The Reliability of Assessing Gender Minority Status Based on Gender Identity and Sex Assigned at Birth in the African Context: Findings from the HIV Prevention Trials Network 075 Study.

This study evaluated the reliability of assessing transgender status in African populations using questions about current gender identification and sex assigned at birth. Data were obtained from the HIV Prevention Trials Network 075, a study designed to assess the feasibility of recruiting and retaining 400 men who have sex with men (MSM) in a 1-year prospective cohort study in Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa and conducted from 2015 to 2017. We compared responses of 401 participants to questions about gender identity obtained at the screening and enrollment visits and, for a subset of participants, in open interviews 6-9 months after enrollment.

Unleashing the Power of Reliance for Post-Approval Changes: A Journey with 48 National Regulatory Authorities.

Post-approval changes (PACs) to marketed products are routinely introduced to continuously enhance the product lifecycle management. However, bringing a chemistry, manufacturing and control (CMC) change through the global health authorities can be a complex and lengthy process taking up to several years, therefore negatively impacting supply continuity. In order to accelerate the review and approval of regulatory submissions and ensure continuous supply to patients, the World Health Organization (WHO) is strongly supporting the implementation of reliance among National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs).

Developing an electronic health record measure of low-value esophagogastroduodenoscopy for GERD at a large academic health system.

Objectives: Low-value esophagogastroduodenoscopies (EGDs) for uncomplicated gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can harm patients and raise patient and payer costs. We developed an electronic health record (EHR) 'eMeasure' to detect low-value EGDs.

Design: Retrospective cohort of 518 adult patients diagnosed with GERD who underwent initial EGD between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2019.

Benefits of Frequent HIV Testing in the THRIVE Demonstration Project: United States, 2015-2020.

To describe HIV testing among clients in the Targeted Highly Effective Interventions to Reverse the HIV Epidemic (THRIVE) demonstration project and evaluate testing frequency. We identified factors associated with an average testing frequency of 180 days or less compared with more than 180 days using adjusted Poisson regression models. We performed the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to compare time to diagnosis by testing frequency.

Group B Streptococcus Drives Major Transcriptomic Changes in the Colonic Epithelium.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of infant sepsis worldwide. Colonization of the gastrointestinal tract is a critical precursor to late-onset disease in exposed newborns. Neonatal susceptibility to GBS intestinal translocation stems from intestinal immaturity; however, the mechanisms by which GBS exploits the immature host remain unclear.

HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Services for Black and Hispanic or Latino Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Women in THRIVE, 2015-2020.

Background And Setting: From 2015 to 2020, the THRIVE project supported 7 US health departments to improve HIV prevention services for Black or African American (Black) and Hispanic or Latino gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) and transgender women (TGW).

Methods: We described services provided in the THRIVE PrEP continuum. Using Poisson regression models, we estimated associations between race or ethnicity and age and PrEP screening, linkage, and prescription.

Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake, adherence, and adverse events among South African men who have sex with men and transgender women.

Background: HIV prevention programmes that include pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in South Africa have not been widely implemented.

Objectives: The authors examined oral PrEP uptake, adherence, and adverse events among HIV-uninfected MSM and TGW to inform intervention acceptability and feasibility.

Method: In 2015, MSM and TGW in two South African cities were offered a comprehensive package of HIV prevention services, including daily oral PrEP, and were followed for one year.

The Effect of Navigation on Linkage to a PrEP Provider Among PrEP-Eligible Men who have Sex with Men in a U.S. Demonstration Project.

Our objective is to evaluate the effect of navigation on linkage to a PrEP provider among PrEP-eligible men who have sex with men (MSM) in THRIVE, a demonstration project in seven U.S. public health jurisdictions during 2015-2020.

The wild life of ticks: Using passive surveillance to determine the distribution and wildlife host range of ticks and the exotic Haemaphysalis longicornis, 2010-2021.

Background: We conducted a large-scale, passive regional survey of ticks associated with wildlife of the eastern United States. Our primary goals were to better assess the current geographical distribution of exotic Haemaphysalis longicornis and to identify potential wild mammalian and avian host species. However, this large-scale survey also provided valuable information regarding the distribution and host associations for many other important tick species that utilize wildlife as hosts.

Toward the development of a protein-based group B vaccine.

Clinical trials of protein-based vaccines to prevent Group B streptococcal infections are underway. In this issue of , Pawlowski et al. provide an extensive characterization of the immune response generated by the recently tested GBS-NN vaccine.

Fumaric acid production using alternate fermentation mode by immobilized Rhizopus oryzae-a greener production strategy.

The current work investigates the impact of using immobilized Rhizopus oryzae NRRL 1526 for bioproduction of fumaric acid using agro-industrial residues as feedstock. This use of agro-industrial residues, a renewable feedstock, for the production of bio-based platform chemical makes the process cost-competitive as well as greener by preventing the release of assimilable organic carbon to the environment, thereby reducing the generation of greenhouse gases. Immobilization of R.

Opportunistic Illnesses in Children With HIV Infection in the United States, 1997-2016.

Background: Among children with HIV infection, opportunistic illness (OI) rates decreased after introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 1997. We evaluated whether such decreases have continued.

Methods: Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National HIV Surveillance System for children with HIV living in the US during 1997-2016 was used to enumerate infants experiencing the first OI by birth year and OIs among all children <13 years of age (stratified by natality).

Key Factors for Successful Implementation of HIV Prevention Services by THRIVE Community Collaboratives.

Objective: The Targeted Highly Effective Interventions to Reverse the HIV Epidemic (THRIVE) demonstration project created collaboratives of health departments, community-based organizations, and clinical partners to improve HIV prevention services for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) of color. We administered an online survey from September 2018 through February 2019 to assess the collaboratives.

Methods: We used a Likert scale to measure agreement on collaborative characteristics.

HIV incidence in a multinational cohort of men and transgender women who have sex with men in sub-Saharan Africa: Findings from HPTN 075.

Few studies have assessed HIV incidence in men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We assessed HIV incidence and its correlates among MSM and TGW in SSA enrolled in the prospective, multi-country HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 075 study, conducted from 2015 to 2017. Participants were enrolled at four sites in SSA (Kisumu, Kenya; Blantyre, Malawi; Cape Town and Soweto, South Africa).

Initial Efficacy of a Community-Derived Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Latinx Parents and their Children.

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) may offer a means for Latinx families to ameliorate stress, enhance emotion regulation, and foster social support. We assessed pilot data from Latinx parents in Eastside Los Angeles (n = 27) matched with their children aged 10-16 (n = 32) to determine whether participation in a community-derived MBI was associated with greater improvements in dispositional mindfulness, perceived stress, emotion regulation, and family social support compared to a control condition. Compared to the control group, parents in the MBI group showed greater reductions in perceived stress scale (PSS) scores (B =  - 2.

An Innovative United States-Mexico Community Outreach Initiative for Hispanic and Latino People in the United States: A Collaborative Public Health Network.

Collaborative partnerships are a useful approach to improve health conditions of disadvantaged populations. The (VDS) ("Health Windows") and Mobile Health Units (MHUs) are a collaborative initiative of the Mexican government and US public health organizations that use mechanisms such as health fairs and mobile clinics to provide health information, screenings, preventive measures (eg, vaccines), and health services to Mexican people, other Hispanic people, and underserved populations (eg, American Indian/Alaska Native people, geographically isolated people, uninsured people) across the United States. From 2013 through 2019, the VDS served 10.

Uptake of antiretroviral treatment and viral suppression among men who have sex with men and transgender women in sub-Saharan Africa in an observational cohort study: HPTN 075.

Objectives: HPTN 075 enrolled men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in sub-Saharan Africa. Persons in HIV care or on antiretroviral treatment (ART) were not eligible to enroll. We evaluated antiretroviral (ARV) drug use, viral suppression, and drug resistance in this cohort over a 12-month follow-up period.

Multidisciplinary Community-Based Investigation of a COVID-19 Outbreak Among Marshallese and Hispanic/Latino Communities - Benton and Washington Counties, Arkansas, March-June 2020.

By June 2020, Marshallese and Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) persons in Benton and Washington counties of Arkansas had received a disproportionately high number of diagnoses of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Despite representing approximately 19% of these counties' populations (1), Marshallese and Hispanic persons accounted for 64% of COVID-19 cases and 57% of COVID-19-associated deaths. Analyses of surveillance data, focus group discussions, and key-informant interviews were conducted to identify challenges and propose strategies for interrupting transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Race, Ethnicity, and Age Trends in Persons Who Died from COVID-19 - United States, May-August 2020.

During February 12-October 15, 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in approximately 7,900,000 aggregated reported cases and approximately 216,000 deaths in the United States.* Among COVID-19-associated deaths reported to national case surveillance during February 12-May 18, persons aged ≥65 years and members of racial and ethnic minority groups were disproportionately represented (1). This report describes demographic and geographic trends in COVID-19-associated deaths reported to the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) during May 1-August 31, 2020, by 50 states and the District of Columbia.

HIV prevalence and incidence in a cohort of South African men and transgender women who have sex with men: the Sibanye Methods for Prevention Packages Programme (MP3) project.

Introduction: Men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) are at increased risk for acquiring HIV, but there are limited HIV incidence data for these key populations in Africa. Understanding HIV prevalence and incidence provides important context for designing HIV prevention strategies, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programmes. We describe HIV prevalence, awareness of HIV infection, HIV incidence and associated factors for a cohort of MSM and TGW in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, South Africa.