Background: Initiating newly diagnosed people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) onto antiretroviral treatment (ART) and retaining patients on treatment are vital to South Africa's ART programme. In 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its accompanying containment (lockdown) measures presented unprecedented challenges to achieving these objectives.
Aim: This study describes the impact of COVID-19 and related restrictions on district-level numbers of newly diagnosed people living with HIV and defaulting ART patients.
Setting: Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Methods: Mixed-methods approach: Monthly aggregated electronic patient data (newly initiated and restarted on ART) from 113 public healthcare (PHC) facilities were analysed (December 2019 to November 2020) across varying levels of COVID-19 lockdown regulation periods; telephonic in-depth interviews at 10 rural BCMM PHC facilities were conducted with facility staff, community health workers (CHWs) and intervention personnel.
Results: The number of newly initiated ART patients decreased dramatically compared with pre-COVID-19 levels. The overall number of restarted ART patients increased in response to fears of co-infection with COVID-19. Facility-level communications and community outreach promoting HIV testing and treatment were disrupted. Novel approaches to providing services to ART patients were developed.
Conclusion: Programmes for identifying undiagnosed people living with HIV and services aimed at retaining ART patients in care were profoundly impacted by COVID-19. The value of CHWs was highlighted, as were communication innovations.Contribution: This study describes the impact of COVID-19 and related regulations on HIV testing, ART initiation and adherence to treatment in a District of the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v15i1.3811 | DOI Listing |
Lasers Med Sci
December 2024
Department of Urology Surgery, Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No.23 Art Museum Back Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100010, China.
To compare the efficacy and safety of low-power holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (LP-HoLEP) with plasma kinetic resection of prostate (PKRP). Sixty-three patients treated with transurethral LP-HoLEP (observation group) and 68 patients treated with transurethral PKRP (control group) at Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from November 2019 to November 2022 were retrospectively compared with regard to operation duration, intra-operative blood loss, prostate resection ratio, postoperative bladder irrigation time, postoperative indwelling urinary catheter time, postoperative urinary incontinence incidence, International Prostate Symptom Scale (IPSS), maximum urine flow rate (Qmax), and residual urine volume (RUV). In both groups, postoperative IPSS, Qmax, and RUV were significantly improved compared to preoperative values (P < 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFANZ J Surg
December 2024
Royal Prince Alfred Institute of Academic Surgery, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Background: Facial prosthetics are an important means to rehabilitate patients with congenital or acquired facial defects. However, with a time-consuming manual workflow and workforce shortage, access to facial prosthetics is limited in Australia and worldwide, especially for rural and remote patients. Optical 3D scanning has been increasingly integrated in digitizing data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Cancer
December 2024
Department of Data Science, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), classified as a grade IV glioma by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a prevalent and notably aggressive form of brain tumor derived from glial cells. It stands as one of the most severe forms of primary brain cancer in humans. The median survival time of GBM patients is only 12-15 months, making it the most lethal type of brain tumor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Assist Reprod Genet
December 2024
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Offspring Health, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Institute of Women, Children and Reproductive Health, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
Purpose: This study aims to explore the impact of a woman's previous cesarean delivery (CD) on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes for subsequent in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) and single frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET), compared with vaginal delivery (VD).
Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study that included a total of 5817 patients who desired to transfer a single vitrified-thawed blastocyst from the same oocyte retrieval cycle as their last live birth between January 2011 and January 2021 at a single reproductive medicine center. Patients with a single previous CD were classified in the CD group, while those with a single VD were assigned to the VD group.
J Assist Reprod Genet
December 2024
Department of Reproduction, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, 5 Donghaizhong Road, Qingdao, 266071, China.
Purpose: In China, the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among infertile couples is a significant clinical problem. It is necessary to determine the effect of HBV infection on embryo development.
Methods: The 4301 fresh cycles and 5763 frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles were grouped according to the couple with or without HBV infection.
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