Anti-Atherosclerotic Properties of Extracts Influenced by Their Chemical Composition Associated with the Ripening Stage of the Berries.

The high content of bioactive compounds in fruit offers health benefits. In this study, the anti-atherosclerotic effect of Aronia extracts was assessed. The impact on the level of adhesion molecules and the inflammatory response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was shown in relation to the chemical composition and the stage of ripening of the fruits.

Integration of community-based testing data into national HIV surveillance in Poland, Serbia and Slovakia within the framework of INTEGRATE project.

Background: Community-based voluntary counselling and testing contributes to early HIV diagnoses among key populations. Testing data from such decentralized services is however often not standardized nor linked to national surveillance systems. This study aimed to support the integration of community testing data into respective national surveillance and monitoring and evaluation systems for those infections.

Recommendations for collection and integration of community-based testing and linkage to care data into national surveillance, monitoring and evaluation systems for HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections: results from the INTEGRATE Joint Action.

Background: National testing strategy, including monitoring and evaluation, is critical in responding to HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and viral hepatitis. Community-based voluntary counselling and testing contributes to early HIV diagnoses among key populations. Countries providing community-based testing, should integrate some core data on testing and linkage to care in these services into national surveillance and monitoring and evaluation systems.

Increasing integrated testing in community settings through interventions for change, including the Spring European Testing Week.

Background: Maximising access to testing by targeting more than one infection is effective in identifying new infections in settings or populations. Within the EU funded Joint Action INTEGRATE, this paper examined the feasibility and impact of expanding integrated testing for HIV, hepatitis C (HCV), chlamydia, gonorrhoea and/or syphilis in four community-based pilots through targeted interventions in Croatia, Italy and Poland and the Spring European Testing Week since community settings are key in detecting new infections and reaching key populations.

Methods: Pilots led by local INTEGRATE partners prioritised testing for other infections or key populations.