Search Results (8)

Cervical cancer (CC) was diagnosed in 3159 women in France in 2023, and 1117 died from it. Organized screening for cervical cancer is potentially very effective for participating women. However, reaching under-screened populations remains a major challenge. The present qualitative study explored women’s opinions on what discourages or encourages them to participate in CC screening and assessed the acceptability of two experimental strategies (urinary or vaginal self-sampling kits) to increase the screening coverage in three rural French administrative departments with low medical density and/or low screening participation rates. Forty-eight semi-structured interviews and four focus groups were conducted by a team of psychologists. Results showed that the participants accepted at-home self-sampling to reach non-participating women in medically underserved areas. However, they suggested that the type of kit sent should be adapted to the patient’s profile (embarrassment from earlier exams, cultural aspects, fear of invasiveness, etc.), and that kits should be simple to use (in understandable language taking sociocultural aspects into account). Women wished to be assured that testing on self-samples is accurate and needed information about further actions in case of a positive result. Full article

This study explores the impact of COVID-19 on informal learning institutions, primarily science museums, through the lens of an activity kit co-created by CELL-MET—a cross-university, engineering research center—and museum partners. While formal learning organizations, like K-12 schools, play a critical role in the education process through standardized teaching, informal learning organizations also make important contributions to the engineering education ecosystem, such as by fostering engineering identity development, especially for learners and their families. This is particularly valuable for young learners from underrepresented and under-resourced communities. In this study, two questions are addressed: (1) How were museums impacted by COVID-19 and the resulting disruptions to their operations, and how did they respond? (2) To what extent were museums able to implement and adapt EEK! to reach under-served youth in the face of social disruption? When the world was experiencing social disruption from the spread of COVID-19, the authors realized they had an opportunity to test the utility and adaptability of their model of engineering activity co-creation. Approximately six months into the launch of both EEK! and the global pandemic, a 29-item survey was distributed to EEK! recipient institutions. Of the museum respondents, 97% reported experiencing full closures and 73% reported layoffs and furloughs. Despite these challenges, 78% implemented EEK!, with 70% of the institutions creating new virtual programming, and 38% adapting EEK! for remote facilitation, including real-time virtual events, self-guided activities, and at-home activity kits. Museums were equally impacted by COVID-19 policies and closures, but have not received the public attention and support that K-12 schools have received. Nonetheless, they have responded with ingenuity in using and adapting EEK!. Given their K-12 partnerships, flexibility, and ability to engage learners, museums are undervalued collaborators for universities trying to impact the K-12 engineering education ecosystem. Full article

COVID-19 made explicit the need for rethinking the way in which we conduct testing for epidemic emergencies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the dependence on centralized lab facilities and resource-intensive methodologies (e.g., RT-qPCR methods) greatly limited the deployment of widespread testing efforts in many developed and underdeveloped countries. Here, we illustrate the development of a simple and portable diagnostic kit that enables self-diagnosis of COVID-19 at home from saliva samples. We describe the development of a do-it-yourself (DIY) incubator for Eppendorf tubes that can be used to conduct SARS-CoV-2 detection with competitive sensitivity and selectivity from saliva at home. In a proof-of-concept experiment, we assembled Eppendorf-tube incubators at our home shop, prepared a single-tube mix of reagents and LAMP primers in our lab, and deployed these COVID-19 detection kits using urban delivery systems (i.e., Rappifavor or Uber) to more than 15 different locations in Monterrey, México. This straightforward strategy enabled rapid and cost-effective at-home molecular diagnostics of SARS-CoV-2 from real saliva samples with a high sensitivity (100%) and high selectivity (87%). Full article

The emergence of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of SARS-CoV-2 has precipitated a new global wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid identification of SARS-CoV-2 infection is imperative for the effective mitigation of transmission. Diagnostic modalities such as rapid antigen testing and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) offer expedient turnaround times of 10–15 min and straightforward implementation. This preliminary study assessed the correlation between outcomes of commercially available rapid antigen tests for home use and conventional reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays using a limited set of clinical specimens. Patients aged 5–99 years presenting to the emergency department for SARS-CoV-2 testing were eligible for enrollment (n = 5652). Direct PCR and conventional RT-PCR were utilized for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. The entire cohort of 5652 clinical specimens was assessed by both modalities to determine the clinical utility of the direct RT-PCR assay. Timely confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection may attenuate viral propagation and guide therapeutic interventions. Additionally, direct RT-PCR as a secondary confirmatory test for at-home rapid antigen test results demonstrated sensitivity comparable to conventional RT-PCR, indicating utility for implementation in laboratories globally, especially in resource-limited settings with constraints on reagents, equipment, and skilled personnel. In summary, direct RT-PCR enables the detection of SARS-CoV-2 with a sensitivity approaching that of conventional RT-PCR while offering expedient throughput and shorter turnaround times. Moreover, direct RT-PCR provides an open-source option for diagnostic laboratories worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Full article

Background and Objectives: To achieve pregnancy, it is highly beneficial to identify the time of ovulation as well as the greater period of fertile days during which sperm may survive leading up to ovulation. Confirming successful ovulation is also critical to accurately diagnose ovulatory disorders. Ovulation predictor kits, fertility monitors, and tracking apps are all available to assist with detecting ovulation, but often fall short. They may not detect the full fertile window, provide accurate or real-time information, or are simply expensive and impractical. Finally, few over-the-counter products provide information to women about their ovarian reserve and future fertility. Therefore, there is a need for an easy, over-the-counter, at-home quantitative hormone monitoring system that assesses ovarian reserve, predicts the entire fertile window, and can screen for ovulatory disorders. Materials and Methods: Proov Complete is a four-in-one at-home multihormone testing system that utilizes lateral flow assay test strips paired with the free Proov Insight App to guide testing of four hormones—FSH, E1G, LH, and PdG—across the woman’s cycle. In a pilot study, 40 women (including 16 with a fertility-related diagnosis or using fertility treatments) used Complete for one cycle. Results: Here, we demonstrate that Proov Complete can accurately and sensitively predict ovarian reserve, detect up to 6 fertile days and confirm if ovulation was successful, in one easy-to-use kit. Ovulation was confirmed in 38 cycles with a detectable PdG rise. An average of 5.3 fertile days (from E1G rise to PdG rise) were detected, with an average of 2.7 days prior to LH surge. Ovulation was confirmed via PdG rise an average of 2.6 days following the LH surge. While 38/40 women had a PdG rise, only 22 had a sustained PdG level above 5 μg/mL throughout the critical implantation window, indicating ovulatory dysfunction in 16 women. Conclusions: Proov Complete can detect the entire fertile window of up to 6 fertile days and confirm ovulation, while also providing information on ovarian reserve and guidance to clinicians and patients. Full article

The need for the early identification of SARS-CoV-2 has let to a quest for reliable tests that meet the standards of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, on the one hand, and are low-cost, easy-to-use, and fast, on the other hand. One such test is the Lucira™ Check It COVID-19 Test kit (“Lucira”) (Lucira Health, Inc., Emeryville, CA, USA), which utilizes real-time loop-mediated isothermal amplification technology, developed for at-home use. This study evaluated the clinical sensitivity and specificity of Lucira in identifying the virus in 190 nasopharyngeal samples collected between January and October 2021. Each sample was also subjected to RT-PCR. All negative RT-PCR results were paralleled by a negative Lucira result. Out of 90 participants who had a positive RT-PCR result, 82 (91.1%) tested positive by Lucira. Among the 72 symptomatic participants, 67 (93%) tested positive by Lucira. All samples with a positive RT-PCR result with a threshold cycle (Ct) > 36, yielded a negative Lucira result. In addition, a significant positive correlation was found between Ct and time-to-positivity with Lucira (R = 0.8612, p < 0.0001). The implementation of such a portable and affordable assay may aid in breaking the COVID-19 transmission chain. Full article

At-home rapid antigen test (RAT) kits for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are valuable public health tools during the present coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. They provide fast identification of coronavirus infection, which can help to reduce the transmission rates and burden on the healthcare system. However, they have lower sensitivity compared to the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. One of the reasons for the lower sensitivity is due to the RAT color indicators being indistinct or invisible to the naked eye after the measurements. For this reason, we present a proof of concept of a novel approach, through which we investigated anonymously provided at-home RAT kit results by using our in-house open-source image processing scripts developed for affordable Raspberry Pi computer and Raspberry Pi HQ camera systems. Therefore, we aimed at minimizing the human-related analysis errors for such kits and believe that the present computer vision-based assessment framework can contribute to reducing delayed quarantines of infected individuals and the spread of the current infectious disease. Full article

The human microbiome has received significant attention over the past decade regarding its potential impact on health. Epidemiological and intervention studies often rely on at-home stool collection methods designed for high-resource settings, such as access to an improved toilet with a modern toilet seat. However, this is not always appropriate or applicable to low-resource settings. Therefore, the design of a user-friendly stool collection kit for low-resource rural settings is needed. We describe the development, assembly, and user experience of a simple and low-cost at-home stool collection kit for women living in rural Cambodia as part of a randomized controlled trial in 2020. Participants were provided with the stool collection kit and detailed verbal instruction. Enrolled women (n = 480) provided two stool specimens (at the start of the trial and after 12 weeks) at their home and brought them to the health centre that morning in a sterile collection container. User specimen collection compliance was high, with 90% (n = 434) of women providing a stool specimen at the end of the trial (after 12 weeks). This feasible and straightforward method has strong potential for similar or adapted use among adults residing in other rural or low-resource contexts. Full article