The Value of a Longitudinal Human Immunodeficiency Virus Track for Medical Students: 10-Year Program Evaluation

We surveyed graduates of a longitudinal medical school human immunodeficiency virus curriculum to evaluate its impact. Respondents felt comfortable caring for people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) and found value from the curriculum regardless of ultimate career path. Programs like this contribute to the development of culturally sensitive clinicians comfortable caring for PWH

The Association Between HIV-Related Stigma and HIV Outcomes: An Integrative Review

https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/emet_posters/1032/thumbnail.jp

Effectiveness and Safety of Bictegravir/Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Alafenamide in Patients With HIV-1 Infection and Ongoing Substance Use Disorder: The BASE Study

BACKGROUND: People with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and substance use disorder (PWH/SUD) are at higher risk of nonadherence to antiretroviral therapy. Bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (B/F/TAF) exhibits high rates of efficacy with a favorable adverse event profile. The BASE study (NCT03998176) is a phase 4, single-arm study evaluating the effectiveness and safety of B/F/TAF among PWH/SUD. METHODS: Viremic (HIV RNA \u3e1000 copies/mL) PWH/SUD initiated B/F/TAF once daily for 48 weeks (W). The primary endpoint was proportion of participants with HIV RNA/mL at W24. Secondary endpoints were proportion of participants with HIV-1 RNA/mL at W48, safety, B/F/TAF adherence (dried blood spot [DBS] concentrations of emtricitabine triphosphate and tenofovir diphosphate [TFV-DP]), substance use (NIDA-ASSIST), and quality of life (SF-12). RESULTS: Forty-three participants were enrolled; 95% reported methamphetamine use. Median age was 38 (range, 21-62) years; 21% were female, 81% White, 14% Black, and 16% Hispanic. Thirty-two (74%) and 21 (49%) participants had HIV RNA/mL (intention-to-treat) at W24 and W48, respectively. Seven participants (16%) experienced confirmed virologic failure through W48; 1 developed emergent drug resistance (M184V). Fifteen participants (35%) experienced grade ≥3 adverse events. Five participants (12%) reported suicidal ideation; none resulted in discontinuation. Median DBS concentrations were representative of 5-6 doses/week (TFV-DP, 1603 fmol/punches). NIDA-ASSIST scores declined from baseline to W48 with methamphetamine use decreasing most (-7.9 points; -29%), and SF-12 physical/mental scores increased 1.2 and 7.6 points, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: B/F/TAF among a high-risk population of PWH/SUD resulted in an initial 72% viral suppression rate at W24 before dropping to 49% at W48 as retention declined. One participant developed emergent drug resistance (M184V)

Addressing and Inspiring Vaccine Confidence in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we have witnessed profound health inequities suffered by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). These manifested as differential access to testing early in the pandemic, rates of severe disease and death 2-3 times higher than white Americans, and, now, significantly lower vaccine uptake compared with their share of the population affected by COVID-19. This article explores the impact of these COVID-19 inequities (and the underlying cause, structural racism) on vaccine acceptance in BIPOC populations, ways to establish trustworthiness of healthcare institutions, increase vaccine access for BIPOC communities, and inspire confidence in COVID-19 vaccines

Routine, Opt-Out HIV Testing in a rural emergency department

There are approximately 1,800 people living with HIV in eastern North Carolina and are unaware of their infection. A decade ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued revised recommendations to routinely test for HIV in various settings, including emergency departments. We used those guidelines to test adults, treat those unaware of their infection, and re-link others to care

Treatment-Naïve HIV-Infected Patients Have Fewer Gut-Homing β7 Memory CD4 T Cells than Healthy Controls

OBJECTIVES: The integrin α4β7 is the gut-homing receptor for lymphocytes. It also is an important co-receptor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) via glycoprotein (gp)120 binding. Depletion of gut cluster of differentiation (CD)4 T cells is linked to chronic inflammation in patients with HIV; however, measuring CD4 cells in the gut is invasive and not routine. As such, establishing a peripheral marker for CD4 depletion of the gut is needed. We hypothesized that α4β7 CD4 T cells are depleted in the peripheral blood of treatment-naïve patients with HIV compared with healthy controls. METHODS: The study groups were treatment-naïve patients with HIV and uninfected controls. Subjects were included if they were 18 years or older with no history of opportunistic infections, active tuberculosis, or cancer. We collected peripheral blood and examined on whole blood using flow cytometry for the following cell surface markers: CD4, CD45RO, chemokine receptor type 5, C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), and the integrin β7. We collected demographic information, including age, sex, and ethnicity, as well as viral load (VL) and CD4 count. Two-samplettests and Fisher exact tests were used to compare the differences between the two groups. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated between CD4 count and log10-VL and percentage of CD4+/CD45RO+/β7+and log10-VL in patients. RESULTS: Twenty-two subjects were enrolled in the study (12 patients with HIV and 10 controls). There were no differences in age or sex between the two groups. There were more Hispanics and fewer Asians in the group comprising patients with HIV compared with the control group (7 vs 2 and 0 vs 4,P= 0.05, respectively). Patients infected with HIV had significantly lower frequencies of CD4+/CD45RO+/β7+cells (median 12%, range 5-18 compared with uninfected controls: median 20%, range 11-26,P= 0.0007). There was a statistically significant difference in the percentage of CD4+/CD45RO+/C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4+cells between patients (72%, range 60%-91%) compared with controls (79%, range 72%-94%,P= 0.04). The percentage of CD4+/CD45RO+/chemokine receptor type 5+did not differ between the group of patients with HIV and the control groups (22%, range 11%-57% vs 27%, range 14%-31%;P= 0.8, respectively). There was no correlation between percentage of CD4+/CD45RO+/β+cells and log10-VL as measured by the Spearman correlation coefficient (r= 0.05,P= 0.88) in patients infected with HIV. CONCLUSIONS: Memory CD4 β7+cells are reduced significantly in the peripheral blood of untreated patients infected with HIV, which could be used as a noninvasive indicator of intestinal CD4 T cell loss and recovery. Further studies are needed to examine whether depletion of these CD4+/CD45RO+/β7+cells in the peripheral blood parallels depletion in the gut of treatment-naïve patients with HIV and whether levels return to control levels after treatment

Emergency Department HIV Screening and Care Linkage in the Carolinas

Access to care, specifically primary care and preventative care, is a challenge especially in the rural South. Regarding HIV, this is one factor that translates into more new AIDS diagnoses than any other region and more people living with HIV who unaware of their status. By implementing a routine opt-out HIV screening program in the Emergency Department, patients with limited access to healthcare are successfully diagnosed and linked to care