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Photography is the vehicle through which I have been able to capture the beauty of nature and share it with others. Since my retirement, I have found that taking close-up [...]

Introduction: Learning one's HIV status through HIV testing services (HTS) is an essential step toward accessing treatment and linking to preventive services for those at high HIV risk. HTS may impact subsequent sexual behaviour, but the degree to which this varies by population or is true in the setting of contemporary HIV prevention activities is largely unknown. As part of the 2019 World Health Organization Consolidated Guidelines on HTS, we undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect of HTS on sexual behaviour. Methods: We searched nine electronic databases for studies published between July 2010 and December 2019. We included studies that reported on at least one outcome (condom use [defined as the frequency of condom use or condom-protected sex], number of sex partners, HIV incidence, STI incidence/prevalence). We included studies that prospectively assessed outcomes and that fit into one of three categories: (1) those evaluating more versus less-intensive HTS, (2) those of populations receiving HTS versus not and (3) those evaluating outcomes after versus before HTS. We conducted meta-analyses using random-effects models. Results and discussion: Of 29 980 studies screened, 76 studies were included. Thirty-eight studies were randomized controlled trials, 36 were cohort studies, one was quasi-experimental and one was a serial cross-sectional study. There was no significant difference in condom use among individuals receiving more-intensive HTS compared to less-intensive HTS (relative risk [RR]=1.03; 95% CI: 0.99 to 1.07). Condom use was significantly higher after receiving HTS compared to before HTS for individuals newly diagnosed with HIV (RR = 1.65; 95% CI: 1.36 to 1.99) and marginally significantly higher for individuals receiving an HIV-negative diagnosis (RR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.01 to 2.62). Individuals receiving more-intensive HTS reported fewer sex partners at follow-up than those receiving less-intensive HTS, but the finding was not statistically significant (mean difference = -0.28; 95% CI: -3.66, 3.10). Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of using limited resources towards HTS strategies that focus on early HIV diagnosis, treatment and prevention services rather than resources dedicated to supplementing or enhancing HTS with additional counselling or other interventions. Keywords: HIV testing; sexual behaviour change; condom-protected sex; number of sexual partners; systematic review; meta-analysis, 1 | INTRODUCTION HIV testing and knowledge of one's status is an essential first step towards linkage to HIV treatment, prevention and care [1] . Early linkage to antiretroviral therapy [...]

Background: Perinatal mortality multi-disciplinary team meetings (PM-MDTMs) offer a forum for multi-disciplinary discussion of poor perinatal outcomes. They ensure a thorough understanding of individual cases and present an important learning opportunity for healthcare professionals (HCPs). Attendance at PM-MDTMs in this tertiary maternity hospital has been low. Aims: We aimed to identify barriers which may be targeted to improve attendance and engagement. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was developed, and all HCPs invited to participate. Demographic data on respondents was collected, as was knowledge of PM-MDTMs, their purpose and relevance to clinical practice, and barriers to attendance at meetings. A total of 78 responses were obtained and analysed. Results: Self-reported understanding of the purpose and format PM-MDTMs was high (84.6% (66/78) and 65.4% (51/78), respectively), while only 50% (39/78) of respondents provided an accurate description of either. Only 50% (39/78) reported having attended a meeting in the hospital, of whom 61.5% (24/39) described the correct meeting. Of these, 37.5% (9/24) reported attending regularly and 70.8% (17/24) found the meeting relevant to their clinical practice. Of the 33.33% (26/78) who reported attending a PM-MDTM in another hospital, 73.1% (19/26) accurately described the meeting, 63.1% (12/19) of these attended regularly, and 100% (19/19) found it relevant. Three main qualitative themes emerged as barriers to attendance and were areas for suggested improvements: workload and staffing levels, meeting logistics, and lack of communication and education regarding PM-MDTMs. Conclusions: Communication regarding PM-MDTMs and their learning opportunities needs to improve. Lack of engagement is likely compounded by high workloads and staffing levels, but these issues should be surmountable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of 1995 Vremya (Russian national television) newscasts reveals few traces of the cold-war framework that dominated news media discourse throughout the world for almost four decades. The ability of Vremya to reconstruct its images of Russia and the United States reaffirms the contention of Edelman, Hall, and others that media news accounts evoke a spectacle that is an ideological product, not a set of facts. The spectacle of politics is a fetish, a creation that then dominates the thought and action of its creators.

A writing Assignment with an aim of reducing the anxiety and fear among the chemistry students was designed wherein the students use their creativity to develop factual autobiography of a metal. This assignment received overwhelming support from the students who started to explain the chemistry of the metal accurately. Writing Assignment improved the students morale and their enthusiasm for the subject.

Mass media tend to portray a national identity supposedly representative of American society but which actually neglects the diverse ethnic identities composing the US. This is due to the increasing financial influence of select private interest groups on the print and broadcasting industries. The limitations inherent to mass media also make it unlikely that the interests of other less influential groups can ever be adequately expressed. It is vital for the US to maintain its national identity, but the public must see to the survival of pluralism through alternative media.

Chemistry students can learn by seeing procedures based on those used by forensic scientists to detect the presence of latent bloodstains on various porous substrates. A luminosity demonstration was developed as a part of an ongoing project to keep hazardous waste generation down in teaching chemistry. Dilute hydrogen peroxide mixed with luminol in a carbonate buffer is sprayed on a blood-stained piece of fabric or paper in a darkened room to produce the bluish glow associated with luminol. Horse or sheep blood is used and making a picture with the blood is a good idea, as is using a series of bloodstains with different dilutions of blood. Transition metal ion solutions can be used as well. Brighteners in the paper or fabric will make the demonstration impossible, so it is important to test in advance for them and to wash the fabric in water without detergent a few times if necessary. A positive test means blood may be present, but further testing is essential in crime situations.