2024 · Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes · open access
Peer-Delivered HIV Self-Testing, Sexually Transmitted Infection Self-Sampling, and Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for Transgender Women in Uganda: A Randomized Trial
Mujugira et al.
The finding, in our words
This randomised trial found that peer-delivered HIV self-testing and sexually transmitted infection self-sampling did not improve oral pre-exposure prophylaxis adherence among transgender women in Uganda compared to standard care. Adherence was monitored using dried blood spots and urine, which showed a strong correlation in tenofovir detection.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
The study found that self-collection of dried blood spots and other samples using at-home kits was a useful and cost-effective method for screening a large cohort for sexually transmitted infections outside a clinic. This demonstrates the feasibility of decentralised, patient-centric sampling for population-level infectious disease surveillance.
Mimiaga et al., Sexually transmitted infections (paywalled) · source ↗
Frequent dried blood spot sampling detected early changes in beta-cell function more effectively than mixed-meal tolerance tests or urine ratios, supporting its potential as a decentralised monitoring tool for clinical trials.
Dunseath et al., Diabetes care (paywalled) · source ↗
This pilot study demonstrated that a fully remote web-based testing programme for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections was feasible and acceptable overall, although participants encountered specific collection challenges with the dried blood spot component.
Christensen et al., International journal of STD & AIDS · source ↗
In a study of 46 perinatal nicotine users, dried blood spots and saliva were used weekly to measure reproductive hormones, finding that lower postpartum estradiol and greater peripartum declines in oxytocin were associated with increased nicotine craving and use. This demonstrates the feasibility of decentralised microsampling and remote surveys for longitudinal hormone tracking in vulnerable populations.
Allen et al., Drug and alcohol dependence reports (paywalled) · source ↗
This study demonstrated that a fully remote genome sequencing study using self-collected dried blood spots and buccal swabs is feasible for individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome, with all participants completing the study and reporting the process was easy despite being lengthy. The design successfully returned actionable genetic findings, including those related to blood clot formation, to participants.
Vrana-Diaz et al., Genetics in medicine open · source ↗