Community Advisory Boards (CABs), as a form of community engagement, provide an important mechanism to ensure that research aligns with community needs and priorities by representing broader community interests and guiding research accordingly. Tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remain significant public health concerns, particularly due to resistance to key first-line anti-TB medications, and individuals affected by these conditions often face stigma and discrimination that hinder timely diagnosis and treatment adherence. Addressing these challenges requires community-driven strategies and improved access to health services, with CABs serving a central role in bridging gaps between researchers, healthcare providers, and affected communities. This study explored the contributions of CAB members in supporting TB/MDR-TB clinical trials, the challenges experienced by trial participants, and the strategies employed to address these challenges. Using an exploratory qualitative design, in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 stakeholders involved in TB/MDR-TB clinical trials, and data were analyzed using deductive thematic analysis. The findings highlight persistent stigma and discrimination, limited understanding of the role and functions of CABs, inconsistent budget allocation, reduced participation, and diminished CAB influence throughout the research process. The study underscores the essential role of CABs in enhancing community engagement in TB/MDR-TB clinical trials and emphasizes the need for greater awareness, advocacy, and institutional support to strengthen their contributions. Adequate and sustained funding, along with systematic planning and implementation, is critical for reinforcing CAB roles and promoting more ethical, inclusive, and responsive public health research practices in Ethiopia and other low- and middle-income countries.

Youth in psychiatric residential treatment (RT) are a highly vulnerable population in which parent involvement is critical to optimizing long-term outcomes. However, existing parentprograms rarely address the unique challenges faced by families navigating RT. This study aimed to identify parent support needs and develop an adapted parenting program, Parenting Wisely for RT (PWRT). Using qualitative interviews with parents and input from an RT staff advisory board, we explored the informational, instructional, and emotional support needs of families with youth in RT. Findings guided the development of PWRT, a 6-week program that combines web-based modules (i.e., existing parent training program) with facilitated parent groups (i.e., adapted component). Parents expressed needs for education, skill generalization to complex RT-related situations, and reduction of social isolation. The advisory board co-developed the parent groups to include strengths-based, real-time skill practice, peer connection, and tailored psychoeducation that fosters shared learning and addresses challenges unique to the RT context. Facilitators provide coaching and help parents apply skills in diverse family situations, enhancing engagement and relevance. PWRT represents a promising adaptation of parent training for families with youth in RT, designed to enhance parent knowledge, skills, and connectedness. Future research should evaluate its feasibility, effectiveness, and implementation to support families during and after RT.

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) has been effectively implemented for autistic youth and their families who need help reducing disruptive behaviors, promoting language development, and enhancing the parent-child relationship. However, like most autism-based interventions, the PCIT protocol was originally adapted for (rather than with or by) the autism community. A new wave of intervention research calls for input from autism advocates throughout each phase of the research process. The present study signifies the first step in the development and implementation of a pilot PCIT program with autistic youth and their families (i.e., PCIT-Autism). Academic researchers collaborated alongside an Autism Community Advisory Board (CAB) comprised of autistic adults (N = 10) and caregivers of autistic youth (N = 14) to understand the current state of therapeutic services and their values for the development of an intervention to address autistic youth aggressive behaviors, when present. Five primary themes were generated from qualitative interviews with the Autism CAB related to psychological interventions: (1) Barriers to Accessibility, (2) Effectiveness, (3) Therapist Competence, (4) Topics, and (5) Format. Recommendations from the Autism CAB encouraged a hybrid (in-person, group-based + individualized telehealth), time-limited PCIT model which incorporated autism-affirming psychoeducation and practice, childcare, as well as opportunities for community-building.

BackgroundThe Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Eating Plan is proven to lower blood pressure; however, the original DASH diet involved a set menu of meals prepared in a metabolic kitchen. There is little evidence mapping this dietary pattern to real-world groceries, tailored to a range of personal preferences and dietary practices.MethodsThe GoFresh Trials, two parallel-arm randomized, controlled trials, are studying the impact of DASH-patterned, home-delivered groceries on the blood pressure of Black adults living in communities with reduced access to grocery stores. Participants were able to choose the groceries according to their preferences for themselves and up to five family members from local supermarkets. A dietitian assisted participants with selection to ensure that groceries followed a DASH pattern and met a potassium/sodium ratio of > 2.0 with kilocalories from saturated fat ≤ 7%. Dietitians also provided weekly educational modules on sustainably adopting DASH. To support meal preparation, a recipe book and 24 demonstration videos were created in collaboration with Boston Chefs. A community advisory board participated in the conception of intervention materials to ensure the program was feasible and grounded in community priorities.ResultsCompliance assessments include 24-h urine paired with 24-h nutrition recalls, seated blood pressure, and surveys on food preparation and shopping habits. A knowledge assessment and palatability form were used to assess changes in DASH knowledge and acceptability before and after the intervention.ConclusionBy describing the unique features and development process of GoFresh, this paper offers practical guidance for adapting and scaling similar nutrition interventions in other communities.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT05121337. Registered on November 16, 2021. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05121337.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-025-09273-z.

IntroductionRandomised controlled trials (RCTs) are central to generating high-quality evidence in the surgical field but face unique methodological and practical challenges, including recruitment, follow-up, blinding and ensuring patient-centred outcomes. Patient and public involvement (PPI) has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance the relevance, quality and impact of surgical research by actively involving patients throughout the whole research process. Despite growing recognition of its value, the integration and reporting of PPI in surgical RCTs remain inconsistent, and no systematic evaluation has yet addressed its application within general and abdominal surgery.Methods and analysisRCTs in general and abdominal surgery published since 2014 will be identified through systematic searches of the databases MEDLINE, Web of Science and CENTRAL. This systematic review and primary (meta-epidemiological) statistical analysis will assess the reporting prevalence, implementation extent and quality of PPI over time. The Guidance for Reporting Involvement of Patients and the Public 2 (GRIPP2)-SF checklist and Cochrane Risk of Bias V.2.0 tool will be used to evaluate PPI reporting and study quality. To enable a comparison between studies reporting PPI and those that do not, propensity score matching will be performed to identify non-PPI studies with similar population and design characteristics. Subsequently, regression analyses will be employed to investigate potential associations between PPI reporting and various trial characteristics, including patient recruitment and retention, outcome selection and methodological quality. The Patient Advisory Board of the Study Centre of the German Society of Surgery is actively engaged in all phases of the systematic review.Ethics and disseminationThis systematic review does not require ethical approval. Results will be published in an international peer-reviewed scientific journal, as well as distributed in a lay format to the patient community and to the broader public.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42024524426.

A note from the advisory board

In the United States, sexual minority men (SMM) are disproportionately affected by HIV. For this population, intersecting sexual minority- and HIV-related stressors add to general life stress, increasing health risks. Stress is associated with HIV progression and is linked to transmission risk behaviors, such as medication nonadherence and substance use. Substance use is a particularly important risk factor for HIV transmission; beyond injection drug use, recreational use is associated with sexual transmission risk behaviors and an increased risk of HIV among SMM. Interventions targeting stress responses may be especially useful for HIV risk reduction among substance-using SMM (SUSMM) living with HIV (LWH). Positive affect interventions have shown promise in reducing stress in the context of chronic illness, including HIV. However, few studies have examined these interventions and their potential health benefits for SUSMM-LWH. This protocol describes a project (R34DA053999) that builds on our pilot work exploring the induction of positive affect as a potential intervention to reduce stress and improve health outcomes among SMM-LWH. This protocol aims to employ a community-engaged research approach, using the multiphase optimization strategy, to iteratively tailor our app-based positive affect intervention, TeaTime, for SUSMM-LWH. In phase 1, we enrolled 10 SUSMM-LWH into an open-phase pilot using our existing app-based ecological momentary intervention (EMI), which employs a just-in-time adaptive intervention design. We collaborated with a community advisory board to tailor our intervention content and app design using focus group feedback. In phase 2, we conducted a pilot factorial optimization trial to assess the acceptability and feasibility of adding 2 new features that may enhance intervention design and delivery. Specifically, we piloted a 2×2 factorial design, randomizing 80 SUSMM-LWH to receive either (1) random craving prompts or (2) smartwatch integration or both or neither. Analyses will examine group differences on feasibility and acceptability outcomes, as measured by the System Usability Scale and Mobile App Rating Scale, as well as retention and engagement. The project was funded in February 2022, and data collection for phase 1 was completed in December 2023. Phase 2 was launched in July 2024, with data collection completed by August 2025. Results from phase 1 are expected to be submitted for publication by December 2025. In this protocol, we combine methods from social science, intervention science, and software development into a single innovative approach to enhance and optimize an app-based, just-in-time adaptive, EMI for SUSMM-LWH. Findings from this study will support the development of a fully optimized intervention ready for evaluation and implementation. In a future randomized controlled trial, the ecological momentary assessment design will also enable the collection of day-level data on intervention efficacy. DERR1-10.2196/76741.

Anti-racism medical education is essential for addressing health disparities and improving patient care.This study examined patient perspectives onengaging in anti-racism discussions at the bedside and explored barriers and facilitators facedby clinician educators when teaching anti-racism concepts to clinical learners.examined patientperspectives on engaging in these discussions at the bedside. This qualitative study utilized focus group discussions withpatients from underrepresented communities and semi-structured interviews with clinicianeducators. Patients (n = 17) were recruited from a Virtual National Community Advisory Board, comprising patients and clinicians caring for Black patients in Leeds, AL; Memphis, TN; Oakland, CA; and Rochester, NY.Clinician educators (n = 10) were recruited from two academic medical centers in California and Alabama. Patient focus groups introduced participants to teaching scenarios around bias and structural racism in clinical decision making, and invited response and discussion focused on perceived comfort as a patient, provider-patient rapport, and sense of inclusion in the teaching moment. 1:1 clinician educator interviews focused on knowledge of structural racism, experiences discussing anti-racism, and perceived barriers and facilitators when teaching these concepts in clinical settings. Patients expressed interest to engage in bedside discussions about their racialized experiences, emphasizing the importance of patient narratives in these conversations. Both clinician educators and patients agreed on the importance of including patient stories and voices in bedside teaching on anti-racism.Clinician educators identified significant barriers to teaching anti-racism at the bedside: systemic challenges (e.g. time constraints), lack of structural support, personal discomfort, and fear of retaliation. Facilitators included supportive learning communities and structured curricula. This study highlights the potential to enhance anti-racism education in medical training by incorporating patient voices into bedside teaching. This approach empowers patients and enriches clinician educators' understanding of relevant racialized experiences. Future research should focus on the practical implementation of these discussions in clinical environments and their impact on patient outcomes.

To what extent are self-reported sleep health measures associated with semen quality? Poor sleep health-including short and long sleep durations, increased frequency of sleep trouble, and poor sleep quality-was associated with reduced sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total motile sperm count, and, in the case of short sleep duration and increased frequency of sleep trouble, reduced semen volume. Semen quality has declined over the past several decades. Sleep health may affect semen quality through multiple pathways, including endocrine dysfunction, and population-based prospective studies of the association are scarce. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 690 male participants (1247 semen samples) aged ≥21 years at enrollment (2015-2023) in Pregnancy Study Online, a North American preconception cohort study. At baseline, participants provided self-reported data on sleep duration in the past month and frequency of sleep trouble in the previous 2weeks. A subset of participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. We used generalized estimating equations (GEE) models to estimate mean percentage differences (%D) and 95% CIs for the associations of sleep health with semen parameters (semen volume, sperm concentration, percent motility), ascertained using a validated at-home semen testing kit. We also used GEE models to estimate prevalence ratios for poor semen quality (low vs normal) based on World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Comparing sleep durations of <6 vs 7-8.9 h/day, %Ds (95% CIs) were -11.3% (-23.6%, 1.1%), -16.4% (-45.0%, 26.9%), -27.1% (-53.1%, 13.2%), and -20.0% (-50.3%, 28.8%) for semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total motile sperm count, respectively. We observed similar associations for ≥9 vs 7-8.9 h/day and sperm concentration (-14.4% [-44.9%, 33.0%]), total sperm count (-13.9% [-44.1%, 32.7%]), and total motile sperm count (-6.8% [-42.1%, 49.9%]). Comparing sleep trouble >50% of the time vs never, %Ds (95% CIs) were -3.3% (-12.0%, 5.4%), -11.9% (-29.9%, 10.8%), -16.2% (-34.3%, 7.0%), and -16.9% (-37.3%, 9.9%) for semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total motile sperm count, respectively. Comparing global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores of >5 (poor sleep quality) vs ≤5 (good sleep quality), %Ds (95% CIs) were -18.1% (-33.5%, 0.9%), -19.2% (-34.6%, -0.1%), and -16.3% (-33.5%, 5.4%) for sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total motile sperm count, respectively. Analyses based on WHO semen quality standards showed consistent results. Non-differential misclassification of sleep health was possible due to our reliance on self-reported data collected at a single point in time. Non-differential misclassification of semen quality was also possible, as participants used an at-home semen testing kit to measure semen parameters. We cannot rule out bias due to residual or unmeasured confounding. Given that the study population was restricted to pregnancy planners who enrolled via the Internet, our findings may not be generalizable to other populations. Our findings are generally consistent with previous research, supporting a relationship between poor sleep health and worse semen quality. We analyzed data from a population-based sample of pregnancy planners, which overcomes limitations from most prior studies that relied on convenience samples of infertile couples or sperm donors. These findings may inform sleep interventions to improve reproductive health outcomes. This work was supported by the following grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, USA: R01HD086742, R01HD105863, R21HD094322. J.J.Y. is an employee of Optum and owns stock in UnitedHealth Group. G.J.S. is an employee of and holds stock in Labcorp, which manufactures the male fertility testing kits used in this study. He is also a co-inventor on multiple patents related to the male fertility testing kits reported in this manuscript: US #10376877, US #11471881, and US #11714034. M.L.E. is an advisor for Doveras, Hannah, Next, Illumicell, Legacy, and HisTurn, which includes a small equity grant of options. S.M.B. has received consulting fees from Idorsia Pharmaceuticals and Apnimed in the past 12 months, participated in a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board for PCORI and AHRQ, and served in a leadership role for the Sleep Research Society and American Academy of Sleep Medicine. All other authors have no disclosures to report. N/A.

Advisory Board and Contents

Advisory Board and Contents

Advisory Board and Contents

Advisory Board and Contents

How is endometriosis care organized at the primary, secondary, and tertiary care levels in five high-income countries? In all countries under study, initiatives have been taken to provide endometriosis care by experienced health care professionals in a multidisciplinary setting, but certification criteria for secondary and tertiary centres vary greatly across countries. Endometriosis is a highly prevalent and complex disease with potentially significant physical, sexual, psychological, social, and economic impacts on those affected. Logically, a multidisciplinary approach by health care providers with expertise and experience has been recommended. This study included five high-income countries where endometriosis care was centralized to some extent or where a national action plan for endometriosis was developed. Based on a review of the literature, five countries were selected: Australia, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. Information was collected through a review of peer-reviewed and grey literature that was revised and amended by experts from each country. In 2018, Australia launched a comprehensive government-led national action plan for endometriosis. In Germany, secondary and tertiary endometriosis care is organized at three levels, while in Denmark and the Netherlands, a two-level system has been installed, whereas in the UK, only tertiary referral centres have been initiated to date. Only in Denmark must secondary care centres refer patients with advanced endometriosis to tertiary care centres. In all countries studied, treatment for advanced endometriosis is also carried out in centres without certification, where the quality of care is not assessed. National endometriosis registries have commenced and are active in Australia and the UK. In the selected countries, various initiatives have been taken to enhance the training of health care professionals, to inform patients, and to increase awareness on endometriosis. In none of the studied countries is endometriosis (automatically) recognized and/or registered as a chronic condition. In the five countries evaluated, there are continuing efforts to further improve the organization of endometriosis care. With ongoing revisions of service provision, resourcing and health care structures for endometriosis are evolving considerably; therefore, this overview should be considered as a snapshot taken up to early 2025. Since this overview relies principally on scientific literature, policy documents, and expert opinions, and not on objective outcomes, there may be dyssynchrony between what is summarized here and actual clinical practice. This overview may provide advice and guidance for policy makers in the development of a framework for the organization of endometriosis care in their country. The research was supported by the government-approved work program of the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE). C.N. is funded though the NECST Network grant (4-I66SNMA) from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, manages research grant funding from the MRFF, is Chair of the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA) Special Interest Group for Network Managers (SIGNet) and was a previous employee with CSL Vifor (formerly Vifor Pharma Pty. Ltd). J.A. is on advisory boards and received consulting fees from Gedeon Richter, BD and Hologic, received honoraria for lectures from MSD and Hologic, and received support for attending meetings from Hologic. He is on the Endometriosis Advisory Group for the Australian Government, Chaired the first Australian Guidelines for Endometriosis Diagnosis and Management, and contributed to the Governments National Action Plan on Endometriosis. He is the Chair of the NECST Network, past-President of AGES, and past-Chair and Medical Director of Endometriosis Australia and holds multiple competitive grants in endometriosis research through Australian Government funding agencies (Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, MRFF), AGES, Country Women's Association of NSW, MSD and Endometriosis Australia. R.L., N.B., C.C., F.D., M.D.J., D.H., A.K., A.N., S.O., and K.-W.S. have no conflicts of interest to declare. N/A.

Advisory Board and Contents

Advisory Board and Contents

Advisory Board and Contents

International Advisory Board

Young Black sexual minority men are disproportionately affected by HIV, especially in the Southern United States. To address this, we developed Brothers Building Brothers by Breaking Barriers (B6) intervention with a goal of enhancing social capital and engagement in care among young Black sexual minority men living with HIV. However, we encountered challenges to feasibility in recruiting and engaging for an in-person intervention. The objectives of this study are to iteratively adapt the original B6 intervention for telehealth delivery (Phase 1), and pilot test the intervention through a waitlist-control trial to evaluate its feasibility, acceptability, and safety (Phase 2). In Phase 1, we used the assessment, decision, adaptation, production, topical experts, integration, training, and testing (ADAPT-ITT) framework to structure the iterative adaptation process of B6, working with a diverse study team and a Youth Advisory Board (YAB). After completing the preliminary adaptation process, we conducted initial Telehealth Brothers Building Brothers by Breaking Barriers (Tele-B6) pilot testing with a community partner organization. The result was a 5-week group-level intervention, delivered entirely remotely, consisting of a series of adapted activities to address bonding and bridging social capital, affirm intersectional identities, and engage in resilience-building processes. Following feedback integration from pilot-testing, we conducted Phase 2 with 60 young Black sexual minority men living with HIV recruited over the course of one year and who were randomized at the group level to either the immediate intervention or delayed (waitlist control) intervention group. Various data sources will be used to measure feasibility, acceptability, and safety, including surveys, postsession evaluation data, in-depth qualitative interviews, and review of medical records for HIV clinical outcomes. Phase 1, the adaptation process of B6, began in fall 2022 and was completed in spring 2023. Phase 2, the implementation of the waitlist control trial, began in spring 2023 and concluded in summer 2024. Final follow-up assessments were completed in fall 2024 and the results of the mixed methods evaluation are expected in winter 2025. The adaptation process and telehealth delivery of B6 will add to the knowledge of strengths-based interventions designed to improve care engagement among young Black sexual minority men living with HIV. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05829759,https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05829759. DERR1-10.2196/69961.

Regulatory Reflection: Collaborative Expertise, Shared Purpose: How the Editorial Advisory Board Informs JNR’s Work