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Purpose: Drug use is quite common in transgender women, but the mechanisms of the drug use remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of loneliness in perceived stress and the drug use among transgender women. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to September 2018 in Shenyang and Kunming, China, among 247 transgender women. Chinese Perceived Stress Scale, the Chinese version of 8-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, a drug use questionnaire, and a demographic characteristic questionnaire were included in the survey. Descriptive analysis, logistic regression, and mediation analysis were done using SPSS Statistics version 26.0 and Mplus version 8.3. Results: The mean age of transgender women in the study was 33.04 years (standard deviation=8.14). Around 33.20% (n=82) of transgender women reported ever using one kind of drugs, the most commonly used drugs were rush (79.20%), ice (8.50%), and 5-MeO-DIPT (8.50%). Univariate logistic regression showed that perceived stress (odds ratio [OR]=1.73, 95% bootstrap confidence intervals [CI]=1.27–2.36) and loneliness (OR=1.62, 95% CI=1.23–2.13) had a significant association with drug use, all p [ps] <0.01. The effect of perceived stress on drug use was partially mediated by feeling of loneliness (estimate=0.09, standard error=0.04, p<0.05), the mediating effect (0.09) accounted for 27.27% of the total effect (0.33). Conclusion: Perceived stress can positively predict drug use. Loneliness plays an important role in drug use among transgender women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transgender women sex workers (TGSW), as a highly stigmatised population, are at substantial risk for mental health problems but lack access to mental health care. This study investigated factors of mental health service utilisation (MHSU) behaviour and related behavioural intention among TGSW who were at risk of mental health problems in the past year [subsample 1: scored above the cut‐off for probable depression or probable anxiety or had suicidal ideation (N = 126); subsample 2: perceived needs for mental health services (N = 109)]. A cross‐sectional survey was conducted among TGSW in Shenyang, China during 2017–2018. Data on minority stress, coping, mental health and MHSU were collected. 10.3% of participants in subsample 1 and 14.7% in subsample 2 had sought help from mental health professionals in the last year. Unwillingness to disclose minority identity and gender non‐affirmation were negatively associated with MHSU. Factors for behavioural intention of MHSU included unwillingness to disclose minority identity and social support for both subsamples and adaptive coping for subsample 2. Confidentiality concern, discrimination and cost were the most frequently endorsed barriers to mental health services. Interventions should promote gender affirmation, social support and adaptive coping as well as remove stigma to increase health service access and utilisation among minority populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Globally, transgender women sex workers have a high prevalence of HIV and condomless receptive anal intercourse with male clients (CRAIMC). We investigated the prevalence of CRAIMC and factors associated with CRAIMC among transgender women sex workers in China. Methods: In 2014, we anonymously interviewed 220 transgender women sex workers face to face in Shenyang, China. Those who self-reported as HIV negative or as having unknown HIV serostatus were invited to take up free, anonymous HIV rapid testing (n =183); 90 did so. Using CRAIMC in the last month as the dependent variable, three types of associated factors were investigated, in addition to background factors: feminizing medical interventions, sex work and perceptions related to condom use. Univariate and multiple logistic regression models were fitted. Results: Of the participants, 16.8% self-reported as HIV positive and 9.1% were detected to be HIV positive through free HIV testing; 26.8% had had CRAIMC in the last month, 45.5% had performed sex work in other Chinese cities (last year), and 23.2% had had condomless anal intercourse with men who were non-clients. In the adjusted analysis, significant factors associated with CRAIMC (last month) included the following: 1) any feminizing medical intervention performed (adjusted odds ratio, AOR: 2.22); 2) sex-work-related factors, including recruitment of male clients most often at hotels (AOR: 5.02) and charge per episode of transactional sex (201 to 400 RMB, AOR: 0.27; reference group: [less than or equal to] 100 RMB); and 3) perceptions related to condom use, including perceived transgender identity's impact on condomless sex such as wearing feminine attire, concern about exposing their status as a transgender woman to male clients (AOR: 1.20) and perceived self-efficacy of consistent condom use with male clients (AOR: 0.56). Perceived self-efficacy of consistent condom use with male clients fully mediated the association between perceived transgender identity's impact on condomless sex and CRAIMC. Conclusions: HIV prevalence among transgender women sex workers was high but probably underestimated. The high prevalence of condomless anal intercourse with male non-clients and high mobility in sex work among this population in China are causes for concern. Risk factors for CRAIMC were multidimensional and should be considered when designing interventions targeting transgender women sex workers. Such interventions are urgently needed. Keywords: transgender women sex workers; unprotected anal intercourse; associated factors; HIV infection; China., Introduction Transgender women are assigned male at birth and currently identify as female/transgender/transsexual women [1-3]. They may express their gender identity via interventions (e.g. cosmetic surgery, hormone treatment and sex [...]

Sexualized drug use (SDU) is associated with a higher risk of HIV transmission. There is a dearth of study investigating the association between sex work characteristics and SDU in sex work among transgender women sex workers. To address these gaps, we conducted a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study among 220 transgender women sex workers in Shenyang, China. The prevalence of SDU in sex work was 20.9% in the past month. After adjustment for age, HIV status, education, monthly income and duration of stay in Shenyang, performing sex work mainly in hotel rooms, charging higher per episode of commercial sex, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms were associated with higher likelihood of SDU in sex work. Future SDU prevention programmes SDU targeting transgender women sex workers should focus on those who charged higher and performed sex work in hotel rooms, and integrate mental health promotion as an essential component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] ∼1.47μm near-infrared emission is observed in Pr3+-doped phosphate glasses. [•] Effective bandwidth of 1D2 → 1G4 transition emission is obtained to be 148nm. [•] ∼85% quantum efficiency of Pr3+:1D2 level is identified. [•] Pr3+-doped practical oxide glass fiber amplifiers are expected to achieve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tm3+/Yb3+-doped alkali-barium-bismuth-tellurite (LKBBT) glasses have been fabricated and characterized. Density, refractive index, optical absorption, absorption and emission cross-sections of Yb3+, Judd–Ofelt parameters and spontaneous transition probabilities of Tm3+ have been measured and calculated, respectively. Intense blue three-photon upconversion fluorescence and near-infrared two-photon upconversion fluorescence were investigated under the excitation of a 980nm diode laser at room temperature. Wide infrared transmission window, high refractive index and strong blue three-photon upconversion emission of Tm3+ indicate that Tm3+/Yb3+ co-doped LKBBT glasses are promising upconversion optical and laser materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sm3+- and Eu3+-doped rare-earth borate glasses (Li2O–BaO–La2O3–B2O3) have been fabricated and characterized optically. The density, refractive index, optical absorption, Judd-Ofelt parameters, and spontaneous transition probabilities have been measured, calculated and analyzed. Sm3+ and Eu3+ emit intense reddish-orange and red lights under blue and UV light excitations, respectively. In Sm3+ and Eu3+ co-doped glasses, the excitation wavelength range of Eu3+ emission is broadened owing to the energy transfer from Sm3+ to Eu3+. This broadening makes the Ar+ 488nm wavelength laser a powerful excitation source for Eu3+ fluorescence. The rare-earth doped glasses with various visible emissions are useful for developing new color light sources, fluorescent display devices, UV-sensor and tunable visible lasers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]