HIV/AIDS

BACKGROUND: Angiolipomas have been well described in patients with HIV exposed to protease inhibitors with possible resolution after switching to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based regimens. Resolution of symptoms have occurred with switches to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based regimens; however, little is known regarding the development of angiolipomas when switching from NNRTI- to modern, integrase strand transfer inhibitor-based regimens...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review captured how digital strategies support social network approaches to promote HIV testing. RECENT FINDING: Overall, 29 studies were identified by searching PubMed and Embase for studies published up to June 2023. Existing studies revealed three types of digital strategies (social media (n = 28), online information channels (n = 4), and multifunctional digital platforms (n = 4)) split into four major modes of digital strategy-supported social-network-based HIV testing promotion: 1) Online outreach and recruiting, 2) gathering and identifying key populations for HIV testing, 3) communicating and disseminating online HIV testing health interventions, and 4) assisting and facilitating HIV testing uptake and distribution...

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has become a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Globally, the number of cases of HIV continues to increase. Electronic health (eHealth) interventions have emerged as promising tools to support disease self-management among people living with HIV. The purpose of this umbrella review is to systematically evaluate and summarize the evidence and results of published systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the effectiveness of eHealth interventions for HIV prevention, testing and management...

BACKGROUND: In Malawi, well-meaning HIV and AIDS interventions imagined in the "Global North" continue to ignore how local people construct the world. This paper explores how folk media can be used to enable research on HIV and AIDS to be positioned within localised cultural paradigms. METHODS: Drawing on Chewa epistemology, I used folk media methods supported by participant observation. The research was conducted in three phases over 15 days in two rural communities and captured the workshop processes, participants' process reviews, verbal journals and creative outputs through pictures, audio and video recordings, field notes and reflections...

Platelets are metabolically active, anucleated and small circulating cells mainly responsible for the prevention of bleeding and maintenance of hemostasis. Previous studies showed that platelets mitochondrial content, function, and energy supply change during several diseases such as HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and in preeclampsia during pregnancy. These changes in platelets contributed to the severity of diseases and mortality. In our previous studies, we have shown that the seahorse-based cellular stress assay (CSA) parameters are crucial to the understanding of the mitochondrial performance in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCS)...

Distal sensory polyneuropathy (DSP) and distal neuropathic pain (DNP) remain significant challenges for older people with HIV (PWH), necessitating enhanced clinical attention. HIV and certain antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) can compromise mitochondrial function and impact mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication, which is linked to DSP in ART-treated PWH. This study investigated mtDNA, mitochondrial fission and fusion proteins, and mitochondrial electron transport chain protein changes in the dorsal root ganglions (DRGs) and sural nerves (SuNs) of 11 autopsied PWH...

Despite combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) limiting HIV replication to undetectable levels in the blood, people living with HIV continue to experience HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). HAND is associated with neurocognitive impairment, including motor impairment, and memory loss. HIV has been detected in the brain within 8 days of estimated exposure and the mechanisms for this early entry are being actively studied. Once having entered into the central nervous system (CNS), HIV degrades the blood-brain barrier through the production of its gp120 and Tat proteins...

Fullerenes, particularly C60 , exhibit unique properties that make them promising candidates for various applications, including drug delivery and nanomedicine. However, their interactions with biomolecules, especially proteins, remain not fully understood. This study implements both explicit and implicit C60 models into the UNRES coarse-grained force field, enabling the investigation of fullerene-protein interactions without the need for restraints to stabilize protein structures. The UNRES force field offers computational efficiency, allowing for longer timescale simulations while maintaining accuracy...

This study explores the perceptions of the Undetectable = Untransmittable (U = U) campaign among gay men with HIV in Japan who are part of the HIV community on Twitter. We conducted detailed semistructured interviews with 12 participants using a modified grounded theory approach. The analysis resulted in 31 concepts, 5 subcategories, 9 categories, and 2 core categories. The relationship between categories and core categories was examined in conjunction with the transcriptions, yielding a comprehensive category map depicting the process of understanding U = U...

OBJECTIVES: While numerous studies have explored the impact of gender on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL), there is a lack of evidence specifically among reproductive-age women undergoing Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). Therefore, this study aims to investigate HRQOL and its associated factors among reproductive-age women receiving ART at Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Eastern Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study included 418 women of ART...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the current epidemiological status of PLWHA aged ≥ 50 years in China from 2018 to 2021. It also aimed to recommend targeted interventions for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in elderly patients. METHODS: Data on newly reported cases of PLWHA, aged ≥ 50 years in China from 2018 to 2021, were collected using the CRIMS. Trend tests and spatial analyses were also conducted. RESULTS: Between 2018 and 2021, 237,724 HIV/AIDS cases were reported among patients aged ≥ 50 years in China...

INTRODUCTION: This study explored the behaviours of people living with HIV in Singapore and Hong Kong in terms of achieving and maintaining their physical and psychological wellbeing in relation to HIV, to identify the challenges and support needed in HIV care. METHODS: This qualitative study involved 90-minute interviews among Singapore and Hong Kong people living with HIV aged ≥18 years to explore health-related quality of life perceptions and gaps in patient empowerment in HIV care during February-May 2022...

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated factors associated with the retention of people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) during the first 3 years of treatment. METHODS: A retrospective study using electronic health records was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. Adult HIV-positive patients who started ART from 2010 until 2020 were included. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with ART retention in the first 3 years...

BACKGROUND: There is limited understanding of the difficulties and experiences faced by grandparents who assume the responsibility of caring for AIDS orphans. AIM: The objective of the study was to investigate and depict the difficulties encountered by grandparents who provide care for AIDS orphans in the Western Cape province of South Africa. SETTING: The study was conducted in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan and the Overberg Municipality...

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has put the provision of health services globally at risk. In Sub-Saharan Africa, it had a major impact on HIV services. However, there is a lack of data on the post-pandemic period. This study aims to evaluate the resumption of HIV services and retention in care for adolescents and young people in the period following the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using interrupted time series analysis...

An effective HIV-1 vaccine must elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) against highly diverse Envelope glycoproteins (Env). Since Env with the longest hypervariable (HV) loops is more resistant to the cognate bnAbs than Env with shorter HV loops, we redesigned hypervariable loops for updated Env consensus sequences of subtypes B and C and CRF01_AE. Using modeling with AlphaFold2, we reduced the length of V1, V2, and V5 HV loops while maintaining the integrity of the Env structure and glycan shield, and modified the V4 HV loop...

Inducing HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) through vaccination poses exceptional challenges. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Wiehe and colleagues report the elicitation of affinity-matured bnAbs in knock-in mice through boosting immunogen vaccination, which selects for key improbable mutations.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239291.].

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Dating apps are now used by the majority of MSM to meet sexual and romantic partners. While research has demonstrated an association between app use and greater number of sex partners and STIs, dating apps also pose an opportunity for intervention. By advocating for new and improved sexual health features on dating apps, Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC) aims to increase communication about sexual health on the apps. As a follow-up to our previous paper assessing the uptake of sexual health-related profile options on dating apps through Emory's annual survey of 10,000 MSM in the US, BHOC and Emory partnered to explore the change in uptake over time, again through their annual survey...