Limited Short-Term Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase under Remdesivir Exposure in Upper Respiratory Compartments.

Background: The extent of the SARS-CoV-2 short-term evolution under Remdesivir (RDV) exposure and whether it varies across different upper respiratory compartments are not fully understood.

Methods: Patients hospitalized for COVID-19, with or without RDV therapy, were enrolled and completed up to three visits, in which they provided specimens from four respiratory compartments. Near full-length genome SARS-CoV-2 sequences were obtained from viral RNA, standard lineage and variant assignments were performed, and viral mutations in the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) region-the RDV target gene-were detected and compared between participants with and without RDV, across the four compartments, within participants across visits, and versus a larger sequence dataset.

Racial differences in testing for infectious diseases: An analysis of jail intake data.

HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing for all people in jail is recommended by the CDC. In the community, there are barriers to HIV and HCV testing for minoritized people. We examined the relationship between race and infectious diseases (HIV, HCV, syphilis) testing in one Massachusetts jail, Middlesex House of Corrections (MHOC).

Integrating long-acting injectable treatment to improve medication adherence among persons living with HIV and opioid use disorder: study protocol.

Background: Oral antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been effective at reducing mortality rates of people with HIV. However, despite its effectiveness, people who use drugs face barriers to maintaining ART adherence. Receipt of opioid agonist treatment, in the context of HIV care, is associated with medication adherence and decreased HIV viral loads.

Perceptions of Long-Acting Injectable Antiretroviral Therapy Among People Living with HIV Who Use Drugs and Service Providers: a Qualitative Analysis in Rhode Island.

Long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (LAI-ART) is a novel method to deliver HIV treatment, and the first regimen was approved in the USA in 2021. LAI-ART may mitigate barriers to oral treatment adherence, but little is known about LAI-ART perceptions among people living with HIV (PLWH) who use drugs, despite these populations facing greater barriers to treatment retention and ART adherence. We assessed LAI-ART perceptions and implementation considerations among PLWH who use drugs and health and ancillary service providers in Rhode Island.

Characteristics of Substance Use Screening at Intake in a Sample of U.S. Jails.

Background: Despite high rates of substance use among justice-involved populations, the use of substance screening tools in justice settings varies.

Methods: Data are from the National Jail Health Care Study, which surveyed jails across the U.S.

Risk of HIV Viral Rebound in the Era of Universal Treatment in a Multicenter Sample of Persons With HIV in Primary Care.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is recommended for people with HIV (PWH), irrespective of CD4 cell count, to improve their health and reduce the risk of transmission to sexual partners through long-term viral suppression. We identified risk factors for viral rebound among patients with a period of stable viral suppression to inform counseling and monitoring.

Methods: We conducted a multisite, retrospective study of PWH with a 2-year period of sustained viral suppression in the United States using the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems cohort.

"To Be Honest, You Probably Would Have to Read It 50 Times": Stakeholders Views on Using the Opt-Out Approach for Vaccination in Jails.

Background: Despite national guidelines on infectious disease testing and vaccination in prisons, there is heterogeneity on the implementation of these practices in jails. We sought to better understand perspectives on the implementation of opt-out vaccination for infectious diseases in jails by interviewing a broad group of stakeholders involved in infectious diseases vaccination, testing, and treatment in Massachusetts jails.

Methods: The research team conducted semistructured interviews with people incarcerated in Hampden County Jail (Ludlow, Massachusetts), clinicians working in jail and community settings, corrections administrators, and representatives from public health, government, and industry between July 2021 and March 2022.

The Infectious Diseases Specialist, At Risk of Extinction.

The results of the Infectious Diseases (ID) fellowship match over the past decade have raised concerns that the future of our specialty is in peril, despite the unprecedented demand for ID expertise as exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. While there was a modest increase in ID fellowships applicants attributable to the pandemic, the disappointing 2023 match results indicate that the increase was short-lived. Multiple factors contribute to low interest in ID including but not only low salaries relative to other specialties.

United States county jail treatment and care of pregnant incarcerated persons with opioid use disorder.

Background: Standards of care for pregnant persons with opioid use disorder (OUD) have been published across multiple institutions specializing in obstetrics and addiction medicine. Yet, this population faces serious barriers in accessing medications for OUD (MOUD) while incarcerated. Therefore, we examined the availability of MOUD in jails.

Infectious disease surveillance in U.S. jails: Findings from a national survey.

While infectious diseases (ID) are a well-documented public health issue in carceral settings, research on ID screening and treatment in jails is lacking. A survey was sent to 1,126 jails in the United States to identify the prevalence of health screenings at intake and characteristics of care for ID; 371 surveys were completed correctly and analyzed. Despite conflicting Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance, only seven percent of surveyed jails test individuals for HIV at admission.

Utilizing the Probation Office as an Opportunity to Screen for Cardiometabolic Outcomes: A Feasibility Study.

This cross-sectional study examined whether the probation office setting was feasible to screen adults on probation for cardiometabolic risk factors, measure risk profiles, and estimate the prevalence of obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes. During June and August 2019, screening included blood pressure, anthropometrics, total and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and glucose. A survey included demographics, medical history, and current medication.

Interventions Designed to Improve HIV Continuum of Care Outcomes for Persons with HIV in Contact with the Carceral System in the USA.

Purpose Of Review: To describe existing evidence and identify future directions for intervention research related to improving HIV care outcomes for persons with HIV involved in the carceral system in the USA, a population with high unmet HIV care needs.

Recent Findings: Few recent intervention studies focus on improving HIV care outcomes for this population. Successful strategies to improve care outcomes include patient navigation, substance use treatment, and incentivizing HIV care outcomes.

Food Access, Dietary Intake, and Nutrition Knowledge of Adults on Probation.

Objective: To examine food access, dietary intake, and perceptions about diet and associations with health among adults on probation.

Design: Using a mixed-methods approach, interviews were used to understand food access, dietary intake, and diet and associations with health. A survey measured self-assessed diet quality and diet and associations with health.

Feasibility of hepatitis C virus testing and linkage in community supervision offices: Great potential but persistent challenges.

Background: Persons involved with the justice system have an elevated risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) yet remain marginalized from treatment. Efforts to eliminate HCV will require targeted interventions within the justice system effective at providing diagnosis and treatment.

Methods: We implemented a novel HCV screening and treatment intervention for persons under community supervision in Rhode Island, USA during April 2018--March 2020.

DirectDetect SARS-CoV-2 Direct Real-Time RT-PCR Study Using Patient Samples.

COVID-19 is an infectious disease that caused a global pandemic affecting people worldwide. As disease detection and vaccine rollout continue to progress, there is still a need for efficient diagnostic tools to satisfy continued testing needs. This preliminary study evaluated a novel SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test called DirectDetect SARS-CoV-2 Direct Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) based on a limited sample size of 24 respiratory samples from 14 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients.

Surgeons' Perspectives on Valve Surgery in People With Drug Use-Associated Infective Endocarditis.

Background: Hospitalizations for drug-use associated infective endocarditis (DUA-IE) have led to increasing surgical consultation for valve replacement. Cardiothoracic surgeons' perspectives about the process of decision making around operation for people with DUA-IE are largely unknown.

Methods: This multisite semiqualitative study sought to gather the perspectives of cardiothoracic surgeons on initial and repeat valve surgery for people with DUA-IE through purposeful sampling of surgeons at 7 hospitals: University of Alabama, Tufts Medical Center, Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Rhode Island Hospital-Brown University.

Hepatitis C Virus Is Associated With Increased Mortality Among Incarcerated Hospitalized Persons in Massachusetts.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is curable, but incarcerated populations face barriers to treatment. In a cohort of incarcerated hospitalized patients in Boston, Massachusetts, HCV infection was associated with increased mortality. Access to HCV treatment in carceral settings is crucial to avoid unnecessary death and to support HCV elimination efforts.

Validity of Self-Reported Hepatitis C Virus Status Among Criminal Justice-Involved Persons Living With HIV.

The prevalence of HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection among justice-involved persons is high. The validity of self-reported HCV status in this population has important public health implications, yet has not been studied. Justice-involved persons with HIV from Washington, DC, were enrolled in a study that investigated a mobile health intervention to support HIV treatment.

Predictors of severity and mortality among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Rhode Island.

Background: In order for healthcare systems to prepare for future waves of COVID-19, an in-depth understanding of clinical predictors is essential for efficient triage of hospitalized patients.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 259 patients admitted to our hospitals in Rhode Island to examine differences in baseline characteristics (demographics and comorbidities) as well as presenting symptoms, signs, labs, and imaging findings that predicted disease progression and in-hospital mortality.

Results: Patients with severe COVID-19 were more likely to be older (p = 0.

"I'm not gonna be able to do anything about it, then what's the point?": A broad group of stakeholders identify barriers and facilitators to HCV testing in a Massachusetts jail.

Background: Despite national guidelines promoting hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing in prisons, there is substantial heterogeneity on the implementation of HCV testing in jails. We sought to better understand barriers and opportunities for HCV testing by interviewing a broad group of stakeholders involved in HCV testing and treatment policies and procedures in Massachusetts jails.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with people incarcerated in Middlesex County Jail (North Billerica, MA), clinicians working in jail and community settings, corrections administrators, and representatives from public health, government, and industry between November 2018-April 2019.

HIV Drug Resistance and Transmission Networks Among a Justice-Involved Population at the Time of Community Reentry in Washington, D.C.

Justice-involved (JI) populations bear a disproportionate burden of HIV infection and are at risk of poor treatment outcomes. Drug resistance prevalence and emergence, and phylogenetic inference of transmission networks, understudied in vulnerable JI populations, can inform care and prevention interventions, particularly around the critical community reentry period. We analyzed banked blood specimens from CARE+ Corrections study participants in Washington, D.

HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis and Buprenorphine at a Drug Detoxification Center During the Opioid Epidemic: Opportunities and Challenges.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and buprenorphine decrease HIV acquisition. Between November, 2016 and July, 2017, we surveyed persons (N = 200) at a drug detoxification center to assess their interest in PrEP and in buprenorphine, and to examine factors associated with such interests. Over the previous 6 months, 58% (117/200) injected drugs, 87% (173/200) used opioids, 50% (85/171) had condomless sex.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Kidney Transplant Recipients: Single-Center Experience and Case-Control Study.

Background: Kidney transplant recipients (KTR) are considered high-risk for morbidity and mortality from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, some studies did not show worse outcomes compared to non-transplant patients and there is little data about immunosuppressant drug levels and secondary infections in KTR with COVID-19. Herein, we describe our single-center experience with COVID-19 in KTR.

Evaluating HIV Viral Rebound Among Persons on Suppressive Antiretroviral Treatment in the Era of "Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U = U)".

Background: Studies have demonstrated that persons with HIV (PWH) maintaining viral suppression do not transmit HIV to HIV-negative partners through condomless sex, leading to the "Undetectable = Untransmittable (U = U)" prevention campaign. However, few studies have examined the durability of suppression in the era of U = U.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in Providence, Rhode Island.