did not. The official information agency provided the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Data were analyzed according to the three phases per epidemiological week (epi) using the R Core Team (2021) program. The relative risk and 95% confidence intervals between the cumulative incidence values of the test and control communities were calculated for each period. In the test community, a total of 995 residents, over 10 years of age, received two bottles containing 600 ml of mouthwash with antiviral phthalocyanine derivative (APD). The participants were asked to gargle/rinse with of 5 mL of the mouthwash with ADP 3 to 5 times a day, for 1 min, until the end of the bottles. Results: In phases 1 and 3, disease risk between the two communities did not differ significantly (p> 0.05), while in phase 2, disease risk was 54% lower in the test community than in the control community. Conclusion: The use of the APD mouthwash protocol seems to reduce the COVID-19 incidence at the population level, and further studies are needed to confirm its protective effect in different contexts.

Improving Domestic Space Heating: A Cost Benefit Analysis Based on a Randomised Community Trial

<p>Despite New Zealand's temperate climate, New Zealand homes are generally cold, primarily as the result of a historical lack of insulation. Many New Zealand households also suffer fuel poverty and have inadequate domestic space heating, including unflued gas heaters which emit harmful gases directly into the indoor environment. There is a large body of evidence correlating improved domestic space heating and respiratory health outcomes such as asthma. There is also evidence of connections between improved domestic space heating and mental health, COPD, rheumatism, ischaemic heart disease and strokes. Improvements in domestic space heating have the potential to improve occupant health via increased temperatures and reduced dampness, mould, and harmful emissions and also have the potential to reduce household energy bills and CO2 emissions. This potential was the basis of the Housing, Heating and Health Study, a randomised community trial carried out by He Kainga Oranga, the Housing and Health Research Programme of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Otago, Wellington, which involved the installation of energy efficient and healthy heaters in the dwellings of families who used ineffective heating and included an asthmatic child aged seven to twelve. This thesis is a cost benefit analysis based primarily on energy use and health outcome related data from the Housing, Heating and Health Study. It concludes that the outcome of the intervention was equivocal from a societal perspective, due in part to limitations of the data and analysis, with a negative "net present value" (NPV) for the baseline scenario, but positive NPVs for a number of alternative scenarios and a strong suggestion that if the full benefits of the intervention were captured that the NPV of the intervention is likely to be positive. Predicted changes to the New Zealand economy resulting from climate change mitigation policies and increasing real energy costs also increase the likelihood that similar future interventions may have a positive NPV.</p>

Improving Domestic Space Heating: A Cost Benefit Analysis Based on a Randomised Community Trial

<p>Despite New Zealand's temperate climate, New Zealand homes are generally cold, primarily as the result of a historical lack of insulation. Many New Zealand households also suffer fuel poverty and have inadequate domestic space heating, including unflued gas heaters which emit harmful gases directly into the indoor environment. There is a large body of evidence correlating improved domestic space heating and respiratory health outcomes such as asthma. There is also evidence of connections between improved domestic space heating and mental health, COPD, rheumatism, ischaemic heart disease and strokes. Improvements in domestic space heating have the potential to improve occupant health via increased temperatures and reduced dampness, mould, and harmful emissions and also have the potential to reduce household energy bills and CO2 emissions. This potential was the basis of the Housing, Heating and Health Study, a randomised community trial carried out by He Kainga Oranga, the Housing and Health Research Programme of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Otago, Wellington, which involved the installation of energy efficient and healthy heaters in the dwellings of families who used ineffective heating and included an asthmatic child aged seven to twelve. This thesis is a cost benefit analysis based primarily on energy use and health outcome related data from the Housing, Heating and Health Study. It concludes that the outcome of the intervention was equivocal from a societal perspective, due in part to limitations of the data and analysis, with a negative "net present value" (NPV) for the baseline scenario, but positive NPVs for a number of alternative scenarios and a strong suggestion that if the full benefits of the intervention were captured that the NPV of the intervention is likely to be positive. Predicted changes to the New Zealand economy resulting from climate change mitigation policies and increasing real energy costs also increase the likelihood that similar future interventions may have a positive NPV.</p>

A randomized community trial to advance digital epidemiological and mHealth citizen scientist compliance: A smart platform study

Background This study aims to understand how participants’ compliance and response rates to both traditional validated surveys and ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) vary across 4 cohorts who participated in the same mHealth study and received the same surveys and EMAs on their smartphones, however with cohort-specific time-triggers that differed across the 4 cohorts. Methods As part of the Smart Platform, adult citizen scientists residing in Regina and Saskatoon, Canada, were randomly assigned to 4 cohorts in 2018. Citizen Scientists provided a complex series of subjective and objective data during 8 consecutive days using a custom-built smartphone application. All citizen scientists responded to both validated surveys and EMAs that captured physical activity. However, using Smart Platform, we varied the burden of responding to validated surveys and EMAs across cohorts by using different time-triggered push notifications. Participants in Cohort 1 (n = 10) received the full baseline 209-item validated survey on day 1 of the study; whereas participants in cohorts 2 (n = 26), 3 (n = 10), and 4 (n = 25) received the same survey in varied multiple sections over a period of 4 days. We used weighted One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests and weighted, linear regression models to assess for differences in compliance rate across the cohort groups controlling for age, gender, and household income. Results Compliance to EMAs that captured prospective physical activity varied across cohorts 1 to 4: 50.0% (95% Confidence Interval [C.I.] = 31.4, 68.6), 63.0% (95% C.I. = 50.7, 75.2), 37.5% (95% C.I. = 18.9, 56.1), and 61.2% (95% C.I. = 47.4, 75.0), respectively. The highest completion rate of physical activity validated surveys was observed in Cohort 4 (mean = 97.9%, 95% C.I. = 95.5, 100.0). This was also true after controlling for age, gender, and household income. The regression analyses showed that citizen scientists in Cohorts 2, 3, and 4 had significantly higher compliance with completing the physical activity validated surveys relative to citizen scientists in cohort group 1 who completed the full survey on the first day. Conclusions & significances The findings show that maximizing the compliance rates of research participants for digital epidemiological and mHealth studies requires a balance between rigour of data collection, minimization of survey burden, and adjustment of time- and user-triggered notifications based on citizen or patient input.

EFEKTIVITAS SERBUK DAUN KELOR (Moringa oleifera L.) SEBAGAI ANTHELMINTIK TERHADAP INFEKSI PARASIT NEMATODA GASTROINTESTINAL PADA SAPI BALI

Tingginya tingkat infeksi cacing nematoda parasit merupakan salah satu permasalahan penting yang dihadapi dalam upaya peningkatan kualitas dan kuantitas sapi bali. Pemberian obat cacing secara terus menerus menyebabkan resistensi dan efek samping yang merugikan. Salah satu alternatif pengobatan dalam mengatasi helminthiasis adalah daun kelor (Moringa oleifera L). Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui efektivitas serbuk daun kelor (Moringa oleifera L) sebagai anthelmintik terhadap infeksi parasit nematoda gastrointestinal pada sapi bali. Jenis penelitian adalah community trial dengan menggunakan 18 ekor sapi bali dengan kriteria jantan, umur 2-3 tahun, mempunyai nilai 500 EPG (Egg Per Gram of Faeces) dan dikelompokkan menjadi 3 group, kelompok pertama tanpa pemberian anthelmintik, kelompok kedua pemberian albendazole 10 mg/kg berat badan dan kelompok ketiga pemberian serbuk daun kelor 300 mg/kg berat badan. Pemeriksaan sampel menggunakan metode Mc Master. Nilai EPG sebelum dan sesudah perlakuan ketiga kelompok dianalisis dengan uji ANOVA. Nilai FECRT dari feses sapi bali ditentukan 10 hari setelah pemberian anthelmintik. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan terdapat perbedaan yang nyata (p<0.05) pada kelompok perlakuan dan kontrol negatif. Nilai (FECRT) albendazole dan serbuk daun kelor adalah 88.37% dan 87.20% yang menunjukkan albendazole dan serbuk daun kelor dapat digunakan untuk mengatasi helminthiasis karena mampu menurunkun nilai EPG (Egg Per Gram of Faeces) parasit nematoda gastrointestinal sapi bali tetapi belum mencapai standar efektivitas (≥ 95%).

The Effectiveness of the Pilot Implementation of Iran’s Comprehensive Mental and Social Health Services (the SERAJ Program): A Controlled Community Trial

Objective: A national program on providing comprehensive social and mental health services, entitled “SERAJ” was developed and piloted in three districts of Iran. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of SERAJ by conducting assessments before and after the implementation in the intervention and the control areas. Method: This was a controlled community trial that was assessed by conducting repeated surveys in the intervention and the control areas. In total, 2952 and 2874 individuals were assessed in the intervention and the control areas, respectively. The change in prevalence of mental disorders (using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview; CIDI), service utilization, mental health literacy, happiness, and perceived social support were measured over 18 months in three districts of Osko, Bardsir, and Quchan as the intervention areas, which were compared with three matched districts as the control areas. Results: No significant difference was found in the mean score of happiness between the intervention and the control areas throughout the study period. Most aspects of mental health literacy were improved in the intervention areas after implementing the intervention. The mean score of social support decreased after implementing the intervention in all areas. The prevalence of mental disorders in the intervention districts was significantly reduced after 18 months. The rate of using any mental health services after the intervention was not statistically different between the intervention and the control areas. Conclusion: There was no significant change in some indicators in the intervention compared with the control areas. We suggest evaluating SERAJ’s achievements and challenges in the three intervention districts before expanding the implementation of this pilot experience into other districts.