Can We Really Prevent Suicide?

Every year, suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally for all ages. Unfortunately, suicide is difficult to prevent, in large part because the prevalence of risk factors is high among the general population. In this review, clinical and psychological risk factors are examined and methods for suicide prevention are discussed. Prevention strategies found to be effective in suicide prevention include means restriction, responsible media coverage, and general public education, as well identification methods such as screening, gatekeeper training, and primary care physician education. Although the treatment for preventing suicide is difficult, follow-up that includes pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, or both may be useful. However, prevention methods cannot be restricted to the individual. Community, social, and policy interventions will also be essentia

Recent Contributions of Air- and Biomarkers to the Control of Secondhand Smoke (SHS): A Review

Since the publication of the US Surgeon General Reports in 1996 and 2006 and the report of the California Environmental Protection Agency in 1999, many reports have appeared on the contribution of air and biomarkers to different facets of the secondhand smoke (SHS) issue, which are the targets of this review. These recent studies have allowed earlier epidemiological surveys to be biologically validated, and their plausibility demonstrated, quantified the levels of exposure to SHS before the bans in various environments, showed the deficiencies of mechanical control methods and of partial bans and the frequently correct implementation of the efficient total bans. More stringent regulation remains necessary in the public domain (workplaces, hospitality venues, transport sector, etc.) in many countries. Personal voluntary protection efforts against SHS are also needed in the private domain (homes, private cars). The effects of SHS on the cardiovascular, respiratory and neuropsychic systems, on pregnancy and fertility, on cancers and on SHS genotoxicity are confirmed through experimental human studies and through the relationship between markers and prevalence of disease or of markers of disease risk

COVID19 Disease Map, a computational knowledge repository of virus-host interaction mechanisms.

Funder: Bundesministerium für Bildung und ForschungFunder: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)We need to effectively combine the knowledge from surging literature with complex datasets to propose mechanistic models of SARS-CoV-2 infection, improving data interpretation and predicting key targets of intervention. Here, we describe a large-scale community effort to build an open access, interoperable and computable repository of COVID-19 molecular mechanisms. The COVID-19 Disease Map (C19DMap) is a graphical, interactive representation of disease-relevant molecular mechanisms linking many knowledge sources. Notably, it is a computational resource for graph-based analyses and disease modelling. To this end, we established a framework of tools, platforms and guidelines necessary for a multifaceted community of biocurators, domain experts, bioinformaticians and computational biologists. The diagrams of the C19DMap, curated from the literature, are integrated with relevant interaction and text mining databases. We demonstrate the application of network analysis and modelling approaches by concrete examples to highlight new testable hypotheses. This framework helps to find signatures of SARS-CoV-2 predisposition, treatment response or prioritisation of drug candidates. Such an approach may help deal with new waves of COVID-19 or similar pandemics in the long-term perspective

P781 Patterns of HIV and STI among transgender women in eastern and southern U.S.: interim baseline findings from the LITE cohort

BackgroundTransgender women (TGW) in the U.S. experience a disproportionate burden of HIV and STIs. National HIV/STI surveillance does not report statistics for TGW. We describe the baseline prevalence and characteristics of HIV and STI among a cohort of TGW enrolled across 6 cities in eastern and southern US to-date.MethodsAdult TGW, regardless of HIV status, are recruited and enrolled in a baseline screening visit. Participants complete a socio-behavioral survey, oral HIV screening, urine and self-collected anal and vaginal specimens for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) testing, and serum treponemal syphilis testing and rapid plasma reagin (RPR) testing with quantitative RPR titers. Participants with negative HIV antibody test results at baseline and HIV-related risk behaviors are enrolled into the cohort.ResultsEnrollment launched in March 2018. As of December 2018, 620 TGW completed baseline. Of these, 30% were identified with HIV at baseline and 63% enrolled into the HIV-uninfected cohort. Forty-percent reported a lifetime diagnosis of any STI. At baseline, 34% of HIV-infected participants and 12% of HIV-uninfected participants had ≥=1 laboratory-confirmed STI. Baseline prevalence among all participants included: 2% rectal GC, 0% urogenital GC, 5% rectal CT, 1% urogenital CT, and 13% active syphilis determined by RPR and treponemal results. None of the 38 participants with self-reported history of vaginoplasty had GC or CT at the neovaginal site. Active syphilis infection was associated with residence in a southern city (aOR: 3.8, 95%CI:1.7–8.6), identification as Black and/or Latinx (aOR: 3.7; 95%CI:1.1–12.7), concern about safety in transit to healthcare (aOR: 1.9; 95%CI:1.1–3.3), and positive baseline HIV antibody test (aOR: 3.1; 95%CI:1.7–5.7).ConclusionTGW in this 6-city baseline cohort have a high prevalence of HIV and STI. Study findings highlight demographic disparities, high HIV/syphilis co-infection, and barriers related to safety that may impede prompt diagnosis and treatment of STI and HIV in American TGW.DisclosureNo significant relationships