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Despite the promise of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), PrEP remains underutilized, often due to clinician factors. Academic or public health detailing is a process by which university and/or government groups employ the marketing practices of pharmaceutical companies to improve clinical practice. We describe the novel application of detailing to increase PrEP prescribing and related care in New York City and New England. Detailing can play a crucial role in PrEP implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobility, including migration and travel, influences risk of HIV. This study examined time trends and characteristics among mobile youth (15–24 years) in rural Uganda, and the relationship between mobility and risk factors for HIV. We used data from an annual household census and population-based cohort study in the Rakai district, Uganda. Data on in-migration and out-migration were collected among youth (15–24 years) from 43 communities from 1999 to 2011 (N = 112,117 observations) and travel among youth residents from 2003 to 2008 (N = 18,318 observations). Migration and travel were more common among young women than young men. One in five youth reported out-migration. Over time, out-migration increased among youth and in-migration remained largely stable. Primary reasons for migration included work, living with friends or family, and marriage. Recent travel within Uganda was common and increased slightly over time in teen women (15–19 years old), and young adult men and women (20–24 years old). Mobile youth were more likely to report HIV-risk behaviours including: alcohol use, sexual experience, multiple partners, and inconsistent condom use. Our findings suggest that among rural Ugandan youth, mobility is increasingly common and associated with HIV-risk factors. Knowledge of patterns and characteristics of a young, high-risk mobile population has important implications for HIV interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background. Although the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) genital infection is similarly high in males and females, seroprevalence is lower in males. This study assessed rates and determinants of seroconversion after detection of genital HPV infection in young men. Methods. We investigated HPV type-specific seroconversion in a cohort of heterosexual male university students who had an α9 HPV type (HPV-16, -31, -33, -35, -52, -58, or -67) detected in the genital tract (n = 156). HPV DNA and antibodies were detected and typed using liquid bead-based multiplex assays. We calculated seroconversion using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Cox proportional hazards models with generalized estimating equations were used to examine associations with seroconversion. Results. Within 24 months of detecting genital HPV infection, type-specific seroconversion ranged from 4% for HPV-52 to 36% for HPV-31. HPV-16 seroconversion at 24 months was 13% (95% confidence interval [CI], 7%-25%). Among incident HPV infections, ever cigarette smoking and infection site(s) (shaft/scrotum and glans/urine vs shaft/scrotum or glans/urine only) were positively associated with type-specific seroconversion. Conclusions. For each of the α9 HPV types, type-specific seroconversion within 24 months was observed in 36% or less of infected men. Seroconversion might be related to cigarette smoking and genital site(s) infected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prospective studies of the persistence of human papillomavirus (HPV) variants are rare and typically small. We sequenced HPV-16 variants in longitudinal pairs of specimens from 86 women enrolled in the ASCUS-LSIL Triage Study. A change of variants was identified in 4 women (4.7% [95% confidence interval, 1.3%-11.5%]). Among women with intervening HPV results (n = 60), a variant switch occurred in 2 of 11 who had evidence of intervening negativity for HPV-16, compared with 1 of 49 who consistently tested positive (P = .11). These results suggest the possibility that rare misclassification of transient infections as persistent infections occurs in natural history studies of type-specific HPV infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which discusses the relationship between cigarette smoking and human papilloma virus (HPV) types 16 and 18 DNA load. It mentions that the researchers have used women who were positive for both HPV 16 and 18 and have assessed exposure to smoke and sexual behavior based on self-report. The authors concluded that a lack of dose-response relationship between cigarette smoking and viral load can indicate a low threshold for the effect of smoking on HPV DNA load levels.

The article offers a study which examines baseline human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and HPV18 DNA load among women with and without concurrent coinfection with other HPV types. The study depicts that lower HPV16 and HPV18 DNA load was associated with coinfection with other HPV types. It is stated that species-specific association may in part reflect differences in the extent of cross-reaction of cellular immune response induced by other types.

Background & Aims: Aside from chronic reflux, the etiology of Barrett’s esophagus (BE) remains largely unknown. This case-control study investigated body mass index (BMI), central adiposity, and cigarette smoking and risk of BE. Methods: Washington residents newly diagnosed with specialized intestinal metaplasia on at least 1 of 4 esophageal biopsy specimens taken at community gastroenterology clinics (cases [n = 193]) were compared with matched population controls (n = 211). Case subgroups included those with any visible columnar epithelium (visible BE) and those with at least 2 cm of columnar epithelium (long-segment BE [LSBE]). Interviewers conducted personal interviews and took anthropometric measurements. Results: All measures of central adiposity were strongly related to BE risk, particularly for LSBE. For the high category of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), the adjusted odds ratios were 2.4 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4–3.9) for all cases, 2.8 (95% CI: 1.5–5.1) for visible BE, and 4.3 (95% CI: 1.9–9.9) for LSBE. In contrast, the associations with BMI were weaker. When BMI and WHR were modeled simultaneously, the associations with BMI were greatly attenuated, whereas those with WHR remained strong. Further adjustment for frequency of heartburn did not change these results. Cigarette smoking moderately increased risk but with no evidence of a dose-dependent response or increasing strength by case group. Conclusions: These observations indicate the importance of identifying the mechanisms underlying obesity’s role in BE and esophageal adenocarcinoma, and suggest that weight loss might be a fruitful approach to the prevention of these diseases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention requires engagement throughout the PrEP care continuum. Using data from a PrEP navigation program, we examine reasons for PrEP discontinuation., Setting: Participants were recruited from New York City Health Department Sexual Health Clinics with PrEP navigation programs., Methods: Participants completed a survey and up to 3 interviews about PrEP navigation and use. This analysis includes 94 PrEP initiators that were PrEP-naive before their clinic visit, started PrEP during the study, and completed at least 2 interviews. Interview transcripts were reviewed to assess reasons for PrEP discontinuation., Results: Approximately half of PrEP initiators discontinued PrEP during the study period (n = 44; 47%). Most participants (71%) noted systemic issues (insurance or financial problems, clinic or pharmacy logistics, and scheduling barriers) as reasons for discontinuation. One-third cited medication concerns (side effects, potential long-term side effects, and medication beliefs; 32%) and behavioral factors (low relevance of PrEP because of sexual behavior change; 34%) as contributing reasons. Over half (53.5%) highlighted systemic issues alone, while an additional 19% attributed discontinuation to systemic issues in combination with other factors. Of those who discontinued, approximately one-third (30%) restarted PrEP during the follow-up period, citing resolution of systemic issues or behavior change that increased PrEP relevance., Conclusions: PrEP continuation is dependent on interacting factors and often presents complex hurdles for patients to navigate. To promote sustained engagement in PrEP care, financial, clinic, and pharmacy barriers must be addressed and counseling and navigation should acknowledge factors beyond sexual risk that influence PrEP use., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In the United States, routine HIV testing is recommended for persons aged 13-64 years. In 2010, New York State passed a law mandating offer of testing in most health-care settings. We report on the consumer perspective in New York City (NYC) shortly after the law's enactment., Methods: We analyzed data from a 2011 telephone survey representative of NYC adults aged 18-64 years (n = 1,846). This analysis focused on respondents' report of HIV test offer at last clinical visit and of willingness to test if recommended by their doctor. Offer and willingness were estimated by age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income, marital status, sexual identity, partner number, and HIV testing history; associations were examined using multivariable regression., Results: Among NYC adults, 35.7% reported an HIV test in the past year and 31.8% had never tested. Among 86.7% with a clinical visit in the past year, 31.4% reported being offered a test at last visit. Offer was associated with younger age, race/ethnicity other than white, non-Hispanic, lower income, and previous testing. Only 6.7% of never-testers were offered a test at last clinical visit. Willingness to test if recommended was high overall (90.2%) and across factors examined., Conclusions: After a new law was enacted in support of routine HIV testing, approximately 1 in 3 New Yorkers aged 18-64 years were offered a test at last clinical visit; 9 in 10 were willing to test if recommended by their doctor. This suggests that patient attitudes will not be a barrier to complete implementation of the law.

Introduction: In 2010, the New York State Legislature made it mandatory to offer an HIV test to people aged 13-64 years receiving hospital or primary care services, with limited exceptions. In this study, we used data from New York City practices to evaluate the impact of the law on HIV testing rates in ambulatory care., Methods: We collected quarterly testing data from the electronic health records of 218 practices. We calculated overall and stratified crude testing rates. Using univariate and multivariate generalized estimating equation models, we assessed the odds of testing in the year before the law (baseline) versus the first and second year after the law's implementation (year 1 and year 2)., Results: During baseline, the odds of testing did not increase significantly. During year 1, the odds of testing significantly increased by 50% in the univariate model and 200% after adjusting for confounders. During year 2, the odds of testing increased 10%. This was only significant in the univariate model. The crude quarterly testing rate increased from 2.8% to 5.7% from baseline to year 2., Conclusions: Our evaluation showed that after the implementation of the HIV testing law, there was an increase in HIV testing among NYC ambulatory practices. Testing rates remained modest, but considerable improvement was seen in community health centers, in age ranges targeted by the law and in practices that were screening for HIV at baseline. This study suggests that legislation may be effective when used in a comprehensive prevention strategy.

Background: Prevalence of HIV infection is considerable among youth, although data on risk factors for new (incident) infections are limited. We examined incidence of HIV infection and risk and protective factors among youth in rural Uganda, including the role of gender and social transitions., Methods: Participants were sexually experienced youth (15-24 years old) enrolled in the Rakai Community Cohort Study, 1999-2008 (n = 6741). Poisson regression with robust standard errors was used to estimate incident rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of incident HIV infection., Results: HIV incidence was greater among young women than young men (14.1 vs. 8.3 per 1000 person-years, respectively); this gender disparity was greater among teenagers (14.9 vs. 3.6). Beyond behavioral (multiple partners and concurrency) and biological factors (sexually transmitted infection symptoms), social transitions such as marriage and staying in school influenced HIV risk. In multivariate analyses among women, HIV incidence was associated with living in a trading village (adjusted IRR (aIRR) = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.04 to 2.11), being a student (aIRR = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.72), current marriage (aIRR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.81), former marriage (aIRR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.01 to 2.96), having multiple partners, and sexually transmitted infection symptoms. Among men, new infections were associated with former marriage (aIRR = 5.57; 95% CI: 2.51 to 12.36), genital ulceration (aIRR = 3.56; 95% CI: 1.97 to 6.41), and alcohol use (aIRR = 2.08; 95% CI: 1.15 to 3.77)., Conclusions: During the third decade of the HIV epidemic in Uganda, HIV incidence remains considerable among youth, with young women particularly at risk. The risk for new infections was strongly shaped by social transitions such as leaving school, entrance into marriage, and marital dissolution; the impact of marriage was different for young men than women.

At the Wind River Canopy Crane Facility in southeastern Washington State, USA, we examined phenotypic variation between upper- and lower-canopy branches of old-growth Thuja plicata J. Donn ex D. Don (western red cedar). Lower-canopy branches were longer, sprouted fewer daughter branches per unit stem length and were more horizontal than upper-canopy branches. Thuja plicata holds its foliage in fronds, and these had less projected area per unit mass, measured by specific frond area, and less overlap, measured by silhouette to projected area ratio (SPARmax), in the lower canopy than in the upper canopy. The value of SPARmax, used as an indicator of sun and shade foliage in needle-bearing species, did not differ greatly between upper- and lower-canopy branches. We suggest that branching patterns, as well as frond structure, are important components of morphological plasticity in T. plicata. Our results imply that branches of old-growth T. plicata trees have a guerilla growth pattern, responding to changes in solar irradiance in a localized manner.