Prevalence of HIV in Belize is high, and men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately impacted by HIV. HIV testing is critical in curbing the epidemic; however, little is known about factors associated with testing among MSM in Belize. Working with a non-governmental organization in a large, urban city within Belize, snowball sampling was applied to recruit Belizean MSM to complete a self-administered survey. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to understand associations with HIV screening behavior. Access to healthcare, HIV knowledge, and reporting having heard of Section 53 of the Criminal Code of Belize (once outlawing same-sex sexual behavior), but not experiencing any negative impact from Section 53 were significantly positively associated with having received an HIV test in the past six months. Healthcare maltreatment (lifetime), depression symptomology, and shame were significantly negatively associated with having received a HIV test in the past six months. Findings suggest that multiple factors associated with stigma and discrimination negatively affect testing strategies among MSM in Belize.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0956462420947574 | DOI Listing |
Viruses
January 2025
1st Department of Internal Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece.
Background: Cognitive function decline is a problem in aging people living with HIV (PLWHIV). COVID-19 infection is associated with neuropsychiatric manifestations that may persist. The aim of our study was to evaluate cognitive function in PLWHIV before and after COVID-19 infection.
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January 2025
College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA.
Background: HIV and tuberculosis (TB) co-infection poses a significant health challenge, particularly when involving the central nervous system (CNS), where it leads to severe morbidity and mortality. Current treatments face challenges such as drug resistance, immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), and persistent inflammation. Glutathione (GSH) has the therapeutic potential to enhance treatment outcomes by improving antibiotic efficacy, reducing inflammation, and mitigating immune dysfunction.
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January 2025
Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
Second-generation integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) are strongly recommended for people living with HIV-1 (PLWH). The emergence of resistance to second-generation INSTIs has been infrequent and has not yet been a major issue in high-income countries. However, the delayed rollouts of these INSTIs in low- to middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic combined with increased transmission of drug-resistant mutants worldwide are leading to an increase in INSTI resistance.
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January 2025
Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead 2145, Australia.
Anogenital inflammation is a critical risk factor for HIV acquisition. The primary preventative HIV intervention, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is ineffective in blocking transmission in anogenital inflammation. Pre-existing sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) and anogenital microbiota dysbiosis are the leading causes of inflammation, where inflammation is extensive and often asymptomatic and undiagnosed.
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January 2025
Department of Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
Retroviral genome selection and virion assembly remain promising targets for novel therapeutic intervention. Recent studies have demonstrated that the Gag proteins of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) and human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) undergo nuclear trafficking, colocalize with nascent genomic viral RNA (gRNA) at transcription sites, may interact with host transcription factors, and display biophysical properties characteristic of biomolecular condensates. In the present work, we utilized a controlled in vitro condensate assay and advanced imaging approaches to investigate the effects of interactions between RSV Gag condensates and viral and nonviral RNAs on condensate abundance and organization.
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