Facilitators and barriers to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake through a community-based intervention strategy among adolescent girls and young women in Seme Sub-County, Kisumu, Kenya.

Background: While the introduction of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) as an HIV prevention strategy has allowed women to exercise more control over the reduction of HIV transmission rates, adolescent girls and young women in Sub-Saharan Africa continue to experience higher rates of HIV infections and bear the greatest disease burden. Understanding progress in PrEP uptake among adolescent girls and young women would enhance risk reduction in this vulnerable population. The Determined, Resilient, AIDS-Free, Mentored and Safe women (DREAMS) Initiative plays a key role in this risk reduction strategy.

Association of cigarette smoking and adverse events in left ventricular assist device patients.

Introduction: Adverse events (AEs) associated with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) cause significant morbidity and mortality. Little is known about patient-specific factors that contribute to rates of AEs. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of cigarette smoking history and AEs following LVAD implantation.