Impact of switching to long-acting injectable cabotegravir plus rilpivirine on rectal HIV-1 RNA shedding and implications for transmission risk.

Background: The impact of long-acting injectable cabotegravir plus rilpivirine (CAB/RPV) on rectal HIV-1 RNA dynamics and the factors associated with viral shedding remain poorly understood.

Methods: This prospective study evaluated HIV-1 RNA dynamics by analyzing sequential paired plasma and rectal fluid samples from virologically-suppressed individuals who transitioned from oral antiretroviral therapy (ART) to every-two-month CAB/RPV (preceded or not by oral lead-in), over a 9-month follow-up period. RPV trough concentrations were measured in 384 rectal samples.

Gene Expression Profiles Reveal Distinct Mechanisms Driving Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations are major contributors to morbidity and mortality, highlighting the need to better understand their molecular mechanisms to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This study investigated differential gene expression profiles and key biological processes in COPD exacerbations categorized based on sputum microbiome profiling. An observational study was performed on a cohort of 16 COPD patients, who provided blood and sputum samples during exacerbations, along with five stable-state samples as controls.

Low-Cost Electronic Nose for the Determination of Urinary Infections.

Currently, urine samples for bacterial or fungal infections require a long diagnostic period (48 h). In the present work, a point-of-care device known as an electronic nose (eNose) has been designed based on the "smell print" of infections, since each one emits various volatile organic compounds (VOC) that can be registered by the electronic systems of the device and recognized in a very short time. Urine samples were analyzed in parallel using urine culture and eNose technology.

Population-based sequencing of reveals how current population dynamics are shaped by past epidemics.

Transmission is a driver of tuberculosis (TB) epidemics in high-burden regions, with assumed negligible impact in low-burden areas. However, we still lack a full characterization of transmission dynamics in settings with similar and different burdens. Genomic epidemiology can greatly help to quantify transmission, but the lack of whole genome sequencing population-based studies has hampered its application.