Publications by authors named "Whitney B"

Long-acting antiretroviral treatment (LA ART) is a forthcoming option for adolescents and young people living with HIV (AYPLHIV), but perspectives on using peer mentors to implement LA ART for AYPLHIV are unknown. We conducted seven focus group discussions ( = 58 participants) from November 2021 to April 2022 in Kenya with four stakeholder groups, including AYPLHIV, healthcare providers, advocates, and policymakers. We used inductive coding and thematic analysis.

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Background: Restrictive Medicaid policies regarding hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment may exacerbate rural health care disparities for people who use drugs (PWUD). We assessed associations between Medicaid restrictions and HCV treatment among rural PWUD.

Methods: We compiled state-specific Medicaid treatment policies across 8 US rural sites in 10 states and merged these with participant survey data.

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Article Synopsis
  • Findings indicate that higher cumulative HIV viral load (VL) and lower CD4 cell counts are significantly linked to an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) in people living with HIV (PWH).
  • A study involving over 21,000 PWH over nearly five years revealed that those with higher cumulative VL had a 45% increased risk of VTE compared to those with lower VL. Additionally, a CD4 count below 100 cells/mm³ was associated with a fourfold increase in risk.
  • The research suggests that managing HIV viral load and maintaining CD4 levels could be crucial strategies to lower the risk of VTE in PWH.
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In 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state partners conducted a sample-initiated investigation of a multistate outbreak of Senftenberg illnesses linked to peanut butter.

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Background: Cannabis use is highly prevalent and detrimental among people with HIV (PWH). Legislative changes in several states altered the legality and accessibility of cannabis. We examined pre-post legislative changes in current, daily, and severe use in PWH in clinical care.

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Substance use is associated with decreased antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among people with HIV (PWH). Adherence plays a significant role in mediating the negative effects of substance use on HIV suppression and is a principal modifiable patient-level factor in improving HIV suppression and reducing ART drug resistance. Understanding substance use and ART adherence, particularly with rapidly changing substance use epidemiology and ART regimens, is vital to improving HIV care.

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Background: Frailty occurs at higher rates and younger ages among people with HIV (PWH) compared with the general population and is often attributed to chronic inflammation and subsequent immune exhaustion. We assessed how inflammatory biomarkers are associated with frailty among PWH.

Methods: The Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) cohort is comprised of adult PWH in care at 10 sites, and harmonizes demographic, clinical, and patient-reported outcomes (PRO) data.

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  • * The FDA traced the outbreak to 14 individuals who had purchased cantaloupes from a packing house that also supplied several points of sale, while environmental samples from the affected growers showed contamination.
  • * This outbreak marks the third instance in the past decade of salmonellosis tied to melons from this region, highlighting the ongoing need for improved practices to prevent contamination in melon farming and better public education on food safety.
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  • Monkeypox (mpox) has become more common and serious for people with HIV since 2022, with researchers looking into why some get sick and how others can protect themselves.
  • From a study of nearly 20,000 people living with HIV, 413 cases of mpox were found, with specific groups being more at risk, like younger people and those not on treatment for HIV.
  • The monkeypox vaccine was shown to be very effective, especially for people with a healthy immune system, but a lot of Black individuals with HIV were not getting vaccinated as often as others.
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In 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state partners investigated a multistate sample-initiated retrospective outbreak investigation (SIROI) consisting of a cluster of nine Salmonella Weltevreden illnesses associated with frozen, precooked shrimp imported from India.

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Smoking is a myocardial infarction (MI) risk factor among people with HIV (PWH). Questions persist regarding the role of smoking behaviors and measurements (e.g.

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Background: The United States' (US) opioid overdose epidemic has evolved into a combined stimulant/opioid epidemic, a pattern driven in part by mitigating opioid overdose risk, variable substance availability, and personal preferences. This study aimed to investigate the association between self-reported substance preference (heroin or methamphetamine) and behavioral/health outcomes among individuals who used both heroin and methamphetamine in the rural US.

Methods: The Rural Opioid Initiative is a consortium of 8 research cohorts from 10 states and 65 rural counties that recruited individuals reporting past 30-day injection of any substance or opioid substance use by any route from 1/2018 to 3/2020.

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Aim: Barriers to retention in inpatient and residential care for persons who use drugs are understudied in the rural context. We sought to better understand barriers to retention in inpatient and residential drug treatment in a large, multi-site, geographically diverse sample of persons who use opioids and/or injection drugs in the rural U.S.

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We examined past-year intimate partner violence (IPV), including psychological violence without physical/sexual violence, and health outcomes among people with HIV (PWH) in care in a multi-site U.S. cohort.

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Article Synopsis
  • Accurate estimates of drug use and related health issues among marginalized populations, especially persons who use drugs (PWUD) in rural areas, are essential for effective intervention and understanding health disparities.* -
  • The study used respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to recruit PWUD and evaluated the assumptions behind RDS to ensure the reliability of its prevalence estimates, analyzing various drug usage variables and health indicators among participants.* -
  • Findings indicated a median participant age of 34, with opioids being the most commonly used drug; however, recruitment chains often lacked sufficient length for reliable sample representation, and different weighting methods showed minimal differences in prevalence estimates.*
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Background: In recent years, stimulant use has increased among persons who use opioids in the rural U.S., leading to high rates of overdose and death.

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Purpose: Among cancer survivors, mindfulness-based interventions appear promising in decreasing distress for cancer patients, but little attention has been paid to the ultimate mindfulness goal of increasing psychological wellbeing. This meta-analysis aims to summarise and synthesise available evidence concerning the effectiveness of MBIs on positive psychological outcomes reflecting key aspects of psychological wellbeing in heterogeneous cancer patients.

Methods: A literature search of mindfulness-based randomised clinical trials in cancer survivors was conducted across six electronic databases.

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  • A study on people with HIV (PWH) assessed how different subgroups experience internalized HIV stigma (IHS) using a four-item survey between February 2016 and November 2022, involving over 12,000 participants.
  • Results showed that younger individuals, cisgender women, and those living in specific regions reported higher IHS scores, while Black/African American and Latine participants had lower scores compared to their White counterparts.
  • The study emphasizes the widespread nature of IHS among PWH and the importance of tailored interventions and routine screenings to address and reduce stigma within different subgroups.
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  • - The study explores "sick quitting," which refers to reduced alcohol consumption due to health issues, particularly among people with HIV (PWH), and how it may influence the relationship between alcohol use and frailty risk.
  • - Conducted across six AIDS research centers from 2012 to 2021, the study analyzed data from 5,654 PWH, focusing on how frailty levels affect drinking frequency and heavy episodic drinking (HED).
  • - Findings indicated that frail PWH were more likely to quit drinking or significantly reduce their consumption, suggesting that "sick quitting" complicates the understanding of the connection between alcohol use and frailty risk, warranting further research.
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"Sick quitting," a phenomenon describing reductions in alcohol consumption following poor health, may explain observations that alcohol appears protective for frailty risk. We examined associations between frailty and reductions in drinking frequency among people with HIV (PWH). At six Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) sites between January 2012 and August 2021, we assessed whether frailty, measured through validated modified frailty phenotype, precedes reductions in drinking frequency.

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To produce abundant cell culture samples to generate large, standardized image datasets of human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells, we developed an automated workflow on a Hamilton STAR liquid handler system. This was developed specifically for culturing hiPS cell lines expressing fluorescently tagged proteins, which we have used to study the principles by which cells establish and maintain robust dynamic localization of cellular structures. This protocol includes all details for the maintenance, passage and seeding of cells, as well as Matrigel coating of 6-well plastic plates and 96-well optical-grade, glass plates.

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Introduction: Although the concept of hope is highly relevant for cancer patients, little is known about its association with cancer-relevant biomarkers. Here we examined how hope was related to diurnal cortisol and interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory cytokine previously associated with tumor biology and survival in ovarian cancer. Secondly, we examined whether hope and hopelessness are distinctly associated with these biomarkers.

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Background: People with HIV (PWH) are at increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). We conducted this study to characterize VTE including provoking factors among PWH in the current treatment era.

Methods: We included PWH with VTE between 2010 and 2020 at 6 sites in the CFAR Network of Integrated Clinical Systems cohort.

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