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ObjectiveSexual and physical abuse predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) among women in the general population. Women living with HIV (WLWH) report more abuse and have higher CVD risk compared with other women, yet associations between abuse history and CVD have not been considered among WLWH. This study fills this gap, and describes possible pathways linking abuse to CVD risk among WLWH and women living without HIV (WLWOH).MethodsUsing 25 years of data from the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS; n  = 2734; WLWH n  = 1963; WLWOH n  = 771), we used longitudinal generalized estimating equations (GEE) to test associations between sexual and physical abuse with CVD risk. Framingham (FRS-H) and the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association-Pooled Cohort Equation (ACC/AHA-PCE) scores were examined. Analyses were stratified by HIV-serostatus.ResultsAmong WLWH, childhood sexual abuse was associated with higher CVD risk ( βFRS-H  = 1.25, SE = 1.08, P  = 0.005; βACC/AHA-PCE  = 1.14, SE = 1.07, P  = 0.04) compared with no abuse. Adulthood sexual abuse was associated with higher CVD risk for WLWH ( βFRS-H  = 1.39, SE = 1.08, P

Background: Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) have identified CpG sites associated with HIV infection in blood cells in bulk, which offer limited knowledge of cell-type specific methylation patterns associated with HIV infection. In this study, we aim to identify differentially methylated CpG sites for HIV infection in immune cell types: CD4+ T-cells, CD8+ T-cells, B cells, Natural Killer (NK) cells, and monocytes. Methods: Applying a computational deconvolution method, we performed a cell-type based EWAS for HIV infection in three independent cohorts (Ntotal = 1,382). DNA methylation in blood or in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was profiled by an array-based method and then deconvoluted by Tensor Composition Analysis (TCA). The TCA-computed CpG methylation in each cell type was first benchmarked by bisulfite DNA methylation capture sequencing in a subset of the samples. Cell-type EWAS of HIV infection was performed in each cohort separately and a meta-EWAS was conducted followed by gene set enrichment analysis. Results: The meta-analysis unveiled a total of 2,021 cell-type unique significant CpG sites for five inferred cell types. Among these inferred cell-type unique CpG sites, the concordance rate in the three cohorts ranged from 96% to 100% in each cell type. Cell-type level meta-EWAS unveiled distinct patterns of HIV-associated differential CpG methylation, where 74% of CpG sites were unique to individual cell types (false discovery rate, FDR <0.05). CD4+ T-cells had the largest number of unique HIV-associated CpG sites (N = 1,624) compared to any other cell type. Genes harboring significant CpG sites are involved in immunity and HIV pathogenesis (e.g. CD4+ T-cells: NLRC5, CX3CR1, B cells: IFI44L, NK cells: IL12R, monocytes: IRF7), and in oncogenesis (e.g. CD4+ T-cells: BCL family, PRDM16, monocytes: PRDM16, PDCD1LG2). HIV-associated CpG sites were enriched among genes involved in HIV pathogenesis and oncogenesis that were enriched among interferon-α and -γ, TNF-α, inflammatory response, and apoptotic pathways. Conclusion: Our findings uncovered computationally inferred cell-type specific modifications in the host epigenome for people with HIV that contribute to the growing body of evidence regarding HIV pathogenesis. Author summary: The host epigenome (i.e., the DNA methylome) plays a pivotal role in HIV-1 viral integration, maintenance, and activation or silencing. Epigenome-wide association studies have identified many DNA methylation CpG sites in bulk cells associated with HIV infection, which offer an aggregated view of the average DNA methylation across cell types. To understand the effect of DNA methylation on chronic HIV infection at the cell-type level, we applied a computational method to deconvolute DNA methylation from blood bulk cells into five cell types: CD4+ T cell, CD8+ T cell, B cell, Nature Killer cell, and Monocytes and conducted an epigenome-wide analysis for HIV infection in each inferred cell type. Our results show that most of the HIV infection associated CpG sites are unique to each cell type. The largest number of significant CpG sites for HIV infection are from inferred CD4+ T cells. Significant CpG sites are located on genes that are enriched in interferon-α and -γ pathways, which are known to be key players in HIV infection. The findings help us understand the cellular relationship between DNA methylation and HIV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women living with HIV (WLWH) experience high rates of depression but are underrepresented in mental health research. Positive emotions are associated with beneficial health outcomes in WLWH and should be a targeted component of psychological interventions in this population. Positive psychological interventions aim to increase positive emotions through the use of simple exercises, such as keeping a gratitude journal. We conducted a single-arm feasibility/acceptability study of a five-week, self-guided, web-based positive affect skills intervention in a sample of WLWH (N = 23) who also participate in a longitudinal observational study, the Women's Interagency HIV Study. The intervention was feasible as measured by home practice and post-intervention assessment completion, and acceptable as measured by exit interview feedback regarding recommendation of the program to friends or others living with HIV. On average, participants completed home practice for about 8 out of 9 skills. The mean response for recommendation of the program to a friend was 9.26/10 (SD = 1.63) and the mean response for recommendation of the program to others living with HIV was 9.68/10 (SD = 0.82). Participant feedback will be used to adapt and enhance the delivery of this intervention. Further studies are needed to assess efficacy and impact on psychological outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parenting has been implicated in a range of youth health outcomes. Positive parenting during adolescence, a critical period of developmental change, may equip youth with the necessary tools for their transition into adulthood and, for youth living with HIV, their transition from pediatric HIV care into adult HIV care. Yet, because few studies have carefully assessed the psychometric properties of parenting instruments applied cross-culturally, the validity of parenting research derived in these contexts remains unclear. This study tested the factor structure of the Children's Report of Parenting Behavior Inventory (CRPBI) in a novel setting (e.g., Rwanda), context (e.g., youth with HIV), and considering multiple informants (caregivers and youth). Youth ( N = 330) were on average 16.78 years of age; 51% self-identified as female. Caregivers ( N = 330) were on average 44.40 years of age; 80% self-identified as female. The factor structures for youth and caregiver CRPBIs appeared to be indicative of two dimensions: (a) acceptance and positive involvement, and (b) hostile detachment and rejection. The CRPBI worked well for youth reports and showed predictive validity. The CRPBI worked less well for caregivers, necessitating the removal of 10 items, seven of which were related to hostile detachment and rejection. The reliability of both CRPBIs was supported. The CRPBI appears to function well for youth, but not as well for caregivers, in this novel context with this unique population of youth with HIV. The findings support careful assessment of instruments developed in high-resource settings and then used in resource-constrained contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).