Is contact between men who have sex with men and non-governmental organizations providing harm reduction associated with improved HIV outcomes?

OBJECTIVES: There is a high prevalence of HIV (5.2% in 2018) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Ukraine. HIV testing, condom provision and facilitated linkage to HIV treatment have been funded by various bodies through non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We investigated whether contact with these NGOs was associated with improved prevention and treatment outcomes among MSM in Ukraine. METHODS: Data were taken from four rounds of integrated bio-behavioural surveys among MSM in Ukraine (2011, N = 5950; 2013, N = 8101; 2015, N = 4550; 2018, N = 5971) including HIV testing combined with questionnaire responses. Data were analysed using mixed-effect regression models, which estimated associations between being an NGO client and behavioural, HIV testing and HIV treatment outcomes, adjusted for demographic factors. RESULTS: Those MSM who were NGO clients were more likely than non-clients to have been HIV tested in the last year [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 7.01, 95% confidence interval (CI): 6.45-7.62] or ever (aOR = 11.00, 95% CI: 9.77-12.38), to have used a condom for the last anal sex act (aOR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.21-1.43), and to have recently either bought or received condoms (aOR = 21.27, 95% CI: 18.01-25.12). HIV-positive MSM were more likely to have contact with NGOs (aOR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.39-1.86). Among the HIV-positive MSM, those who were NGO clients were more likely to be registered at an AIDS centre (aOR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.61-3.11) and to be on antiretroviral treatment (aOR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.51-3.20). CONCLUSIONS: In Ukraine, being in contact with MSM-targeted NGOs is associated with better outcomes for HIV prevention, testing and treatment, suggesting that NGO harm reduction projects for MSM have had a beneficial impact on reducing HIV transmission and morbidity.

Effect of short-term salt stress on oxidative stress markers and antioxidant enzymes activity in tocopherol-deficient Arabidopsis thaliana plants.

Changes of carotenoids and anthocyanins content, lipid peroxidation, and activity of antioxidant enzymes were studied in wild type and tocopherol-deficient lines vte1 and vte4 of Arabidopsis thaliana subjected to 200 mM NaCI during 24 h. The salt stress enhanced the intensity of lipid peroxidation to different extent in all three plant lines. Salt stress resulted in an increase of carotenoid content and activity of catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase and glutathione reductase in wild type and tocopherol-deficient vte1 mutant. However, the increase in anthocyanins concentration was observed in vte1 mutants only. In vte4 mutant, which contain gamma-tocopherol instead of alpha-tocopherol, the response to salt stress occurred via coordinative action of superoxide dismutase and enzymes of ascorbate-glutathione cycle, in particular, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione-S-transferase. It can be concluded, that salt stress was accompanied by oxidative stress in three studied lines, however different mechanisms involved in adaptation of wild type and tocopherol-deficient lines to salt stress.

Effect of sodium chloride and nitroprusside on protein carbonyl groups content and antioxidant enzyme activity in leaves of corn seedlings Zea mays L.

The effect of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and sodium chloride (NaCl) on protein carbonyl group content and activity of antioxidant enzymes was investigated in leaves of maize seedlings. Incubation with NaCl and SNP+NaCl increased the content of carbonyl proteins after 24 h. Treatment with SNP+NaCl during 48 h showed lower and after 72 h higher carbonyl protein content than that in the control. Catalase activity was higher in the leaves of SNP+NaCl-treated than in the leaves of SNP-treated seedlings after 24 h. Ascorbate peroxidase activity increased after incubation with 0.2 mM SNP for 24 h. Significant increment of guaiacol peroxidase activity was obtained in all treated groups in comparison with the control after 72 h. Glutathione-S-transferase activity increased after 48 h seedling treatment with NaCl or SNP and 72 h seedling incubation with NaCl. Under experimental conditions used, glutathione reductase activity was virtually not affected. It is proposed that SNP can be used to prevent salt-induced oxidative stress in maize.

Effect of sodium nitroprusside and S-nitrosoglutathione on pigment content and antioxidant system of tocopherol-deficient plants of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) were used as a source of exogenous nitric oxide (NO) to investigate their effects on biochemical parameters and antioxidant enzyme response in leaves of wild type Columbia and tocopherol-deficient vte4 and vte1 mutant lines of Arabidopsis thaliana plants and possible tocopherol involvement in regulation of antioxidant response under NO-induced stress. SNP enhanced the activity of the enzymes, that scavenge hydrogen peroxide in leaves of all studied lines, and increased glutathione reductase and glutathione-S-transferase activity there. In addition, it decreased the intensity of lipid peroxidation in vte1 mutant line leaves. At the same time, GSNO increased the levels of protein carbonyls and inactivated enzymes ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase and dehydroascorbate reductase in almost all investigated plant lines. In contrast to wild type, GSNO increased superoxide dismutase activity and decreased catalase activity and chlorophyll a/b ratio in the leaves of two mutant lines. It can be assumed that tocopherols in some way are responsible for plant protection against NO-induced stress. However the mechanisms of this protection remain unknown.

Effect of VTE1 AND VTE4 gene inactivation on salt stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The effect of inactivation of VTE1 and VTE4 genes, encoding enzymes involved in tocopherol biosynthesis, on concentrations of chlorophylls, carotenoids, anthocyanins and activity of catalase and guaiacol peroxidase in Arabidopsis thaliana under salt stress conditions were studied. It was shown, that the inactivation of the VTE4 gene in A. thaliana caused the decrease in concentrations of chlorophylls and carotenoids, and at the same time, inactivation of VTE1 gene resulted in 3.6-fold increase of catalase activity in comparison with the wild type. Under salt stress, the activities of guaiacol peroxidase increased in all investigated plant groups, while the concentrations of carotenoids increased only in the wild type and vte4 mutant line of A. thaliana. Salt stress did not change the concentrations of protein carbonyl groups and activities of catalase.