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Health disparities affecting persons living with HIV (PLWH) as well as those affecting individuals who use substances have been documented in China. However, health status and outcomes within the intersectional population of those who both live with HIV and use substances is not well understood. One hundred and sixty-nine PLWH receiving care in China completed surveys assessing HIV-clinical factors, substance use, and HIV-related physical health symptoms. We tested associations between substance use and health symptoms using multivariate logistic and ordinal regressions. Using one substance over the past week was associated with greater maximal severity of physical symptoms (p

Exposure to nicotine among people living with HIV (PLWH) may impact physical health as indicated by experienced symptoms. Yet, the empirical evidence documenting the relations between tobacco use and symptom experiences among PLWH remains limited. This study aims to assess the relationships between tobacco use and HIV symptoms through a cross-sectional survey conducted in Beijing and Shanghai. The WHO ASSIST screening test was used for frequency of tobacco use. Sixty-four items from the revised signs and symptoms checklist for persons with HIV disease (SSC-HIVrev) were used. "Total number of symptoms" was created by summing all the binary coded and "Maximal symptom severity" was created by taking the maximal severity level across all symptoms for each participant. After controlling for confounding variables, tobacco use was not associated with the total number of symptom, yet was associated with the maximal symptom severity. This study documents the link between tobacco use and experienced symptoms among PLWH by demonstrating that higher frequency of tobacco use is associated with greater odds of reporting more severe symptoms. Smoking cessation strategies should be integrated into symptom management interventions for PLWH to optimize their effectiveness.

China is experiencing a rapid increase in the number of HIV-infected women. In this study, we describe the development and preliminary evaluation of an intervention tailored for Chinese HIV-infected women and caregivers to improve their self- and family management, with goals of enhancing their physical quality of life (QOL) and decreasing their depressive symptomatology. Forty-one HIV-infected women and their caregivers were recruited from two premier Chinese hospitals from July 2014 through March 2016. Participants were randomized to either the control or intervention arm for the Self- and Family Management Intervention (SAFMI). Each study dyad in the intervention arm received three counseling sessions with a nurse interventionist. At baseline, immediate post-intervention (month 1) and follow-up (month 3), the participants were assessed by a self-reported survey. Generalized Hierarchical Linear Modeling was used to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. Chinese HIV-infected women in the intervention arm had significantly higher probability of higher physical QOL at month 1 and lower probability of clinically meaningful depressive symptomatology at month 3 compared with women in the control arm. In contrast, the effects of the intervention were less salient for caregivers. This study represents one of the first in China to include family caregivers in HIV management. Feasibility and acceptability were high, in that family members were willing to join the study, learn about HIV, and practice new skills to support the HIV-infected women in their lives. A larger trial is needed to fully evaluate this intervention which shows promising preliminary effects in promoting physical QOL and decreasing depressive symptomatology among Chinese HIV-infected women.

China is experiencing a rapid increase in the number of HIV-infected women. In this study, we describe the development and preliminary evaluation of an intervention tailored for Chinese HIV-infected women and caregivers to improve their self- and family management, with goals of enhancing their physical quality of life (QOL) and decreasing their depressive symptomatology. Forty-one HIV-infected women and their caregivers were recruited from two premier Chinese hospitals from July 2014 through March 2016. Participants were randomized to either the control or intervention arm for the Self- and Family Management Intervention (SAFMI). Each study dyad in the intervention arm received three counseling sessions with a nurse interventionist. At baseline, immediate post-intervention (month 1) and follow-up (month 3), the participants were assessed by a self-reported survey. Generalized Hierarchical Linear Modeling was used to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. Chinese HIV-infected women in the intervention arm had significantly higher probability of higher physical QOL at month 1 and lower probability of clinically meaningful depressive symptomatology at month 3 compared with women in the control arm. In contrast, the effects of the intervention were less salient for caregivers. This study represents one of the first in China to include family caregivers in HIV management. Feasibility and acceptability were high, in that family members were willing to join the study, learn about HIV, and practice new skills to support the HIV-infected women in their lives. A larger trial is needed to fully evaluate this intervention which shows promising preliminary effects in promoting physical QOL and decreasing depressive symptomatology among Chinese HIV-infected women.

ContextIn China, the social stigma of both substance use and HIV remains major barriers. HIV+ individuals have been demonstrated to have higher psychosocial distress in the literature. To ensure quality of life among HIV+ Chinese individuals, self-efficacy in HIV-related management including substance use and anxiety is the key to suppress viral load and maintain healthy lives.ObjectivesWe examine the mediation relationship among substance use, anxiety, and self-management efficacy.MethodA cross-sectional study design was used. 137 HIV+ individuals were recruited from two premier Chinese hospitals: Beijing's Ditan Hospital and Shanghai's Public Health Clinic Center (SPHCC).ResultsHIV+ substance users had significantly lower HIV-management efficacy and higher anxiety scores. About a third of the relations between substance use and anxiety was mediated by HIV-management self-efficacy. Those who used substances in the previous week had higher anxiety levels suggesting the presence of a recent effect. Their higher levels of anxiety could be largely explained by their lower HIV-management efficacy.ConclusionIt is useful for healthcare providers to assess substance use behaviors in HIV+ individuals as well as provide support in managing anxiety in this population. Meanwhile, enhancing self-management efficacy to ensure healthy lifestyles may support achieving optimal lives with HIV.

Acoustic emission (AE) technology has been widely utilized to monitor the SiC wafer lapping process. The root-mean-square (RMS) of the time–domain eigenvalues of the AE signal has a linear relationship with the material removal rate (MRR). However, the existence of background noise severely reduces signal monitoring accuracy. Noise interference often leads to increased RMS deviation and signal distortion. In the study presented in this manuscript, a frequency threshold noise reduction approach was developed by combining and improving wavelet packet noise reduction and spectral subtraction noise reduction techniques. Three groups of SiC lapping experiments were conducted on a fixed abrasive pad, and the lapping acoustic signals were processed using three different noise reduction approaches: frequency threshold, wavelet packet, and spectral subtraction. The results show that the noise reduction method using the frequency threshold is the most effective, with the best coefficient of determination (R2) for the linear fit of the RMS to the MRR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AimsThe aim is to explore perceived facilitators of and barriers to HIV self-management for HIV-positive Chinese women.BackgroundLittle is known about self-management among HIV-positive Chinese women in China. Understanding the experiences of this population is needed to promote self-management.Methods27 in-depth interviews were conducted in Beijing and Shanghai. Facilitators included families being supportive after disclosure, patients learning how to live with HIV, antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, and rediscovering the meaning of life. Several barriers were also identified, including lack of support, stigma, fatigue, and financial difficulty.ResultsHIV disclosure is essential to obtaining necessary support. Ironically, disclosing to family members who stigmatize the disease may invite unwelcome responses. Helping HIV-positive women to decrease self-stigma and develop an effective way to disclose, if they choose to, is important.ConclusionFuture interventions should focus on disclosure strategies development and self-management to prevent isolation, enhance social support, and decrease self-stigma.

A series of exohedral actinide borospherenes, An&Bm, and endohedral borospherenes, An@Bn (An=U, Np, Pu; m = 28, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40; n = 36, 38, 40), have been characterized by density functional theory calculations. The electronic structures, chemical bond topological properties and spectra have been systematically investigated. It was found that An@Bn is more stable than An&Bn in terms of structure and energy, and UB36 in an aqueous solution is the most stable molecular in this research. The IR and UV-vis spectra of An&Bm and An@Bn are computationally predicted to facilitate further experimental investigations. Charge-transfer spectroscopy decomposes the total UV-Vis absorption curve into the contributions of different excitation features, allowing insight into what form of electronic excitation the UV–Vis absorption peak is from the perspective of charge transfer between the An atoms and borospherenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron is essential for all organisms. Bacteria have devolved sophisticated systems to maintain intracellular iron homeostasis. FpvCDEF(PA2407-2410) has been reported as an ABC transporter involved in pyoverdine-Fe uptake which does not affect growth under iron-limiting condition, when it is deleted in PAO1. In this study, we proved that fpvCDEF and fpvWXYZ(PA2403-2406) constituted an ABC transporter complex containing two operons: fpvWXYZCDE and fpvF. The operon fpvWXYZCDE was regulated by iron negatively and the single gene operon fpvF was constitutively expressed. Inactivation of any one of the components, fpvW, fpvC, fpvD, fpvE, and fpvF, led to increased expression of fpvWXYZCDE suggesting that each component of fpvWXYZCDEF could be involved in iron uptake. The ABC transporter complex encoded by fpvWXYZCDEF plays important roles in growth, oxidative stress resistance, and virulence, since the deletion of fpvWXYZCDEF resulted in defective growth, increased sensitivity to H2O2, and decreased virulence compared with PAO1(ΔfpvCDEF) and the wild type PAO1 under iron-limiting condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]