Search Results for: Linee guida su HIV, epatite e malattie sessualmente trasmissibili.

Stroke, Ahead of Print. BACKGROUND:HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are associated with increased risk of carotid artery atherosclerotic plaque and stroke. We examined associations of HIV- and HCV-related factors with echomorphologic features of carotid artery plaque.METHODS:This cross-sectional study included participants from the MACS (Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study)/WIHS (Women’s Interagency HIV Study) Combined Cohort Study who underwent high-resolution B-mode carotid artery ultrasound. Plaques were characterized from 6 areas of the right carotid artery. Poisson regression controlling for demographic and cardiometabolic risk factors determined adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) and 95% CIs for associations of HIV- and HCV-related factors with echomorphologic features.RESULTS:Of 2655 participants (65% women, median age 44 [interquartile range, 37–50] years), 1845 (70%) were living with HIV, 600 (23%) were living with HCV, and 425 (16%) had carotid plaque. There were 191 plaques identified in 129 (11%) women with HIV, 51 plaques in 32 (7%) women without HIV, 248 plaques in 171 (28%) men with HIV, and 139 plaques in 93 (29%) men without HIV. Adjusted analyses showed that people with HIV and current CD4+count

Background
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of mortality among women of childbearing age and a significant contributor to maternal mortality. Pregnant women with TB are at high risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to determine risk factors for an adverse pregnancy outcome among pregnant women diagnosed with TB.

Methods
Using TB programmatic data, this retrospective cohort analysis included all women who were routinely diagnosed with TB in the public sector between October 2018 and March 2020 in two health subdistricts of Cape Town, and who were documented to be pregnant during their TB episode. Adverse pregnancy outcome was defined as either a live birth of an infant weighing

Introduction
Sexually diverse Muslim men are seen to be at a higher risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections due to their limited access to sexual healthcare services. We outline a protocol to conduct a scoping review of research on the barriers that may impede these men’s access to sexual healthcare.

Methods and analysis
To conduct this scoping review, we will follow the methodological framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses’ extension for scoping reviews. To classify the barriers to sexual healthcare, we will employ Bronfenbrenner’s socioecological model as a conceptual framework. We will conduct a literature search via Medline, Embase and Global Health (OVID); Scopus; CINAHL on EBSCOhost along with several other EBSCOhost databases (Academic Search Complete, Canadian Reference Centre, Alternative Press Index, Family & Society Studies Worldwide, Social Work Abstracts) and Google Scholar, published until November 2023. Journal articles, published in the English language, describing quantitative and qualitative research on sexual healthcare access barriers for sexually diverse Muslim men will be included in the review. Commentaries and correspondences, along with grey literature including research reports and conference abstracts, as well as studies that do not include men with the Muslim faith, will be considered ineligible. Following screening of titles and abstracts, we will conduct a full-text screening to determine the final number of studies to be included in the review. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet will be used to extract study characteristics, and information on sexual healthcare access barriers will be classified according to the socioecological model’s core concepts.

Ethics and dissemination
Our review does not require ethics approval. We will disseminate the review findings through peer-reviewed academic journals, seminars and conference presentations.

Introduction
The measure of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data in electronic health records (EHR) has been critical for addressing health disparities and inequalities, especially for HIV care. Given that gender and sexual minorities (eg, transgender, men who have sex with men and intersex) are key groups in people living with HIV (PLWH), SOGI data can facilitate a more accurate understanding about the HIV outcomes (eg, viral suppression) among this key group and then lead to tailored therapeutic services. The two-step SOGI collection method as an emerging gender measurement can be used to measure SOGI status in medical settings. Using the statewide cohort of PLWH in South Carolina (SC), this project aims to: (1) integrate statewide PLWH cohort data with their birth certificate data to evaluate SOGI measurements from multiple EHR sources; and (2) examine differences in viral suppression based on SOGI measurements.

Methods and analysis
Our EHR database includes several HIV data sources with patients’ gender information, such as SC Department of Health and Environmental Control Centre (DHEC), Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) and Prisma as well as birth certificate data to retrieve the sex at birth. The SC Enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System (e-HARS) from DHEC will provide longitudinal viral load information to define a variety of viral suppression status. Datasources like the SC office of Revenue and Fiscal Affairs (RFA) will extract longitudinal EHR clinical data of all PLWH in SC from multiple health systems; obtain data from other state agencies and link the patient-level data with county-level data from multiple publicly available data sources.

Ethics and dissemination
The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of South Carolina (Pro00129906) as a Non-Human Subject study. The study’s findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated at national and international conferences and through social media.

Receiving doxycycline after sex did not lead to fewer chlamydia or gonorrhea infections among cisgender women compared with standard care, according to results from a randomized clinical trial involving 449 participants aged 18 to 30 years in Kenya who were also receiving preexposure prophylaxis against HIV. These findings contrast previous research that showed taking doxycycline within 72 hours after a sexual encounter protects cisgender men who have sex with men and transgender women from sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

New England Journal of Medicine, Ahead of Print.

This case report describes a man in his 50s with HIV/AIDS who presented with widely scattered recalcitrant mpox lesions.

“Diffondere i vaccini contro il papillomavirus e l’epatite B”

Introduction
Heavy alcohol use among people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa can hinder the success of HIV treatment programmes, impacting progress towards United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS goals. Primary partners can provide critical forms of social support to reduce heavy drinking and could be included in motivational interviewing (MI) interventions to address heavy drinking; however, few studies have evaluated MI interventions for couples living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. We aim to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a couple-based MI intervention with mobile breathalyser technology to reduce heavy alcohol use and improve HIV treatment outcomes among HIV-affected couples in South Africa.

Methods and analysis
We will employ a three-arm randomised controlled trial to assess the efficacy of couple-based MI (MI-only arm) and in conjunction with mobile breathalysers (MI-plus arm) to address alcohol use and HIV outcomes, as compared with enhanced usual care (control arm). We will enrol heterosexual couples aged 18–49 in a primary relationship for at least 6 months who have at least one partner reporting hazardous alcohol use and on antiretroviral therapy for 6 months. Participants in both MI arms will attend three manualised counselling sessions and those in the MI-plus arm will receive real-time feedback on blood alcohol concentration levels using a mobile breathalyser. Couples randomised in the control arm will receive enhanced usual care based on the South African ART Clinical Guidelines. Feasibility and acceptability indicators will be analysed descriptively, and exploratory hypotheses will be examined through regression models considering time points and treatment arms.

Ethics and dissemination
The study was approved by the University of California, San Francisco (HRPP; protocol number 21-35034) and Human Sciences Research Council Research Ethics Committee (REC: protocol number 1/27/20/21). We will disseminate the results at local community meetings, community-level health gatherings and conferences focused on HIV and alcohol use.

Trial registration number
NCT05756790.

In HIV and ID Observations, Dr. Paul asks, “How often do you use printed medical textbooks?”

Arrivati con gli accompagnatori, hanno passato una notte tranquilla

Arrivati con accompagnatori, hanno passato una notte tranquilla

Introduction
HIV self-testing (HIVST) is where individuals collect their specimens and perform the HIV test privately. HIVST has improved testing uptake and coverage, especially among vulnerable groups of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Vulnerable groups include key populations such as men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and young women. However, little is known about the determinants and acceptability of HIVST among these groups in SSA. Therefore, this scoping review aims to explore the determinants and acceptability of HIVST among vulnerable groups in SSA.

Methods
A scoping review will be conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley framework and further refined by Levac framework. The review will follow a six-step approach: (1) identifying the research question, (2) identifying relevant studies, (3) study selection eligibility, (4) charting the data, (5) collating, summarising and reporting the results and (6) consultation. A comprehensive search strategy will be developed, and the following electronic databases will be searched: MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health and the Cochrane Library. Grey literature will also be searched, including conference abstracts and reports. Eligibility criteria will include studies conducted in SSA, published between 2010 and 2023, focusing on vulnerable groups and exploring the determinants and acceptability of HIVST. Two independent reviewers will screen identified studies’ titles, abstracts and full texts. Any disagreements will be resolved through discussion or consultation with a third reviewer. Data extraction will be conducted using a standardised form.

Ethics and dissemination
This review, not requiring ethical approval, aims to inform policy and intervention design to boost HIV testing adoption within vulnerable communities. We plan to disseminate our findings via a peer-reviewed journal, policy briefs, conference presentations and stakeholder engagement.