Association of Current and Long-Term Estradiol Use with Carotid Intima Media Thickness Among Transgender Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: Epidemiologic studies suggest that the transgender population has a higher burden of cardiovascular (CV) disease. We aimed to assess CV risk and investigate the relationship between estradiol (E2) or ethinylestradiol (EE) use and carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) in transgender women.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis nested into a transgender-specific cohort in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 2015 to February 2018.

Factors Associated with Transgender-Based Discrimination Among and Transgender Women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Purpose: Transgender-based discrimination is associated with poor mental health, unemployment, and poverty. and transgender women (trans women) frequently experience transgender-based discrimination, but associated factors are understudied. Our objective was to identify the factors associated with transgender-based discrimination among trans women from Brazil.

Higher levels of plasmatic saturated fatty acid were significantly associated with liver fibrosis in HIV mono-infection: A case-control study.

Background: The relationship between plasmatic fatty acid (FA) composition and liver fibrosis remains scarce in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). We aimed to evaluate the association of plasmatic FAs and liver fibrosis in HIV mono-infected individuals.

Methods: This case-control study included PLWHA with liver fibrosis (cases) and randomly selected subjects without fibrosis (controls) from the PROSPEC-HIV study (NCT02542020).

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on HIV Testing, Recent Infections, and Annualized Incidence Among Cisgender Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Women in Brazil.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had great impact on HIV care and prevention worldwide, including in Brazil. We compared HIV testing, recent infection, and annualized incidence according to the COVID-19 pandemic period among cisgender men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW).

Setting: HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing, prevention, and treatment referral service in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Young men who have sex with men and digital technologies for HIV prevention and care: qualitative findings from the conectad@s study.

Young men who have sex with men in Brazil face vulnerability to HIV and display lower PrEP uptake and adherence. Understanding their engagement with digital technologies can better inform mobile health (mHealth) strategies for HIV prevention and care. As part of the Conectad@s study, a HIV status-neutral prevention and care intervention for young men who have sex with men, we conducted semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with 38 participants between January-February 2021.

Pharmacokinetics of Antiretroviral Drugs in Older People Living with HIV, Part II: Drugs Licensed Before 2005.

Background And Objective: Advances in antiretroviral therapy led to an increase in life expectancy among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). As aging is characterized by several physiological changes that can influence pharmacokinetics (PK), this systematic review aims to describe the impact of aging on the PK of antiretrovirals (ARV) approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before 2005.

Methods: Searches were performed in BVS, EMBASE, and PubMed databases for publications until June 2024.

Alignment of countries in the Americas with the latest WHO guidelines for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection: a review.

Evidence is lacking on alignment of current guidance from the Region of the Americas (AMR) countries with the new guidelines for people with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2024. We gathered the most updated guidance on HBV infection from organisations/societies and seven countries from AMR. Most guidelines were aligned with the new WHO recommendation to treat persons with elevated ALT and HBV-DNA levels ≥2,000 IU/ml or with HIV-coinfection, hepatocellular carcinoma family history, extra-hepatic manifestations, or immunosuppression.

Neutralizing antibody correlate of protection against severe-critical COVID-19 in the ENSEMBLE single-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine efficacy trial.

Assessment of immune correlates of severe COVID-19 has been hampered by the low numbers of severe cases in COVID-19 vaccine efficacy (VE) trials. We assess neutralizing and binding antibody levels at 4 weeks post-Ad26.COV2.

Preparing for the Implementation of Long-Acting Injectable Cabotegravir for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Within the Brazilian Public Health System (ImPrEP CAB Brasil): Qualitative Study.

Background: Although long-acting, injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has proven efficacious for HIV prevention in clinical trials, research is needed to guide effective implementation in real-world settings. Formative work with community members and health care providers (HCPs) is important to provide insight into the needs and contexts of specific populations and reveal potential barriers and facilitators for implementation projects.

Objective: We aimed to describe the results from formative work to develop an implementation package for CAB-LA PrEP within the ImPrEP CAB Brasil study.

HIV-1 controllers exhibit an enhanced antiretroviral innate state characterised by overexpression of p21 and MCPIP1 and silencing of ERVK-6 RNA expression.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection can activate the expression of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), particularly HERV-K (HML-2). HIV controllers (HICs) are rare people living with HIV (PLWHs) who naturally control HIV-1 replication and overexpress some cellular restriction factors that negatively regulate the LTR-driven transcription of HIV-1 proviruses.

Objectives: To understand the ability of HICs to control the expression of endogenous retroviruses.

Dealing With Temporality in Patients With Life-Limiting Disease: An International Qualitative Study.

The prospect of death influences people's thoughts about and how they deal with their remaining time. We aimed to understand whether patients with progressive, life-limiting diseases are oriented in the past, present, or future and how they deal with temporality. We conducted 57 in-depth interviews with end-of-life patients in 10 countries using thematic analysis at three levels (i.

Assessment of combined α-GAL enzyme activity and lyso-GL3 for Fabry disease screening in women with chronic kidney disease.

Introduction: The spectrum of clinical presentation of Fabry disease (FD) in women is broad and challenging. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of an alternative screening method for FD in women.

Methods: A collaborative multicenter cross-sectional study to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the combination of two tests (α-GAL enzyme activity assay and lyso-GL3 assay) for the diagnosis of FD in women.

[Perceived self-efficacy scale on shared care planning (ACP-SEs) Argentina].

Introduction: Shared care planning (ACP) is a reflective, deliberative and structured process involving the sick person and his or her caring environment. Health professionals recognize barriers to initiating ACP.Perceived self-efficacy is one of the main predictors of success in learning processes.

Anti-PF4 positivity and platelet activation after Ad26.COV2·S vaccination in Brazil.

Introduction: The Ad26.COV2·S (Janssen/Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine, has been rarely associated with vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT). We investigated the prevalence of anti-PF4 antibody positivity, thrombocytopenia, D-dimer elevation, plasmatic thromboinflammatory markers, and platelet functional assays following Ad26.

'Someone must do it': multiple views on family's role in end-of-life care - an international qualitative study.

Background: Family is a crucial social institution in end-of-life care. Family caregivers are encouraged to take on more responsibility at different times during the illness, providing personal and medical care. Unpaid work can be overburdening, with women often spending more time in care work than men.

Patterns of Diversity and Humoral Immunogenicity for HIV-1 Antisense Protein (ASP).

HIV-1 has an antisense gene overlapping env that encodes the ASP protein. ASP functions are still unknown, but it has been associated with gp120 in the viral envelope and membrane of infected cells, making it a potential target for immune response. Despite this, immune response patterns against ASP are poorly described and can be influenced by the high genetic variability of the env gene.

Exploring the Resurgence of a Neglected Disease: Lessons From the 2023-2024 Mpox Outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Following the 2022 global mpox outbreak, diagnoses decreased worldwide, even in settings with limited vaccine access. In 2023-2024, a new outbreak emerged in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, highlighting the importance of continuous surveillance, preventive measures such as vaccination in vulnerable populations, and treatment options, emphasizing equitable global health technology distribution.

Evaluation of the analytical and clinical performance of the Abbott Alinity m instrument for the quantification of HIV-1 RNA plasma viral load in a reference laboratory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the analytical performance of the Alinity m system (Abbott Molecular) and to compare the clinical performance of HIV-1 assays on the Alinity m and m2000 RealTime platforms (Abbott Molecular).

Methods: The sensitivity, precision, and accuracy of the Alinity m instrument were determined using a panel of standard samples (n = 46). The carryover effect was assessed by analyzing HIV-negative clinical samples (n = 20).

SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a highly vulnerable population of Brazil: a household cohort study.

Background: Household transmission studies seek to understand the transmission dynamics of a pathogen by estimating the risk of infection from household contacts and community exposures. We estimated within/extra-household SARS-CoV-2 infection risk and associated factors in a household cohort study in one of the most vulnerable neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro city.

Methods: Individuals ≥1 years-old with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in the past 30 days (index cases) and household members aged ≥1 year were enrolled and followed at 14 and 28 days (study period November/2020-December/2021).

The rising tide of HIV among young men who have sex with men in Brazil: insights from the Conectad@s study.

Background: Young gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (YMSM) in Latin America experience disproportionately high rates of HIV. While new case numbers have stabilised in other demographics, the incidence of HIV in this particular group continues to rise. We estimated the prevalence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI) and identified correlates of new HIV diagnoses among YMSM in Brazil.

Childhood Parental Neglect, Abuse and Rejection Among Transgender Women: A Cross-Sectional Study in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

We aimed to estimate the proportions of childhood parental neglect, abuse, and rejection and to evaluate the co-occurrence of these experiences among transgender women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample enrolled between July 2019 and March 2020, using an adapted version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Proportions and corresponding confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.