Inexpensive Treatments Research Articles

Investigation of the Antibacterial Properties of Janus Micromotors Catalytic Propelled by Manganese Dioxide and Hydrogen Peroxide to Reduce Bacterial Density.

Between 2015 and 2017, 90% of Chinese adults were reported to have periodontitis of varying degrees, highlighting the importance of novel, inexpensive, and affordable treatments for the public. The fact that more and more pathogens are becoming resistant to antibiotics further highlights this prevalence. This article addresses a novel micromotor capable of generating reactive oxygen species, as proven by a Fenton-like reaction. Such reactions allow the targeting of Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, which are eliminated order of magnitude more effectively than by pure hydrogen peroxide, thereby addressing pathogens relevant in oral infections. The basis of the micromotors, which generate reactive oxygen species on site, reduces the likelihood of resistance developing in these types of bacteria. Catalytically reducing hydrogen peroxide in this process, these micromotors propel themselves forward. This proof of principle study paves the way for the utilization of micromotors in the field of skin disinfection utilizing hydrogen peroxide concentrations which were in previous works proven noncytotoxic.

Antioxidative and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Plant-derived Hypoglycemic Medicines: An In vivo/In vitro Systematic Review.

The activation of oxidative stress and inflammatory conditions has been associated with acceleration in diabetes (DM) onset and complications. Despite various anti-DM medications, there is a growing trend to discover inexpensive and effective treatments with low adverse effects from plants as one of the promising sources for drug development. This study aimed to systematically investigate the simultaneous anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of plant-derived hypoglycemic medicines in diabetic experimental models. The search terms consisted of "diabetes", "herbal medicine", "antioxidant", "Inflammatory biomarker", and their equivalents among PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases up to 17 August 2021. Throughout the search of databases, 201 eligible experimental studies were recorded. The results showed that the most commonly assessed inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers were tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL) 6, IL-1β, IL-10, malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO). The activity of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and catalase (CAT) were assessed in the present review. Among herbal treatments, Trigonella foenum-graecum L., Centella asiatica (L.) Urb., Vitis vinifera L., and Moringa oleifera Lam. were most commonly used for diabetic complications. Due to the dispersion of the treatments, meta-analysis was not applicable. Our findings showed that the application of different plant-derived hypoglycemic treatments in animal models improved diabetes and its complications, as well as modulated concomitant inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers. These findings suggest that plant-based antidiabetic medicines and food supplements have the potential to manage diabetes and its complications.

Hydroxychloroquine as a potential therapy for ANCA-associated vasculitis

Antimalarial agents have been used to treat various autoimmune rheumatic diseases for over a century. Hydroxychloroquine is a safe, effective and inexpensive antimalarial drug with additional antithrombotic, cardioprotective, antimicrobial, and anti-neoplastic benefits. It has been used extensively in various diseases, especially systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis; however, it has not been used in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated vasculitides (AAVs). There exists a significant unmet need for safe and inexpensive treatments for non-severe AAV or those with low-grade “grumbling” disease activity who do not warrant significant escalation of therapy but who remain at risk of disease flares and damage accumulation. Hydroxychloroquine may be an option to help fill this void. Although the mechanisms of action of Hydroxychloroquine are not fully understood, it interacts with various inflammatory mediators involved in the pathogenesis of AAV. Based on these benefits, along with the unmet need in AAV, we present evidence to support the use of Hydroxychloroquine as a potential therapy for AAV.

Management strategies following implantation failure of euploid embryos.

Euploid blastocyst implantation failure may result from embryonic factors undetectable by preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A); however, various nonembryonic factors can also intricately interfere with implantation. This review seeks to clarify evidence-based testing and treatments for implantation failure after euploid embryo transfer. We conducted a review of the literature on implantation failure after euploid embryo transfer or multiple embryo transfer cycles, which mainly included systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The recommended tests for implantation failure include (1) hysteroscopy, (2) endometrial CD138 immunohistochemistry and bacterial culture, (3) serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, and (4) thrombophilia screening. Based on diagnostic findings, the following treatments have been recommended: (1) antibiotics for chronic endometritis, (2) vitamin D replacement, (3) lifestyle modification, and (4) low-dose aspirin starting from the postimplantation period for thrombophilia. Moreover, frozen-thawed single euploid blastocyst transfer using assisted hatching and hyaluronan-enriched transfer medium may support embryo implantation. To ensure a successful pregnancy in subsequent embryo transfers, simple, inexpensive, and evidence-based tests and treatments should be selected.

Analysis of some flavonoids for inhibitory mechanism against cancer target phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) using computational tool.

Cancer has been one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide over the past few years. Some progress has been made in the development of more effective cancer therapeutics, resulting in improved survival rates. However, the desired outcome in the form of successful treatment is yet to be achieved. There is high demand for the development of innovative, inexpensive, and effective anticancer treatments using natural resources. Natural compounds have been increasingly discovered and used for cancer therapy owing to their high molecular diversity, novel biofunctionality, and minimal side effects. These compounds can be utilized as chemopreventive agents because they can efficiently inhibit cell growth, control cell cycle progression, and block several tumor-promoting signaling pathways. PI3K is an important upstream protein of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway and a well-established cancer therapeutic target. This study aimed to explore the small molecules, natural flavonoids, viz. quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, genistein, wogonin, daidzein, and flavopiridol for PI3Kγ kinase activity inhibition. In this study, the binding pose, interacting residues, molecular interactions, binding energies, and dissociation constants were investigated. Our results showed that these flavonoids bound well with PI3Kγ with adequate binding strength scores and binding energy ranging from (-8.19 to -8.97Kcal/mol). Among the explored ligands, flavopiridol showed the highest binding energy of -8.97Kcal/mol, dock score (-44.40), and dissociation constant term, of 6.58 against PI3Kγ. Based on the above results, the stability of the most promising ligand, flavopiridol, against PI3Kγ was evaluated by molecular dynamics simulations for 200ns, confirming the stable flavopiridol and PI3Kγ complex. Our study suggests that among the selected flavonoids specifically flavopiridol may act as potential inhibitors of PI3Kγ and could be a therapeutic alternative to inhibit the PI3Kγ pathway, providing new insights into rational drug discovery research for cancer therapy.

Ratings of the Effectiveness of 13 Therapeutic Diets for Autism Spectrum Disorder: Results of a National Survey.

This study presents the results of the effectiveness of 13 therapeutic diets for autism spectrum disorder from 818 participants of a national survey, including benefits, adverse effects, and symptom improvements. The average Overall Benefit of diets was 2.36 (0 = no benefit, 4 = great benefit), which was substantially higher than for nutraceuticals (1.59/4.0) and psychiatric/seizure medications (1.39/4.0), p < 0.001. The average Overall Adverse Effects of diets was significantly lower than psychiatric/seizure medications (0.10 vs. 0.93, p < 0.001) and similar to nutraceuticals (0.16). Autism severity decreased slightly over time in participants who used diet vs. increasing slightly in those that did not (p < 0.001). Healthy and Feingold diets were the two top-rated diets by Overall Benefit; the ketogenic diet was the highest for nine symptoms (though had fewer respondents); and the gluten-free/casein-free diet was among the top for overall symptom improvements. Different diets were reported to affect different symptoms, suggesting that an individual's symptoms could be used to guide which diet(s) may be the most effective. The results suggest that therapeutic diets can be safe and effective interventions for improving some ASD-related symptoms with few adverse effects. We recommend therapeutic diets that include healthy foods and exclude problematic foods. Therapeutic diets are inexpensive treatments that we recommend for consideration by most people with ASD.

Rainfall erosion of natural fibers cement treated mud

This study evaluated the possible application of inexpensive mud stabilization treatments for the purpose of reducing soil erosion. The soil erosion was investigated by measuring soil loss over the surface of compacted specimens made by natural fibers cement treated mud exposed to a rainfall test sequence. The compacted specimens were made by adding 5 kg/m3 to 50 kg/m3 cement and 0 kg/m3 to 20 kg/m3 natural fibers to 40% to 60% water content mud. The results showed that the increasing of either cement content or natural fibers content reduced the soil erosion from 50% to 80%. Furthermore, a numerical function was developed to predict the value of soil loss of the treated mud based on the ratio of cement content, natural fibers content and initial water content.

Testing the absorption coefficient of 3D printed perforated panels

Sound absorption is common in most studios, but most residential spaces are not designed for good acoustics. While these rooms are non-ideal, they are sometimes used to record sounds and need to absorb unwanted frequencies. Perforated 3D printed panels have the potential to make inexpensive and modular home treatments. In order to determine if these panels would be effective, the absorptive properties need to be evaluated. There are several ways to test sound absorption, including the in situ subtraction method and the impedance tube transfer function method. Reference materials were used to test the effectiveness of both measurement methods. 3D printed perforated panels were then designed and the absorption was tested. Each surface was tested with the subtraction method, and many different setups for the equipment were tested to find the ideal setup for the most accurate absorption coefficient. The results show varying success. The 3D printed panels were then tested with the transfer function method. An impedance tube was made using PVC pipes and was used to test the transfer function method. This method showed varying results for the absorption coefficient tested, and results will be presented.

Determinants of care-seeking behaviour for fever, acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea among children under five in Nigeria

BackgroundDespite available, inexpensive and effective treatments, malaria, diarrhoea, and pneumonia still contribute the majority of the global burden of childhood morbidity and mortality. Nigeria has the highest absolute numbers of child deaths worldwide. Appropriate care-seeking is important for prompt diagnosis, appropriate and timely treatment, and prevention of complications. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the prevalence of and factors associated with appropriate care-seeking for childhood illnesses.MethodsWe used the most recent Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (2018) to assess the prevalence of appropriate care-seeking among mothers of children under five with symptoms of common childhood illnesses. For diarrhoea, we defined appropriate care-seeking as seeking care from a formal health provider. For fever and acute respiratory infection (ARI), appropriate care-seeking was defined as seeking care from a formal provider the day of or after symptom onset. Multivariate logistic regression was carried out to assess factors associated with optimal care-seeking for each illness.ResultsAt least 25% of parents did not seek any care for children with fever or ARI; this figure was over one third for diarrhoea. Only 15% and 13% of caregivers showed appropriate care-seeking for their children with fever and ARI respectively, and 27% of mothers sought care from a formal provider for diarrhoea. Predictors of appropriate care-seeking varied according to childhood illness. Previous facility delivery was the only risk factor associated with increased odds of appropriate care-seeking for all three illnesses; other risk factors varied between illnesses.ConclusionOverall, care-seeking for childhood illnesses was suboptimal among caregivers in Nigeria. Interventions to increase caregivers’ awareness of the importance of appropriate care-seeking are needed alongside quality of care interventions that reinforce people’s trust in formal health facilities, to improve timely care-seeking and ultimately reduce the high burden of child deaths in Nigeria.

A new approach of immunotherapy against Crotalus snakes envenoming: ostrich (Struthio camelus) egg yolk antibodies (IgY-technology)

Crotalid envenomation is a neglected collective health problem involving many countries in America, which need secure and inexpensive snake anti-venom treatments. Here, high antibody titers (IgY) were raised in the Ostrich (Struthio camelus) egg yolk by immunizing with the venom of Venezuelan venomous Crotalus snakes. Ostriches were immunized with a pool of venoms from common rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus cumanensis), Uracoan rattlesnake (Crotalus vegrandis), Guayana rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus ruruima) and black rattlesnake (Crotalus pifanorum). The anti-snake venom antibodies were prepared from egg yolk by the water dilution method, enriched by the addition of caprylic acid (CA) and precipitation with ammonium sulfate at 30% (W/V). The purity and molecular mass of the final product was satisfactory, yielding a single ∼ 175 kDa band in SDS-PAGE gels ran under non-reducing conditions. In the immunoblot analysis, specific binding of the antivenom was observed with most venom proteins. The LD50 was 16.5 g/mouse (825 µg/kg body weight). High titers of IgY against Crot/pool venom were shown by ELISA. The median effective dose (ED50) was 19.66 mg/2LD50. IgY antibodies neutralized efficiently the Crot/pool venom lethality. As far as we know, this is the first anti-snake venom produced in ostriches, which could make this technology an affordable alternative for low-income countries, since it is likely to produce about 2-4 g of IgY per ostrich egg. Hence, almost 400 g of IgY can be purified from only one ostrich during a year. In addition, there are enormous differences in the cost of investment in the maintenance of horses, from the points of view of infrastructure, feeding and veterinary care, in which the cost can reach USD 100 per animal per day, compared to a maintenance cost of USD 146 per month per producing bird. These results are encouraging and could easily be extrapolated to the manufacturing of other antivenoms and antitoxins as well, as they could be applied to the manufacturing of potential diagnostic tools.

Enabling Al-metal anodes for aqueous electrochemical cells by using low-cost eutectic mixtures as artificial protective interphase

Elemental aluminum is an exciting battery anode material due to its high abundance and volumetric capacity (8040 mAh cm−3). However, it tends to form a stubborn surface oxide layer that blocks ion transport through the electrode–electrolyte interphase and stops battery cyclability. To circumvent this problem, here we engineer an artificial protective barrier layer on metallic Al by using AlCl3 + urea and AlCl3 + triethylamine hydrochloride eutectic coating formulations. We find both coatings provide significantly facile ion migration kinetics at the anode/electrolyte interface, enabling a drastic reduction in anodic electroplating/stripping overpotentials, but AlCl3 + urea is superior. Using depth-profiling XPS spectroscopy and impedance studies, we find that the AlCl3 + urea derived artificial interphase is also stable in ambient air, affording extended protection for metallic Al anodes from air-oxidation in the form of a battery electrode SEI. We demo the eutectic-treated Al anode (UTAl) based on a FeHCF | 2 m AlTFS | UTAl full cell chemistry and obtain a stable battery performance of ∼ 60 Wh kg−1 over 100 cycles. Our study promotes the strategic viability of using facile, inexpensive reagent treatments to enable the application of water-based electrolytes for rechargeable Al-ion batteries, and specifically encourages systematic exploration of analogue coating formulations using our anode enhancement protocol for similar high-capacity metal/alloy battery chemistries.

Phytochemical Analysis and Anti-cancer Activity of Rhinacanthus nasutus

Cancer is a condition in which the body cells multiply uncontrollably. It is a deadly disease that develops over the time and it is defined by persistent, aberrant and relatively autonomous cell proliferation as a result of a permanent cellular defect that is handed down to the progeny. It is one of the most common diseases in human population and ongoing identification of new anticancer medicines from natural sources is of great scientific and commercial importance. New, effective and inexpensive anti-cancer treatments are constantly in demand. Traditional medicine is an important and alternative resource for discovering new anti-cancer drugs. One such a medicinal plant Rhinacanthus nasutus (L) (Acanthaceae) comprises three main alkaloids: Rhinacanthin C, Rhinacanthin D and Rhinacanthin N. Rhinacanthin has been considered to have the ability to stop the aberrant cell growth and development. However, no scientific reports on cancer disease has been published. Hence in the present study focused on analysis of phytochemicals in aqueous extract of Rhinacanthus nasutus. The phytochemical analysis of R.nasutus, revealed the presence of alkaloids, phenols, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, steroids and terpenoids except cardiac glycosides. The aqueous extract of Rhinacanthus nasutus possesses a higher concentration of phenolic compounds and flavonoids, according to quantitative phytochemical study. It also possesses the good free radical scavenging activity. Hence the present study, focussed on analysis of phytochemicals and free radical scavenging activity of R.nasutus, will be useful in the synthesis and preparation of new drugs of pharmaceutical importance

Zirconium Based MOFs and Their Potential Use in Water Remediation: Current Achievements and Possibilities

Water pollution and scarcity are two of the most serious problems humanity is currently facing. Therefore, it is important to develop effective and inexpensive technologies and treatments to remove key pollutants from water. Zr based Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are new materials with the potential to remove organic and inorganic pollutants. However, it is important to critically analyze their performance in laboratory trials to evaluate their scalability potential for wastewater treatment. This document presents a critical review of the most recent studies and advances regarding Zr based MOFs, specifically the UiO-66 and Ui-O67 MOFs and analogous materials. We found that, although these materials are effective at removing inorganic and organic pollutants in water, there are still available research opportunities and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed. There is a need to further understand the mechanisms involved in the removal process to be able to develop more effective materials and/or to determine the best operating conditions during its implementation. Variations in removal efficiencies between the same MOFs also call for a more detailed description of the synthesis, as well as a better characterization of the material. This is because small variations in the characteristics of MOFs lead to non-homogeneous results, making accurate predictions of their removal capacity more difficult to determine. Finally, there is a need to better understand the stability of Zr based MOFs, as well as their removal capacity and reusability in wastewater with competitive ions, at standard pH and temperature operating conditions.

28228 Effects of timolol on wound healing: A single-center retrospective study

Introduction: Ulcers are the costliest skin condition in the United States, which calls for inexpensive treatments that expedite wound healing. Topical timolol is an inexpensive and well-tolerated beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist that has been reported to facilitate wound healing.

Pathways Related to the Anti-Cancer Effects of Metabolites Derived from Cerrado Biome Native Plants: An Update and Bioinformatics Analysis on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Oral cancer is a significant health problem worldwide. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a malignant neoplasm of epithelial cells that mostly affects different anatomical sites in the head and neck and derives from the squamous epithelium or displays similar morphological characteristics. Generally, OSCC is often the end stage of several changes in the stratified squamous epithelium, which begin as epithelial dysplasia and progress by breaking the basement membrane and invading adjacent tissues. Several plant-based drugs with potent anti-cancer effects are considered inexpensive treatments with limited side effects for cancer and other diseases. The aim of this review is to explore whether some Brazilian plant extracts or constituents exhibit anti-tumorigenic activity or have a cytotoxic effect on human oral carcinoma cells. Briefly, OSCC and several metabolites derived from Brazilian plants (i.e., flavonoids, vinblastine, irinotecan, etoposide and paclitaxel) were used as keywords to search the literature on PubMed, GenBank and GeneCards. The results showed that these five chemical compounds found in Cerrado Biome plants exhibit anti-neoplastic effects. Evaluating the compounds revealed that they play a main role in the regulation of cell proliferation. Preserving and utilising the biodiversity of our planet, especially in unique ecosystems, such as the Cerrado Biome, may prove essential to preserving and promoting human health in modern contexts.

Cationic Peptidomimetic Amphiphiles Having a N-Aryl- or N-Naphthyl-1,2,3-Triazole Core Structure Targeting Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile: Synthesis, Antibacterial Evaluation, and an In Vivo C. difficile Infection Model.

Clostridioides (also known as Clostridium) difficile is a Gram-positive anaerobic, spore producing bacterial pathogen that causes severe gastrointestinal infection in humans. The current chemotherapeutic options are inadequate, expensive, and limited, and thus inexpensive drug treatments for C. difficile infection (CDI) with improved efficacy and specificity are urgently needed. To improve the solubility of our cationic amphiphilic 1,1′-binaphthylpeptidomimetics developed earlier that showed promise in an in vivo murine CDI model we have synthesized related compounds with an N-arytriazole or N-naphthyltriazole moiety instead of the 1,1′-biphenyl or 1,1′-binaphthyl moiety. This modification was made to increase the polarity and thus water solubility of the overall peptidomimetics, while maintaining the aromatic character. The dicationic N-naphthyltriazole derivative 40 was identified as a C. difficile-selective antibacterial with MIC values of 8 µg/mL against C. difficile strains ATCC 700057 and 132 (both ribotype 027). This compound displayed increased water solubility and reduced hemolytic activity (32 µg/mL) in an in vitro hemolysis assay and reduced cytotoxicity (CC50 32 µg/mL against HEK293 cells) relative to lead compound 2. Compound 40 exhibited mild efficacy (with 80% survival observed after 24 h compared to the DMSO control of 40%) in an in vivo murine model of C. difficile infection by reducing the severity and slowing the onset of disease.

Potential of Piper spp. as a source of new compounds for the leishmaniases treatment.

Current treatment guidelines for leishmaniasis is based on chemotherapy with drugs that show a set of limitations such as high cost, toxicity, difficult route of administration, and lack of efficacy in endemic areas. In this context, phytopharmaceutical products and herbal medicines emerge as promising alternatives for developing new treatment against leishmaniasis. This review discusses the perspectives of leishmaniasis treatment based on natural products and phytotherapy highlighting the Piper genus, especially P. aduncun and P. mollicomum Kunth covering the period of 1998 to 2020. Leishmanicidal activity of pure compounds of Piper spp. [3-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl) propanoic acid, 3-chlorosintenpyridone, 2'-hydroxy-3',4',6'-trimethoxy-chalcone, cardamonin, conocarpan, cubebin, eupomatenoid, flavokavain B, ( +)-(7R,8S)-epoxy-5,6-didehydrokavain, N-[7-(3',4'-methylenedioxypheny l-2(E),4(E)-heptadienoyl-pyrrolidine, N-[7-(3',4'-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2(Z),4(Z)-heptadienoyl-pyrrolidine, piperovatine, pellitorine, and piplartine (piperlongumine)] were proved against the promastigote and amastigote forms of parasite related with cutaneous (L. (L.) amazonensis, L. (V.) braziliensis, and L. (V.) guyanensis) and visceral (L. (L.) donovani, L. (L.) chagasi, and L. (L.) infantum). We also discussed the perspective of leishmaniasis treatment, considering the potential synergism between different promising species of Piper, presenting some interesting interaction possibilities for future studies between plants. Finally, the necessary steps for technological development of phytomedicines and herbal medicines with the desirable quality requirements for medicines are highlighted. The data presented here highlight the use of Piper spp. as source of pharmacological compounds that can lead to effective, safe, and inexpensive treatments for leishmaniasis.

Fabrication and properties of alginate-hydroxyapatite biocomposites as efficient biomaterials for bone regeneration

Restricted self-recovery that pursues a bone injury and the need of inexpensive and painless clinical treatments for tissue regeneration require new pathways developments to fabricate biocompatible and biodegradable scaffolding materials. For these requirements, covalent crosslinked alginate and alginate/Mg-doped hydroxyapatite (MgHAp) hydrogels are fabricated by “click” chemistry to mimic highly porous structures with the dimensional hierarchy of bone tissue. Cells viability, proliferation and cytotoxicity are reported. These scaffolds show high pore volume with adequate size and interconnectivity for osseous tissue regeneration. An uniform dispersion of low content of bioactive MgHAp nanoparticles on the surface of pore walls allows a good preosteoblast cell attachment and proliferation.

Titanium industrial residues surface modification towards its reuse as antimicrobial surfaces

In this study, a new material obtained from titanium ingots residue was coated with natural carotenoids having antibacterial properties. The waste is a no recycling titanium scrap from technological production process which was pressed and transformed into disks titanium samples. Through anodization and annealing procedures of the titanium disk, a nanostructured titanium dioxide surface with photocatalytic and antibacterial properties was successfully obtained. The titanium scrap impurities (V, Al, and N), unwanted for production process, have shown to improve electrochemical and semiconductor properties of the residue surfaces. The nanostructured titanium scrap surface was modified with two different carotenoids, torularhodin and β-carotene, to potentiate the antibacterial properties. The bactericidal tests were performed against Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli, both Gram-negative. The best bactericidal effect is obtained for nanostructured titanium scrap disks immersed in torularhodin, with a percentage of growth inhibition around 60% against both tested bacteria. The results suggest that this low-cost waste material is suitable for efficient reuse as antibacterial surface after a few simple and inexpensive treatments.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Light Dark Therapy for Maternal Postpartum Insomnia Symptoms: Protocol of a Parallel-Group Randomised Controlled Efficacy Trial.

Background: Symptoms of insomnia are common in new mothers and have been associated with a range of negative maternal and child outcomes. Despite this, interventions to improve maternal postpartum sleep remain scarce. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Light Dark Therapy (LDT) represent two promising interventions for insomnia symptoms and associated daytime consequences such as fatigue. This randomised controlled trial examines whether CBT and LDT improve maternal insomnia symptoms as the primary outcome and maternal sleep disturbance, mood, fatigue, and sleepiness as secondary outcomes. This protocol paper outlines the development, design, and implementation of the trial.Methods: Participants are an Australian community-sample of 90 first-time mothers who are 4–12 months postpartum with self-reported symptoms of insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index scores ≥ 8). Exclusion criteria include current severe sleep/psychiatric disorders, unsettled infant sleep behaviour, sleep-affecting medication use, and photosensitivity. Eligible women are randomised into a CBT (strategies targeting sleep, worries, fatigue, and relaxation), LDT, or a treatment-as-usual control condition. Interventions are therapist-assisted and personalised through two telephone calls and include a series of automated intervention emails delivered over 6 weeks. Primary and secondary outcomes are assessed at four time points: baseline, intervention mid-point, post-intervention, and 1-month post-intervention.Discussion: If found effective, these interventions could represent efficacious, safe, and inexpensive treatments for improving postpartum insomnia and mitigate its negative impact on maternal well-being. Interventions tested are highly scalable and can be integrated into postpartum care and made available to the broader community.ANZCTR trial registration: Accessible at: https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12618000842268.