Community-Level Resources Bolstering Resilience to HIV/AIDS: Perspectives of Middle-Aged and Older Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV/AIDS

Most prior research on resilience to HIV/AIDS has utilized quantitative tools (e.g., scales and surveys) to examine individual-level assets (e.g., self-efficacy, hope, optimism) that researchers believe represent or approximate resilience to HIV/AIDS with minimal consideration for the perspectives of men who have sex with men (MSM), the population that has remained at greatest risk of, and the most impacted by HIV/AIDS in North America since the 1980s. The aim of this qualitative study is to identify community-level resources that bolster resilience to HIV/AIDS based specifically on the perspectives and lived experiences of middle-aged and older (MAO) MSM living with HIV/AIDS. Employing a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach involving the meaningful and active engagement of MSM at multiple levels (i.e., as research team members, peer researchers, Community Advisory Board representatives, community partners, and study participants), forty-one MAO MSM living with HIV/AIDS from Ontario, Canada, were included in the study’s semi-structured interviews. Utilizing thematic analysis, four major themes were identified from the interview data: (a) the 2SLGBTQ+ community; (b) community-based not-for-profit organizations; (c) public health services; and (d) neighbourhood support programs. This article discusses the value of community-level resources as important additions to individual-level assets for bolstering resilience to HIV/AIDS, as well as the implications of the study’s findings and limitations for future HIV/AIDS services and research

Mitigating Risks and Building Resilience to HIV/AIDS: Perspectives of HIV-Negative, Middle-Aged and Older Men Who Have Sex with Men

Purpose: Although ample research has been conducted on resilience to HIV/AIDS, most studies have utilized quantitative methods and focused almost exclusively on people living with HIV/AIDS. A relatively untapped source of knowledge is the perspectives of HIV-negative, middle-aged and older men who have sex with men (MSM) who have been navigating risks and building resilience to HIV/AIDS since the 1980s. Our qualitative, community-based participatory research study examined the perspectives of HIV-negative, middle-aged and older MSM on factors that helped mitigate the risks of and build resilience to HIV/AIDS. Methods: In collaboration with community-based organizations, fourteen participants were recruited for in-depth interviews. Participants were aged 40 or older, identified as HIV-negative MSM, and resided in Ontario, Canada. Thematic analysis of interviews revealed salient themes. Results: Three themes were identified: (1) individual attributes (e.g., self-awareness/control), (2) protective relational factors (e.g., meaningful sexual relationships), and (3) community-based resources (e.g., competent healthcare/service providers). Conclusion: HIV-negative, middle-aged and older MSM recognized factors that helped mitigate risks of contracting and build resilience to HIV/AIDS based on their own lived experiences. Some of these factors have not been explicitly identified or extensively discussed in extant academic literature, and are worth considering in the development of community-based HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention programs

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

Anthropometric Profiles in Table Tennis Players: Analysis of Sex, Age, and Ranking

This article belongs to the Special Issue Anthropometry and Body Composition for Health, Disease and Sport: Application and TechnologiesTable tennis has recently evolved towards a more spectacular sport increasing match-play demands and the intensity and speed of actions by regulations and equipment modification. Since these changes can alter the body composition and performance, this study aimed to analyze the differences in anthropometric attributes of 495 table tennis players (288 men, 207 women) according to sex, age, and ranking. Players were classified according to sex, age categories (Senior, Under-18, Under-15, Under 13, and Under 11), and ranking position. Anthropometry measurements included eight skinfolds’ thicknesses (biceps brachii, triceps, subscapular, iliac crest, supraspinal, abdominal, thigh, and medial calf), four girths (biceps brachii relaxed and contracted, thigh, and calf), and three breadths (biepicondylar femur, biepicondylar humerus, and bistiloyd wrist) to determine fat mass, lean mass, bone, cross sectional area (CSA) for arm, leg, and thigh, and somatotype. Results revealed that table tennis players presented differences in body mass composition, anthropometry, and somatotype according to sex and age category and ranking. It seems confirmed that regular table tennis practice during the childhood is associated with a healthy body composition status, that appears to be maintained across older ages if keeping the practice. Senior table tennis players showed a fat mass <20% and lean mass ~45% in men and ~37% in women. A new contribution is that higher lean mass in the upper limbs was associated with higher ranking position (i.e., better performance), endomorphic somatotypes were negative related to performance, and ectomorphic profiles seems more effective, which suggest the potential influence of morphologic changes in table tennis competition performance

Protective Factors That Foster Resilience to HIV/AIDS: Insights and Lived Experiences of Older Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men

Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) have been disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS health disparities. Research showed that resilience to HIV/AIDS is associated with increased use of relevant health services, lower sexual health risks, and improved mental health outcomes among racially and ethnically diverse gbMSM. As the subpopulation that has historically been impacted by HIV/AIDS the longest, older gbMSM living with HIV/AIDS have inarguably exhibited resilience to HIV/AIDS the most. The qualitative study described in this paper sought to identify and examine protective factors that fostered resilience to HIV/AIDS based on the insights and lived experiences of racially and ethnically diverse, older gbMSM. Applying a community-based participatory research approach that included the meaningful involvement of older gbMSM living with HIV/AIDS in different roles (i.e., advisory committee member, collaborator, peer researcher, and participant), the study recruited and included forty-one older gbMSM living with HIV/AIDS from Ontario, Canada, in confidential, semi-structured interviews. Utilizing thematic analysis, we identified three major themes from the participant interviews as factors that fostered the resilience of older gbMSM to HIV/AIDS and helped to address HIV/AIDS health disparities: (1) established protective factors, (2) behavioral protective factors, and (3) controversial protective factors. This paper argues for the importance of valuing and capitalizing on these protective factors in the conceptualization and development of interventions, services, and programs that are dedicated to fostering resilience to HIV/AIDS

Mitigating risks and building resilience to HIV/AIDS: Perspectives of HIV-negative, middle-aged and older men who have sex with men

Purpose: Although ample research has been conducted on resilience to HIV/AIDS, most studies have utilized quantitative methods and focused almost exclusively on people living with HIV/AIDS. A relatively untapped source of knowledge is the perspectives of HIV-negative, middle-aged and older men who have sex with men (MSM) who have been navigating risks and building resilience to HIV/AIDS since the 1980s. Our qualitative, community-based participatory research study examined the perspectives of HIV-negative, middle-aged and older MSM on factors that helped mitigate the risks of and build resilience to HIV/AIDS. Methods: In collaboration with community-based organizations, fourteen participants were recruited for in-depth interviews. Participants were aged 40 or older, identified as HIV-negative MSM, and resided in Ontario, Canada. Thematic analysis of interviews revealed salient themes. Results: Three themes were identified: (1) individual attributes (e.g., self-awareness/control), (2) protective relational factors (e.g., meaningful sexual relationships), and (3) community-based resources (e.g., competent healthcare/service providers). Conclusion: HIV-negative, middle-aged and older MSM recognized factors that helped mitigate risks of contracting and build resilience to HIV/AIDS based on their own lived experiences. Some of these factors have not been explicitly identified or extensively discussed in extant academic literature, and are worth considering in the development of community-based HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention programs

T cells with dysfunctional mitochondria induce multimorbidity and premature senescence

This study was supported by the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI16/02188 and PI19/00855; and PI16/02110 to B.I.), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and the European Commission through H2020-EU.1.1 and European Research Council grant ERC-2016-StG 715322-EndoMitTalk. This work was partially supported by Comunidad de Madrid (S2017/BMD-3867 RENIM-CM). M.M. is supported by the Miguel Servet Program (CPII 19/00014). G.S.-H. is supported by FPI-UAM, J.O. (FJCI-2017-33855) and E.G.-R. (IJC2018-036850) by Juan de la Cierva, and E.C. by Atracción de Talento Investigador 2017-T2/BMD-5766 (Comunidad de Madrid and UAM). B.I. was supported by ERC research grant ERC-2018-CoG 819775-MATRIX.The effect of immunometabolism on age-associated diseases remains uncertain. In this work, we show that T cells with dysfunctional mitochondria owing to mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) deficiency act as accelerators of senescence. In mice, these cells instigate multiple aging-related features, including metabolic, cognitive, physical, and cardiovascular alterations, which together result in premature death. T cell metabolic failure induces the accumulation of circulating cytokines, which resembles the chronic inflammation that is characteristic of aging (“inflammaging”). This cytokine storm itself acts as a systemic inducer of senescence. Blocking tumor necrosis factor–α signaling or preventing senescence with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide precursors partially rescues premature aging in mice with Tfam-deficient T cells. Thus, T cells can regulate organismal fitness and life span, which highlights the importance of tight immunometabolic control in both aging and the onset of age-associated diseases.Depto. de Genética, Fisiología y MicrobiologíaFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu

Dysregulation of the miRNome unveils a crosstalk between obesity and prostate cancer: miR-107 asa personalized diagnostic and therapeutic tool.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the gold-standard marker to screen prostate cancer (PCa) nowadays. Unfortunately, its lack of specificity and sensitivity makes the identification of novel tools to diagnose PCa an urgent medical need. In this context, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as potential sources of non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers in several pathologies. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing for the first time the dysregulation of the whole plasma miRNome in PCa patients and its putative implication in PCa from a personalized perspective (i.e., obesity condition). Plasma miRNome from a discovery cohort (18 controls and 19 PCa patients) was determined using an Affymetrix-miRNA array, showing that the expression of 104 miRNAs was significantly altered, wherein six exhibited a significant receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to distinguish between control and PCa patients (area under the curve [AUC] = 1). Then, a systematic validation using an independent cohort (135 controls and 160 PCa patients) demonstrated that miR-107 was the most profoundly altered miRNA in PCa (AUC = 0.75). Moreover, miR-107 levels significantly outperformed the ability of PSA to distinguish between control and PCa patients and correlated with relevant clinical parameters (i.e., PSA). These differences were more pronounced when considering only obese patients (BMI > 30). Interestingly, miR-107 levels were reduced in PCa tissues versus non-tumor tissues (n = 84) and in PCa cell lines versus non-tumor cells. In vitro miR-107 overexpression altered key aggressiveness features in PCa cells (i.e., proliferation, migration, and tumorospheres formation) and modulated the expression of important genes involved in PCa pathophysiology (i.e., lipid metabolism [i.e., FASN] and splicing process). Altogether, miR-107 might represent a novel and useful personalized diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic tool in PCa, especially in obese patients