Publications by authors named "Wirtz A"

Despite recommendations in the US National Research Action Plan on Long COVID, gender identity is rarely reported in research and surveillance used to guide public health programming and clinical care. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional study of COVID-19 in a nationwide sample of transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people (N = 2,134). Participants were surveyed between June 14, 2021 and May 1, 2022.

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A survey of pediatric infectious diseases clinicians from 49 children's hospitals demonstrated variability across institutions in the treatment of epidural empyema from sinus extension, including antibiotic route, selection, and impact of neuroimaging on determining duration of therapy.

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There is a strong interest in itaconic acid in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, both as an anti-bacterial compound and as an immunoregulator in mammalian macrophages. Fungal hosts also produce itaconic acid, and in addition they can produce two derivatives 2-hydroxyparaconic and itatartaric acid. Not much is known about these two derivatives, while their structural analogy to itaconate could open up several applications.

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HIV incidence among transgender women remains high and disproportionately impacts young, Black, and Latina transgender women. Data on preferred PrEP modalities among this population are limited. Participants in The LITE Cohort completed a survey module on PrEP modality preferences during 24-month study visits.

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  • Between 2015 and 2023, over 7 million Venezuelans were displaced globally, leading to a study on prenatal care among Venezuelan refugees in Colombia.
  • Analysis of 917 women with recent pregnancies revealed that 61.5% had four or more prenatal care visits, with irregular migration status and denial of care significantly reducing the likelihood of attending these visits.
  • Recommendations include improving access to prenatal care by raising awareness, supporting navigation through the health system, and reducing discrimination in health facilities for Venezuelan migrants.
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  • Cardiovascular disease is a major health issue for transgender women with HIV, partly influenced by factors like hormone therapy and psychosocial stress.
  • A study analyzed data from 108 Black and Latina transgender women with HIV to investigate how stress affects CVD risk in relation to hormone therapy duration.
  • Findings showed that while hormone therapy duration was linked to higher CVD risk, stress did not significantly impact this relationship, suggesting that age and overall physiological stress (measured by allostatic load) are more critical to CVD risk in this population.
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Infection-related complications remain the most significant cause for morbidity and technique failure in infants, children and adolescents who receive maintenance peritoneal dialysis (PD). The 2024 update of the Clinical Practice Guideline for the Prevention and Management of Peritoneal Dialysis Associated Infection in Children builds upon previous such guidelines published in 2000 and 2012 and provides comprehensive treatment guidance as recommended by an international group of pediatric PD experts based upon a review of published literature and pediatric PD registry data. The workgroup prioritized updating key clinical issues contained in the 2012 guidelines, in addition to addressing additional questions developed using the PICO format.

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Objective: The primary objective was to grade the potential impact of antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) interventions on patient safety at a single center using a newly developed scoring tool, the Antimicrobial Stewardship Impact Scoring Tool (ASIST).

Design: Retrospective descriptive study.

Setting: A 367-bed free-standing, pediatric academic medical center.

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  • Transgender women (TW) face significant challenges with HIV, and there's a growing interest in using digital methods for HIV research, though bias between digital and site-based data collection is under-explored.
  • A study involving 1,312 TW in the eastern and southern USA compared characteristics of those participating in site-based versus digital modes, focusing on demographics, healthcare access, and mental health factors.
  • Results indicated that site-based participants were generally younger, more likely to identify as people of color, and had different experiences and risks related to HIV compared to those who participated online, suggesting that a hybrid approach may provide a more representative sample for research.
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Background: In the United States, transgender women are disproportionately impacted by HIV and prioritized in the national strategy to end the epidemic. Individual, interpersonal, and structural vulnerabilities underlie HIV acquisition among transgender women and fuel syndemic conditions, yet no nationwide cohort monitors their HIV and other health outcomes.

Objective: Our objective is to develop a nationwide cohort to estimate HIV incidence, identify risk factors, and investigate syndemic conditions co-occurring with HIV vulnerability or acquisition among US transgender women.

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Young transgender women (YTGW) who sell or trade sex have among the highest HIV incidence rates in Thailand. Using qualitative methods, we assessed perceived acceptability, feasibility, and optimal design of a combination HIV prevention intervention including PrEP for YTGW. Key informant interviews were conducted during July 2016-July 2018 with 21 YTGW, aged 18-26 years, who sold sex and resided in Bangkok or Pattaya, Thailand.

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  • * It will involve 360 TNB adults who will be divided into three groups: one receiving standard care, another with additional monthly microgrants, and the last with microgrants plus peer mentoring for six months, with effectiveness assessed through surveys and interviews.
  • * The study also seeks to understand how these interventions impact psychological distress and gather feedback on participants' experiences with the support they received.
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Ustilago maydis and Ustilago cynodontis are natural producers of a broad range of valuable molecules including itaconate, malate, glycolipids, and triacylglycerols. Both Ustilago species are insensitive toward medium impurities, and have previously been engineered for efficient itaconate production and stabilized yeast-like growth. Due to these features, these strains were already successfully used for the production of itaconate from different alternative feedstocks such as molasses, thick juice, and crude glycerol.

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  • AJHP is putting accepted articles online quickly after they are reviewed and edited.
  • These articles are not the final versions yet; they still need some formatting and checks by the authors.
  • Eventually, the final polished versions will be uploaded later.
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The causes and conditions of displacement often increase the vulnerability of migrant and refugee populations to food insecurity, alongside other material hardships. We aimed to examine the multidimensional aspects and patterns of food insecurity and other material hardships in a cross-sectional sample of 6221 Venezuelan refugees and migrants in urban Colombia using a latent class analysis. Using multinomial and logistic regression models, we investigated the demographic and migratory experiences associated with identified classes and how class membership is associated with multiple health outcomes among Venezuelan refugees and migrants, respectively.

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Background: Policy protections for transgender adults in the United States are consistently associated with positive health outcomes. However, studies over-represent non-Latinx White transgender people and obscure variation in policies' intended goals. This study examined racial differences in the relationship between transgender-related policies and transgender women's self-rated health.

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The prevalence and correlates of food insecurity-the unavailability of food and limited access to it-have not been adequately considered among transgender women (TW), particularly alongside other health-related conditions burdening this population, such as HIV infection. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among TW. Between 2018 and 2020, 1590 TW in the Eastern and Southern U.

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Introduction: Equitable access to vaccines for migrants and refugees is necessary to ensure their right to health and to achieve public health goals of reducing vaccine-preventable illness. Public health policies require regulatory frameworks and communication to effect uptake of effective vaccines among the target population. In Colombia, the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan implicitly included Venezuelan refugees and migrants; however, initial communication of the policy indicated that vaccine availability was restricted to people with regular migration status.

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Background: Population-based estimates of syphilis prevalence are critical to informing public health response. We aimed to measure syphilis prevalence among Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia to inform public health programming.

Methods: Between July 2021 and February 2022, we surveyed 6221 adult Venezuelan refugees and migrants in four cities in Colombia using respondent-driven sampling (RDS).

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Background: Transgender women (TW) experience significant inequities in healthcare access and health disparities compared to cisgender populations. Access to non-transition related healthcare is understudied among TW. We aimed to assess the association between access to care and gender minority stress and resilience factors among TW living with and without HIV in eastern and southern United States.

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Background: Data on the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among transgender women (TGW) with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are limited.

Methods: We analyzed baseline data collected from a cohort of adult TGW across 6 eastern and southern US cities between March 2018 and August 2020 (n = 1018). Participants completed oral HIV screening, provided self-collected rectal and urogenital specimens for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing, and provided sera specimens for syphilis testing.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the mental health risks faced by transgender women (TW) due to stigma and social/structural vulnerabilities, highlighting a lack of research on how these factors interact.* -
  • Using a sample of 1,418 TW, the researchers employed advanced modeling techniques to find connections between experiences of discrimination, vulnerabilities like housing instability and unemployment, and mental health issues like PTSD and distress.* -
  • Results reveal six distinct clusters indicating that factors like racism and geographic location contribute to mental health disparities among TW, especially among those of color in the Southern US, emphasizing the need for tailored health interventions.*
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