Disseminating Evidence-Based Interventions for Adolescent HIV Treatment and Prevention in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Over two-thirds of adolescents living with HIV worldwide reside in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite widespread availability and access to evidence-based HIV prevention and treatment, dissemination has been inadequate. This commentary distinguishes between implementation and dissemination, reflecting on the unique barriers to dissemination of evidence-based programs in SSA. We present a seven-strategy blueprint developed by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that emphasizes targeted communication about research findings. Two case studies from the Adolescent HIV Implementation Science Alliance are presented to illustrate the value of planning for dissemination. We propose recommendations to strengthen dissemination recognizing that these may not be possible or appropriate in all situations, including developing a plan early in the process, engaging a dissemination technical team for support, the application of methodological rigor and theory to inform dissemination, active involvement of youth voices and digital tools to maximize message reach, and a keen recognition of evolving contexts and shifting priorities in order to nimbly tailor messages as needed

Barriers to PrEP uptake among Black female adolescents and emerging adults

HIV/AIDS disproportionately impacts Black cisgender female adolescents and emerging adults. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) reduces the risk of HIV infection; however, structural barriers may exacerbate resistance to PrEP in this population. The purpose of this paper is to understand the characteristics of age, race, gender, history, and medical mistrust as barriers to PrEP uptake among Black female adolescents and emerging adults (N = 100 respondents) between the ages of 13–24 years in Chicago. Between January and June of 2019, participants completed the survey. We used directed content analysis to examine reported barriers to PrEP uptake. The most commonly identified barriers to PrEP uptake were side effects (N = 39), financial concerns (N = 15), and medical mistrust (N = 12). Less frequently reported barriers included lack of PrEP knowledge and misconceptions (N = 9), stigma (N = 2), privacy concerns (N = 4). We describe innovative multi-level strategies to provide culturally safe care to improve PrEP acceptability among Black female adolescents and emerging adults in Chicago. These recommendations may help mitigate the effect of medical mistrust, stigma, and misconceptions of PrEP within Black communities

A semiquantitative metric for evaluating clinical actionability of incidental or secondary findings from genome-scale sequencing

As genome-scale sequencing is increasingly applied in clinical scenarios, a wide variety of genomic findings will be discovered as secondary or incidental findings, and there is debate about how they should be handled. The clinical actionability of such findings varies, necessitating standardized frameworks for a priori decision making about their analysis

BHPR research: qualitative1. Complex reasoning determines patients' perception of outcome following foot surgery in rheumatoid arhtritis

Background: Foot surgery is common in patients with RA but research into surgical outcomes is limited and conceptually flawed as current outcome measures lack face validity: to date no one has asked patients what is important to them. This study aimed to determine which factors are important to patients when evaluating the success of foot surgery in RA Methods: Semi structured interviews of RA patients who had undergone foot surgery were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted to explore issues that were important to patients. Results: 11 RA patients (9 ♂, mean age 59, dis dur = 22yrs, mean of 3 yrs post op) with mixed experiences of foot surgery were interviewed. Patients interpreted outcome in respect to a multitude of factors, frequently positive change in one aspect contrasted with negative opinions about another. Overall, four major themes emerged. Function: Functional ability & participation in valued activities were very important to patients. Walking ability was a key concern but patients interpreted levels of activity in light of other aspects of their disease, reflecting on change in functional ability more than overall level. Positive feelings of improved mobility were often moderated by negative self perception ("I mean, I still walk like a waddling duck”). Appearance: Appearance was important to almost all patients but perhaps the most complex theme of all. Physical appearance, foot shape, and footwear were closely interlinked, yet patients saw these as distinct separate concepts. Patients need to legitimize these feelings was clear and they frequently entered into a defensive repertoire ("it's not cosmetic surgery; it's something that's more important than that, you know?”). Clinician opinion: Surgeons' post operative evaluation of the procedure was very influential. The impact of this appraisal continued to affect patients' lasting impression irrespective of how the outcome compared to their initial goals ("when he'd done it ... he said that hasn't worked as good as he'd wanted to ... but the pain has gone”). Pain: Whilst pain was important to almost all patients, it appeared to be less important than the other themes. Pain was predominately raised when it influenced other themes, such as function; many still felt the need to legitimize their foot pain in order for health professionals to take it seriously ("in the end I went to my GP because it had happened a few times and I went to an orthopaedic surgeon who was quite dismissive of it, it was like what are you complaining about”). Conclusions: Patients interpret the outcome of foot surgery using a multitude of interrelated factors, particularly functional ability, appearance and surgeons' appraisal of the procedure. While pain was often noted, this appeared less important than other factors in the overall outcome of the surgery. Future research into foot surgery should incorporate the complexity of how patients determine their outcome Disclosure statement: All authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

Ethics of research at the intersection of COVID-19 and black lives matter: a call to action

This paper describes how to ethically conduct research with Black populations at the intersection of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement. We highlight the issues of historical mistrust in the USA and how this may impact Black populations' participation in COVID-19 vaccination trials. We provide recommendations for researchers to ethically engage Black populations in research considering the current context. Our recommendations include understanding the impact of ongoing trauma, acknowledging historical context, ensuring diverse research teams and engaging in open and honest conversations with Black populations to better address their needs. The core of our recommendation is recognising the impact of trauma in our research and health care practices

Addressing sexually transmitted infections in the sociocultural context of black heterosexual relationships in the United States

RATIONALE: Black girls and women are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Research shows sexual networks, sexual concurrency, and assortative mixing impacting racial disparities in STI/HIV. However, the underlying sociocultural conditions of these phenomenon have yet to be fully explored within a framework of Black girls' and women's sexual development. OBJECTIVE: This grounded theory study investigated the sociocultural conditions and processes of becoming a sexual Black woman in order to understand the sociocultural drivers of STI/HIV rates among this group. METHOD: We used theoretical sampling to select and interview 20 Black women aged 19-62 years old from a Midwestern community. RESULTS: This study revealed sociocultural conditions related to Black heterosexual relationships and STI/HIV risk. Protecting Black men, silencing Black girls and women, cultural norms and messaging about sexuality, and gendered societal expectations and sexual stereotypes contribute to STI/HIV risk in Black girls and women. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate how the intersection of social and systemic structures (i.e.,history, incarceration, unemployment) shape the context of Black heterosexual relationships. We suggest STI/HIV prevention efforts address these systemic, cultural, and societal factors in order to effectively reduce racial disparities in STI/HIV risk

Building bridges and capacity for Black, Indigenous, and scholars of color in the era of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter

BACKGROUND: There is a critical need to increase diversity in the nursing workforce to better address racial health disparities. PURPOSE: To provide academic institutions with practical recommendations to foster a collaborative environment and essential resources for and in support of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) scholars. METHODS: We examine the experiences of three Black nurse scholars, at a research-intensive university in an urban area during the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in the United States. FINDINGS: Findings suggest barriers exist, which negatively impact workplace climate, collaboration and mentoring for BIPOC nursing scholars. Guided by a Black feminist perspective and utilizing existing literature, we recommend strategies to enhance workplace climate, to develop culturally aware collaboration, and to center mentoring as the foundation for BIPOC nurse scholar success. DISCUSSION: This article acknowledges that a crucial step in addressing health disparities is successful support of and collaboration with BIPOC nurse scholars

Being fast or cautious? Sociocultural conditions influencing the sexual pathways of Black females in the United States

Background: Black females in the United States face unique sociocultural conditions that impact their sexual development and increase their risk for sexually transmitted infections (STI), including but not limited to chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV. Research has not adequately explained how sociocultural conditions contribute to this increased risk. The purpose of our investigation was to explore the sociocultural conditions that influence Black cisgender females risk for STI. Methods: This grounded theory study involved in-depth audio-recorded interviews with 20, primarily heterosexual, Black females ages 19–62. Results: Findings informed a conceptual model that builds on previous theory about the sexual development of Black females and explains how sociocultural conditions impact two, participant identified, sexual pathways: Fast and Cautious. Movement on these sexual pathways was not always a linear trajectory; some participants shifted between pathways as their sociocultural contexts changed (i.e., sexual assault, STI, and level of protection). The Fast sexual pathway often led to greater STI risk. Conclusions: This model may inform future research designed to prevent STI/HIV and promote the sexual health of Black females across the life course

Using Group Concept Mapping to Explore Considerations for Developing and Implementing Trauma-Informed Interventions in Schools with Newcomer Children and Youth

During the spring of 2018, a pilot was conducted in two large Ontario schoolboards to evaluate the feasibility of a new 10-week manualized intervention (Supporting Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups [STRONG]) developed to promote resilience and reduce distress among young newcomers. In the current study, stakeholders involved in the pilot (i.e., mental health clinicians, mental health leaders, developers of the STRONG program, and the evaluation team) participated in an online Group Concept Mapping (GCM) activity to document the groups\u27 collective wisdom about developing and implementing appropriate programming for newcomer children and youth