Ancillary service needs among persons new to HIV care and the relationship between needs and late presentation to care.

Ancillary service needs likely influence time to diagnosis and presentation for HIV care. The effect of both met and unmet needs on late presentation to HIV care is not well understood. We used baseline data from 348 people with HIV (PWH) with no prior HIV care who enrolled in iENGAGE (a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an intervention to support retention in care) at one of four HIV clinics in the US.

Sexual activity and weekly contraceptive use among young adult women in Michigan.

Past studies on the influence of sexual activity on contraceptive behaviours are inconclusive, relying heavily on cross-sectional data. We used a population-based longitudinal sample of young women in Michigan to evaluate weekly associations between sexual activity and contraceptive use at three levels of measurement: comparing between women, among individual women's partnerships, and from week to week within partnerships. We used multinomial logistic regression accounting for correlations within partnerships and women.

Stigma modifies the association between social support and mental health among sexual violence survivors in the Democratic Republic of Congo: implications for practice.

Background And Objectives: The aim of this study was to further understanding of the relationship between social support, internalized and perceived stigma, and mental health among women who experienced sexual violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Methods: Drawing from baseline survey data collected in eastern DRC, researchers conducted a secondary cross-sectional analysis using data from 744 participants. Regression and moderation analyses were conducted to examine associations between social support variables, felt stigma, and depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Defining the Scope and Improving the Quality of Clinical Research Ethics Consultation: Response to Open Peer Commentaries About the National Collaborative.

The Open Peer Commentaries on “The Emergence of Clinical Research Ethics Consultation: Insights from a National Collaborative201D highlight the many ways in which the practice of ethics consultation for clinical research can be further advanced. We respond here to a number of key considerations highlighted by commentators, including the role and scope of research ethics consultation (REC), relationships with other institutional services and programs, efforts to ensure the quality of consultations provided, and the feasibility of widespread REC services.

Local vs. national: Epidemiology of pedestrian injury in a mid-Atlantic city.

Objective: Understanding pedestrian injury trends at the local level is essential for program planning and allocation of funds for urban planning and improvement. Because we hypothesize that local injury trends differ from national trends in significant and meaningful ways, we investigated citywide pedestrian injury trends to assess injury risk among nationally identified risk groups, as well as identify risk groups and locations specific to Baltimore City.

Methods: Pedestrian injury data, obtained from the Baltimore City Fire Department, were gathered through emergency medical services (EMS) records collected from January 1 to December 31, 2014.

The Emergence of Clinical Research Ethics Consultation: Insights From a National Collaborative.

The increasing complexity of human subjects research and its oversight has prompted researchers, as well as institutional review boards (IRBs), to have a forum in which to discuss challenging or novel ethical issues not fully addressed by regulations. Research ethics consultation (REC) services provide such a forum. In this article, we rely on the experiences of a national Research Ethics Consultation Collaborative that collected more than 350 research ethics consultations in a repository and published 18 challenging cases with accompanying ethical commentaries to highlight four contexts in which REC can be a valuable resource.

Comparison of the HEI and HEI-2010 Diet Quality Measures in Association with Chronic Disease Risk among Low-Income, African American Urban Youth in Baltimore, Maryland.

Objective: Overall diet patterns may be a better predictor of disease risk than specific nutrients or individual foods. The purpose of this study is to examine how overall diet patterns relate to nutritional intake, body composition, and physiological measures of chronic disease risk among low-income, urban African American adolescents.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from two samples of African American adolescents (n = 317) from a low-income urban community, including dietary intake using the food frequency Youth/Adolescent Questionnaire and anthropometric measures.

Clinician perspectives on strategies to improve patient maternal immunization acceptability in obstetrics and gynecology practice settings.

Pregnancy is an ideal time to communicate with women about vaccines for themselves and their infants, yet maternal immunization rates remain suboptimal. This study aimed to identify clinic, provider, and staff-related attributes and facilitators to be utilized for a comprehensive vaccine intervention in ob-gyn clinical settings. We conducted in-depth interviews with 24 providers, both healthcare providers (e.

Research with American Indian and Alaska Native populations: Measurement matters.

Research is an important tool in addressing myriad American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) health disparities; however, tensions exist between common empirical measurement approaches that facilitate cross-cultural comparisons and measurement specificity that may be more valid locally and/or culturally appropriate. The tremendous diversity of AIAN communities, small population sizes of distinct AIAN cultural groups, and varying cultural contexts and worldviews should influence measurement decisions in health research. We provide a framework for guiding measurement in collaboration with AIAN communities using examples from substance abuse research for illustration.

The Incremental Validity of Self-Report and Performance-Based Methods for Assessing Hostility to Predict Cardiovascular Disease in Physicians.

We evaluated the utility of an integrative, multimethod approach for assessing hostility-related constructs to predict premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) and premature coronary heart disease (CHD) using participants from the Johns Hopkins Precursors Study, which was designed to identify risk factors for heart disease. Participants were assessed at baseline while in medical school from 1946 to 1962 (M age = 24.6) and have been followed annually since then.

Long-term consequences of adolescent cannabis use: Examining intermediary processes.

Background: In the United States, perceptions of marijuana's acceptability are at an all-time high, risk perceptions among youth are low, and rates are rising among Black youth. Thus, it is imperative to increase the understanding of long-term effects of adolescent marijuana use and ways to mitigate adverse consequences.

Objectives: To identify the midlife consequences of heavy adolescent marijuana use and the mechanisms driving effects among a Black, urban population.

Quality of life of HIV-infected patients who switch antiretroviral medication due to side effects or other reasons.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among HIV patients following switch from a first- to second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen.

Research Design And Methods: This was an observational study of adult HIV patients in the US at 35 academic and community health centers. Patients were required to be switching an antiretroviral regimen for the first time at the enrollment visit.

Complications arising from cardiac implantable electrophysiological devices: review of epidemiology, pathogenesis and prevention for the clinician.

Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) which include devices such as permanent pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices are well established therapies that have been shown to improve quality of life and prolong survival in appropriately selected patients, and are being increasing utilized across the world. However, CIED implantations are invasive procedures and a thorough understanding of the potential complications is required to prevent deleterious patient outcomes. In this review, we will discuss frequent complications (infection, hematoma or bleeding, and procedural mechanical complications) that may harm patients after CIED implantation, and the steps that can be taken to minimize their risk.

Does marital status matter in an HIV hyperendemic country? Findings from the 2012 South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey.

South Africa has experienced declining marriage rates and the increasing practice of cohabitation without marriage. This study aims to improve the understanding of the relationship between marital status and HIV in South Africa, an HIV hyperendemic country, through an analysis of findings from the 2012 South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey. The nationally representative population-based cross-sectional survey collected data on HIV and socio-demographic and behavioural determinants in South Africa.

High prevalence of antibiotic resistance in nasopharyngeal bacterial isolates from healthy children in rural Uganda: A cross-sectional study.

Background: In Uganda, the main causes of death in children under 5 years of age are malaria and pneumonia--often due to delayed diagnosis and treatment. In preparation for a community case management intervention for pneumonia and malaria, the bacterial composition of the nasopharyngeal flora and its in vitro resistance were determined in children aged five or under to establish baseline resistance to commonly used antibiotics.

Methods: In a population-based survey in April 2008, nasopharyngeal specimens were collected from 152 randomly selected healthy children under 5 years of age in the Iganga/Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (HDSS).

Designing an evaluation framework for WFME basic standards for medical education.

Purpose: To create an evaluation plan for the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) accreditation standards for basic medical education.

Methods: We conceptualized the 100 basic standards from "Basic Medical Education: WFME Global Standards for Quality Improvement: The 2012 Revision" as medical education program objectives. Standards were simplified into evaluable items, which were then categorized as inputs, processes, outputs and/or outcomes to generate a logic model and corresponding plan for data collection.