Impact of including boys in the national school-based human papillomavirus vaccination programme in Singapore: A modelling-based cost-effectiveness analysis.

Globally, gender-neutral Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes are gaining traction. Although cervical cancer remains the most prevalent, other HPV-related cancers are increasingly recognised as important, especially among men who have sex with men. We assessed if including adolescent boys in Singapore's school-based HPV vaccination programme is cost-effective from the healthcare perspective.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) healthcare in Singapore: perspectives of non-governmental organisations and clinical year medical students.

Purpose: International studies document that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) patients face significant health disparities. Studies exploring the attitudes, knowledge, preparedness and comfort levels of healthcare students towards LGBTQI+ health have been conducted in the United States, United Kingdom and Malaysia. This study aims to investigate stigma in healthcare for LGBTQI+ patients in Singapore, and possible upstream factors within medical education.

Economic evaluation of improving HIV self-testing among MSM in China using a crowdsourced intervention: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Objectives: Crowdsourcing, which taps into the wisdom of crowds, has been successful in generating strategies to enhance HIV self-testing (HIVST) uptake. We determined the cost-effectiveness of a crowdsourced intervention (one-off or annual) compared with a control scenario (no crowdsourcing) among MSM living in China.

Design: Economic evaluation.

Improving cascade outcomes for active TB: A global systematic review and meta-analysis of TB interventions.

Background: To inform policy and implementation that can enhance prevention and improve tuberculosis (TB) care cascade outcomes, this review aimed to summarize the impact of various interventions on care cascade outcomes for active TB.

Methods And Findings: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we retrieved English articles with comparator arms (like randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and before and after intervention studies) that evaluated TB interventions published from January 1970 to September 30, 2022, from Embase, CINAHL, PubMed, and the Cochrane library. Commentaries, qualitative studies, conference abstracts, studies without standard of care comparator arms, and studies that did not report quantitative results for TB care cascade outcomes were excluded.

Comparing UV-C dosages of emitter placement strategies in a community hospital setting.

We measured the amount of UV-C light (254 nm) achieved on hospital surfaces using a modified emitter and competing placement strategies. An autonomous UV-C strategy improved exposure on surfaces that were distant, angled, or shadowed to the nonautonomous strategies, leading to significantly higher overall UV-C dosages.

Public health services and intersectional stigma: a social sciences perspective with implications for HIV service design and delivery.

Purpose Of Review: Understanding stigma is important for improving HIV care services and gaps in HIV service delivery have been attributed to stigma. This review article synthesizes recent evidence on stigma and its implications for HIV service design and delivery. Given the intersectional nature of stigma, we will focus on HIV stigma as well as related forms of stigma based on one's race, sexual identity, gender identity and other identities.

Prevalence of syphilis and risk factors among HIV-positive men who have sex with men in Guangdong province.

Background: HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) tend to have high syphilis incidence. Our objective is to evaluate the prevalence of syphilis and determine the risk factors of syphilis among HIV-positive MSM.

Methods: A cross-sectional study with convenience sampling was performed among HIV-positive MSM in six cities of Guangdong Province from June 2020 to August 2021.

Factors Associated with First-Time HIV Testing Among MSM via Secondary Distribution of HIV Self-test Kits in Zhuhai, China.

HIV self-testing (HIVST) is an effective method to expand HIV testing coverage worldwide. We analyze the results of HIVST and sexual behaviors of first-time testers among Men who have sex with men (MSM) who participated in a secondary distribution of HIVST kits. A total of 589 participants were recruited, including 173 first-time testers and 416 non-first-time testers.

Comparison between HIV self-testing and facility-based HIV testing approach on HIV early detection among men who have sex with men: A cross-sectional study.

Background: To assess whether HIV self-testing (HIVST) has a better performance in identifying HIV-infected cases than the facility-based HIV testing (HIVFBT) approach.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among men who have sex with men (MSM) by using an online questionnaire (including information on sociodemographic, sexual biography, and HIV testing history) and blood samples (for limiting antigen avidity enzyme immunoassay, gene subtype testing, and taking confirmed HIV test). MSM who were firstly identified as HIV positive through HIVST and HIVFBT were compared.

Reinterpretation of Health Information in the Context of an Emerging Infectious Disease: A Digital Focus Group Study.

Background: Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated global public concern and panic. The glut of information, or "infodemic," has caused concern for authorities due to its negative impacts on COVID-19 prevention and control, spurring calls for a greater scholarly focus on health literacy during the pandemic. Nevertheless, few studies have sought to qualitatively examine how individuals interpreted and assimilated health information at the initial wave of COVID-19 restrictions.

Participatory approaches to delivering clinical sexually transmitted infections services: a narrative review.

Although sexual health programming and clinical sexually transmitted infections (STIs) services have traditionally been developed through 'top-down' approaches, there is emerging evidence that participatory approaches benefit the development and implementation of such services. Although other studies have already highlighted the benefits of participation in research and implementation of clinical STIs services delivery, this narrative review focuses on how community participation in clinical STIs services delivery has been operationalised and on the various aspects of clinical STIs services delivery in which participatory processes have been implemented. A PubMed search was conducted in January 2022 using the search terms that reflected the topic of participatory processes in clinical STIs services delivery to identify relevant papers.

A randomized controlled trial enhancing viral hepatitis testing in primary care via digital crowdsourced intervention.

Despite the availability of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing in primary care, testing rates in China remain low. Social media is an inexpensive means of disseminating information and could facilitate hepatitis testing promotion. We evaluated the capacity of digitally crowdsourced materials to promote HBV/HCV testing uptake via a randomized controlled trial (identifier: ChiCTR1900025771), which enrolled 750 Chinese primary care patients.

Chlamydia infection, PID, and infertility: further evidence from a case-control study in China.

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis infection and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) are well-known risk factors for female infertility. But there is limited evidence from China. This study aimed to further explore the associations between previous/current chlamydial infection, PID, and infertility in China.

HCV Self-Testing to Expand Testing: A Pilot Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in China.

Background: Hepatitis C virus self-testing (HCVST) may increase test uptake especially among marginalized key populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM). We conducted an observational study to assess the usability, acceptability and feasibility of HCVST among MSM in China.

Methods: An observational study with convenience sampling was performed among MSM in Guangzhou, China in 2019.

Intimate partner violence before and during the COVID-19 lockdown: findings from a cross-sectional study in Singapore.

Background: The coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in lockdowns worldwide, with reports suggesting a concomitant increase in the incidence of intimate partner violence (IPV). This study was part of the International Sexual and Reproductive Health (I-SHARE) Consortium, examining IPV and its correlates before and during lockdown in April 2020.

Methods: This cross-sectional observational study, conducted online during August-September 2020, recruited 259 participants from Singapore who reported having a steady partner.

What facilitates hepatitis B and hepatitis C testing and the role of stigma among primary care patients in China?

Approximately 80% of primary healthcare facilities in China were ready to deliver hepatitis care services by 2021. This study aimed to assess hepatitis B and C test uptake, identify the factors associated with testing and determine the predictors of hepatitis stigma among primary care patients. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among patients seeking care in the family medicine and primary care unit of the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, China.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Point-of-Care HCV Viral Load Assays for HCV Diagnosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Despite the widespread availability of curative treatment with direct-acting antivirals, a significant proportion of people with HCV remain undiagnosed and untreated. New point-of-care (PoC) HCV RNA assays that can be used in clinical settings may help expand access to testing and treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of PoC HCV viral load assays compared to laboratory-based testing.

Comparing the effectiveness of secondary distribution of HIV/syphilis dual self-testing to testing card referral in promoting HIV testing among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Guangzhou, China: a quasi-experimental study.

Background: Social network approaches to testing allow individuals (indexes) to distribute tests to social networks (alters). This quasi-experimental study compared two social network-based testing strategies in promoting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing among Chinese gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM).

Methods: GBMSM aged ≥18years were recruited from Guangzhou, China.

Sexual and reproductive health during COVID-19 - the I-SHARE multi-country survey.

Reliable information about sexual and reproductive health and service access during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are essential. The International Sexual Health and Reproductive Health (I-SHARE) study is led by a multi-country consortium that adopts an open science approach to achieve this goal. Future work will be needed to assess changes in sexual and reproductive health during the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

Community-engaged mHealth intervention to increase uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in China: study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: The large number of key populations in China who would benefit from HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the context of limited health system capacity and public awareness will pose challenges for timely PrEP scale-up, suggesting an urgent need for innovative and accessible interventions. This study aims to develop and pilot test a theory-informed, tailored mobile phone intervention that was codeveloped by young gay men, HIV clinicians and public health researchers to increase engagement in PrEP education and initiation among Chinese gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM), who bear a disproportionate burden of HIV infections and remain underserved in the healthcare system.

Methods And Analysis: This two-phase study includes a formative assessment using in-depth interviews (N=30) and a 12-week experimental pilot study using a two-arm randomised controlled trial design (N=70).

Self-sampled specimens demonstrate comparable accuracy and consistency to clinician-sampled specimens for HPV detection among men who have sex with men in China.

Objectives: Despite a high risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among men who have sex with men (MSM), few have ever tested. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of HPV self-sampling among Chinese MSM, with the purpose of measuring the feasibility of self-sampling as an alternative in HPV testing scenarios.

Methods: Eligible participants were those who were assigned male at birth, aged 18 or above, had sex with men in the past year and had never gotten HPV vaccine.

Effect of a Popular Web Drama Video Series on HIV and Other Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men in Singapore: Community-Based, Pragmatic, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) are at disproportionately higher risk of acquiring HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). While HIV/STI testing rates among GBMSM are increasing worldwide, they remain suboptimal in a variety of settings. While many studies have attempted to evaluate the efficacy of a variety of community-based campaigns, including peer and reminder-based interventions on HIV/STI testing, however few have attempted to do so for a web drama series.