An Assessment of STD/HIV Prevention Health Care and Youth Service in Winnipeg: The Youth and STD/HIV Prevention Project

The aim of this study was to identify current STD resources and services in Winnipeg and to identify barriers hindering the provision of STD prevention by health care and youth service providers. The study also examined providers’ perceptions of factors that prevent youth from avoiding STD. Other issues addressed were the sources of information about STD utilized by providers, and the youth with whom participants work with in the area of STD prevention. The overall goal was to generate insights about sectors that provide services to youth, and translating this knowledge into action. Recommendations regarding the gaps in service provision for STD prevention among youth will positively impact the well-being of inner-city youth at-risk for STDs

The First Royal Governor of New York, Thomas Dongan

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street-involved youth : A sexual health print-based resource for Harsh Reality Evaluation of h e j Evaluation of Harsh Reality: A sexual health print-based resource for street-involved youth

Abstract Introduction: Street-involved youth are one of the populations most at risk for elevated rates of sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections. This paper evaluates the suitability and success of a resource focused on health education with a population of street-involved youth in Winnipeg, Canada. Method: Using a mixed method approach, quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analysed. Surveys involving both structured and semi-structured questions were administered orally to 100 participants. Three gender-stratified focus groups (total of 23 participants) were also conducted. Focus groups were recorded and subsequently transcribed. Empirical data was used to calculate frequency distributions, supported by a general inductive analysis of qualitative data. Results: From the interview and focus group data, the majority of participants had a very positive perception of the resource. However, in terms of specific knowledge uptake, participants displayed a lack of recall of the specific items measured in the evaluation, such as local HIV testing facilities, types of HIV tests available and specific information pertaining to recent research conducted in Manitoba with street-involved populations. Conclusion: Both passive distribution of the resource through service-providing institutions and active distribution in the street were effective approaches for exposing a wide range of street-involved youth to the resource. Poor recall of specific knowledge objectives suggests alternate methods of presenting key factbased information are necessary to increase resource efficiency. Articles must be created at an appropriate reading level for the street-involved population to improve reader engagement. The ability for the target population to identify that the resource is grounded in language, art, interests and lived-experiences of the street-involved youth was well-received and facilitated interest in looking through the resource and credibility of information

Marshall-Smith syndrome: Natural history and evidence of an osteochondrodysplasia with connective tissue abnormalities

The Marshall-Smith syndrome (MSS) is a distinct malformation syndrome characterized by accelerated skeletal maturation, relative failure to thrive, respiratory difficulties, mental retardation, and unusual facies, including prominent forehead, shallow orbits, blue sclerae, depressed nasal bridge, and micrognathia. At least 33 cases have been reported in the literature, mostly as single case reports or small series. The purpose of the present study is to report on the clinical findings and natural history of MSS in five children and to review the features of three others previously reported, with particular attention to the skeletal and connective tissue findings. Our study demonstrates an increased rate of nontraumatic fractures and other bony and connective tissue abnormalities that support the hypothesis that MSS should be considered an osteochondrodysplasia. In addition, long-term survival beyond infancy is possible if respiratory problems are expectantly and aggressively managed. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, In

Genomic reconstruction of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in England

AbstractThe evolution of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus leads to new variants that warrant timely epidemiological characterization. Here we use the dense genomic surveillance data generated by the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium to reconstruct the dynamics of 71 different lineages in each of 315 English local authorities between September 2020 and June 2021. This analysis reveals a series of subepidemics that peaked in early autumn 2020, followed by a jump in transmissibility of the B.1.1.7/Alpha lineage. The Alpha variant grew when other lineages declined during the second national lockdown and regionally tiered restrictions between November and December 2020. A third more stringent national lockdown suppressed the Alpha variant and eliminated nearly all other lineages in early 2021. Yet a series of variants (most of which contained the spike E484K mutation) defied these trends and persisted at moderately increasing proportions. However, by accounting for sustained introductions, we found that the transmissibility of these variants is unlikely to have exceeded the transmissibility of the Alpha variant. Finally, B.1.617.2/Delta was repeatedly introduced in England and grew rapidly in early summer 2021, constituting approximately 98% of sampled SARS-CoV-2 genomes on 26 June 2021.</jats:p