Feasibility

AIM: To evaluate the integration of point-of-care etiological STI testing, cognitive behavioral counselling (CBC), and sexual partner engagement strategies to improve STI management, PrEP uptake and 3-month PrEP persistence among pregnant and postpartum women PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of the intervention on 3-month PrEP persistence among pregnant and postpartum women (PPW) SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Determine the proportion of PPW initiating PrEP Determine the prevalence of STIs among pregnant and postpartum women Determine the feasibility and acceptability of aetiological STI testing within the antenatal and postnatal clinical workflows by HCPs Determine the acceptability and uptake of HIV/STI services by partners of pregnant and postpartum women STUDY DESIGN AND POPULATION: One-site, two-arm, individually randomized controlled type-1 hybrid implementation pilot This pilot study will follow a type-1 hybrid implementation-effectiveness design to be implemented at a public sector primary healthcare centre with a high HIV/STI burden (Gugulethu Community Health Centre). Enrollment: 120 pregnant women attending a routine care visit. Follow-up visits may fall in the post-partum period depending on age of gestation upon enrollment. Inclusion criteria include: 1) age ≥18 years; 2) HIV-negative, 3) minimum gestational age of 18 weeks for pregnant women, and 4) eligible for PrEP as per South African guidelines. Exclusion criteria include: 1) inability to provide informed consent, 2) medical contraindications to PrEP. Sexual partners of PPW will be engaged through the distribution of HIV/syphilis self-test kits, and 10 healthcare providers will participate in cognitive behavioral counselling (CBC) training and competency assessments.

The goal of this study is to learn if a meditation intervention called Transcendental Meditation or TM can be used in a small department at Weill Cornell Medicine to help reduce employees' levels of burnout, anxiety, insomnia, and depression as well as to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the meditation practice by Weill Cornell employees. The main question the study aims to answer is whether: • Levels of burnout, anxiety, insomnia, and depression will be decreased, and overall mental well-being will improve over a 3.5-month period before and after TM intervention. Participants will attend 9 sessions total (8 group sessions and 1 individual session) with a certified TM instructor from The David Lynch Foundation Institute for Mental Health and Resilience where they will gain experience in proper TM techniques. Also, participants will conduct 2 of their own TM sessions at home daily during the course of this study.

The goal of this observational study is to assess the applicability of non-invasive ultrasound in aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta. The main question it aims to answer is: What is the feasibility of Ultrasound to visualise the Descending Thoracic Aorta, and can this imaging modality accurately measure the maximum size of aneurysms and residual sacs with acceptable reproducibility? Participants are having their diagnosis confirmed or excluded by conventional imaging techniques (CT scans). Participants receive exactly the same standard of care regardless of their participation. The study offers an additional ultrasound scan, and the results will be compared with previous imaging.

The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility and acceptability of a combination intervention to promote HIV self-testing (HIVST) for Partners and PrEP uptake for HIV-uninfected Postpartum Women ("H4P"). H4P includes evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies, such as communication skills training, motivational interviewing, and problem-solving. The investigators will conduct a randomized pilot trial of the H4P intervention to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a multi-step PrEP uptake and HIV self-test kit intervention for postpartum HIV-uninfected women (N = 60 and their male partners) who report a partner of unknown serostatus, and their partners, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

The objective of this single center, interventional cohort study is to evaluate the feasibility of remote electrophysiological cardiotocography (eCTG) monitoring in complicated pregnancies in a home@hospital setting. The primary objective is to assess: • The success rate of the self-administered eCTG measurement The secondary objective is to asses: * Maternal and perinatal outcomes * Patients wellbeing and satisfaction. * Healthcare professionals' (HCPs') satisfaction * Analysis of antenatal costs Participants will: * Self-administer remote eCTG monitoring once daily during admission (or at least twice weekly at the outpatient clinic) * Self-measure their blood pressure, heartrate and temperature * Enter the measurements, symptoms and worries into an application on their telephone. * Answer questionnaires at 3 moments during the study, assessing their wellbeing and satisfaction of the received care and self-administered remote monitoring device.

This is a feasibility trial to assess use of OncoTarget and OncoTreat testing in a basket design of patients with oligmetastasis across various solid tumor histology. Eligible oligometastatic patients that are receiving radiation therapy (n=20) will undergo mandatory tumor biopsy prior to precision medicine testing. Formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue with \>50% tumor will be sent to the Laboratory of Personalized Genomic Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center for Darwin OncoTarget and OncoTreat testing. This will be supplementing routine clinical care with the goal of improving outcomes. The treating oncologist will decide to administer standard of care systemic therapy or proceed with treatment recommended by precision medicine testing. Feasibility outcomes include the ability to have the OncoTarget and OncoTreat test performed based on tumor type and pathology, ability to procure agents, change in medication use, and identification of unknown barriers. This study is assessing the use of precision medicine in a population has documented poor outcomes with implications aimed at improving these outcomes.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia, affecting 3-4% of the population over a lifetime. It's characterized by abnormal Amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau protein expression and accumulation in the central nervous system, leading to amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. While current treatments can slow cognitive decline, there's no cure. The discovery of the "glymphatic-meningeal lymphatic" system has shed new light on cerebrospinal fluid circulation, showing it has a similar interstitial fluid system to peripheral lymphatic circulation. This system helps clear waste and transport nutrients in the brain, known as the glymphatic phenomenon. The deep cervical lymph nodes, part of this system, are crucial for cerebrospinal fluid drainage and are linked to the clearance of AD-related proteins. Aging and inflammation can impair deep cervical lymph node function, increasing cerebrospinal fluid drainage pressure and potentially contributing to AD progression. Lymphatic anastomosis, a surgical technique used for lymphedema and other conditions, is being explored as a potential treatment to alleviate neurodegenerative disease by reducing cerebrospinal fluid pressure and clearing metabolic waste.