Publications by authors named "Philbin M"

Confidentiality concerns are a well-established barrier to sexual health services for adolescents. These barriers are likely even greater for young men who have sex with men (YMSM), who often experience stigma at multiple levels. This study examined the relationship between state laws regulating minors' access to confidential sexual health services, sexual behavior, and lifetime HIV testing among a large, representative sample of sexually active male high school students from the 2019 state-level Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (23 states; N = 17,509).

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CD8 T cells are critical mediators of antitumor immunity but differentiate into a dysfunctional state, known as T cell exhaustion, after persistent T cell receptor stimulation in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Exhausted T (T) cells are characterized by upregulation of coinhibitory molecules and reduced polyfunctionality. T cells in the TME experience an immunosuppressive metabolic environment via reduced levels of nutrients and oxygen and a buildup of lactic acid.

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Background: Sexual minority populations experience higher rates of substance use and related problems, but little is known about their specific involvement in driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol (DUIA) and cannabis (DUIC) incidents.

Methods: Using data from the 2016 to 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, we used logistic regression models to estimate the interactive effects of sexual identity, race/ethnicity, and gender on past-year DUIA among adults who used alcohol and DUIC among adults who used cannabis, accounting for covariates. Using model estimates and linear combinations, we calculated the predicted probabilities of each outcome and compared sexual identity differences within and across race/ethnicity and gender.

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Article Synopsis
  • A survey of 103 reproductive-aged women with HIV in the U.S. South was conducted after the approval of long-acting injectable (LAI) cabotegravir/rilpivirine.
  • About two-thirds of the participants indicated they were open to trying LAI antiretroviral therapy (ART).
  • Most women preferred LAI over daily oral ART and had few concerns about how using LAI-ART might affect their reproductive health.
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Introduction: Substance use disorders (SUD) are associated with HIV acquisition and care disruptions. Most research focuses on clinical samples; however, we used a nationally representative, community-based sample to estimate SUD treatment need and utilization by HIV status.

Methods: We included participants from the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health aged 18 and older who met past-year DSM-IV SUD criteria (n = 22,166).

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Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate for men and women based on assumptions about biological sex. It also operates as a major social organizing principle that confers unequal power, status, and resources to men and women, with direct consequences for health. Historic patriarchal and misogynistic beliefs and values are reinforced through social institutions, including health science, which reify gender inequities.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study uses a measure called "structural heteropatriarchy," which accounts for structural sexism and LGB stigma, to analyze its impact on maternal cardiovascular issues based on data from a large longitudinal study.
  • * Results indicate that higher levels of structural heteropatriarchy are linked to an increased risk of maternal morbidities, highlighting how gender and sexuality-based stigma contribute to health disparities in maternal care.
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Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) youth and young adults (YYAs) have poorer mental health outcomes than their cisgender, heterosexual peers in large part due to multilevel stigmatization and minority stress. This was exacerbated by psychological stressors stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic; these experiences intersected with YYA unique developmental stage. Here we explored LGBTQ+ YYA's pandemic-related experiences, focusing on intersections between stigma and belonging, developmental processes, and their relationship to mental health.

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Background: Long-acting injectable (LAI) HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) presents a major opportunity to facilitate and sustain HIV viral suppression, thus improving health and survival among people living with HIV and reducing the risk of onward transmission. However, realizing the public health potential of LAI ART requires reaching patients who face barriers to daily oral ART adherence and thus can clinically benefit from alternative treatment modalities. Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part A medical case management (MCM) programs provide an array of services to address barriers to HIV care and treatment among economically and socially marginalized people living with HIV.

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Advancements in long-acting (LA) HIV treatment and cure research with analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs) have generated important scientific and implementation questions. There is an urgent need to examine challenges navigating the evolving HIV treatment and cure research landscape. From August to October 2022, we conducted 26 semistructured interviews with biomedical researchers and community members representing a predominantly woman demographic to explore the complexity of navigating the rapidly evolving HIV therapeutic and HIV cure research landscape.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A study involving 38 interviews with healthcare providers revealed significant barriers in three implementation stages: patient enrollment, medication delivery, and leadership coordination.
  • * Recommendations include increasing resources and staffing at clinics, and creating guidelines to ensure equitable access and effective usage of LAI ART, aiming to make a substantial impact in the fight against HIV.
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Background: Cisgender women represent over half of people living with HIV globally. However, current research efforts toward a cure for HIV focus predominantly on cisgender men. The under-representation of women in HIV cure clinical studies is particularly problematic given data suggesting that sex-dependent phenotypes limit scientific discovery.

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Multiple aspects of Black young men who have sex with men's (YMSM) identities cause them to be differentially targeted for arrest and incarceration. However, limited research has explored structural drivers of Black YMSM' criminal justice involvement, particularly co-occurring forms of discrimination. This article examines the temporal relationship between perceived racial discrimination, perceived sexual orientation discrimination, and community-level HIV discrimination and criminal justice involvement among Black YMSM in North Carolina.

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Aim: This systematic review aims to estimate the relationship between prenatal exposure to opioids and neurodevelopmental outcomes and examines potential sources of heterogeneity between the studies.

Methods: We searched four databases through May 21st, 2022: PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo and the Web of Science according to a specified search strings. Study inclusion criteria include: (1) cohort and case-control peer-reviewed studies published in English; (2) studies comparing neurodevelopmental outcomes among children with prenatal opioid-exposure (prescribed or used non-medically) vs.

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Aim: In the context of the continued overdose epidemic, recent population estimates of opioid use in highly affected groups, such as people at risk for or people living with HIV (PLWH), are essential for service planning and provision. Although nonmedical opioid use is associated with HIV transmission and with lowered adherence and care engagement, most studies rely on clinic-based samples and focus on medical use of opioids only. We examine associations between opioid-related outcomes by HIV status in a community-based nationally representative sample.

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Recent research has documented the harmful health consequences of structural-level stigma that targets sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals. In the case of sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY), life trajectories are shaped not only by targeted, SGM-focused policies, but also by social policies more broadly which may have unique impacts on SGMY given their social position. However, little work has explored the pathways that connect both targeted and universal social policies and the health and well-being of SGMY.

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Research recruitment, eligibility, and who chooses to participate shape the resulting data and knowledge, which together inform interventions, treatment, and programming. Patterns of research participation are particularly salient at this moment given emerging biomedical prevention paradigms. This paper explores the perspectives of Black and Latino young men who have sex with men (BL-YMSM) regarding research recruitment and eligibility criteria, how their experiences influence willingness to enroll in a given study, and implications for the veracity and representativeness of resulting data.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explored how cocaine and methamphetamine use varies by age, sexual identity, and gender among adults in the U.S., primarily using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
  • Results indicated that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults have higher rates of cocaine and methamphetamine use compared to heterosexuals, particularly as they age; LGB men showed increased use in the 26-34 age group.
  • The findings suggest that prevention efforts related to stimulant use should be tailored to address the unique patterns of substance use among LGB populations, given their differing experiences compared to heterosexual individuals.
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The modeling of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies has been mostly focused on immunodeficient models. However, there are many advantages in studying CAR-T cell biology in an immunocompetent setting. We generated a fully murine CAR targeting CD105 (endoglin), a component of the TGFβ receptor expressed on the surface of certain solid tumors and acute leukemias.

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Article Synopsis
  • Many women living with HIV face challenges in sticking to their daily oral medications, prompting the need for accessible alternatives like long-acting injectable therapies.
  • A new web-based decision aid called i.ART+support (i.ARTs) is being developed to help these women and their healthcare providers make informed choices between oral and injectable treatments.
  • The study will take place in three phases, including data collection, focus groups for content refinement, and a randomized trial to assess the effectiveness and user-friendliness of the i.ARTs tool among 180 women in Miami.
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People who inject drugs (PWID) have extraordinarily low uptake of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) despite high levels of need. Long-acting PrEP modalities hold promise for HIV prevention among PWID, but product preferences remain poorly understood. From September to November 2021, we conducted qualitative interviews with 28 HIV-negative, adult (≥18 years) PWID in San Diego County, CA, to explore their perspectives on daily oral PrEP pills and long-acting PrEP modalities (i.

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