Sexual behaviours and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among MSM during the first COVID-19 lockdown.

Background: The social distancing measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic had far reaching effects on sexual behavior worldwide. However, it remains unclear whether sexual contact with non-steady partners was a contributor to the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this study was to (i) describe risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity after the first pandemic wave among people using HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in Zurich, Switzerland, including sexual contact with non-steady partners, and (ii) assess whether the SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity among PrEP users in this time period differed from that of a demographic matched population level comparison group.

Incidence of sexually transmitted infections and association with behavioural factors: Time-to-event analysis of a large pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) cohort.

Objectives: Our objective was to obtain long-term data on the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their association with behavioural factors after widespread pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation.

Methods: This was a time-to-event analysis of a national PrEP cohort in Switzerland (SwissPrEPared study). Participants were people without HIV interested in taking PrEP with at least two STI screening visits.

Changes in mental and sexual health among MSM using HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: longitudinal analysis of the SwissPrEPared cohort study.

Background: Changes in mental and sexual health among men having sex with men (MSM) due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic remain unclear.

Methods: Design: Longitudinal analysis of an ongoing, multicentre, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) cohort (NCT03893188) in Switzerland. Participants: HIV-negative MSM aged ≥18 who completed at least one questionnaire before and one after the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Repetitive tactile stimulation changes resting-state functional connectivity-implications for treatment of sensorimotor decline.

Neurological disorders and physiological aging can lead to a decline of perceptual abilities. In contrast to the conventional therapeutic approach that comprises intensive training and practicing, passive repetitive sensory stimulation (RSS) has recently gained increasing attention as an alternative to countervail the sensory decline by improving perceptual abilities without the need of active participation. A particularly effective type of high-frequency RSS, utilizing Hebbian learning principles, improves perceptual acuity as well as sensorimotor functions and has been successfully applied to treat chronic stroke patients and elderly subjects.

How ongoing neuronal oscillations account for evoked fMRI variability.

Variability of evoked single-trial responses despite constant input or task is a feature of large-scale brain signals recorded by fMRI. Initial evidence signified relevance of fMRI signal variability for perception and behavior. Yet the underlying intrinsic neuronal sources have not been previously substantiated.

Oscillatory brain states interact with late cognitive components of the somatosensory evoked potential.

The question of interaction between ongoing neuronal activity and evoked responses has been addressed for different species, sensory systems and measurement modalities. Among other findings, there is converging evidence for an interaction of occipital alpha-rhythm amplitude with the visual evoked potential. Here, we test the hypothesis that the modulatory role of an ongoing rhythm might not be confined to the visual system and the occipital alpha rhythm, but instead may be generalized to other sensory systems.