The Social Construction of Aging Among a Clinic-Based Population and Their Healthcare Workers in Zambia.

Objectives: We sought to understand the social construction of aging in a clinic-based population, with and without HIV, to address gaps in care for older individuals living with HIV in Zambia.

Methods: Our exploratory qualitative study included 36 in-depth interviews with clinic clients and four focus group discussions with 36 professional and lay healthcare workers providing services to the clients. We identified themes based on social construction theory.

Hepatitis B viral replication markers and hepatic fibrosis in untreated chronic hepatitis B virus infection with and without HIV coinfection in Zambia.

Background: To inform novel therapies, a more nuanced understanding of HIV's impact on hepatitis B virus (HBV) natural history is needed, particularly in high burden countries.

Methods: In Lusaka, Zambia, we compared prospectively recruited adults (18+ years) with chronic HBV infection, with and without HIV. We excluded those with prior antiviral treatment experience or HBV diagnosis due to clinical suspicion (rather than routine testing).