Owo

Researchers are evaluating the ADHINCRA Program, a package of evidence-based interventions aimed at improving the control of hypertension among adults aged 18 to 70 in Africa. The program targets factors related to patients, healthcare providers, and health systems to help reduce risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and kidney disease. This interventional study is sponsored by Johns Hopkins University and focuses on managing high blood pressure using a nurse-led approach. The ADHINCRA Program includes home blood pressure monitoring, a mobile health application, nurse-led lifestyle counseling, and treatment using a simplified hypertension control protocol. Participants are divided into four cohorts starting the program at staggered intervals immediately, and 3, 6, and 9 months thereafter. All cohorts receive the same intervention to assess its effectiveness and implementation over time. Participants will be monitored for blood pressure control at baseline and at 12 and 24 months after starting the program. Assessments include systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements, medication adherence via the Hill-Bone Medication Adherence Scale, and evaluation of how well the program is adopted and maintained at clinical sites. Researchers will also compare the cost of this intervention to usual care. The study is planned to end in September 2028, with ongoing safety and adherence monitoring throughout.

Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever causing significant deaths in West Africa, with a 12% in-hospital mortality rate. It spreads mainly through exposure to rodent excreta and sometimes from person to person, leading to hospital outbreaks. Current treatment with ribavirin has concerns about safety, effectiveness, and cost, highlighting the urgent need for new therapies. This multinational phase II-III trial aims to compare new or repurposed drugs against the standard care for hospitalized patients with confirmed Lassa fever. The trial evaluates multiple treatment arms including oral favipiravir at two dosing levels, intravenous ribavirin using the Irrua regimen, combination therapy of favipiravir plus ribavirin, ribavirin with dexamethasone, and two dosing regimens of ARN-75039. Treatments are administered over 10 days during hospitalization. The study uses an open-label, randomized design to compare the efficacy and safety of investigational drugs versus standard care. Participants will be hospitalized for 10 days with follow-up for 28 days. Researchers will assess death, organ failure, and other clinical outcomes such as kidney and respiratory function. Safety and tolerability will be monitored throughout treatment and follow-up. Virological and biological parameters will be measured at multiple time points, along with pharmacokinetics studies. The trial will help determine optimal dosing and compare outcomes across treatment groups over the study period.

Researchers are evaluating a training program for Nigerian radiologists to perform ultrasound-guided breast biopsies using mobile health mHealth devices. This approach aims to create a practical and sustainable method to integrate ultrasound-guided biopsies into clinical practice for women with suspicious breast masses. The study focuses on improving diagnostic accuracy compared to current biopsy methods used in Nigerian hospitals. Women with a solid breast mass detected by ultrasound and suspected of breast cancer are included in the study. Instead of the usual blind biopsy or surgical excision, participants will receive an ultrasound-guided breast biopsy performed by a trained radiologist using the mHealth technology. This method is considered the standard of care in the United States due to its improved accuracy. Participants will be assessed based on the number of successful ultrasound-guided breast biopsies within one year. The study involves monitoring the biopsy procedures and outcomes to evaluate the training programs effectiveness. The study runs from September 2022 to September 2027 and is sponsored by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.