Weight and metabolic changes with long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine or bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide.

Background: Modest weight and lipid changes have been observed in cabotegravir plus rilpivirine long-acting (CAB+RPV LA) Phase 3/3b studies. The SOLAR study included standardized evaluations of weight and metabolic changes in people living with HIV switching to CAB+RPV LA dosed every 2 months (Q2M) vs. continuing bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir (BIC/FTC/TAF).

The health effects of non-prescribed anabolic-androgenic steroid use: Findings from The Performance and image-enhancing drugs UseRS' Health (PUSH) audit.

Introduction: To ascertain the adverse health outcomes experienced by those using prescribed testosterone and non-prescribed anabolic-androgenic steroids presenting to general practitioner (GP) clinics.

Methods: Retrospective clinical audit from nine GP clinics in major metropolitan areas across three Australian states. Data included demographic and individual characteristics (age, sexuality, body mass index, smoking status and HIV status); performance and image-enhancing drug use (type, reasons for use, patient-reported adverse effects); and blood biochemistry measurements (lipid profiles, liver function tests and red blood cell tests).

Physical, psychological and biochemical recovery from anabolic steroid-induced hypogonadism: a scoping review.

Hypogonadism can result following anabolic steroid abuse. The duration and degree of recovery from anabolic steroid-induced hypogonadism (ASIH) is immensely variable, and there is a paucity of prospective controlled data characterising the trajectory of natural recovery following cessation. This poses difficulties for users trying to stop androgen abuse, and clinicians wanting to assist them.

Successful expanded clinic network collaboration and patient tracing for retention in HIV care.

Background: There are more than 7,800 people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Victoria, Australia. Crucial in maximising the individual and population level benefits from antiretroviral therapy (ART) is understanding how to achieve patient retention in care and the factors that drive it. This study was an expansion of a 2015 assessment of HIV-care retention in Victoria, which sought out to determine whether the inclusion of a broader range of HIV-healthcare sites would yield more accurate estimates of retention in HIV-care.

Management of human immunodeficiency virus in older people.

Background: The proportion of older (aged ≥50 years) people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) within the HIV-positive population is increasing. Many comorbidities associated with ageing are observed more frequently and/or occur at an earlier age among PLHIV, compared with people who are uninfected.

Objective: The aim of this article is to improve the confidence of treating physicians who have limited HIV experience in providing care for the increasingly elderly HIV population by presenting a contemporary clinical picture of older PLHIV and discussing the key evidence-based principles of management, with reference to data in the Australian setting where applicable.

Incidence, Clearance, and Persistence of Anal Human Papillomavirus in Men Who Have Sex With Men Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Implications for Human Papillomavirus Vaccination.

Background: Men who have sex with men living with human immunodeficiency virus have a high risk of anal cancer. We estimate the likely benefit of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among participants of the Anal Cancer Examination study.

Methods: Anal swabs were collected for the detection and genotyping of anal HPV DNA by linear array (Roche Diagnostics) in this 2-year multicenter prospective cohort.

Baseline findings from the Anal Cancer Examination (ACE) study: screening using digital ano-rectal examination in HIV-positive men who have sex with men.

Objective: Cytological screening for anal cancer precursors is not always possible. We investigated digital ano-rectal examination (DARE) as a means of early anal cancer detection in HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM).

Methods: We recruited 327 HIV-positive MSM aged 35 and over from clinics with HIV physicians in Melbourne, Australia, to receive an annual DARE.

Clinic Network Collaboration and Patient Tracing to Maximize Retention in HIV Care.

Background: Understanding retention and loss to follow up in HIV care, in particular the number of people with unknown outcomes, is critical to maximise the benefits of antiretroviral therapy. Individual-level data are not available for these outcomes in Australia, which has an HIV epidemic predominantly focused amongst men who have sex with men.

Methods And Findings: A network of the 6 main HIV clinical care sites was established in the state of Victoria, Australia.

Exposing the gaps in awareness, knowledge and estimation of risk for anal cancer in men who have sex with men living with HIV: a cross-sectional survey in Australia.

Introduction: The incidence of anal cancer is significantly higher in men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV when compared to the general population. We aimed to assess their awareness, knowledge and perceived level of personal risk for anal cancer to help inform educational strategies targeting this group.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 327 HIV positive MSM in Melbourne, Australia, attending clinical settings (a sexual health centre, tertiary hospital HIV outpatients and high HIV caseload general practices) completed a written questionnaire in 2013/14.

Characterization of protein rheology and delivery forces for combination products.

Characterization of a protein-device combination product over a wide range of operating parameters defined by end-user requirements is critical for developing a product presentation that is convenient for patient use. In addition to the device components, several product attributes, such as product rheology and product-container interactions, govern the functionality of a delivery system. This article presents results from a characterization study conducted for a high-concentration antibody product in a prefilled syringe.

Variability in syringe components and its impact on functionality of delivery systems.

Unlabelled: Prefilled syringes and autoinjectors are becoming increasingly common for parenteral drug administration primarily due to the convenience they offer to the patients. Successful commercialization of such delivery systems requires thorough characterization of individual components. Complete understanding of various sources of variability and their ranking is essential for robust device design.

Direct visualization of protein adsorption to primary containers by gold nanoparticles.

Adsorption of proteins to primary containers can result in protein loss, protein denaturation, or aggregation. We report a simple and effective method to directly detect and visualize adsorption of proteins to container surfaces by staining adsorbed proteins with gold nanoparticles, which bind proteins nonspecifically. The gold nanoparticle staining method was applied to study adsorption to siliconized glass prefilled syringes (PFSs) of a therapeutic protein in a liquid formulation.

The Voronoi volume and molecular representation of molar volume: equilibrium simple fluids.

The Voronoi volume of simple fluids was previously made use of in connection with volume transport phenomena in nonequilibrium simple fluids. To investigate volume transport phenomena, it is important to develop a method to compute the Voronoi volume of fluids in nonequilibrium. In this work, as a first step to this goal, we investigate the equilibrium limit of the nonequilibrium Voronoi volume together with its attendant related molar (molal) and specific volumes.

A randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study to determine the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of an HPV-16 therapeutic vaccine in HIV-positive participants with oncogenic HPV infection of the anus.

Objective: Study aimed to assess safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of novel therapeutic HPV-16 E6E7 ISCOMATRIX vaccine for treatment of human papilloma virus (HPV)-related anal intraepithelial neoplasia in HIV-infected men who have sex with men with moderate immunosuppression.

Design: Randomized, multicenter, blinded, placebo-controlled, dose-escalating study investigating 3 different doses of vaccine and different dose schedule. Primary objective to determine safety and tolerability, including clinical status, maintenance of virological control, and CD4 cell count for more than 252 days.

Distribution of silicone oil in prefilled glass syringes probed with optical and spectroscopic methods.

Prefilled glass syringes (PFSs) have become the most commonly used device for the delivery of recombinant protein therapeutics in parenteral formulations. In particular, auto-injectors preloaded with PFSs greatly facilitate the convenient and efficient self-administration of protein therapeutics by patients. Silicone oil is used as a lubricant in PFSs to facilitate the smooth motion of the plunger during injection.

Improved method for the self-diffusion coefficient in the modified free volume theory: simple fluids.

In this paper, we further examine the modified free volume (MFV) theory of diffusion in an effort to improve the accuracy of self-diffusion coefficients calculated with the help of the generic van der Waals equation of state. It is shown that the self-diffusion coefficient of the Lennard-Jones (LJ) fluid can be improved significantly over the results obtained by the previously employed method. In the previous method, we have used the hard sphere self-diffusion coefficient for the pre-exponential factor in the MFV theory formula for the self-diffusion coefficient.

Volume transport and generalized hydrodynamic equations for monatomic fluids.

In this paper, the effects of volume transport on the generalized hydrodynamic equations for a pure simple fluid are examined from the standpoint of statistical mechanics and, in particular, kinetic theory of fluids. First, we derive the generalized hydrodynamic equations, namely, the constitutive equations for the stress tensor and heat flux for a single-component monatomic fluid, from the generalized Boltzmann equation in the presence of volume transport. Then their linear steady-state solutions are derived and examined with regard to the effects of volume transport on them.