Assessing the experiences of intra-uterine device users in a long-term conflict setting: a qualitative study on the Thailand-Burma border.

Background: In Burma, severe human rights violations, civil conflict, and the persecution of ethnic and linguistic minority populations has resulted in the displacement of millions of people, many of whom now reside as internally displaced populations (IDPs) in Eastern Burma or in Thailand as refugees or undocumented migrants. Use of the intra-uterine device (IUD), a non-user dependent and highly reliable method of long acting reversible contraception, has the potential to make a significant impact on reproductive health in this protracted conflict setting.

Objectives: This qualitative study aimed to understand Burmese women's experiences with and perceptions of the IUD and identify avenues for improving contraceptive service delivery along the Thailand-Burma border.

Predictive value of CD4 cell count nadir on long-term mortality in HIV-positive patients in Uganda.

Objective: Although international guidelines recommend initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) when a patient's CD4 cell count is ≤350 cells/μL, most patients in resource-limited settings present with much lower CD4 cell counts. The lowest level that their CD4 cell count reaches, the nadir, may have long-term consequences in terms of mortality. We examined this health state in a large cohort of HIV+ patients in Uganda.