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Since implementation of Standard Precautions* for the prevention of bloodborne pathogen transmission in 1985, health care-associated transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States has been rare (1). In October 2017, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) were notified by a clinician of a diagnosis of acute HIV infection in a young adult male (patient A) without recognized risk factors (i.e., he was monogamous, had an HIV-negative partner, and had no injection drug use) who had recently been hospitalized for a chronic medical condition. The low risk coupled with the recent hospitalization and medical procedures prompted NYSDOH, NYCDOHMH, and CDC to investigate this case as possible health care-associated transmission of HIV. Among persons with known HIV infection who had hospitalization dates overlapping those of patient A, one person (patient B) had an HIV strain highly similar to patient A's strain by nucleotide sequence analysis. The sequence relatedness, combined with other investigation findings, indicated a likely health care-associated transmission. Nucleotide sequence analysis, which is increasingly used for detecting HIV clusters (i.e., persons with closely related HIV strains) and to inform public health response (2,3), might also be used to identify possible health care-associated transmission of HIV to someone with health care exposure and no known HIV risk factors (4).

Accurate interpretations and comparisons of record linkage results across jurisdictions require valid and reliable matching methods. We compared existing matching methods used by 6 US state and local health departments (Houston, Texas; Louisiana; Michigan; New York, New York; North Dakota; and Wisconsin) to link human immunodeficiency virus and viral hepatitis surveillance data with a 14-key automated, hierarchical deterministic matching method. Applicable years of study varied by disease and jurisdiction, ranging from 1979 to 2016. We calculated percentage agreement and Cohen's κ coefficient to compare the matching methods used within each jurisdiction. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value for each matching method, as compared with a new standard that included manual review of discrepant cases. Agreement between the existing matching method and the deterministic matching method was 99.6% or higher in all jurisdictions; Cohen's κ values ranged from 0.87 to 0.98. The sensitivity of the deterministic matching method ranged from 97.4% to 100% in the 6 jurisdictions; specificity ranged from 99.7% to 100%; and positive predictive value ranged from 97.4% to 100%. Although no gold standard exists, prior assessments of existing methods and review of discrepant classifications suggest good accuracy and reliability of our deterministic matching method, with the advantage that our method reduces the need for manual review and allows for standard comparisons across jurisdictions when linking human immunodeficiency virus and viral hepatitis data.

Using NYC HIV surveillance data, we estimated the annual median age of persons living with diagnosed HIV (PLWDH) and the proportion of PLWDH over 50 years old in NYC between 2008 and 2015, and described the characteristics, retention in care and viral suppression status among PLWDH in NYC in 2015, by age (

Background The Determine™ HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo (DC) rapid test can identify HIV-1 infection earlier than rapid antibody-only tests in plasma specimens. Objectives We compared the performance of DC with a laboratory-based antigen/antibody (Ag/Ab) combo assay in plasma and evaluated antigen reactivity in whole blood specimens. Study design We tested by DC 508 plasma specimens collected in a prospective study and 107 sequential plasma and simulated whole blood specimens from 20 seroconversion panels. Previous results using the ARCHITECT (ARC) Ag/Ab combo assay were compared to DC results. In seroconversion panels, the days from the first HIV1 RNA-positive test to first DC-reactive in plasma and whole blood was compared. McNemar’s and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used for statistical analysis. Results Of 415 HIV-positive samples, ARC detected 396 (95.4%) and DC 337 (81.2%) ( p 0.0001 ). DC was reactive in 50.0% of ARC-reactive/MS-negative, 78.6% of ARC-reactive/MS-indeterminate, and 99.6% of ARC-reactive/MS-HIV-1-positive or −undifferentiated specimens. DC antigen reactivity was higher among ARC-reactive/MS-negative than MS-indeterminate samples. In 20 HIV-1 seroconversion panels, there was a significant difference between DC reactivity in plasma (91.1%) and whole blood (56.4%) ( p ). DC with whole blood showed a significant delay in reactivity compared to plasma ( p = 0.008 ). Conclusions In plasma, DC was significantly less sensitive than an instrumented laboratory-based Ag/Ab combo assay. DC in plasma was significantly more sensitive compared to whole blood in early HIV-1 infections. With the U.S. laboratory-based diagnostic algorithm, DC as the first step would likely miss a high proportion of HIV-1 infections in early stages of seroconversion.

Coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and viral hepatitis is associated with high morbidity and mortality in the absence of clinical management, making identification of these cases crucial. We examined characteristics of HIV and viral hepatitis coinfections by using surveillance data from 15 US states and two cities. Each jurisdiction used an automated deterministic matching method to link surveillance data for persons with reported acute and chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, to persons reported with HIV infection. Of the 504 398 persons living with diagnosed HIV infection at the end of 2014, 2.0% were coinfected with HBV and 6.7% were coinfected with HCV. Of the 269 884 persons ever reported with HBV, 5.2% were reported with HIV. Of the 1 093 050 persons ever reported with HCV, 4.3% were reported with HIV. A greater proportion of persons coinfected with HIV and HBV were males and blacks/African Americans, compared with those with HIV monoinfection. Persons who inject drugs represented a greater proportion of those coinfected with HIV and HCV, compared with those with HIV monoinfection. Matching HIV and viral hepatitis surveillance data highlights epidemiological characteristics of persons coinfected and can be used to routinely monitor health status and guide state and national public health interventions.

Background A new HIV diagnostic algorithm has been proposed which replaces the use of the HIV-1 Western blot and HIV-1 immunofluorescence assays (IFA) as the supplemental test with an HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody differentiation assay. Objectives To compare an FDA-approved HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody differentiation test (Multispot) as a confirmatory test with the HIV-1 Western blot and IFA. Study design Participants were screened with an HIV-1/HIV-2 combination Antigen/Antibody (Ag/Ab) screening assay. Specimens with repeatedly reactive results were tested with Multispot and either Western blot or IFA. Specimens with discordant screening and confirmatory results were resolved with HIV-1 RNA testing. Results Individuals (37,876) were screened for HIV infection and 654 (1.7%) had a repeatedly reactive Ag/Ab assay result. On Multispot, 554 (84.7%) were HIV-1 reactive, 0 (0%) were HIV-2 reactive, 1 (0.2%) was reactive for both HIV-1 and HIV-2 (undifferentiated), 9 (1.4%) were HIV-1 indeterminate, and 90 (13.8%) were non-reactive. HIV-1 RNA was detected in 47/90 Multispot non-reactive (52.2%) specimens. Among specimens confirmed to have HIV infection (true positives), Multispot and Western blot detected HIV-1 antibody in a similar proportion of cases (93.7% vs. 94.4% respectively) while Multispot and IFA also detected HIV-1 antibody in a similar proportion of cases (84.5% vs. 83.4% respectively). Conclusions In this study, Multispot confirmed HIV infections at a similar proportion to Western blot and IFA. Multispot, Western blot, and IFA, however, did not confirm all of the reactive Ag/Ab assay results and underscores the importance of HIV NAT testing to resolve discordant screening and confirmatory results.

Although acute HIV infection contributes disproportionately to onward HIV transmission, HIV testing has not routinely included screening for acute HIV infection. To evaluate the performance of an HIV antigen/antibody (Ag/Ab) combination assay to detect acute HIV infection compared with pooled HIV RNA testing. Multisite, prospective, within-individual comparison study conducted between September 2011 and October 2013 in 7 sexually transmitted infection clinics and 5 community-based programs in New York, California, and North Carolina. Participants were 12 years or older and seeking HIV testing, without known HIV infection. All participants with a negative rapid HIV test result were screened for acute HIV infection with an HIV Ag/Ab combination assay (index test) and pooled human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) RNA testing. HIV RNA testing was the reference standard, with positive reference standard result defined as detectable HIV-1 RNA on an individual RNA test. Number and proportion with acute HIV infections detected. Among 86,836 participants with complete test results (median age, 29 years; 75.0% men; 51.8% men who have sex with men), established HIV infection was diagnosed in 1158 participants (1.33%) and acute HIV infection was diagnosed in 168 participants (0.19%). Acute HIV infection was detected in 134 participants with HIV Ag/Ab combination testing (0.15% [95% CI, 0.13%-0.18%]; sensitivity, 79.8% [95% CI, 72.9%-85.6%]; specificity, 99.9% [95% CI, 99.9%-99.9%]; positive predictive value, 59.0% [95% CI, 52.3%-65.5%]) and in 164 participants with pooled HIV RNA testing (0.19% [95% CI, 0.16%-0.22%]; sensitivity, 97.6% [95% CI, 94.0%-99.4%]; specificity, 100% [95% CI, 100%-100%]; positive predictive value, 96.5% [95% CI, 92.5%-98.7%]; sensitivity comparison, P < .001). Overall HIV Ag/Ab combination testing detected 82% of acute HIV infections detectable by pooled HIV RNA testing. Compared with rapid HIV testing alone, HIV Ag/Ab combination testing increased the relative HIV diagnostic yield (both established and acute HIV infections) by 10.4% (95% CI, 8.8%-12.2%) and pooled HIV RNA testing increased the relative HIV diagnostic yield by 12.4% (95% CI, 10.7%-14.3%). In a high-prevalence population, HIV screening using an HIV Ag/Ab combination assay following a negative rapid test detected 82% of acute HIV infections detectable by pooled HIV RNA testing, with a positive predictive value of 59%. Further research is needed to evaluate this strategy in lower-prevalence populations and in persons using preexposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention.

New recommendations for laboratory diagnosis of HIV infection in the United States were published in 2014. The updated testing algorithm includes a qualitative HIV-1 RNA assay to resolve discordant immunoassay results and to identify acute HIV-1 infection (AHI). The qualitative HIV-1 RNA assay is not widely available; therefore, we evaluated the performance of a more widely available quantitative HIV-1 RNA assay, viral load, for diagnosing AHI. We determined that quantitative viral loads consistently distinguished AHI from a false-positive immunoassay result. Among 100 study participants with AHI and a viral load result, the estimated geometric mean viral load was 1,377,793 copies/mL.

After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Recognize the various terms used in biostatistics. 2. Describe the choices that are required in designing a particular research study. 3. Understand the different types of data that may be obtained in any given study. 4. Identify which statistical tools are appropriate for evaluating the different types of data.Journals of medicine and surgery, such as Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, are filled with statistics that readers may never have learned about or once understood but soon forgot. Unfortunately, critical review of any abstract requires a thorough understanding of the tools used to evaluate study results. It also requires an evaluation of whether the tools chosen were adequate or even proper, given the study design and the questions asked. This article was conceived to highlight the major topics in biostatistics. It includes a review of common definitions, an outline of the major tests used (correctly or not) in plastic surgery abstracts, and instruction as to their proper use in scientific studies.

Objective Mifepristone���misoprostol medical abortion has been approved in the United States since 2000. U.S. providers have preferred to use vaginal misoprostol because of evidence that such a regimen is more effective in later gestations. Buccal administration of misoprostol may be equally effective and more acceptable to some women. Methods This open-label, randomized trial was conducted at two sites in Rochester, NY, and involved healthy women with pregnancies through 56 days since the last menstrual period (LMP) as indicated by sonogram. Women received mifepristone 200 mg orally and were randomized to use 800 ��g of misoprostol either buccally or vaginally 1 to 2 days later. They returned within 15 days for repeat sonogram. If the woman's pregnancy had not been completely aborted by day 36, a suction abortion was performed. The primary outcome was a complete abortion without surgical intervention. Results Four hundred forty-two women were enrolled in the study, and complete data were available on 429. The efficacy rate was 95% (205/216) in the buccal group and 93% (199/213) in the vaginal group ( �� 2 =0.43, p=.51). Nausea was the most commonly reported side effect, affecting 70% in the buccal group and 62% in the vaginal group. There were no differences in the satisfaction with the overall procedure between the buccal (92%) and the vaginal groups (95%) ( �� 2 =1.87, p=.17). Conclusion Buccal administration of misoprostol after low-dose mifepristone for medical abortion appears to be a highly effective and acceptable alternative compared with vaginal administration for medical abortion in pregnancies through 56 days LMP.

Background While HIV prevention activities are often focused on younger people, older people can also be at risk for HIV infection. We aimed to characterize HIV transmission in older adults. Methods The STOP study was a multi-site prospective study of persons with acute HIV infection (AHI) from 2011 to 2013. Older adults were defined as ≥45 years and younger persons were 13–44 years. AHI was defined by a negative rapid test but a reactive antigen/antibody or HIV RNA test. We performed bivariate analysis using Pearson’s chi-square and odds ratios to examine associations between older age and transmission characteristics. Among persons with HIV-1 polymerase (pol) sequences, transmission linkages were inferred when the genetic distance between sequences was Results Among 86,836 participants (median age, 29 years; 75.0% male; 51.8% MSM), HIV infection was diagnosed in 176 (1.46%) of 12,036 older adults compared with 1,150 (1.53%) of 74,800 younger people (P = 0.56). Among HIV-infected persons, AHI was diagnosed in similar proportions of older and younger people (13.1% vs. 12.6%; P = 0.86). Among HIV-infected persons who participated in partner notification (n = 1,326), older adults were less likely to report meeting a sex partner online (11.3% vs. 26.9%; OR 0.52, 95% CI = 0.35–0.78) and were less likely to name ≥2 sex partners (31.5% vs. 46.8%; OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.15–0.53) compared with younger people. Among HIV-infected persons with HIV-1 pol sequences (n = 537), similar proportions of older and younger people had viruses that genetically linked with another study participant (15.9% vs. 23.5%; OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.31–1.22) (Figure). Conclusion In this study, older adults had a similar frequency of newly diagnosed HIV infection, acute infection, and genetic linkage compared with younger people, suggesting that increased HIV prevention efforts may be needed in this population. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Background With the prolonged life-span of persons with HIV (PWH) due to anti-retroviral therapy, their cancer burden has increased. Cancer continues to be a leading cause of death among PWH. Studying cancer mortality can inform and guide the development of cancer screening and prevention strategies for PWH. Methods We analyzed data for all persons > = 13 years who were diagnosed with HIV from 2001 to 2015 and reported to the New York City (NYC) HIV surveillance registry (HSR). Using the HSR and the underlying cause of death obtained from the NYC vital statistics registry and the National Death Index, we examined age-specific and age-standardized mortality rates from cancer and compared time trends of deaths due to HIV-related8 cancer to deaths from non-HIV-related cancers. Results There were 34,190 deaths reported among 154,688 PWH of whom nearly half (n = 16,804; 49.1%) died due to HIV (excluding HIV-related cancers). Among all deaths, HIV was the leading cause, followed by cancer (both HIV and non-HIV-related) (n = 5,271; 15.4%) and cardiovascular disease (n = 3,724, 10.9%). The top three causes of non-HIV-related cancer deaths were lung cancer (n = 1,040; 19.7%), liver cancer (n = 552; 10.5%), and colorectal cancer (n = 315; 5.6%). Although the mortality rate among PWH decreased over time (24.4 to 13.9 per 1,000 person-years from 2001 to 2015), the proportion of deaths attributable to all cancers increased (10.6% in 2001 to 19.9% in 2015, p < .0001). This increase was driven by non-HIV-related cancers (6.1% of all deaths in 2001 to 15.8% in 2015, p < .0001). The mean age increased from 2001 to 2015 among the dead (46 to 56 years) and among the censored (35 to 49 years). After controlling for demographic factors, transmission risk, and last CD4 count, the hazard ratio for cancer deaths was higher among people who inject drugs (HR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.4–1.7) and those with last CD4 count < 200 (HR = 9.3; 95% CI = 8.3–10.5). Conclusion Although mortality rates are decreasing in PWH, deaths due to non-HIV-related cancers are increasing. The upward trend in the mean age suggests that aging may be contributing to this increase. Routine screening for liver and colon cancers along with smoking cessation may reduce lung, liver and colon cancer deaths. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and hospitalization for 2009 H1N1 influenza, independently of access to care and known risk factors for severe influenza illness, among New York City residents during the 2009-2010 influenza season. DESIGN We used a 1:2 case-control study design, matching by age group and month of diagnosis. Cases were defined as laboratory-confirmed patients with 2009 H1N1 influenza who were hospitalized during their illness. Controls were defined as nonhospitalized laboratory-confirmed influenza A patients. Participants were contacted for a telephone interview to collect relevant clinical and demographic data. We used conditional logistic regression to analyze the association between SES and hospitalization. SETTING New York City. PARTICIPANTS Of the 171 hospitalized cases who were identified between October 2009 and February 2010, a total of 128 completed telephone interviews. A total of 640 nonhospitalized controls were contacted, and of these, 337 completed interviews. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The main outcome of interest was whether or not a patient was hospitalized during his or her 2009 H1N1 influenza illness. Socioeconomic status was measured using education and neighborhood poverty. RESULTS We identified a gradient in the odds of hospitalization for 2009 H1N1 influenza by education level among adults. This association could not be entirely explained by access to care and underlying risk factors. An inverse association between odds of hospitalization and neighborhood poverty was also identified among adults and children. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that individuals of lower SES were more vulnerable to severe illness during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Additional research is needed to help guide interventions to protect this population during future influenza pandemics.

Objective: To use laboratory data to assess the specificity of syndromes used by the New York City emergency department (ED) syndromic surveillance system to monitor influenza activity. Design: For the period from October 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010, we examined the correlation between citywide ED syndrome assignment and laboratory-confirmed influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In addition, ED syndromic data from five select NYC hospitals were matched at the patient and visit level to corresponding laboratory reports of influenza and RSV. The matched dataset was used to evaluate syndrome assignment by disease and to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of the influenza-like illness (ILI) syndrome. Results: Citywide ED visits for ILI correlated well with influenza laboratory diagnoses (R=0.92). From October 1, 2009, through March 31, 2010, there were 264,532 ED visits at the five select hospitals, from which the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) received confirmatory laboratory reports of 655 unique cases of influenza and 1348 cases of RSV. The ED visit of most (56%) influenza cases had been categorized in the fever/flu syndrome; only 15% were labeled ILI. Compared to other influenza-related syndromes, ILI had the lowest sensitivity (15%) but the highest specificity (90%) for laboratory-confirmed influenza. Sensitivity and specificity varied by age group and influenza activity level. Conclusions: The ILI syndrome in the NYC ED syndromic surveillance system served as a specific but not sensitive indicator for influenza during the 2009-2010 influenza season. Despite its limited sensitivity, the ILI syndrome can be more informative for tracking influenza trends than the fever/flu or respiratory syndromes because it is less likely to capture cases of other respiratory viruses. However, ED ILI among specific age groups should be interpreted alongside laboratory surveillance data. ILI remains a valuable tool for monitoring influenza activity and trends as it facilitates comparisons nationally and across jurisdictions and is easily communicated to the public.

To investigate the efficacy of mifepristone and misoprostol for the termination of pregnancies in the late first trimester.This was a prospective study of 321 women seeking termination of pregnancy with gestations from 64 days to 84 days (+/-3 days) by vaginal ultrasonography. Women were enrolled at three sites: University of Rochester Reproductive Health Program in Rochester, New York; Hung Vuong Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and K.E.M. Hospital in Pune, India. Eligible women received 800 mcg of misoprostol vaginally between 24 hours and 48 hours after administration of 200 mg mifepristone. Two additional doses of 400 mcg of misoprostol were administered either orally or vaginally as needed every 3 hours for a maximum of two additional doses (total 1,600 mcg). The primary study outcome measure was complete abortion without surgical intervention.Eighty-nine percent of women who completed the study successfully terminated their pregnancies. Most women were either satisfied (64.8%) or very satisfied (28.6%) with their experience. Ninety-four percent of women reported that they would recommend the procedure to a friend. Most women (90.4%) also agreed they would request a medical abortion if they required another abortion at this gestational age.Medical abortion is acceptable and effective in the late first trimester and offers women an acceptable alternative to surgical abortion.II.