Delivering integrated strategies from a mobile unit to address the intertwining epidemics of HIV and addiction in people who inject drugs: the HPTN 094 randomized controlled trial protocol (the INTEGRA Study).

Background: Persons with opioid use disorders who inject drugs (PWID) in the United States (US) face multiple and intertwining health risks. These include interference with consistent access, linkage, and retention to health care including medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), HIV prevention using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Most services, when available, including those that address substance misuse, HIV prevention, and STIs, are often provided in multiple locations that may be difficult to access, which further challenges sustained health for PWID.

Efficacy estimates of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention in cisgender women with partial adherence.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with tenofovir (TFV) disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine administered orally daily is effective in preventing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition in both men and women with sufficient adherence; however, the adherence-efficacy relationship in cisgender women has not been well established. We calculated the adherence-efficacy curve for cisgender women by using HIV incidence and plasma TFV concentration data from three trials (FEM-PrEP, VOICE and Partners PrEP). We imputed TFV diphosphate (TFV-DP) concentrations, a measure of long-term adherence, from TFV quantification by using data from the HIV Prevention Trials Network 082 study, which measured both TFV-DP and TFV concentrations.

Evolution of HIV virulence in response to disease-modifying vaccines: A modeling study.

Pathogens face a tradeoff with respect to virulence; while more virulent strains often have higher per-contact transmission rates, they are also more likely to kill their hosts earlier. Because virulence is a heritable trait, there is concern that a disease-modifying vaccine, which reduces the disease severity of an infected vaccinee without changing the underlying pathogen genotype, may result in the evolution of higher pathogen virulence. We explored the potential for such virulence evolution with a disease-modifying HIV-1 vaccine in an agent-based stochastic epidemic model of HIV in United States men who have sex with men (MSM).

Estimating benefits of using on-demand oral prep by MSM: A comparative modeling study of the US and Thailand.

Background: Daily and on-demand pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are effective at preventing HIV acquisition among men who have sex with men (MSM), but only daily PrEP is approved in the US. On-demand PrEP may improve uptake and adherence. We identify sub-groups of MSM who would benefit from on-demand PrEP and determine effectiveness achieved if individuals used their optimal regimens.

Test-and-treat coverage and HIV virulence evolution among men who have sex with men.

HIV set point viral load (SPVL), the viral load established shortly after initial infection, is a proxy for HIV virulence: higher SPVLs lead to higher risk of transmission and faster disease progression. Three models of test-and-treat scenarios, mainly in heterosexual populations, found that increasing treatment coverage selected for more virulent viruses. We modeled virulence evolution in a population of men who have sex with men (MSM) with increasing test-and-treat coverage.

Models to predict the public health impact of vaccine resistance: A systematic review.

Pathogen evolution is a potential threat to the long-term benefits provided by public health vaccination campaigns. Mathematical modeling can be a powerful tool to examine the forces responsible for the development of vaccine resistance and to predict its public health implications. We conducted a systematic review of existing literature to understand the construction and application of vaccine resistance models.

The effects of collagen peptides on muscle damage, inflammation and bone turnover following exercise: a randomized, controlled trial.

This study examined whether consuming collagen peptides (CP) before and after strenuous exercise alters markers of muscle damage, inflammation and bone turnover. Using a double-blind, independent group's design, 24 recreationally active males consumed either 20 g day of CP or a placebo control (CON) for 7 days before and 2 days after performing 150 drop jumps. Maximal isometric voluntary contractions, countermovement jumps (CMJ), muscle soreness (200 mm visual analogue scale), pressure pain threshold, Brief Assessment of Mood Adapted (BAM +) and a range of blood markers associated with muscle damage, inflammation and bone turnover C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (β-CTX) and N-terminal propeptides of type 1 pro-collagen (P1NP) were measured before supplementation (baseline; BL), pre, post, 1.

Pre-Bed Casein Protein Supplementation Does Not Enhance Acute Functional Recovery in Physically Active Males and Females When Exercise is Performed in the Morning.

This study examined whether consuming casein protein (CP) pre-sleep could accelerate acute recovery following muscle-damaging exercise. Thirty-nine active males and females performed 100 drop jumps in the morning, consumed their habitual diet during the day, and then within 30 min pre-bed consumed either ~40 g of CP ( = 19) or ~40 g of a carbohydrate-only control (CON) ( = 20). Maximal isometric voluntary contractions (MIVC), countermovement jumps (CMJ), pressure-pain threshold (PPT), subjective muscle soreness and the brief assessment of mood adapted (BAM+) were measured pre, 24 and 48 h following the drop jumps.

Sources of racial disparities in HIV prevalence in men who have sex with men in Atlanta, GA, USA: a modelling study.

Background: In the USA, men who have sex men (MSM) are at high risk for HIV, and black MSM have a substantially higher prevalence of infection than white MSM. We created a simulation model to assess the strength of existing hypotheses and data that account for these disparities.

Methods: We built a dynamic, stochastic, agent-based network model of black and white MSM aged 18-39 years in Atlanta, GA, USA, that incorporated race-specific individual and dyadic-level prevention and risk behaviours, network attributes, and care patterns.