Engagement in Care, Awareness, and Interest in Long-Acting Injectable Anti-Retroviral Therapy.

Long Acting Injectable (LAI) therapy to treat HIV is an alternative to daily oral medications. The success of early roll-out of LAI to eligible patients requires a better understanding of patients' awareness and interest in this novel therapy. We administered an electronic survey to patients attending an urban HIV clinic in the US South. Eligible participants were 18 + years old with a most recent HIV-1 viral load < 200 copies/ml, without any evidence of genotypic resistance to LAI components or chronic hepatitis B. Survey recipients were asked about current treatment, engagement in care, and knowledge of LAI. Between January-April 2023, 480 patients were screened; 319 were eligible, and 155 (49%) completed the survey. The majority (119, 77%) were aware of, and 87 (56%) were interested in LAI. In regression analysis, only age was associated with interest in LAI (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.92,0.99). Among proposed benefits of injectables, ease of travel without pills, lack of daily pill-taking, and fewer medication interactions were most appealing. Among proposed concerns with injectables, higher cost and insurance coverage of the new medicine were most worrisome. A large majority of people with HIV (PWH) are aware of the newest treatment available, and just over half of our sample expressed interest in LAI. Older age was associated with lower interest in LAI. LAI is appealing for its convenience, privacy, and avoidance of drug interactions, while the increased costs associated with LAI need to be addressed.

Diffuse myocardial fibrosis is uncommon in people with perinatally acquired human immunodeficiency virus infection.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of death in people living with HIV. Myocardial fibrosis is well-described in HIV infection acquired in adulthood. We evaluate the burden of fibrosis by cardiac magnetic resonance in people with perinatal HIV infection. METHODS: Individuals with perinatally acquired HIV (pnHIV) diagnosed before 10 years-old and on antiretroviral treatment for ≥ 6 months were matched with uninfected controls. Patients with significant cardiometabolic co-morbidities and pregnancy were excluded. Diffuse fibrosis was assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with native T1 mapping for calculation of extracellular volume fraction (ECV). Viability was assessed with late gadolinium enhancement. The normality of fibrosis was assessed using the Komogrov-Smirnov test. Fibrosis between the groups was analyzed using a Mann-Whitney U test, as the data was not normally distributed. Statistical significance was defined as a p-valve < 0.05. RESULTS: Fourteen adults with pnHIV group and 26 controls (71% female and 86% Black race) were assessed. The average (± standard deviation) age in the study group was 29 (± 4.3) years-old. All pnHIV had been on ART for decades. Demographic data, CMR functional/volumetric data, and pre-contrast T1 mapping values were similar between groups. Diastolic function was normal in 50% of pnHIV patients and indeterminate in most of the remainder (42%). There was no statistically significant difference in ECV between groups; p = 0.24. CONCLUSION: Perinatally-acquired HIV was not associated with diffuse myocardial fibrosis. Larger prospective studies with serial examinations are needed to determine whether pnHIV patients develop abnormal structure or function more often than unaffected controls.

Utility of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Nasal PCR Testing in Pediatric Patients With Suspected Respiratory Infections.

Observational studies in adults suggest nasal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) swabs have a high negative predictive value (NPV) for ruling out MRSA pneumonia, however, pediatric data are limited. This retrospective study of 505 pediatric patients found a 99.8% NPV among children with suspected respiratory infections.

Diffuse Myocardial Fibrosis is Uncommon in People with Perinatally Acquired Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of death in people living with HIV. Myocardial fibrosis is well-described in HIV infection acquired in adulthood. We evaluate the burden of fibrosis by cardiac magnetic resonance in people with perinatal HIV infection. Methods: Individuals with perinatally acquired HIV (pnHIV) diagnosed before 10 years-old and on antiretroviral treatment for ≥ 6 months were matched with uninfected controls. Patients with significant cardiometabolic co-morbidities and pregnancy were excluded. Diffuse fibrosis was assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). with native T1 mapping for calculation of extracellular volume fraction (ECV). Viability was assessed with late gadolinium enhancement. The normality of fibrosis was assessed using the Komogrov-Smirnov test. Fibrosis between the groups was analyzed using a Mann-Whitney U test, as the data was not normally distributed. Statistical significance was defined as a p-valve < 0.05. Results: Fourteen adults with pnHIV group and 26 controls (71% female and 86% Black race) were assessed. The average (± standard deviation) age in the study group was 29 (± 4.3) years-old. All pnHIV had been on ART for decades. Demographic data, CMR functional/volumetric data, and pre-contrast T1 mapping values were similar between groups. Diastolic function was normal in 50% of pnHIV patients and indeterminate in most of the remainder (42%). There was no statistically significant difference in ECV between groups; p = 0.24. Conclusion: Perinatally-acquired HIV was not associated with diffuse myocardial fibrosis. Early exposure to ART may be cardioprotective against development of myocardial fibrosis in patients with perinatal HIV.

Evidence2Practice (E2P): Leveraging Implementation Science to Promote Careers in HIV Research Among Students From Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

BACKGROUND: The HIV research workforce is not representative of populations most affected by the epidemic. Innovative educational programs are needed to motivate diverse student populations to pursue careers in HIV research. METHODS: The Duke University Center for AIDS Research Evidence2Practice (E2P) program is a 3-day interactive workshop that introduces students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, implementation science, and human-centered design. Participants develop 1-page action plans to increase awareness and uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis on their campus. The program was evaluated using a partially mixed-method concurrent equal status study design with pre-program and post-program surveys and in-depth interviews. RESULTS: Among the 52 participating students, 44 completed the preworkshop survey, 45 completed the postworkshop survey, and 10 participated in an in-depth interview. Most participants identified as Black or African American and cisgender female. Participating in the E2P program was associated with: (1) an increase in median interest in pursuing a career in HIV research (P < 0.01) and (2) a decrease in median perceived difficulty in starting a career in HIV research (P < 0.01). Several students described that a lack of knowledge about initiating an HIV research career, a perceived lack of qualifications and knowledge about HIV science, and limited experience were major barriers to considering careers in HIV research. CONCLUSIONS: The E2P program enhanced HBCU students' interest in careers related to HIV research and improved their self-efficacy to pursue such careers. On-campus educational enrichment initiatives, led by active HIV researchers and clinicians, should be a critical part of diversifying the HIV workforce.

Impact of Policy Change on Access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care.

OBJECTIVES: The opioid overdose epidemic is escalating. Increasing access to medications for opioid use disorder in primary care is crucial. The impact of the US Department of Health and Human Services' policy change removing the buprenorphine waiver training requirement on primary care buprenorphine prescribing remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the impact of the policy change on primary care providers' likelihood of applying for a waiver and the current attitudes, practices, and barriers to buprenorphine prescribing in primary care. METHODS: We used a cross-sectional survey with embedded educational resources disseminated to primary care providers in a southern US academic health system. We used descriptive statistics to aggregate survey data, logistic regression models to evaluate whether buprenorphine interest and familiarity correlate with clinical characteristics, and a χ2 test to evaluate the effect of the educational intervention on screening. RESULTS: Of the 54 respondents, 70.4% reported seeing patients with opioid use disorder, but only 11.1% had a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. Few nonwaivered providers were interested in prescribing, but perceiving buprenorphine to be beneficial to the patient population was associated with interest (adjusted odds ratio 34.7, P < 0.001). Two-thirds of nonwaivered respondents reported the policy change having no impact on their decision to obtain a waiver; however, among interested providers, it increased their likelihood of obtaining a waiver. Barriers to buprenorphine prescribing included lack of clinical experience, clinical capacity, and referral resources. Screening for opioid use disorder did not increase significantly after the survey. CONCLUSIONS: Although most primary care providers reported seeing patients with opioid use disorder, interest in prescribing buprenorphine was low and structural barriers remained the dominant obstacles. Providers with a preexisting interest in buprenorphine prescribing reported that removing the training requirement was helpful.

Utility of a risk assessment model in predicting 30†day unplanned hospital readmission in adult patients receiving outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy.

Objectives: Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) is associated with high hospital readmission rates. A 30 day unplanned readmission risk prediction model for OPAT patients has been developed in the UK. Given significant differences in patient mix and methods of OPAT delivery, we explored the model for its utility in Duke University Health System (DUHS) patients receiving OPAT. Methods: We analysed OPAT episodes of adult patients from two hospitals between 1 July 2019 and 1 February 2020. The discriminative ability of the model to predict 30 day unplanned all-cause and OPAT-related admission was examined. An updated model was created by logistic regression with the UK risk factors and additional risk factors, OPAT delivery in a skilled nursing facility, vancomycin use and IV drug abuse. Results: Compared with patients of the UK cohort, our study patients were of higher acuity, treated for more invasive infections, and received OPAT through different modes. The 30 day unplanned readmission rate in our cohort was 20% (94/470), with 59.5% (56/94) of those being OPAT-related. The original model was unable to discriminate for all-cause readmission with a C-statistic of 0.52 (95% CI 0.46-0.59) and for OPAT-related readmission with a C-statistic of 0.55 (95% CI 0.47-0.64). The updated model with additional risk factors did not have improved performance, with a C-statistic of 0.55 (95% CI 0.49-0.62). Conclusions: The UK 30 day unplanned hospital readmission model performed poorly in predicting readmission for the OPAT population at a US academic medical centre.