WHO and UNITAID
in collaboration with IMPAACT (International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials) network, PENTA (Paediatric European Network for Treatment of AIDS) foundation and experts from the Paediatric Antiretroviral Working Gr
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                                This version of Field Trials of Health Interventions includes seven new chapters on conducting systematic literature reviews, trial
governance, preliminary studies and 
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                                        pilot testing, budgeting and accounting, intervention costing and economic analysis, and Phase IV studies. Before new interventions are released into disease control programmes, it is essential that they are carefully evaluated in ‘field trials’. These may be complex and expensive undertakings, requiring the follow-up of hundreds, or thousands, of individuals, often for long periods. This manual was designed to provide guidance on the practical issues in great detail
                                    
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                                A Guide For Multicentre Trials in High-Burden Countries
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                The report  presents current information (updated to September 2015) on candidate vaccines, therapies and medical devices for Ebola and gives an overview of completed and on-going trials. 
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                the Lancet : Published Online July 31, 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)61117-5
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                The Lancet. Published Online December 22, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)32621-6. Open Access
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia can massively impact functionality and quality of life, furthering the importance of cognitive training. Despite the development of the field in Europe and in the United States, no programmes have been developed and tested in developing countries. Different cultur
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                                        al backgrounds, budget restrictions, and other difficulties may render treatment packages created in high income countries difficult for adoption by developing nations. We performed a pilot double-blind, randomized, controlled trial in order to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of an attention and memory training programme specially created in
a developing nation. The intervention used simple, widely available materials, required minimal infrastructure, and was conducted in groups.The sample included seventeen stable Brazilians with schizophrenia. Sessions were conducted weekly during five months. The cognitive training group showed significant improvements in inhibitory control and set-shifting over time. Both groups showed improvements in symptoms, processing speed, selective attention, executive function, and long-term visual memory. Improvements were found in the control group in long-term verbal memory and concentration. Our findings reinforce the idea that cognitive training in schizophrenia can be constructed using simple resources and infrastructure, facilitating its adoption by developing countries, and it may improve cognition.
                                    
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                                We systematically reviewed Medline as well as the references of published review articles for relevant studies of adherence to multidrug treatment of both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB through February 3, 2018. We included randomized controlled tr
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                                        ials (RCTs) as well as prospective and retrospective cohort studies (CSs) with an internal or external control group that evaluated any adherence intervention and conducted a meta-analysis of their impact on TB treatment outcomes. Our search identified 7,729 articles, of which 129 met the inclusion criteria for quantitative analysis. Seven adherence categories were identified, including DOT offered by different providers and at various locations, reminders and tracers, incentives and enablers, patient education, digital technologies (short message services [SMSs] via mobile phones and video-observed therapy [VOT]), staff education, and combinations of these interventions.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002595
                                    
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                                ESCAP Project on improving disability measurement and statistics in the Asia Pacfic Region
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                Trials (2018) 19:271 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-018-2604-9
Based on the findings of this trial, we will examine the potential use and scale up of iSupport for caregiver distress in India. This 
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                                        style of online self-help programs could be expanded to other regions or countries or to other suitable caregiver groups
                                    
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                                PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP FOR ADULTS IN COMMUNITIES EXPOSED TO ADVERSITY
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                 Q1: What are the effective maternal mental health interventions to prevent developmental problems in early infancy?
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192068 March 9, 2018
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                SCOPING QUESTION: Which psychosocial interventions are effective in the management of cannabis dependence?
                                                            
                         
                     
                                                        
                        
                        
                            
                            
                                
                                Background: Community health worker (CHW) programmes are a valuable component of primary care in resource-poor settings. The evidence supporting their effectiveness generally shows improvements in disease-specific outcomes relative to the absence of a CHW programme. In this study, we evaluated expan
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                                        ding an existing HIV and tuberculosis (TB) disease-specific CHW programme into a polyvalent, household-based model that subsequently included non-communicable diseases (NCDs), malnutrition and TB screening, as well as family planning and antenatal care (ANC).
Methods: We conducted a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial in Neno District, Malawi. Six clusters of approximately 20 000 residents were formed from the catchment areas of 11 healthcare facilities. The intervention roll-out was staggered every 3 months over 18 months, with CHWs receiving a 5-day foundational training for their new tasks and assigned 20–40 households for monthly (or more frequent) visits.
Findings: The intervention resulted in a decrease of approximately 20% in the rate of patients defaulting from chronic NCD care each month (−0.8 percentage points (pp) (95% credible interval: −2.5 to 0.5)) while maintaining the already low default rates for HIV patients (0.0 pp, 95% CI: −0.6 to 0.5). First trimester ANC attendance increased by approximately 30% (6.5pp (−0.3, 15.8)) and paediatric malnutrition case finding declined by 10% (−0.6 per 1000 (95% CI −2.5 to 0.8)). There were no changes in TB programme outcomes, potentially due to data challenges.
                                    
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                                This special issue on Newborn Health in Global Health Action is being launched to share the experience of how to scale up a cost-effective package of newborn care that involves families, community health workers and health facilities. The results of this community randomized 
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                                        trial, the Uganda Newborn Study (UNEST), show that home visits in pregnancy and soon after delivery resulted in improved breastfeeding practices, skin-to-skin care immediately after birth, delaying a baby’s first bath, and hygienic care of the baby’s umbilical cord among the poorest households with lowest access to care.
                                    
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