Clinical maternal risk parameters for the occurrence of maternal and fetal complications during preeclampsia in Congolese women.

Several studies have demonstrated that predicting complications of preeclampsia up to 48 h before their occurrence enhances clinical management. This predictive ability allows for rational approaches in dealing with groups at high risk of maternal-fetal complications. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify the clinical parameters strongly associated with maternal-fetal complications during preeclampsia in Congolese pregnant women. METHOD: A descriptive and analytical study was conducted in the provincial city of Kinshasa from July 2018 to December 2021. The study population consisted of pregnant women with preeclampsia in three maternity units in Kinshasa. Determinants of complications were assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: In univariate logistic regression models, obesity, a history of hypertension, severe hypertension, and SpO2 < 90 % were identified as determinants of maternal-fetal complications. Conversely, a history of preeclampsia, treatment with MgSO4, or a combination of AntiHTA and MgSO4 reduced the risk of complications. In the multivariate model, after adjusting for all significant variables in the univariate model, severe hypertension, obesity, and SpO2 < 90 % were identified as independent determinants of maternal-fetal complications. The risk of complication was multiplied by 5 for severe hypertension, by 4 for obesity, and by 2 for SpO2 < 90 %. However, treating women with MgSO4 or a combination of AntiHTA and MgSO4 reduced the risk of complications by a factor of 4 and 6, respectively. CONCLUSION: The presence of symptoms is more useful in predicting complications of preeclampsia than their absence in ruling out adverse events.

Self-testing for HIV, HBV, and HCV using finger-stick whole-blood multiplex immunochromatographic rapid test: A pilot feasibility study in sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND: The burden of HIV, HBV, and HCV infections remains disproportionately high in sub-Saharan Africa, with high rates of co-infections. Multiplex rapid diagnostic tests for HIV, HBV and HCV serological testing with high analytical performances may improve the "cascade of screening" and quite possibly the linkage-to-care with reduced cost. Based on our previous field experience of HIV self-testing, we herein aimed at evaluating the practicability and acceptability of a prototype finger-stick whole-blood Triplex HIV/HCV/HBsAg self-test as a simultaneous serological screening tool for HIV, HBV, and HCV in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). METHODS: A cross-sectional multicentric study consisting of face-to-face, paper-based, and semi-structured questionnaires with a home-based and facility-based recruitment of untrained adult volunteers at risk of HIV, HBV, and HCV infections recruited from the general public was conducted in 2020 in urban and rural areas in the DRC. The practicability of the Triplex self-test was assessed by 3 substudies on the observation of self-test manipulation including the understanding of the instructions for use (IFU), on the interpretation of Triplex self-test results and on its acceptability. RESULTS: A total of 251 volunteers (mean age, 28 years; range, 18-49; 154 males) were included, from urban [160 (63.7%)] and rural [91 (36.3%)] areas. Overall, 242 (96.4%) participants performed the Triplex self-test and succeeded in obtaining a valid test result with an overall usability index of 89.2%. The correct use of the Triplex self-test was higher in urban areas than rural areas (51.2% versus 16.5%; aOR: 6.9). The use of video IFU in addition to paper-based IFU increased the correct manipulation and interpretation of the Triplex self-test. A total of 197 (78.5%) participants correctly interpreted the Triplex self-test results, whereas 54 (21.5%) misinterpreted their results, mainly the positive test results harboring low-intensity band (30/251; 12.0%), and preferentially the HBsAg band (12/44; 27.3%). The rates of acceptability of reuse, distribution of the Triplex self-test to third parties (partner, friend, or family member), linkage to the health care facility for confirmation of results and treatment, and confidence in the self-test results were very high, especially among participants from urban areas. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study shows evidence for the first time in sub-Saharan Africa on good practicability and high acceptability of a prototype Triplex HIV/HCV/HBsAg self-test for simultaneous diagnosis of three highly prevalent chronic viral infections, providing the rational basis of using self-test harboring four bands of interest, i.e. the control, HIV, HCV, and HBsAg bands. The relatively frequent misinterpretation of the Triplex self-test points however the necessity to improve the delivery of this prototype Triplex self-test probably in a supervised setting. Finally, these observations lay the foundations for the potential large-scale use of the Triplex self-test in populations living in sub-Saharan Africa at high risk for HIV, HBV, and HCV infections.

Analytical Performance of the Exacto Test HIV Self-Test: A Cross-Sectional Field Study in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has begun implementing HIV self-testing to boost the first "95" of the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets by 2025. This study aims to assess the performance and usability of the Exacto Test HIV (Biosynex, Strasbourg, France) self-test in the lab and in the field. The Exacto Test HIV self-test demonstrated high virological performance (sensitivity, 99.6%; specificity, 100%) in the lab and in the field in the hand of untrained users (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 98.9%). Taken together, the excellent performance and usability characteristics of the Exacto Test HIV (Biosynex) self-test make the kit a viable option for HIV self-testing in the DRC.

Field evaluation of capillary blood and oral-fluid HIV self-tests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

BACKGROUND: HIV self-testing (HIVST) is an additional approach to increasing uptake of HIV testing services. The practicability and accuracy of and the preference for the capillary blood self-test (Exacto Test HIV) versus the oral fluid self-test (OraQuick HIV self-test) were compared among untrained individuals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). METHODS: This multicenter cross-sectional study (2019) used face-to-face, tablet-based, structured questionnaires in a facility-based HIVST approach. Volunteers from the general public who were at high risk of HIV infection, who were between 18 and 49 years of age, and who had signed an informed consent form were eligible for the study. The successful performance and correct interpretation of the self-test results were the main outcomes of the practicability evaluation. The successful performance of the HIV self-test was conditioned by the presence of the control band. The sensitivity and specificity of the participant-interpreted results compared to the laboratory results were estimated for accuracy. Preference for either type of self-test was assessed. Logistic regression models were used to examine factors associated with participants' preference. RESULTS: A total of 528 participants were included in this survey. The rate of successful performance of the HIV self-tests was high, with the blood test (99.6%) and the oral-fluid test (99.4%) yielding an absolute difference of 0.2% (95% CI: -1.8 to 1.1; P = 0.568). The rate of correct interpretation of the HIV self-test results was 84.4% with the blood test versus 83.8% with the oral-fluid test (difference = 0.6; 95% CI: -0.2 to 1.7; P = 0.425). Misinterpretation (25.4% for the blood test and 25.6% for the oral-fluid test) and inability to interpret (20.4% for the blood test and 21.1% for the oral-fluid test) test results were significantly more prevalent with invalid tests. The Exacto Test HIV self-test and the OraQuick HIV self-test showed 100% and 99.2% sensitivity, and 98.9% and 98.1% specificity, respectively. Preference for oral-fluid-based HIVST was greater than that for blood-based HIVST (85.6% versus 78.6%; P = 0.008). Preference for the blood test was greater among participants with a university education (86.1%; aOR = 2.4 [95% CI: 1.1 to 4.9]; P = 0.016), a higher risk of HIV infection (88.1%; aOR = 2.3 [95% CI: 1.0 to 5.3]; P = 0.047), and knowledge about the existence of HIVST (89.3%; aOR = 2.2 [95% CI: 1.0 to 5.0]; P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our field observations demonstrate that blood-based and oral-fluid-based HIVST are both practicable approaches with a high and comparable rate of accuracy in the study setting. Although preference for the oral-fluid test was generally greater, preference for the blood test was greater among participants with a university education, a high risk of HIV infection, and knowledge about the existence of HIVST. Both approaches seem complementary in the sense that users can choose the type of self-test that best suits them for a similar result. Taken together, our observations support the use of the two HIV self-test kits in the DRC.