Telemedicine and HIV Care Quality Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine was adopted to ensure continuity of HIV care. We examined how introducing televisits affected technical quality of care for people with HIV (PWH) during this time.

Methods: PWH receiving HIV care at Howard Brown Health Centers and Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois were included.

Tecovirimat Use in Ambulatory and Hospitalized Patients With Monkeypox Virus Infection.

In this case series of 20 ambulatory and hospitalized adult patients treated for monkeypox virus at a large academic medical center in Chicago, Illinois, tecovirimat use was reserved for those with or at high risk of severe disease, delayed because of logistical and clinical factors, but well tolerated.

Disseminated infection associated with an intrauterine device.

is a common pathogen afflicting a wide variety of disease in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. Presentation can be variable in initial symptomatology leading to difficulties in diagnosis and management. We present a case of septic shock due to associated with an intrauterine device (IUD) in an immunocompromised patient.

Inflammatory Biomarkers and Mortality Risk Among HIV-Suppressed Men: A Multisite Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced inflammation and immune activation persist after initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and HIV suppression and may contribute to mortality risks that exceed those in HIV-uninfected populations, though associations are unclear.

Methods: In the prospective Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, comprising men who have sex with men from Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh, concentrations of 24 biomarkers of inflammation and immune activation were measured in stored serum from HIV-positive men obtained after cART-induced HIV suppression between 1996 and 2009. The outcome was nonaccidental death, with follow-up until 2014.

Comparison of HIV Testing Uptake in an Urban Academic Emergency Department Using Different Testing Assays and Support Systems.

Despite 2006 recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for opt-out HIV testing in all healthcare settings, Emergency Department (ED) testing has been limited. We conducted an observational cohort study to assess the impact of two workflow interventions on the proportion of HIV tests ordered in an urban academic ED. First, a 4(th)-generation HIV antigen/antibody combination test replaced the existing assay, and ED staff continued to notify patients of their reactive tests.

Improved detection of acute HIV-1 infection in sub-Saharan Africa: development of a risk score algorithm.

Objective: Individuals with acute (preseroconversion) HIV infection (AHI) are important in the spread of HIV. The identification of AHI requires the detection of viral proteins or nucleic acids with techniques that are often unaffordable for routine use. To facilitate the efficient use of these tests, we sought to develop a risk score algorithm for identifying likely AHI cases and targeting the tests towards those individuals.

Genital tract reservoirs.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this article is to review recent findings about HIV in the genital tract. HIV is primarily a sexually transmitted disease, and the efficiency of transmission must reflect the biology of the genital tract. In addition, it has become increasingly clear that the male and female genital tract represent a unique reservoir that requires independent and detailed study.

The role of sexually transmitted diseases in HIV transmission.

More than 42 million people worldwide are now infected with HIV, in spite of sustained prevention activities. Although the spread of HIV has been primarily sexual, epidemiological studies have indicated that the efficiency of the spread of HIV is poor, perhaps as infrequently as 1 in every 1,000 episodes of sexual intercourse. However, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that cause ulcers or inflammation greatly increase the efficiency of HIV transmission--by increasing both the infectiousness of, and the susceptibility to HIV infection.

Distribution of the CCR5 gene 32-base pair deletion and CCR5 expression in Chinese minorities.

China has an ethnically diverse population. Genetic differences may contribute to disparities in the efficiency of HIV transmission. To further characterize this risk, we examined the HIV-related genetic diversity in the predominant Han Chinese and in six minority groups.