
Alain Amstutz
- Researcher (Visiting Postdoc); MD PhD
Publications 2023
Effects of remdesivir in patients hospitalised with COVID-19: a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Lancet Respir Med, 11 (5), 453-464
DOI 10.1016/S2213-2600(22)00528-8, PubMed 36828006
Head-to-head comparison of the WHO STEPwise approach with immediate unattended and delayed unattended automated blood pressure measurements during household-based screening: a diagnostic accuracy study in Lesotho
EClinicalMedicine, 63, 102197
DOI 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102197, PubMed 37680951
Prevalence and determinants of cardiovascular risk factors in Lesotho: a population-based survey
Int Health (in press)
DOI 10.1093/inthealth/ihad058, PubMed 37593886
Antibody Response After Third Vaccination With mRNA-1273 or BNT162b2: Extension of a Randomized Controlled SARS-CoV-2 Noninferiority Vaccine Trial in Patients With Different Levels of Immunosuppression (COVERALL-2)
Open Forum Infect Dis, 10 (4), ofad150
DOI 10.1093/ofid/ofad150, PubMed 37035486
Impact of a multi-disease integrated screening and diagnostic model for COVID-19, TB, and HIV in Lesotho
PLOS Glob Public Health, 3 (8), e0001488
DOI 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001488, PubMed 37531333
Effectiveness of a peer educator-coordinated preference-based differentiated service delivery model on viral suppression among young people living with HIV in Lesotho: The PEBRA cluster-randomized trial
PLoS Med, 20 (1), e1004150
DOI 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004150, PubMed 36595523
Head-to-head comparison of nasal and nasopharyngeal sampling using SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen testing in Lesotho
PLoS One, 18 (3), e0278653
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0278653, PubMed 36862684
Publications 2022
Dolutegravir in real life: Self-reported mental and physical health outcomes after transitioning from efavirenz- to dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy in a prospective cohort study in Lesotho
HIV Med, 24 (2), 153-162
DOI 10.1111/hiv.13352, PubMed 35730213
Community-based care models for arterial hypertension management in non-pregnant adults in sub-Saharan Africa: a literature scoping review and framework for designing chronic services
BMC Public Health, 22 (1), 1126
DOI 10.1186/s12889-022-13467-4, PubMed 35658850
Correction: Community-based care models for arterial hypertension management in non-pregnant adults in sub-Saharan Africa: a literature scoping review and framework for designing chronic services
BMC Public Health, 22 (1), 1640
DOI 10.1186/s12889-022-13988-y, PubMed 36058899
Reporting quality of clinical trial protocols: a repeated cross-sectional study about the Adherence to SPIrit Recommendations in Switzerland, CAnada and GErmany (ASPIRE-SCAGE)
BMJ Open, 12 (5), e053417
DOI 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053417, PubMed 35613804
Recent HIV infections among newly diagnosed individuals living with HIV in rural Lesotho: Secondary data from the VIBRA cluster-randomized trial
PLoS One, 17 (11), e0277812
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0277812, PubMed 36409754
The Suboptimal Pediatric HIV Viral Load Cascade: Multidistrict Cohort Study Among Children Taking Antiretroviral Therapy in Lesotho, Southern Africa
Pediatr Infect Dis J, 41 (3), e75-e80
DOI 10.1097/INF.0000000000003415, PubMed 34862344
Etiology, characteristics and occurrence of heart diseases in rural Lesotho (ECHO-Lesotho): A retrospective echocardiography cohort study
PLoS One, 17 (12), e0278406
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0278406, PubMed 36520796
eHealth supported multi-months dispensing of antiretroviral therapy: a mixed-methods preference assessment in rural Lesotho
Pilot Feasibility Stud, 8 (1), 61
DOI 10.1186/s40814-022-01019-x, PubMed 35277206
Nonregistration, discontinuation, and nonpublication of randomized trials: A repeated metaresearch analysis
PLoS Med, 19 (4), e1003980
DOI 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003980, PubMed 35476675
Assessment of a viral load result-triggered automated differentiated service delivery model for people taking ART in Lesotho (the VITAL study): Study protocol of a cluster-randomized trial
PLoS One, 17 (5), e0268100
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0268100, PubMed 35511950
Publications 2021
Offering ART refill through community health workers versus clinic-based follow-up after home-based same-day ART initiation in rural Lesotho: The VIBRA cluster-randomized clinical trial
PLoS Med, 18 (10), e1003839
DOI 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003839, PubMed 34673765
Reaching Absent and Refusing Individuals During Home-Based HIV Testing Through Self-Testing-at What Cost?
Front Med (Lausanne), 8, 653677
DOI 10.3389/fmed.2021.653677, PubMed 34268321
Extensive drug resistance during low-level HIV viraemia while taking NNRTI-based ART supports lowering the viral load threshold for regimen switch in resource-limited settings: a pre-planned analysis from the SESOTHO trial
J Antimicrob Chemother, 76 (5), 1294-1298
DOI 10.1093/jac/dkab025, PubMed 33599270
Viral suppression after transition from nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor- to dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy: A prospective cohort study in Lesotho (DO-REAL study)
HIV Med, 23 (3), 287-293
DOI 10.1111/hiv.13189, PubMed 34632682
Community-based models of care for management of type 2 diabetes mellitus among non-pregnant adults in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol
F1000Res, 10, 535
DOI 10.12688/f1000research.52114.2, PubMed 35387273
Reporting quality of trial protocols improved for non-regulated interventions but not regulated interventions: A repeated cross-sectional study
J Clin Epidemiol, 139, 340-349
DOI 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.05.011, PubMed 34029678
The coArtHA trial-identifying the most effective treatment strategies to control arterial hypertension in sub-Saharan Africa: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Trials, 22 (1), 77
DOI 10.1186/s13063-021-05023-z, PubMed 33478567
Publications 2020
Engagement in Care, Viral Suppression, Drug Resistance, and Reasons for Nonengagement After Home-Based Same-Day Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation in Lesotho: A Two-Year Follow-up of the CASCADE Trial
Clin Infect Dis, 71 (10), 2608-2614
DOI 10.1093/cid/ciz1126, PubMed 31781759
"If it is left, it becomes easy for me to get tested": Use of oral self-tests and community health workers to maximize the potential of home-based HIV testing among adolescents in Lesotho
J Int AIDS Soc, 23 Suppl 5 (Suppl 5), e25563
DOI 10.1002/jia2.25563, PubMed 32869527
Home-based oral self-testing for absent and declining individuals during a door-to-door HIV testing campaign in rural Lesotho (HOSENG): a cluster-randomised trial
Lancet HIV, 7 (11), e752-e761
DOI 10.1016/S2352-3018(20)30233-2, PubMed 33045193
Low rates of active hepatitis B and C infections among adults and children living with HIV and taking antiretroviral therapy: A multicenter screening study in Lesotho
J Med Virol (in press)
DOI 10.1002/jmv.25970, PubMed 32369206
Switch to second-line versus continued first-line antiretroviral therapy for patients with low-level HIV-1 viremia: An open-label randomized controlled trial in Lesotho
PLoS Med, 17 (9), e1003325
DOI 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003325, PubMed 32936795
Genotype-Informed Versus Empiric Management Of VirEmia (GIVE MOVE): study protocol of an open-label randomised clinical trial in children and adolescents living with HIV in Lesotho and Tanzania
BMC Infect Dis, 20 (1), 773
DOI 10.1186/s12879-020-05491-9, PubMed 33076866
Rationale and design of repeated cross-sectional studies to evaluate the reporting quality of trial protocols: the Adherence to SPIrit REcommendations (ASPIRE) study and associated projects
Trials, 21 (1), 896
DOI 10.1186/s13063-020-04808-y, PubMed 33115541
PEBRA trial - effect of a peer-educator coordinated preference-based ART service delivery model on viral suppression among adolescents and young adults living with HIV: protocol of a cluster-randomized clinical trial in rural Lesotho
BMC Public Health, 20 (1), 425
DOI 10.1186/s12889-020-08535-6, PubMed 32228531
Publications 2019
VIBRA trial - Effect of village-based refill of ART following home-based same-day ART initiation vs clinic-based ART refill on viral suppression among individuals living with HIV: protocol of a cluster-randomized clinical trial in rural Lesotho
Trials, 20 (1), 522
DOI 10.1186/s13063-019-3510-5, PubMed 31439004
The HOSENG trial - Effect of the provision of oral self-testing for absent and refusing individuals during a door-to-door HIV-testing campaign on testing coverage: protocol of a cluster-randomized clinical trial in rural Lesotho
Trials, 20 (1), 496
DOI 10.1186/s13063-019-3469-2, PubMed 31409421
The viral load monitoring cascade in a resource-limited setting: A prospective multicentre cohort study after introduction of routine viral load monitoring in rural Lesotho
PLoS One, 14 (8), e0220337
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0220337, PubMed 31461455
Effect and cost of two successive home visits to increase HIV testing coverage: a prospective study in Lesotho, Southern Africa
BMC Public Health, 19 (1), 1441
DOI 10.1186/s12889-019-7784-z, PubMed 31676001
Resource use, costs, and approval times for planning and preparing a randomized clinical trial before and after the implementation of the new Swiss human research legislation
PLoS One, 14 (1), e0210669
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0210669, PubMed 30633776
Publications 2018
SESOTHO trial ("Switch Either near Suppression Or THOusand") - switch to second-line versus WHO-guided standard of care for unsuppressed patients on first-line ART with viremia below 1000 copies/mL: protocol of a multicenter, parallel-group, open-label, randomized clinical trial in Lesotho, Southern Africa
BMC Infect Dis, 18 (1), 76
DOI 10.1186/s12879-018-2979-y, PubMed 29433430
Funding characteristics of randomised clinical trials supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation: a retrospective cohort study
Swiss Med Wkly, 148, w14587
DOI 10.4414/smw.2018.14587, PubMed 29376558
Effect of Offering Same-Day ART vs Usual Health Facility Referral During Home-Based HIV Testing on Linkage to Care and Viral Suppression Among Adults With HIV in Lesotho: The CASCADE Randomized Clinical Trial
JAMA, 319 (11), 1103-1112
DOI 10.1001/jama.2018.1818, PubMed 29509839
Publications 2017
Discontinuation and non-publication of randomised clinical trials supported by the main public funding body in Switzerland: a retrospective cohort study
BMJ Open, 7 (7), e016216
DOI 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016216, PubMed 28765131
Premature Discontinuation of Pediatric Randomized Controlled Trials: A Retrospective Cohort Study
J Pediatr, 184, 209-214.e1
DOI 10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.01.071, PubMed 28410086
Publications 2016
Agreements between Industry and Academia on Publication Rights: A Retrospective Study of Protocols and Publications of Randomized Clinical Trials
PLoS Med, 13 (6), e1002046
DOI 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002046, PubMed 27352244
Premature Discontinuation of Randomized Trials in Critical and Emergency Care: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Crit Care Med, 44 (1), 130-7
DOI 10.1097/CCM.0000000000001369, PubMed 26468895
Publications 2015
Completion and Publication Rates of Randomized Controlled Trials in Surgery: An Empirical Study
Ann Surg, 262 (1), 68-73
DOI 10.1097/SLA.0000000000000810, PubMed 24979608
An analysis of protocols and publications suggested that most discontinuations of clinical trials were not based on preplanned interim analyses or stopping rules
J Clin Epidemiol, 69, 152-60
DOI 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2015.05.023, PubMed 26361993
Publications 2014
Subgroup analyses in randomised controlled trials: cohort study on trial protocols and journal publications
BMJ, 349, g4539
DOI 10.1136/bmj.g4539, PubMed 25030633
Prevalence, characteristics, and publication of discontinued randomized trials
JAMA, 311 (10), 1045-51
DOI 10.1001/jama.2014.1361, PubMed 24618966
Publications 2012
Learning from failure--rationale and design for a study about discontinuation of randomized trials (DISCO study)
BMC Med Res Methodol, 12, 131
DOI 10.1186/1471-2288-12-131, PubMed 22928744