Mixtures of sediment chemical contaminants at freshwater sampling sites across Europe with different contaminant burdens.

Extended chemical analyses of fluvial sediments were undertaken to establish the key pollutant pressures and mixtures present across nine European Union inland waterways. A wide range of chemical components and physical parameters were investigated including substances from the EU Priority List and Watch List. The data set was examined for key indicator compounds, however it was found that a wide range of pollution pressures were present in the different sediments including organic hydrocarbons, metal(loid)s, nutrients, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and pesticides, some of which exceeded regulatory guidance at different sampling points.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Pregnant People at Labor and Delivery and Changes in Infection Rates in the General Population: Lessons Learned From Illinois.

Objectives: The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) assessed whether increases in the SARS-CoV-2 test positivity rate among pregnant people at labor and delivery (L&D) could signal increases in SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in the general Illinois population earlier than current state metrics.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-six birthing hospitals universally testing for SARS-CoV-2 at L&D voluntarily submitted data from June 21, 2020 through January 23, 2021, to IDPH. Hospitals reported the daily number of people who delivered, SARS-CoV-2 tests, and test results as well as symptom status.

Acquired HIV drug resistance and virologic monitoring in a HIV hyper-endemic setting in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.

Background: Introduction of tenofovir (TDF) plus lamivudine (3TC) and dolutegravir (DTG) in first- and second-line HIV treatment regimens in South Africa warrants characterization of acquired HIV-1 drug resistance (ADR) mutations that could impact DTG-based antiretroviral therapy (ART). In this study, we sought to determine prevalence of ADR mutations and their potential impact on susceptibility to drugs used in combination with DTG among HIV-positive adults (≥ 18 years) accessing routine care at a selected ART facility in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Methods: We enrolled adult participants in a cross-sectional study between May and September 2019.

Geographic and demographic heterogeneity of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing in Illinois, USA, March to December 2020.

Background: Availability of SARS-CoV-2 testing in the United States (U.S.) has fluctuated through the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, including in the U.

Geographic and demographic heterogeneity of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing in Illinois, USA, March to December 2020.

Background: Availability of SARS-CoV-2 testing in the United States (U.S.) has fluctuated through the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, including in the U.

Community Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Associated with a Local Bar Opening Event - Illinois, February 2021.

During February 2021, an opening event was held indoors at a rural Illinois bar that accommodates approximately 100 persons. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and local health department staff members investigated a COVID-19 outbreak associated with this opening event. Overall, 46 COVID-19 cases were linked to the event, including cases in 26 patrons and three staff members who attended the opening event and 17 secondary cases.

Sex Differences in HIV Testing - 20 PEPFAR-Supported Sub-Saharan African Countries, 2019.

Despite progress toward controlling the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, testing gaps remain, particularly among men and young persons in sub-Saharan Africa (1). This observational study used routinely collected programmatic data from 20 African countries reported to the U.S.

HIV Infection-Related Care Outcomes among U.S.-Born and Non-U.S.-Born Blacks with Diagnosed HIV in 40 U.S. Areas: The National HIV Surveillance System, 2016.

HIV care outcomes must be improved to reduce new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections and health disparities. HIV infection-related care outcome measures were examined for U.S.

Screening for Latent Tuberculosis Infection Among HIV-Infected Medicaid Enrollees.

Objectives: In the United States, universal screening for latent tuberculosis (TB) infection among people with HIV is recommended, but the percentage receiving screening is unknown. This study assessed screening for latent TB infection among people with HIV enrolled in Medicaid during 2006-2010.

Methods: We used nationwide fee-for-service Medicaid records to identify people with HIV, measure screening for latent TB infection, and examine associated demographic, social, and clinical factors.

Incorporation of Social Determinants of Health in the Peer-Reviewed Literature: A Systematic Review of Articles Authored by the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.

Objectives: Social determinants of health (SDHs) are the complex, structural, and societal factors that are responsible for most health inequities. Since 2003, the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) has researched how SDHs place communities at risk for communicable diseases and poor adolescent health. We described the frequency and types of SDHs discussed in articles authored by NCHHSTP.

Missed Opportunities to Prescribe Preexposure Prophylaxis in South Carolina, 2013-2016.

Background: Expanding use of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in ways that address current racial/ethnic disparities is an important human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention goal. We investigated missed opportunities to provide PrEP during healthcare visits that occur prior to HIV infection.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study linked South Carolina HIV case surveillance data to 3 statewide healthcare databases.

Comparing Patient Demographics and Tumor Characteristics of HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Patients with Cancer in South Carolina.

We compared the demographic and disease characteristics of HIV-positive (HIV+) and HIV-negative (HIV-) individuals with a diagnosis of cancer in South Carolina. HIV-positive patients with cancer were reflective of the HIV+ caseload in South Carolina, with HIV+ patients with cancer more likely to be male (odds ratio [OR]: 2.78: 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.

Social Determinants of Health Associated with HBV Testing and Access to Care among Foreign-born Persons Residing in the United States: 2009 - 2012.

Objectives: To describe how select Social Determinants of Health (SDH) are associated with the burden of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among foreign-born persons residing in the United States.

Methods: Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) 2010 Risk Factor Survey data to investigate the independent relationship between SDH and HBV testing and access to care.

Results: HBV infected persons with insurance were more likely to see a physician than those without.

Chronic health conditions in Medicare beneficiaries 65 years old, and older with HIV infection.

Objectives: To examine sociodemographic factors and chronic health conditions of people living with HIV (PLWHIV/HIV+) at least 65 years old and compare their chronic disease prevalence with beneficiaries without HIV.

Design: National fee-for-service Medicare claims data (parts A and B) from 2006 to 2009 were used to create a retrospective cohort of beneficiaries at least 65 years old.

Methods: Beneficiaries with an inpatient or skilled nursing facility claim, or outpatient claims with HIV diagnosis codes were considered HIV+.

HIV community viral load trends in South Carolina.

Community viral load is an aggregate measure of HIV viral load in a particular geographic location, community, or subgroup. Community viral load provides a measure of disease burden in a community and community transmission risk. This study aims to examine community viral load trend in South Carolina and identify differences in community viral load trends between selected population subgroups using a state-wide surveillance dataset that maintains electronic records of all HIV viral load measurements reported to the state health department.

Rural-urban differences in HIV viral loads and progression to AIDS among new HIV cases.

Objective: The human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic in the United States has shifted to the South, where an increasing proportion is occurring in rural areas. We sought to gain a better understanding of the affected rural population in this region.

Methods: The statewide HIV/AIDS Electronic Reporting System database was used to examine the epidemiological characteristics of newly diagnosed HIV cases in South Carolina from 2005 to 2011.

Incidence of primary hypertension in a population-based cohort of HIV-infected compared with non-HIV-infected persons and the effect of combined antiretroviral therapy.

Literature remains scarce on the impact of antiretroviral medications on hypertension in the HIV population. We used the South Carolina Medicaid database linked with the enhanced HIV/AIDS system surveillance database for 1994-2011 to evaluate incident hypertension and the impact of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in HIV/AIDS population compared with a propensity- matched non-HIV control group. Multivariable, time-dependent survival analysis suggested no significant difference in incidence of hypertension between the HIV group and the non-HIV control group.

Disparities in viral load and CD4 count trends among HIV-infected adults in South Carolina.

On a population level, trends in viral load (VL) and CD4 cell counts can provide a marker of infectivity and an indirect measure of retention in care. Thus, observing the trend of CD4/VL over time can provide useful information on disparities in populations across the HIV care continuum when stratified by demography. South Carolina (SC) maintains electronic records of all CD4 cell counts and HIV VL measurements reported to the state health department.

Training racial and ethnic minority students for careers in public health sciences.

Background: A workforce that resembles the society it serves is likely to be more effective in improving health equity for racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. Racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the U.

Impact of clinical and therapeutic factors on incident cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in a population-based cohort of HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected adults.

Background: Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular (CVD) events/diseases are a common cause of non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related mortality in the aging human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected population. The incidence rate and clinical correlates of CVD in people living with HIV/AIDS compared to the general population warrants further investigation.

Hypothesis: HIV/AIDS is associated with increased risk CVD compared to general population.

Longitudinal association between BMI at diagnosis and HIV disease progression.

Increased body mass index (BMI) has been associated with adverse health outcomes but the effect of BMI on HIV immune markers over time post-HAART is not clearly established. Data were abstracted from 396 medical records at the Ryan White Clinic in South Carolina. All HIV-infected adults who were ≥18 years of age, diagnosed between 1997 and 2010, had weight and height measured within 3 months of diagnosis and had at least one follow-up visit within 6 months of diagnosis, were eligible.

Incidence of diabetes mellitus in a population-based cohort of HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected persons: the impact of clinical and therapeutic factors over time.

Aims: To examine incidence density rate and correlates of incident diabetes mellitus in a cohort of HIV-infected individuals compared with matched non-HIV-infected persons.

Methods: Data were obtained from the South Carolina Medicaid system and the enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System surveillance database for persons ≥ 18 years of age who had been attended to during the period 1994 to 2011. Time-dependent proportional hazards analysis and marginal structural models were used to analyse the data.

HIV and STI Risk for Young Blacks in High Prevalence Areas: Implications for Health Equity in Communities Hosting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Background: Every year, thousands of young black, high school graduates who are seeking higher education, attend one of the 105 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) located primarily in the south and east. The objective of the research was to examine the geographic proximity of HBCUs to areas of high HIV and STI disease burden among college age people to assess infectivity of potential sex partners in the areas surrounding HBCUs.

Methods: We examined the 14 states reporting the greatest HIV diagnoses burden among persons age 20-24 years old and STI burden among persons age 15 to 24 years old available for 2010.

Defining the rural HIV epidemic: correlations of 3 definitions--South Carolina, 2005-2011.

Purpose: To gain a better understanding of the HIV epidemic in rural South Carolina (SC) by contrasting 3 definitions of rural and urban areas.

Methods: The sample included newly diagnosed HIV cases aged ≥18 years in SC between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011. Each individual was assigned a rural or urban status as defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Census Bureau (CB), and Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) classifications.