Xylazine Use Among People Who Inject Drugs, Philadelphia 2022.

Objectives: Xylazine is commonly mixed with illicit opioids in Philadelphia, and potential associations with wound issues, infectious diseases, and overdoses are of public health concern. We used data from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Survey among persons who inject drugs (PWIDs) in Philadelphia to better identify individuals at risk and inform patients and clinicians about xylazine risk factors.

Methods: We compared characteristics of participants who reported using xylazine to those who reported not using xylazine in the past 12 months.

Understanding the Intersection of Behavioral Risk and Social Determinants of Health and the Impact on an Outbreak of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Among Persons Who Inject Drugs in Philadelphia.

Background: In 2018, Philadelphia identified an outbreak of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections among persons who inject drugs (PWID). Although conventional HIV surveillance systems capture individual-level behavioral risk, they are not able to capture the social and environmental factors contributing to rapid transmission.

Methods: HIV surveillance data were used to assess demographic, clinical, and behavioral factors for PWID with HIV diagnosed during 2017 and 2018.

Neural Tube Defects in Pregnancies Among Women With Diagnosed HIV Infection - 15 Jurisdictions, 2013-2017.

In May 2018, a study of birth defects in infants born to women with diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Botswana reported an eightfold increased risk for neural tube defects (NTDs) among births with periconceptional exposure to antiretroviral therapy (ART) that included the integrase inhibitor dolutegravir (DTG) compared with other ART regimens (1). The World Health Organization* (WHO) and the U.S.

Promoting chronic disease management in persons with complex social needs: A qualitative descriptive study.

While there are both ethical and practical imperatives to address health inequity issues related to chronic disease management for persons with social complexity, existing programs often do not appropriately address the needs of these individuals. This leads to low levels of participation in programs, suboptimal chronic disease management, and higher health-care utilization. The aims of this project were to describe the challenges related to availability, accessibility, and acceptability faced by socially complex patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) who were eligible, but declined enrollment in a traditional Chronic Disease Management Program (CDMP).

Influence of birth origin and risk factor profile on hepatitis B mortality: Philadelphia, PA 2003-2013.

Purpose: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) affects specific subpopulations in the United States, including individuals born in HBV-endemic countries and persons engaging in high-risk behaviors.

Methods: The 2003-2013 HBV registry data and surveillance investigations for Philadelphia, PA were matched to death certificate data to examine demographic, risk factor, and cause of death characteristics among HBV-infected populations. Bivariate analysis compared investigated foreign-born (FB) and US-born chronic HBV individuals.

booc.io: An Education System with Hierarchical Concept Maps and Dynamic Non-linear Learning Plans.

Information hierarchies are difficult to express when real-world space or time constraints force traversing the hierarchy in linear presentations, such as in educational books and classroom courses. We present booc.io, which allows linear and non-linear presentation and navigation of educational concepts and material.