Hospitalisation rates for youth living with perinatally acquired HIV in England.

Introduction: Complex challenges amongst ageing cohorts of adolescents and adults living with perinatally acquired HIV (PaHIV) may impact on hospitalisation. We report hospitalisation rates and explored predictive factors for hospitalisation in adolescents and adults (10-35 years) living with PaHIV in England.

Method: Retrospective observational cohort study over a three-year period 2016-2019.

Efficacy of virtual reality for pain relief in medical procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Effective pain control is crucial to optimise the success of medical procedures. Immersive virtual reality (VR) technology could offer an effective non-invasive, non-pharmacological option to distract patients and reduce their experience of pain. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Immersive virtual reality (VR) technology in reducing patient's pain perception during various medical procedures by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The risk of miscarriage following COVID-19 vaccination: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Study Question: What is the risk of miscarriage among pregnant women who received any of the COVID-19 vaccines?

Summary Answer: There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.

What Is Known Already: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the mass roll-out of vaccines helped to boost herd immunity and reduced hospital admissions, morbidity, and mortality. Still, many were concerned about the safety of vaccines for pregnancy, which may have limited their uptake among pregnant women and those planning a pregnancy.

Bowel ischaemia in COVID-19 infection: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: COVID-19 disease was declared as a pandemic by WHO since March 2020 and can have a myriad of clinical presentations affecting various organ systems. Patients with COVID-19 are known to have an increased risk of thromboembolism, including cardiovascular, pulmonary and cerebral ischaemic events. However, an increasing number of case studies have reported that COVID-19 infection is also associated with gastrointestinal ischaemia.

Effectiveness of a web-based virtual journal club to promote medical education (Web-Ed): protocol of a multicentre pragmatic randomised trial.

Introduction: A journal club (JC) is a commonly used medical educational tool. Videoconferencing technology can facilitate the delivery of JCs, however, there remains no evidence on the role of web-based virtual JCs in promoting the acquisition and retention of medical knowledge. The Web-Ed trial aims to evaluate the educational benefits, feasibility and acceptability of web-based virtual JCs compared with traditional face-to-face ones.

Clinical outcomes of patients with and without HIV hospitalized with COVID-19 in England during the early stages of the pandemic: a matched retrospective multi-centre analysis (RECEDE-C19 study).

Background: The contribution of HIV to COVID-19 outcomes in hospitalized inpatients remains unclear. We conducted a multi-centre, retrospective matched cohort study of SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive hospital inpatients analysed by HIV status.

Methods: HIV-negative patients were matched to people living with HIV (PLWH) admitted from 1 February 2020 to 31 May 2020 up to a 3:1 ratio by the following: hospital site, SARS-CoV-2 test date ± 7 days, age ± 5 years, gender, and index of multiple deprivation decile ± 1.

Outcomes of fertility investigations in a cohort of adults with perinatally acquired HIV-1 infection: a UK cross-sectional observational study.

There are no published studies of fertility measurements in people living with perinatally acquired HIV (PaHIV). We performed fertility investigations in 25 adults with PaHIV. Seven (78%) men had sperm morphology normal forms (%) below the fifth centile for the general population with four (44%) having no normal forms.

Self-Perceived Confidence of Medical Students Communicating with Pediatric Patients in a 7-Week Pediatric Placement: A Pilot Survey.

Background: Pediatrics is a specialty reserved until later stages of the medical curriculum, with many students receiving early exposure via volunteering opportunities. Self-perceived confidence across the pediatric curriculum is crucial, due to limited clinical exposure before qualification. We aimed to assess the impact of a 7-week pediatric placement on medical students' self-perceived confidence and factors that influenced self-perceived confidence.

The systemic inflammatory response as a source of biomarkers and therapeutic targets in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) strongly relates to inflammation, with chronic up-regulation of pro-inflammatory mediators standing as a potential unifying mechanism that underscores the origin and progression of HCC independent of aetiology. Activation of the diverse pro-inflammatory mediators either within the tumour or its microenvironment is part of an active cross-talk between the progressive HCC and the host, which is known to influence clinical outcomes including recurrence after radical treatments and long-term survival. A number of clinical biomarkers to measure the severity of cancer-related inflammation are now available, most of which emerge from routine blood parameters including neutrophil, lymphocyte, platelet counts, as well as albuminaemia and C-reactive protein levels.

An immunotherapy survivor population: health-related quality of life and toxicity in patients with metastatic melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Purpose: The immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have resulted in subgroups of patients with metastatic melanoma achieving high-quality durable responses. Metastatic melanoma survivors are a new population in the era of cancer survivorship. The aim of this study was to evaluate metastatic melanoma survivors in terms of health-related quality of life (HRQoL), immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and exposure to immunosuppressive agents in a large single centre in the UK.

Case series of infertility amongst young women with perinatally acquired HIV: data from a London cohort.

Introduction: Increased rates of infertility have been reported in women who acquired HIV horizontally compared to population age-matched normative data. However, few data exist for adults with perinatally acquired HIV (PaHIV), who have been exposed to antiretroviral drugs and/or HIV-associated ill health through childhood and puberty. We describe a case series of infertility amongst women with PaHIV attending a London clinic between 2006 and 2017.

Reasons for delayed antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation in the era of early ART initiation guidelines: a retrospective service evaluation.

Following changes in national antiretroviral therapy (ART) guidelines removing the CD4 threshold for initiation of ART, we evaluated the time to ART initiation and reasons for delayed or non-initiation. A retrospective notes review of 292 newly diagnosed HIV-positive individuals attending two London clinics between August 2015 and December 2016 was performed. Two hundred and fifty-four of 292 (87%) individuals started ART.