Individual and Sexual Network Predictors of HIV Incidence Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Nigeria.

Background: To date, HIV incidence studies among men who have sex with men (MSM) across sub-Saharan Africa have focused on studying sexual risk practices with less focus on sexual networks.

Setting: TRUST/RV368 conducted in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria, recruited MSM using respondent-driven sampling and followed HIV-negative men for incident infection over 4 years.

Methods: Four-hundred forty-one HIV-uninfected MSM underwent a parallel rapid HIV testing algorithm every 3 months for up to 18 months.

Secular trend in interobserver agreement of VIA diagnosis for cervical cancer screening in Nigeria.

Objective: In low resource settings, visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) by allied health workers, has been suggested as an alternative for cervical cancer screening. However, there are concerns about the objectivity and time to diagnostic concordance with specialists. We evaluated the secular trend in interobserver agreement between nurse providers and a gynecologist/colposcopist over a five-year period.

Compromised Growth Among HIV-exposed Uninfected Compared With Unexposed Children in Nigeria.

Background: HIV-exposed but uninfected (HEU) children may be at an increased risk of impaired growth when compared with their HIV-unexposed and uninfected (HUU) counterparts. We compared the growth patterns of HEU to HUU children in Nigeria.

Methods: Pregnant women with and without HIV infection were enrolled at the Plateau State Specialist Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.

Exploring the acceptability of Option B plus among HIV-positive Nigerian women engaged and not engaged in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV cascade: a qualitative study.

The acceptability of lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-positive women in high-burden Nigeria, is not well-known. We explored readiness of users and providers of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services to accept lifelong ART -before Option B plus was implemented in Nigeria. We conducted 142 key informant interviews among 100 PMTCT users (25 pregnant-newly-diagnosed, 26 pregnant-in-care, 28 lost-to-follow-up (LTFU) and 21 postpartum women living with HIV) and 42 PMTCT providers in rural North-Central Nigeria.

Anal Microbial Patterns and Oncogenic Human Papillomavirus in a Pilot Study of Nigerian Men Who Have Sex with Men at Risk for or Living with HIV.

To cluster anal microbiota and define microbial patterns associated with biological, clinical, and behavioral correlates among Nigerian men who have sex with men (MSM) living with or at risk for HIV. In this cross-sectional pilot study, the 15 most abundant 16S taxa in the anal microbiota of 113 MSM underwent unsupervised K-means clustering and z-score comparisons to define similarities and dissimilarities among 4 microbiota taxonomic profiles. Distributions of oncogenic HPV (high-risk human papillomavirus [HR-HPV]), concurrent HIV, antiretroviral therapy (ART), and other clinical and behavioral data were evaluated using Fisher's exact and Kruskal-Wallis tests to determine biological signatures of cluster membership.

"They do not see us as one of them": a qualitative exploration of mentor mothers' working relationships with healthcare workers in rural North-Central Nigeria.

Background: In HIV programs, mentor mothers (MMs) are women living with HIV who provide peer support for other women to navigate HIV care, especially in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). Nigeria has significant PMTCT program gaps, and in this resource-constrained setting, lay health workers such as MMs serve as task shifting resources for formal healthcare workers and facility-community liaisons for their clients. However, challenging work conditions including tenuous working relationships with healthcare workers can reduce MMs' impact on PMTCT outcomes.

Effect of clients Strategic Index Case Testing on community-based detection of HIV infections (STRICT study).

Background: Strategic Index Case Testing (STRICT), a form of partner notification service, was initiated to track, identify and notify sexual partners of people living with HIV (Index clients) with the sole aim of testing them to determine their HIV status and linking clients who are positive to Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART). This research analyzed the HIV sero-prevalence among sexual partners of HIV positive clients using STRICT and determines the role of STRICT in HIV epidemic control.

Methods: This is a non-control Interventional study that determined the impact of Strategic Index Case Testing (STRICT) on detecting previously undiagnosed HIV infections among sexual partners of positive index clients.

Prevalence of anti-hepatitis C antibodies and its co-infection with HIV in rural Cameroon.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of the co-infection between the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), and the prevalence of factors associated with HCV transmission in a rural Cameroonian community.

Results: The mean age of the 174 participants included in the study was 30.3 (standard deviation = 13.

Pediatric to adult healthcare transitioning for adolescents living with HIV in Nigeria: A national survey.

Introduction: The period of transition from pediatric to adult care has been associated with poor health outcomes among 10-19 year old adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV). This has prompted a focus on the quality of transition services, especially in high ALHIV-burden countries. Due to lack of guidelines, there are no healthcare transition standards for Nigeria's estimated 240,000 ALHIV.

Individual and Network Factors Associated With HIV Care Continuum Outcomes Among Nigerian MSM Accessing Health Care Services.

Background And Setting: Because data on the determinants of the HIV care continuum from key populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM) in resource-limited settings are limited, the study aimed to characterize HIV care continuum outcomes and assess individual and network barriers to progression through the HIV care continuum among MSM in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria.

Methods: TRUST/RV368 study used respondent-driven sampling to accrue MSM into community-based clinics in Nigeria. Participants received HIV testing at enrollment.

Generating evidence for health policy in challenging settings: lessons learned from four prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV implementation research studies in Nigeria.

Background: Implementation research (IR) facilitates health systems strengthening and optimal patient outcomes by generating evidence for scale-up of efficacious strategies in context. Thus, difficulties in generating IR evidence, particularly in limited-resource settings with wide disease prevention and treatment gaps, need to be anticipated and addressed. Nigeria is a priority country for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT).

Including all voices in international data-sharing governance.

Background: Governments, funding bodies, institutions, and publishers have developed a number of strategies to encourage researchers to facilitate access to datasets. The rationale behind this approach is that this will bring a number of benefits and enable advances in healthcare and medicine by allowing the maximum returns from the investment in research, as well as reducing waste and promoting transparency. As this approach gains momentum, these data-sharing practices have implications for many kinds of research as they become standard practice across the world.

HIV status disclosure to male partners among rural Nigerian women along the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV cascade: a mixed methods study.

Background: HIV status disclosure to male partners is important for optimal outcomes in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). Depending on timing of HIV diagnosis or pregnancy status, readiness to disclose and disclosure rates may differ among HIV-positive women. We sought to determine rates, patterns, and experiences of disclosure among Nigerian women along the PMTCT cascade.

Correction to: Adolescent Coordinated Transition (ACT) to improve health outcomes among young people living with HIV in Nigeria: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

In the original publication [1] the figure captions of Figs. 2 and 3 were reversed. The correct version can be found in this Erratum.

Implementation of genomics research in Africa: challenges and recommendations.

Background: There is exponential growth in the interest and implementation of genomics research in Africa. This growth has been facilitated by the Human Hereditary and Health in Africa (H3Africa) initiative, which aims to promote a contemporary research approach to the study of genomics and environmental determinants of common diseases in African populations.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to describe important challenges affecting genomics research implementation in Africa.

Achieving Viral Suppression in 90% of People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus on Antiretroviral Therapy in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities.

Although significant progress has been made, the latest data from low- and middle-income countries show substantial gaps in reaching the third "90%" (viral suppression) of the UNAIDS 90-90-90 goals, especially among vulnerable and key populations. This article discusses critical gaps and promising, evidence-based solutions. There is no simple and/or single approach to achieve the last 90%.

Serum Albumin as a Prognostic Marker for Serious Non-AIDS Endpoints in the Strategic Timing of Antiretroviral Treatment (START) Study.

Background: Serum albumin may be used to stratify human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons with high CD4 count according to their risk of serious non-AIDS endpoints.

Methods: Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the risk of serious non-AIDS events in the Strategic Timing of Antiretroviral Treatment (START) study (NCT00867048) with serum albumin as a fixed and time-updated predictor. Models with exclusion of events during initial follow-up years were built to assess the ability of serum albumin to predict beyond shorter periods of time.

Adolescent Coordinated Transition (ACT) to improve health outcomes among young people living with HIV in Nigeria: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) have worse health outcomes than other populations of people living with HIV. Contributing factors include lack of standard and comprehensive procedures for ALHIV transitioning from pediatric to adult care. This has contributed to poor retention at, and following transition, which is problematic especially in high ALHIV-burden, resource-limited settings like Nigeria.

A Socio-Ecological Examination of Treatment Access, Uptake and Adherence Issues Encountered By HIV-Positive Women in Rural North-Central Nigeria.

Background: In spite of the global decline in HIV infections, sub-Saharan Africa still accounts for a non-proportional majority of global new infections. While many studies have documented the importance of facilitating access to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) as a means of reducing infections, the relationship between interpersonal, community, healthcare facility, and policy-level factors and treatment adherence in Africa have not been well-described. The authors examined these factors in the context of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in rural north-central Nigeria, where HIV burden is high and service coverage is low.

Persistent Low-Risk and High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Infections of the Uterine Cervix in HIV-Negative and HIV-Positive Women.

Background: The prevalence, persistence, and multiplicity of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection appears different comparing HIV-positive to HIV-negative women. In this study, we examined prevalent, persistent, and multiple low- and high-risk cervical HPV infections in HIV-negative and HIV-positive women.

Methods: We studied 1,020 women involved in a study of HPV infection using SPF/LiPA.

A Mixed-Methods Study on Acceptability, Tolerability, and Substitution of Brown Rice for White Rice to Lower Blood Glucose Levels among Nigerian Adults.

Background: Whole-grain products such as brown rice have been associated with lower risk of metabolic disorders including diabetes. We examined the acceptability and tolerability of substituting brown rice for white rice and the feasibility of introducing brown rice into the diet through a long-term trial to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Fifty-one adults residing in Abuja, Nigeria, participated in this study.