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Abstract Background Entomological data for onchocerciasis surveillance relies on sampling black flies through human landing collectors in the field and laboratory testing of the flies for infection using pooled screening O-150 PCR-ELISA assay. Both techniques require improvements. This study aimed to optimize the Esperanza Window Trap (EWT) for black fly collection. We tested alternative carbon dioxide (CO2) mimics to attract black flies to the traps. Additionally, we evaluated new quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods that target mitochondrial DNA markers and have been proposed to enhance the sensitivity and specificity for detecting Onchocerca volvulus infections in blackflies. Methods Traps baited with low, medium and high release rates of either 2-butanone or cyclopentanone as CO2 mimics were field tested against traps baited with organically generated CO2 in four ecological zones in Nigeria: Guinea savannah, derived savannah, rainforest and montane forest. The performance of EWTs baited with CO2 or in combination with 2-butanone (low release) were subsequently evaluated against the human landing collection (HLC). Trap scaling was also pilot tested by comparing two EWTs to a single HLC team. Collected black flies were used to test detection of O. volvulus in black flies using Ov ND5 real-time PCR (qPCR) compared to the conventional pool screening O-150 PCR. Results EWTs baited with 2-butanone caught similar numbers of black flies (Simulium damnosum s.l.) to those baited with CO2, while cyclopentanone collected significantly fewer flies in all locations. The low release of 2-butanone was the most effective overall, although HLCs collected higher numbers of black flies than EWT baited with CO2 either singly or in combination with low-release 2-butanone. The combination of two EWTs baited with CO2 and deployed 100 m apart from each other collected similar numbers of flies as one HLC. More black fly pools were positive for O. volvulus by Ov ND5 qPCR compared with O-150 PCR in derived savannah (31.15 vs. 15.57%), montane forest (11.54 vs. 0%) and rainforest (23.08 vs. 2.56%), with only one positive pool in Guinea savannah detected by both methods. Conclusions The 2-butanone has potential to be used in xenomonitoring as a standardized replacement for organically generated CO2. Ov ND5 qPCR detected more positive pools than O-150 PCR. The positive pools found in foci hitherto considered to have interrupted/eliminated onchocerciasis highlight the need for more sensitive and specific methods that support programmatic assessments to identify and combat recrudescence. Graphical Abstract

Shauna Stevenson,1 Haresh Suppiah,1 Joshua Ruddy,2 Sean Murphy,2 Matthew Driller1 1Sport, Performance, and Nutrition Research Group, School of Allied Health, Human Services, and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia; 2Essendon Football Club, Melbourne, AustraliaCorrespondence: Shauna Stevenson, School of Allied Health, La Trobe University, Plenty Road, Bundoora, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia, Tel +61 450 782 680, Email s.stevenson@latrobe.edu.auObjective: Light exposure techniques have been recommended to combat sleep issues caused by disruption to circadian regularity in the athletic population, although studies are lacking.Methods: A total of 17 professional male Australian Football athletes (age ± SD: 22 ± 3 years) wore a wrist actigraph to measure sleep parameters, and a wearable light sensor to measure melanopic equivalent daylight illuminance (mEDI, in lux) for 14 days. Participants completed three sleep questionnaires at the end of the data collection period and completed well-being surveys 6 times. The Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) for each player was also calculated from actigraphy data. Light exposure data were organised into three different timeframes: morning (wake time + 2 hours), daytime (end of morning to 6 pm), and evening (2 hours leading up to bedtime) for analysis. Repeated measures correlation was conducted for objective sleep measures and mEDI values per timeframe. Pearson’s correlation was conducted on subjective sleep measures and well-being measures against mEDI values per timeframe.Results: Higher morning light was associated with significantly (p < 0.001) greater total sleep time (r = 0.31). Higher daytime light exposure was associated with higher subjective sleep quality (r = 0.48, p < 0.05). Higher evening light exposure was associated with higher Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) global scores (r = 0.52, p < 0.05). There were no other significant correlations between light exposure and sleep or well-being measures (p > 0.05).Conclusion: Higher morning and daylight exposure levels were associated with various positive objective and subjective sleep measures in professional team sport athletes, supporting the need for education on optimising light exposure to improve circadian function, sleep, and health.Keywords: mEDI, actigraphy, wearable light sensors, lux, circadian rhythms

Bradley E Chipps,1 Robert S Zeiger,2 David A Beuther,3 Robert A Wise,4 William McCann,5 Joan Reibman,6 Maureen George,7 Ileen Gilbert,8 James M Eudicone,8 Karin S Coyne,9 Gale Harding,9 Kevin R Murphy10 1Capital Allergy & Respiratory Disease Center, Sacramento, CA, USA; 2Department of Clinical Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, CA, USA; 3Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA; 4Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; 5Allergy Partners, Asheville, NC, USA; 6Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; 7Columbia University School of Nursing, New York, NY, USA; 8BioPharmaceuticals Medical, AstraZeneca, Wilmington, DE, USA; 9Evidera, Bethesda, MD, USA; 10Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USACorrespondence: Bradley E Chipps, Capital Allergy & Respiratory Disease Center, 5609 J Street, Suite C, Sacramento, CA, 95819, USA, Tel +1 916-453-1454, Email bchipps@capitalallergy.com

Yuru He,1,2 Xing Wang,1,2 Zuowei Wang,3,4 Ping Zhang,5 Xiaojia Huang,3,4 Meihong Yu,5 Jill K Murphy,6 Erin E Michalak,6 Jing Liu,6 Tao Yang,1,2 Xiaorui Yang,7 Yiru Fang,1,8,9 Raymond W Lam,6 Jun Chen1,2 1Clinical Research Center, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Division of Mood Disorders, Shanghai Hongkou Mental Health Center, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 4Clinical Research Center for Mental Health, School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 5Fengxian District Mental Health Center, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; 7Department of Psychology, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 8Department of Psychiatry & Affective Disorders Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 9CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jun Chen, Clinical Research Center, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200030, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 21-34773367, Email doctorcj2010@gmail.com Raymond W Lam, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, 2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2A1, Canada, Tel +1 604-822-7325, Email r.lam@ubc.caPurpose: To validate the efficacy of enhanced measurement-based care against standard measurement-based care in patients with major depressive disorder.Patients and Methods: In this pilot study of an ongoing multicenter cluster randomized controlled trails, 160 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder were enrolled from 2 mental health centers, with a plan to include 12 centers in total. One hundred patients engaged in a six-month evaluation using a technology-enhanced measurement-based care tool, including assessments of clinical symptoms, side effects, and functionality at baseline, two months, four months and six months. Simultaneously, the remaining 60 patients underwent standard paper-based measurement-based care, utilizing the same set of scales over the same six-month period, with assessments at the same time points.Results: Patients utilizing the enhanced measurement-based care tool demonstrated a significantly higher reduction rate in PHQ-9 scores compared to those using standard paper-based measurement-based care during the two-month follow-up. Additionally, a notable positive correlation was observed between the frequency of enhanced measurement-based care tool usage and the quality of life during the two-month follow-up.Conclusion: Enhanced measurement-based care has the effect of reducing depressive symptoms. Our study emphasized that using enhanced measurement-based care via smartphones is a feasible tool for patients with major depressive disorder. Our future study, including results from additional research centers, may further validate the effectiveness of enhanced measurement-based care.Keywords: major depressive disorder, measurement-based care, enhanced measurement-based care, smartphone-based intervention