A key challenge in the field of plexcitonic quantum devices is the fabrication of solid-state, device-friendly plexcitonic nanostructures using inexpensive and scalable techniques. Lithography-free, bottom-up nanofabrication methods have remained relatively unexplored within the context of plexcitonic coupling. In this work, a plexcitonic system consisting of thermally dewetted plasmonic gold nanoislands (AuNI) coated with a thin film of J-aggregates was investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEye tracking is routinely being incorporated into virtual reality (VR) systems. Prior research has shown that eye tracking data, if exposed, can be used for re-identification attacks [14]. The state of our knowledge about currently existing privacy mechanisms is limited to privacy-utility trade-off curves based on data-centric metrics of utility, such as prediction error, and black-box threat models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: High HIV viral load (VL) is associated with increased transmission risk and faster disease progression. HIV controllers achieve viral suppression without antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. We evaluated viremic control in a community-randomized trial with >48,000 participants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Universal HIV testing and treatment aims to identify all people living with HIV and offer them treatment, decreasing the number of individuals with unsuppressed HIV and thus reducing HIV transmission. Longitudinal follow-up of individuals with and without HIV in a cluster-randomized trial of communities allowed for the examination of community- and individual-level measures of HIV risk and HIV incidence.
Methods: HPTN 071 (PopART) was a three-arm cluster-randomized trial conducted between 2013 and 2018 that evaluated the use of two combination HIV prevention strategies implemented at the community level to reduce HIV incidence compared to the standard of care.
Fascial herniations of the leg occur when an intracompartmental leg muscle protrudes through weaknesses in the overlying fascial sheath. These fascial defects may be congenital or acquired from trauma involving penetrating injuries to the fascia. Increases in intracompartmental pressure, often resulting from muscular hypertrophy, can lead to muscular herniation through the weakened fascia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe surgical protocols currently used for the treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) are varied, with sufficient differences in clinical outcomes that warrant a review of the role of practicing orthopedic surgeons. This paper aims to summarize the current novel techniques within the realm of surgical treatment for adult DDH, thus serving as a guide to surgeons looking to quickly familiarize themselves with available techniques. We performed computer systematic literature searches of the Embase and PubMed databases from 2010 to 2 April 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: In 2021, there were 38.4 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) globally, of which 20.6 million (54%) were living in Eastern and Southern Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreasing medical student exposure to physical medicine and rehabilitation is an important factor for future growth of the field. Therefore, it is important to determine which types of interventions during medical school have the greatest impact on medical students' decision to pursue a career in physical medicine and rehabilitation. The purpose of this study is to perform a scoping review of the current literature that has analyzed how different interventions and experiences impact medical school students' decision to pursue a career in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHPTN 052 was a multi-country clinical trial of cART for preventing heterosexual HIV-1 transmission. The study allowed participation of pregnant women and provided access to cART and contraceptives. We explored associations between pregnancy and clinical measures of HIV disease stage and progression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Comprehensive HIV prevention strategies have raised concerns that knowledge of interventions to reduce risk of HIV infection might mitigate an individual's perception of risk, resulting in riskier sexual behaviour. We investigated the prespecified secondary outcomes of the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial to determine whether a combination HIV prevention strategy, including universal HIV testing and treatment, changed sexual behaviour; specifically, we investigated whether there was evidence of sexual risk compensation.
Methods: HPTN 071 (PopART) was a cluster-randomised trial conducted during 2013-18, in which we randomly assigned 21 communities with high HIV prevalence in Zambia and South Africa (total population, approximately 1 million) to combination prevention intervention with universal antiretroviral therapy (ART; arm A), prevention intervention with ART provided according to local guidelines (universal since 2016; arm B), or standard of care (arm C).
J Int AIDS Soc
July 2022
Introduction: To investigate the association between individual and community-level measures of HIV stigma and HIV incidence within the 21 communities participating in the HPTN (071) PopART trial in Zambia and South Africa.
Methods: Secondary analysis of data from a population-based cohort followed-up over 36 months between 2013 and 2018. The outcome was rate of incident HIV infection among individuals who were HIV negative at cohort entry.
Introduction: Universal HIV testing and treatment (UTT) has individual and public health benefits. HPTN 071 (PopART), a community-randomized trial in Zambia and South Africa, demonstrated that UTT decreased HIV incidence. This endpoint was assessed in a cohort of >48,000 randomly selected adults in the study communities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To improve adherence with pre-surgical screening for Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage and decolonization, we need more information about patients' experiences with these protocols.
Methods: We surveyed patients undergoing orthopedic, neurosurgical, or cardiac operations at Johns Hopkins Hospitals (JHH), the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) at MercyOne Northeast Iowa Neurosurgery (MONIN) to assess patients' experiences with decolonization protocols.
Results: Five hundred thirty-four patients responded.
Background: Assays and multi-assay algorithms (MAAs) have been developed for population-level cross-sectional HIV incidence estimation. These algorithms use a combination of serologic and/or non-serologic biomarkers to assess the duration of infection. We evaluated the performance of four MAAs for individual-level recency assessments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Cross-sectional incidence testing is used to estimate population-level HIV incidence and measure the impact of prevention interventions. There are limited data evaluating the accuracy of estimates in settings where antiretroviral therapy coverage and levels of viral suppression are high. Understanding cross-sectional incidence estimates in these settings is important as viral suppression can lead to false recent test results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMathematical models are powerful tools in HIV epidemiology, producing quantitative projections of key indicators such as HIV incidence and prevalence. In order to improve the accuracy of predictions, such models need to incorporate a number of behavioural and biological heterogeneities, especially those related to the sexual network within which HIV transmission occurs. An individual-based model, which explicitly models sexual partnerships, is thus often the most natural type of model to choose.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: There is an urgent need to identify men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV with unsuppressed viral loads to prevent transmission. Though respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is traditionally used for hard-to-reach populations, we compare how RDS and direct recruitment (DR) perform in identifying MSM living with HIV with unsuppressed viral loads and identifying MSM with socio-demographics characteristic of hard-to-reach populations.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis among 1305 MSM who were recruited from March 2016 to December 2017 for a case management intervention trial (HPTN 078).
Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective and an important prevention tool for African adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), but adherence and persistence are challenging. PrEP adherence support strategies for African AGYW were studied in an implementation study.
Methods And Findings: HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 082 was conducted in Cape Town, Johannesburg (South Africa) and Harare (Zimbabwe) from October 2016 to October 2018 to evaluate PrEP uptake, persistence, and the effect of drug level feedback on adherence.
Background: Sexual transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is uncommon, yet documented among men who have sex with men (MSM), primarily among those with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Methods: In the HIV Prevention Trials Network 078 study (HPTN 078), which assessed an integrated strategy to achieve HIV viral suppression, 1305 MSM were screened across 4 geographically diverse US cities. At screening, demographic/behavioral/psychosocial questionnaires were completed, along with HIV and HCV testing.
Objectives: To evaluate the performance of a high-throughput research assay for HIV drug resistance testing based on whole genome next-generation sequencing (NGS) that also quantifies HIV viral load.
Methods: Plasma samples (n = 145) were obtained from HIV-positive MSM (HPTN 078). Samples were analysed using clinical assays (the ViroSeq HIV-1 Genotyping System and the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 Viral Load assay) and a research assay based on whole-genome NGS (veSEQ-HIV).
Viral genetic sequencing can be used to monitor the spread of HIV drug resistance, identify appropriate antiretroviral regimes, and characterize transmission dynamics. Despite decreasing costs, next-generation sequencing (NGS) is still prohibitively costly for routine use in generalized HIV epidemics in low- and middle-income countries. Here, we present veSEQ-HIV, a high-throughput, cost-effective NGS sequencing method and computational pipeline tailored specifically to HIV, which can be performed using leftover blood drawn for routine CD4 cell count testing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The HPTN 071 (PopART) trial evaluated the impact of an HIV combination prevention package that included "universal testing and treatment" on HIV incidence in 21 communities in Zambia and South Africa during 2013-2018. The primary study endpoint was based on the results of laboratory-based HIV testing for> 48,000 participants who were followed for up to three years. This report evaluated the performance of HIV assays and algorithms used to determine HIV status and identify incident HIV infections in HPTN 071, and assessed the impact of errors on HIV incidence estimates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To analyze HIV drug resistance among MSM recruited for participation in the HPTN 078 study, which evaluated methods for achieving and maintaining viral suppression in HIV-infected MSM.
Methods: Individuals were recruited at four study sites in the United States (Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Birmingham, Alabama; and Boston, Massachusetts; 2016-2017). HIV genotyping was performed using samples collected at study screening or enrollment.