HIV-Associated Genital Immune Biomarkers in the Female Sex Worker Population: A Pilot Study.

Problem: Female sex workers (FSW) experience a disproportionately high burden of HIV infection, yet characterization of the vaginal immune microenvironment that may impact biological risk is not well studied among FSW in the United States. Additionally, feasible methodology for collecting biological materials has not been evaluated in this population.

Methods: We enrolled 10 FSW (5 premenopausal, 5 postmenopausal) who participated in a survey and provided vaginal swabs.

Clinical outcomes and risk factors for immune recovery and all-cause mortality in Latin Americans living with HIV with virological success: a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Immune reconstitution following antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation is crucial to prevent AIDS and non-AIDS-related comorbidities. Patients with suppressed viraemia who fail to restore cellular immunity are exposed to an increased risk of morbidity and mortality during long-term follow-up, although the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We aim to describe clinical outcomes and factors associated with the worse immune recovery and all-cause mortality in people living with HIV (PLWH) from Latin America following ART initiation.

The impact of earthquakes in Latin America on the continuity of HIV care: A retrospective observational cohort study.

Objectives: As earthquakes occur frequently in Latin America and can cause significant disruptions in HIV care, we sought to analyze patterns of HIV care for adults at Latin American clinical sites experiencing a significant earthquake within the past two decades.

Study Design: Retrospective clinical cohort study.

Methods: Adults receiving HIV care at sites experiencing at least a "moderate intensity" (Modified Mercalli scale) earthquake in the Caribbean, Central and South America network for HIV epidemiology (CCASAnet) contributed data from 2003 to 2017.

Pain as a disease in the new International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11): Latin American expert consensus.

Pain diagnoses in the 10th version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) did not adequately support the current management of pain. Therefore, we aimed to review the new 11th revision (ICD-11) in order to analyze its usefulness for the management, coding, research and education of chronic pain from a Latin American perspective. The Latin American Federation of Associations for the Study of Pain convened a meeting of pain experts in Lima, Peru.

Non-timely referral of women aged 40 to 69 to preventive medicine for breast cancer detection and its association with the BI-RADS classification.

Purpose: In the first level of health care, the timely detection of breast cancer is essential to prevent the progression of the disease, obtain optimal treatment and improve the prognosis and survival of patients. The objective of this study was to analyze the opportunity in referral to the Preventive Medicine Modules offered to women aged 40 to 69 years of the Family Medicine Unit 1, of the Mexican Social Security Institute, Decentralized Administrative Operation Body, Aguascalientes, Mexico, by their family physician, and its impact in the findings of mammographic screening according to the BI-RADS classification. Methods This was a cross-sectional comparative study of 412 mammograms performed on women aged 40 to 69, who were treated in the preventive medicine modules from January 2019 to June 2021.

A nanotherapeutic approach to selectively eliminate metastatic breast cancer cells by targeting cell surface GRP78.

Here, rational engineering of doxorubicin prodrug loaded peptide-targeted liposomal nanoparticles to selectively target metastatic breast cancer cells is described. Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), a heat shock protein typically localized in the endoplasmic reticulum in healthy cells, has been identified to home to the cell surface in certain cancers, and thus has emerged as a promising therapeutic target. Recent reports indicated GRP78 to be expressed on the cell surface of an aggressive subpopulation of stem-like breast cancer cells that exhibit metastatic potential.

Socio-Demographic, Clinical, and Mortality Differences between HIV-Infected and HIV/HTLV-1 Co-Infected Patients in Peru.

Background And Aims: In Peru, the estimated prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human T-lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1) co-infection has been reported to be as high as 18%. Despite the endemicity of HTLV-1 in Peru, few studies have assessed the impact of HIV/HTLV-1 co-infection. Our study compared socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, and mortality rates between HIV-infected and HIV/HTLV-1 co-infected patients.

Closing the gap between science and management of cold-water refuges in rivers and streams.

Human activities and climate change threaten coldwater organisms in freshwater ecosystems by causing rivers and streams to warm, increasing the intensity and frequency of warm temperature events, and reducing thermal heterogeneity. Cold-water refuges are discrete patches of relatively cool water that are used by coldwater organisms for thermal relief and short-term survival. Globally, cohesive management approaches are needed that consider interlinked physical, biological, and social factors of cold-water refuges.

Long-term impact on cardiopulmonary function and quality of life among patients recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection in a 6-month follow-up period in Lima, Peru: FUNCTION cohort study protocol.

Introduction: The sequelae of COVID-19 have been described as a multisystemic condition, with a great impact on the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems with abnormalities in pulmonary function tests, such as lower diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLco) levels and pathological patterns in spirometry; persistence of radiological lesions; cardiac involvement such as myocarditis and pericarditis; and an increase in mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. Several factors, such as infection severity during the acute phase as well as vaccination status, have shown some variable effects on these post-COVID-19 conditions, mainly at a clinical level such as symptoms persistence. Longitudinal assessments and reversibility of changes across the spectrum of disease severity are required to understand the long-term impact of COVID-19.

An anti-infodemic virtual center for the Americas.

The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Anti-Infodemic Virtual Center for the Americas (AIVCA) is a project led by the Department of Evidence and Intelligence for Action in Health, PAHO and the Center for Health Informatics, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center on Information Systems for Health, at the University of Illinois, with the participation of PAHO staff and consultants across the region. Its goal is to develop a set of tools-pairing AI with human judgment-to help ministries of health and related health institutions respond to infodemics. Public health officials will learn about emerging threats detected by the center and get recommendations on how to respond.

Prevalence of Plasmid-Associated Tetracycline Resistance Genes in Multidrug-Resistant Strains Isolated from Environmental, Animal and Human Samples in Panama.

Antimicrobial resistance bacteria are nowadays ubiquitous. Its presence has been reported in almost every type of source, from water for agricultural and recreative use, water distribution pipes, and wastewater, to food, fomites, and clinical samples. Enterobacteriaceae, especially , are not the exception, showing an increased resistance to several antibiotics, causing a global health and economic burden.

First case report of gastric outlet obstruction due to aortofemoral bypass Dacron graft erosion of the duodenum treated with neo aortoiliac system procedure.

Introduction: Gastric outlet obstruction is an uncommon complication of surgical treatment of aortoiliac occlusive disease with aortofemoral bypass. The most frequent presenting feature of duodenal erosion due to aortic synthetic graft is upper gastrointestinal bleeding, which can range from a minor "herald" bleed to exsanguinating hemorrhage.

Case Presentation: A 64-year-old male patient with an aortofemoral Dacron bypass due to aortoiliac occlusive disease TASC II D with a chronic graft infection required emergency resection of the right limb of the Dacron graft two years ago.

Integration vs Collaborative Redesign Strategies of Health Systems' Supply Chains in the Post-COVID-19 New Normal: Cross-sectional Survey Across the United States.

Background: Given the widespread disruptions to supply chains in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions such as how health systems are shaping strategies to restore the supply chain disruptions are essential to have confidence in health systems' supply chain model strategies. Plausibly, health systems have an opportunity for redesign, growth, and innovation by utilizing collaborative strategies now, compared to the usual strategies of integrating their existing supply chains to reduce inefficiencies.

Objective: This study focuses on teasing out the nuance of supply chain integration versus collaborative redesign strategies for health systems in the post-COVID-19 new normal.

Determination of immunogenic epitopes in major house dust mite allergen, Der p 2, via nanoallergens.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of allergic asthma, currently, avoidance of the responsible allergens, which is nearly impossible for allergens such as house dust mite (HDM), remains among the most effective treatment. Consequently, determination of the immunogenic epitopes of allergens will aid in developing a better understanding of the condition for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Current methods of epitope identification, however, only evaluate immunoglobulin E-epitope binding interactions, which is not directly related to epitope immunogenicity.

Incidence and Prognostic Significance of High-Risk Cytogenetically Abnormalities in Multiple Myeloma Patients in Colombia.

Introduction: Multiple Myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological cancer, several cytogenetics abnormalities such as t(4;14), del (17p), and t(14;16) were identified as a high-risk for survival, in Latin America, we have very little data on cytogenetic alterations in MM. This study describes the incidence of high-risk cytogenetically abnormalities in a Colombian population and prognostic significance.

Methods: In a retrospective cohort of new diagnostic Multiple Myeloma between 2016 and 2020, we identified a high-risk cytogenetically abnormalities t(4;14), t(14;16), and 17p deletions by FISH techniques and described incidence.

Liposomal Targeting Modifies Endosomal Escape: Design and Mechanistic Implications.

Development of effective targeted nanoparticle (TNP) therapeutics requires rational design of targeted and endosomolytic moieties. Nevertheless, endosomal escape of TNPs is poorly understood, relying on extrapolation of knowledge from nontargeted (NP) systems. Here, we describe how incorporation of targeting elements on endosomolytic nanoparticles alters the endosomal escape mechanism.

Identification and optimization of tunable endosomal escape parameters for enhanced efficacy in peptide-targeted prodrug-loaded nanoparticles.

Endosomal escape of nanoparticles (NPs) is a weighty consideration for engineering successful nanomedicines. Although it is well-established that incorporation of histidine (His) in particle design improves endosomal escape for NPs, our understanding of its effects for ligand-targeted nanoparticles (TNPs) remains incomplete. Here, we systematically evaluated the cooperativity between targeting ligands and endosomolytic elements using liposomal TNPs with precise stoichiometric control over functional moieties (>90% loading efficiency).

Integrating regional and local monitoring data and assessment tools to evaluate habitat conditions and inform river restoration.

Restoring degraded rivers requires initial assessment of the fluvial landscape to identify stressors and riverine features that can be enhanced. We associated local-scale river habitat data collected using standardized national monitoring tools with modeled regional water temperature and flow data on mid-sized northwest U.S.

HIV and antiretroviral treatment knowledge gaps and psychosocial burden among persons living with HIV in Lima, Peru.

This study aims to describe knowledge on HIV and antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and psychosocial factors among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Lima, Perú, to explore characteristics associated to this knowledge, and determine its impact on sustained viral suppression. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 171 PLWH at the largest referral health care center in Lima. The psychosocial factors measured were depression, risk of alcoholism, use of illegal drugs and disclosure.

Clinical, Radiological and Functional Characteristics of Pulmonary Diseases among HTLV-1 Infected Patients without Prior Active Tuberculosis Infection.

The lifelong infection with the human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) has been associated with a variety of clinical manifestations; one of the less-explored is HTLV-1-associated pulmonary disease. Imaging of lung damage caused by the HTLV-1 hyperinflammatory cascade can be similar to sequelae from TB infection. Our study aims to describe the pulmonary lesions of HTLV-1-positive patients without past or current active TB and evaluate pulmonary function.

[Challenges to the continuity of care of people living with HIV throughout the COVID-19 crisis in Peru].

The COVID-19 pandemic and societal response implemented may interact with the ongoing HIV epidemic in multiple ways. There are approximately 87000 people living with HIV (PLWH) who are at risk of developing COVID-19 in Peru and 67,000 of them are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and at risk of limitations in their access to ART, compromising their adherence and their health during the pandemic. Finally, the potential effect of the pandemic on the mental health of PLWH is not documented.