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Dissecting cellulitis of the scalp (DCS) is a rare skin disease and understudied. The aim of the study was to collect the demographic, clinical features and laboratory tests of patients with DCS in a dermatology outpatient clinic. A cross‐sectional study was conducted in a department of dermatology in Beijing. Patients whose diagnoses have included DCS were selected from July 2021 to December 2021. DCS patients were stratified according to whether they were follicular occlusion triad (FOT) or not. There were 169 patients with DCS included. All 169 patients were male, and the median patient age was 32 years. The most common comorbidities in this study were seborrheic dermatitis (10.65%). Over 1/3 of patients had elevated white blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil counts, and 12 of 18 patients had dyslipidemia. CD8+ T cell counts increased in 15 of 26 patients while CD4+ T/CD8+ T ratios were all normal. DCS mainly affects men in their thirties. More research about DCS is needed to clarify the clinical significance of laboratory tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: HIV/AIDS; traditional medicines; diagnosis; treatment; TCM EN HIV/AIDS traditional medicines diagnosis treatment TCM 1 3 3 05/26/22 20220524 NES 220524 HIV remains a public health threat related to human rights and social justice issues; 38 million people are living with HIV ([15]). In 2004, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) started a national TCM HIV treatment trial program (NTCMTP) that provided free TCM to patients living with HIV in 28 provinces. Traditional healers may be an effective strategy to improve the HIV care cascade and decrease mortality in Senegal ([2]), and incorporating traditional healers into HIV care could improve HIV-related outcomes. [Extracted from the article]

ABSTRACT The risk of sexual transmission of HIV is strongly correlated with amounts of genital HIV RNA. Few studies have reported amounts of HIV RNA and HIV DNA in semen in HIV-infected Chinese patients undergoing antiviral treatment (ART). In this observational study, the amounts of HIV RNA and HIV DNA in semen were assessed after six months of ART in HIV-infected Chinese individuals, when HIV RNA was undetectable in blood . This study included 19 HIV-infected Chinese men undergoing ART for six months. Amounts of HIV in paired semen and blood samples were assessed using real-time PCR. The C2-V5 region of the HIV envelope ( env) genes was cloned and sequenced and genotype and co-receptor usage predicted based on the sequence. It was found that HIV RNA was undetectable in the plasma of most patients (17/19), whereas HIV RNA could be detected in the semen of most patients (16/19). HIV DNA could be detected in both semen and blood. Genetic diversity of HIV between the seminal and blood compartments was identified. Thus, amounts of HIV RNA and HIV DNA remain high in semen of HIV-infected Chinese patients after six months of ART treatment, even when HIV RNA was undetectable in blood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rare subset of IL-10-producing B cells, named Breg, was recently identified in mice and humans. Currently, there are no unified cell surface markers to identify Breg, and the relationship between the frequency of Breg and HIV disease progression in chronic HIV infection is unclear. In the present study, we determined whether the cell surface markers of Breg reported for other diseases are suitable for identifying Breg in HIV-infected patients. In addition, we examined the relationship between Breg and HIV disease progression. We found that Breg frequency correlated positively with viral load and negatively with CD4 count in chronic HIV infection. Following antiretroviral treatment, the CD4 count increased and the frequency of Breg decreased stepwise. There was no difference in IL-10 expression of CD1dhi or CD1dlo cells isolated from HIV-infected patients. Therefore, CD1d may not be a marker of Breg in HIV-infected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives : To investigate the acceptability of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among men who have sex with men (MSM) and its associated factors. Methods : We searched studies written in English in PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science with no geographical or time restrictions. We evaluated the quality of the included literature. We calculated the pooled acceptability and performed meta-analysis of selected studies, including factors associated with the acceptability among MSM, using Review Manager (v5.3). Results : The acceptability among the 15 studies (n = 8,658) was 50% (95% CI: 0.27–0.72). The meta-analysis of seven articles (n = 4,200) indicated that having a college or higher degree (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.35–1.95), disclosure of sexual orientation to healthcare professionals (HCPs; OR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.47–3.86), vaccination with at least one dose for hepatitis A or B (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.42–3.10), awareness of HPV (OR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.21–2.83), knowledge of HPV (SMD = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.16–0.39), perceived susceptibility to HPV infection (SMD = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.11–0.50), and perceived severity of HPV-related disease (SMD = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.28–0.51) can promote acceptance of HPV vaccines. Meanwhile, people who have had unprotected anal sex or have more sex partners tend to have low acceptance of HPV vaccines. Conclusions : HPV education should be actively promoted according to the factors that influence the acceptability of HPV vaccines among the MSM population. HPV education should be especially aimed at people with low academic qualifications and people with risky sexual behaviors, and should emphasize the aspects of susceptibility to and severity of HPV-related disease. More intervention trials should be conducted to increase the credibility of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]