Gates Open Research最新文献

{"title":"Contextualizing post day-one childhood immunization in-take drop-off rate in Nigeria: An assessment of working mothers in Ibadan.","authors":"Mofeyisara O Omobowale, Folakemi A Amodu, Olugbenga S Falase, Taiwo H Olajide, Olukemi K Amodu","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.15135.2","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.15135.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Contextualizing childhood immunization in the context of children of working mothers can boost coverage and completion interventions. This study examines how informal working mothers perceive post-day-one routine immunization, and vaccines not covered under the National Program on Immunization (NPI), immunization schedules, timing, and duration.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study utilized a mixed methods approach, including in-depth interviews and semi-structured questionnaire to capture immunization experiences and assess the context of post-day one. The study was conducted in Ibadan, Nigeria and involved 1,044 quantitative and 73 qualitative samples of working nursing mothers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test for proportions, and t-test for means (p<0.05), while qualitative data were subjected to content and thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The average age of mothers participating in this study was 31.39±6.52 years. The mean age of children of mothers recruited into this study is 19.26 ±16.14 months. Majority of these mothers (95%) are married. Around three-quarters of women in this population ensured immediate immunization for their infants after birth, but less than a third achieved the complete age-specific vaccination series due to livelihood related causes, long waiting time spent in conventional immunization clinic. Around 40% of interviewed mothers vaccinated their children up to the third DPT dose, and just over 30% achieved full vaccination. Many informal working mothers, have practice of adding 'supplements' to their children's immunization, driven by a lack of sufficient information about the vaccines. Some mothers also seemed unaware of these specialized vaccines.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Promoting complete immunization requires more than just raising awareness about childhood vaccinations but close and quick immunization service delivery is required. It is crucial for mothers to possess comprehensive knowledge about the mechanics and operation of immunization. Achieving this understanding could involve translating vaccine names and functions into indigenous terms, enhancing clarity and comprehension. Furthermore, a firm grasp of the immunization schedule significantly contributes to successful immunization completion.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"8 ","pages":"48"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12287506/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144707232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stakeholder Interviews to Inform Best Practice for Public Facing COVID-19 Wastewater Dashboards.","authors":"Daniela Morales, Tim Rhodes, Kathleen M O'Reilly","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.15489.2","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.15489.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Wastewater (WW) -based epidemiology is the detection of pathogens and chemicals from wastewater, typically sewage systems. Its use gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as a rapid and non-invasive way to assess infection prevalence in a population. Public facing dashboards for SARS-CoV-2 were developed in response to the discovery that RNA biomarkers were being shed in faeces before symptoms. However, there is not a standard template or guidance for countries to follow. The aim of this research is to reflect on how currently available dashboards evolved during the pandemic and identify suitable content and rationale from these experiences.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Interviews were carried out with implementers and users of dashboards for SARS-CoV-2 WW data across Europe and North America. The interviews addressed commonalities and inconsistencies in displaying epidemiological data of SARS-CoV-2, clinical parameters of COVID-19, data on variants, and data transparency.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The thematic analysis identified WW dashboard elements that can facilitate standardization, or at least interoperability. These elements emphasise communication among developers under the same organization, open access for identified stakeholders, and data summarized with a time-intensive graphic analysis through normalizing at least by population. Simultaneous communication of clinical surveillance is recommended. More research is needed on flow and faecal indicators for normalization of WW data, and on the analysis and representation of variants.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>WW dashboard development between 2020-2023 provided a 'real-time' iterative process of data representation, and several recommendations have been identified. Communication of data through dashboards has the potential to support early warning systems for infectious diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"8 ","pages":"61"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12246380/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144625909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adaptive strategies for the deployment of rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19: a modelling study.","authors":"Lucia Cilloni, Emily Kendall, David Dowdy, Nimalan Arinaminpathy","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.14202.2","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.14202.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Lateral flow assays (LFAs) for the rapid detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) provide an affordable, rapid and decentralised mean for diagnosing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Concentrating on urban areas in low- and middle-income countries, the aim of this analysis was to estimate the degree to which 'dynamic' screening algorithms, that adjust the use of confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing based on epidemiological conditions, could reduce cost without substantially reducing the impact of testing.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Concentrating on a hypothetical 'second wave' of COVID-19 in India, we modelled the potential impact of testing 0.5% of the population per day at random with LFA, regardless of symptom status. We considered dynamic testing strategies where LFA positive cases are confirmed with PCR when LFA positivity rates are below a given threshold (10%, 50% and 90% of the peak positivity rate at the height of the epidemic wave), compared to confirming all positive LFA results or confirming no results. Benefit was estimated based on cumulative incidence of infection, and resource requirements, based on the cumulative number of PCR tests used and the cumulative number of unnecessary isolations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A dynamic strategy of discontinuing PCR confirmation when LFA positivity exceeded 50% of the peak positivity rate in an unmitigated epidemic would achieve comparable impact to one employing PCR confirmation throughout (9.2% of cumulative cases averted vs 9.8%), while requiring 35% as many PCR tests. However, the dynamic testing strategy would increase the number of false-positive results substantially, from 0.07% of the population to 1.1%.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Dynamic diagnostic strategies that adjust to epidemic conditions could help maximise the impact of testing at a given cost. Generally, dynamic strategies reduce the number of confirmatory PCR tests needed, but increase the number of unnecessary isolations. Optimal strategies will depend on whether greater priority is placed on limiting confirmatory testing or false-positive diagnoses.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"7 ","pages":"6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12274328/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144674465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gender Norms and Structural Barriers to Use of HIV Prevention in Unmarried and Married Young Women in Manicaland, Zimbabwe: An HIV Prevention Cascade Analysis.","authors":"Simon Gregson, Louisa Moorhouse, Rufurwokuda Maswera, Tawanda Dadirai, Phyllis Mandizvidza, Morten Skovdal, Constance Nyamukapa","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.15127.2","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.15127.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Gender norms against adolescent girls and young women (AGYW)'s having pre-marital sex and using condoms in marriage are included as barriers to motivation to use condoms in HIV prevention cascades. Representative data on gender norms are needed to test this assumption.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>General-population survey participants in Manicaland, Zimbabwe (ages≥15, N=9803) reported agreement/disagreement with statements on gender norms. AGYW at risk of HIV infection reported whether community views discouraged condom use. Multivariable logistic regression was used to measure associations between AGYW's perceiving negative gender norms and condom HIV prevention cascades.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>57% of men and 70% of women disagreed that 'If I have a teenage daughter and she has sex before marriage, I would be ok with this'; and 41% of men and 57% of women disagreed that 'If I have a teenage daughter, I would tell her about condoms'. 32% and 69% of sexually-active HIV-negative unmarried AGYW, respectively, said negative community views were important in their decisions to use condoms and their friends were not using condoms. In each case, those who agreed had lower motivation to use condoms. Fewer unmarried AGYW with friends not using condoms used condoms themselves (39% <i>vs.</i> 68%; age- and site-adjusted odds ratios (aOR)=0.29, 95%CI, 0.15-0.55). 21% of men and 32.5% of women found condom use in marriage acceptable. 74% and 93% of married AGYW at risk, respectively, said negative community views influenced their decisions to use condoms and their friends did not use condoms. Fewer married AGYW reporting friends not using condoms were motivated to use condoms but no difference was found in their own condom use (4.1% <i>vs.</i> 6.9%; aOR=0.57, 95%CI, 0.08-2.66).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Negative gender norms can form a barrier to motivation to use condoms in unmarried and married AGYW at risk of HIV infection, and, for unmarried AGYW, to condom use.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"8 ","pages":"22"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12397500/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144950549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine market survey at agro-veterinary stores in rural and peri-urban areas of Nigeria.","authors":"Adebayo Emmanuel Sopeju, Grace Onoja, Victor Taiwo Abiodun, Andrew R Peters","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16349.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16349.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Globally, the annual economic impact of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is estimated at USD 11 billion in endemic settings, with the impact most profound among smallholder farmers. Farmers and the agro-veterinary stores that supply them are marginalized populations with limited to no access to veterinary care, and paucity of information on the availability and accessibility of vaccines. The objective of this study was to assess the accessibility and distribution channels of FMD vaccine, and the challenges related to the FMD vaccine market in these regions where livestock farming is highest and is an important component of livelihoods. A cross-sectional study was carried out, where at least one state was selected from five geopolitical zones of Nigeria. The locations were selected because of their high concentrations of livestock farmers. We interviewed 290 agro-veterinary store owners in these locations who directly supply smallholder farmers with animal health products. Data from the interviews were collected through the Kobocollect App ^®. Almost all of the agro-veterinary stores in rural and peri-urban areas (96.4%) had direct patronage from livestock farmers. Out of these agro-veterinary stores, relatively few (29%) sold vaccines and among these, 81% did not sell FMD vaccines. More than half (60%) of the stores selling FMD vaccines did not always have the vaccine in stock. Furthermore, maintenance of the cold chain during storage and logistics of the vaccine topped the challenges faced with stocking and sales of livestock vaccines. It was recommended that to ensure FMD control by the livestock farmers in rural and peri-urban areas through the use of FMD vaccines sold by agro-veterinary stores located in their communities, there is a need to adopt some, if not all, of the suggestions provided by the agro-veterinary store owners. This will ultimately improve animal productivity, and farmer livelihoods, and contribute to national food security.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"9 ","pages":"40"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12092931/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144119371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mapping the impact, sustainability and pedagogical frameworks of international virtual knowledge exchanges in global health: Protocol for a scoping review.","authors":"Oisin Brady Bates, Alexandru Nicholas Grecu, Divya Iyer, Diarmuid Stokes, Walter Cullen, Joseph Gallagher","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16347.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16347.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Rationale: </strong>Virtual exchanges are emerging as innovative educational tools with the potential to foster collaboration between High-Income Countries (HICs) and Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). These initiatives hold the potential to enhance intercultural competencies, promote equitable partnerships, and address resource disparities. Understanding the pedagogical underpinnings, challenges, and best practices of virtual exchanges is vital for developing scalable and sustainable integration into healthcare education.</p><p><strong>Research question: </strong>To what extent have virtual exchanges in global health been reported in the literature to date, including their frameworks, impact and sustainability?</p><p><strong>Inclusion criteria: </strong>Studies involving a global health virtual exchange between at least one HIC and one LMIC will be included. Sources in all healthcare contexts will be included. Non-English language publications and those solely using secondary data will be excluded.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The review will be conducted in line with the Joanna Briggs Institute guidance for scoping reviews (1). The following electronic databases will be searched: Medline Ovid, Embase, CINAHL & ERIC. A search of the grey literature will also be conducted. Three reviewers will independently screen the titles and abstracts and full texts for eligibility. Data extraction will be conducted independently by three reviewers. A narrative summary and tables will be presented. Key stakeholders will be consulted throughout the review.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This scoping review will provide a comprehensive understanding of virtual exchanges in global health, outlining frameworks, outcomes, content and best practices. The findings will inform the development of evidence-based models to design and sustain virtual exchanges between HIC and LMICs, enhancing their impact in global health education and practice.</p><p><strong>Registration: </strong>This protocol was registered to the Open Science Framework (OSF): DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/MWHBP.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"9 ","pages":"36"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12084517/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144093367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimated Modern Use: Employing A Service Statistics-Based Indicator to Monitor Family Planning Programs.","authors":"Kristin Bietsch, Margaret Reeves, Jessica Williamson, Priya Emmart, Emily Sonneveldt","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16346.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16346.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Estimated Modern Use (EMU) is a novel, service statistics-based indicator designed to complement Couple Years of Protection (CYP) in assessing the scale of family planning use and the first widely used metric since CYPs. Developed by the Track20 project, EMU offers a population-based proportional metric that facilitates cross-country comparisons and temporal trend analysis. By leveraging existing family planning service statistics, EMU provides a more accessible and interpretable measure of contraceptive use. The associated SS-to-EMU tool used to calculate EMU incorporates rigorous data quality review mechanisms, including data visualizations and validated review processes, to enhance the reliability and utility of family planning data for decision-making. The standardization of EMU across countries and projects promotes its integration into routine data review practices, fostering a more comprehensive approach to family planning monitoring and evaluation. Since 2014, all countries that prepare annual estimates for the FP2030 global initiative utilize the SS to EMU tool, to assess data quality and produce EMU estimates. Moreover, the EMU serves as a valuable input for the Family Planning Estimation Tool (FPET), contributing to the refinement of modeled estimates of modern contraceptive prevalence. Since its introduction, EMU has gained widespread adoption at various levels, demonstrating its effectiveness in informing global, regional, and country-level monitoring efforts. Ongoing refinements to the EMU calculation further enhance its accuracy and utility as a supplementary data source for understanding contraceptive use patterns.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"9 ","pages":"17"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12489022/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145232272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Surgical Complications of Typhoid Fever: First National Typhoid Conference in Niamey, Niger.","authors":"Harissou Adamou, Abdoulaye Maman Bachir, Yakoubou Sanoussi, Katherine Shafer, Leah Sukri, Laura Hobbs, Saidou Adama, Amadou Magagi Ibrahim, Ide Kadi, Zabeirou Oudou Abdou Aliou, Abdou Soley Aboul Aziz, Boubacar Moctar, Mahamadou Doutchi Altine, Brah Souleymane, Adehossi Eric, Joseph Emalieu Toko, Mamadou Saidou, Assan Abdoul Nasser, Lassane Kabore, Kathleen Neuzil, Rachid Sani","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16348.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16348.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Typhoid intestinal perforation (TIP) is a life-threatening, late complication of typhoid fever that disproportionately impacts children in low resource settings and continues to have devastating consequences worldwide. Despite elimination of typhoid fever in most high income countries, typhoid fever and TIP remain endemic in many countries around the world as a result of inadequate investments in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and lack of access to vaccines. A first National Typhoid Conference was held in Niamey, Niger on July 22, 2023, where surgeons and other medical and health professionals from Niger convened with local and international health professionals to discuss their experiences with TIP and advocate for better prevention and treatment of the disease. The high number of intestinal perforations diagnosed during surgery, and the lack of capacity for performing blood cultures motivated surgeons in Niger to convene and share data on complications of typhoid, epidemiology, and diagnosis. TIP, a leading cause of peritonitis in Africa, often results in emergency surgery and has reported mortality rates up to 30% in pediatric patients. The availability of four safe and effective typhoid conjugate vaccines, two with committed financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, makes prevention through vaccination a realistic near-option for typhoid fever to complement improvements in WASH.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"9 ","pages":"16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12489021/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145231945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A comparison of acceptability of contraceptive vaginal rings, pills, and injectables among cisgender women in Kenya and Zimbabwe: protocol for a mixed-methods study.","authors":"Chelsea B Polis, Francis O Obare, Irene V Bruce, Cynthia Banda, Lisa B Haddad, Antwanette Heyns, Petros Isaakidis, Mercy Kamupira, Terrance Kufakunesu, Zachary A Kwena, Farai Machinga, Regina F Magore, Aleck Mapangire, Mercy Marimirofa, Matheus Mathipa, Sanyukta Mathur, Mary Mudavanhu, Tatenda P Mujuru, Prisca Mutero, Betty Njoroge, Collen Nyatsambo, Sarah Okumu, Leah Omondi, Tevyne Omondi, Marlena G Plagianos, Greshon Rota, Samuel Sithole, Bruce Variano, J Brady Burnett-Zieman, Petina Musara, George Odwe, Gerald Hangaika, Serah Gitome, Elizabeth A Bukusi, Kuziwa Kuwenyi","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16315.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16315.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Expanding contraceptive options could better meet users' diverse needs and preferences. Annovera ^® is a contraceptive vaginal ring that provides a year of pregnancy prevention while remaining under user control and allowing for regular menstrual cycles. This method may also help to reduce burdens on some health care and supply chain systems. However, knowledge gaps exist regarding initial and ongoing acceptability of contraceptive vaginal rings in African settings.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We will undertake an open-label, non-randomized, two-arm, parallel clinical acceptability study with an embedded qualitative component, based in clinics providing contraceptive services in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Women aged 18-45 interested in newly initiating or switching contraception will choose from among all available contraceptive options, including Annovera. We aim to enroll 200 participants selecting Annovera and 200 participants selecting either contraceptive injectables or pills. We will compare method uptake, continuation, and satisfaction over one year. Participants will complete questionnaires administered by study staff during two in-person visits (a screening/enrollment visit, and an end of study visit after 52 weeks of method use or at discontinuation) and four phone appointments (at 4, 12, 24, and 36 weeks of use). We will evaluate used rings for discoloration and residual drug levels. The qualitative component involve in-depth interviews with women in the clinical study, their sexual partners, and their service providers, to further examine drivers of and barriers to interest in and use of contraceptive vaginal rings.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This study will explore acceptability of contraceptive vaginal rings in 'real-world' contraceptive service settings in two African countries. Findings will be based on actual ring use and contextualized via comparison to two other commonly available methods. As vaginal rings are being considered for multiple reproductive health indications, this work can fill key knowledge gaps and empower decision-makers with information needed to inform future investments in reproductive health.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"9 ","pages":"5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11876155/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143556467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Design and validation of a low-cost sugar-feeder for resource-poor insectaries.","authors":"Zachary Thomas Stavrou-Dowd, Clair Rose, Álvaro Acosta-Serrano, Lee Rafuse Haines","doi":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16314.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/gatesopenres.16314.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The emergence of insecticide resistance in insects has led researchers to develop new control tools so that historic gains made in reducing disease transmission are not lost. Attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSBs) are a vector control tool being widely trialled to target insects that feed on plant sugars and blood. We designed a field-friendly, economical and more environmentally responsible sugar feeder for maintaining mosquito colonies and screening potential ATSB candidates.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We simultaneously tested, in both male and female <i>Anopheles gambiae</i> mosquitoes, the effect of adding three water-soluble medical and food dyes (Allura Red, fluorescein and tartrazine) to the sugar solution to identify those insects that had ingested sugar from the feeder. To test feeder efficacy to deliver a toxic substance, we assessed the killing using boric acid, which kills both male and female mosquitoes when ingested. Using microscopy techniques compatible with fieldwork, including the use of a mobile phone camera, we documented the efficacy and tissue specificity of the dyes on mosquitoes after they were continuously fed dyed sugar solutions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The easy-to-construct sugar feeder is an economical option for testing the efficacy of ATSB components on <i>Anopheles gambiae</i> mosquitoes <i>.</i> Allura Red AC was the preferred dye as it has low toxicity to mosquitoes and allows the researcher to quickly visualise the imbibed sugar meal within the abdomen. Feeding 1% fluorescein dye, but not 0.1%, for longer than five days induced systemic dye distribution, where the mosquito's wing veins, antennae and legs brightly fluoresced when examined by a handheld black light torch (395-400nm emission).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Developing an affordable sugar feeder to maintain insectary-reared insects and test the efficacy of ATSB candidates involves designing a dye-labelled sugar bait station that is of low-toxicity, reusable and easy to construct using components available in low resource settings such as field stations.</p>","PeriodicalId":12593,"journal":{"name":"Gates Open Research","volume":"9 ","pages":"6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11876154/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143556539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}