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Objective: We aimed to examine whether HIV infection was independently associated with frailty status and its individual components. Methods: This cross‐sectional investigation included people living with HIV (PLWH) and HIV‐negative individuals from the baseline survey of the Comparative HIV and Aging Research in Taizhou (CHART) cohort, China. Frailty phenotype was based on five components: weight loss, low physical activity, exhaustion, weak grip strength and slow gait speed. Frailty was defined as the presence of at least three components, and prefrailty was defined as one or two components. Logistic regression models were used to analyse the factors associated with frailty and its components. Results: In all, 2475 people living with HIV (age 45.5 ± 14.9 years; 76.2% male) and 4948 HIV‐negative individuals (age 45.5 ± 14.8 years; 76.3% male) were included. Among PLWH, median CD4 count was 395 cells/μL and 78% were currently on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Frailty and prefrailty were significantly more prevalent in PLWH (3.2% vs 1.9% and 32.9% vs 27.9%) overall and at ages 18–39 (1.4% vs 0.2% and 22.7% vs 19.0%), 40–59 (2.5% vs 0.9% and 30.9% vs 27.9%) and 60–90 years (8.4% vs 7.4% and 57.1% vs 45.8%). HIV infection was associated with frailty and prefrailty [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.48, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06–2.08; and aOR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.05–1.33, respectively] after adjusting for confounding variables, but were strengthened with further adjustment for multimorbidity (aOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.14–2.28; and aOR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.09–1.37), and were no longer significant with further adjustment for depressive symptoms and sleep disorders (aOR = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.71–1.46; and aOR = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.94–1.20). Among individual components, HIV infection was positively associated with weak grip strength and slow gait speed, but negatively associated with low physical activity and exhaustion in all the adjusted models described. Conclusions: Frailty and prefrailty occur more often and earlier in PLWH. However, grip strength and gait speed are affected to a greater extent, highlighting their potential as screening and intervention targets to prevent or slow frailty among PLWH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men in China has increased dramatically, and timely linkage to care after being diagnosed with HIV is important to treatment success. This cross‐sectional study aims to utilize structural equation modeling to test a hypothesized model of timely linkage to care adapted from the HIV‐related stigma framework. Data were collected from 257 men who have sex with men living with HIV. The proportion of participants with timely linkage to care within 1 month was 63.42%. The model result showed a good fit. Higher HIV‐related stigma was significantly associated with a lower level of social support, mental health, maladaptive coping (three mechanism variables), and attitude toward linkage to care. Higher CD4+ T‐cell count, disclosure of HIV positivity to sexual partners, and greater convenience of accessing care were related to timely linkage to care (p < 0.05). These model results suggest that enhancing attention to family reactions and social support are needed for further research and interventions to accelerate newly diagnosed people's access to HIV care in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To observe relationships between oral Candida status and salivary human beta‐defensin 2 and 3 (hBD‐2 and hBD‐3) levels in HIV/AIDS patients of Guangxi, China during the first year of antiretroviral therapy (ART) dynamically, and to understand the influence of ART on oral Candida status and salivary hBDs expressions. Methods: A prospective self‐controlled study was carried to observe the dynamic changes of CD4+ T cell counts, oral Candida carriages and salivary hBD‐2,3 expressions in HIV/AIDS patients during the first year of ART. A total of 90 HIV/AIDS patients were enrolled and were examined at the baseline, 3rd, 6th, 12th month of ART. Thirty healthy individuals were enrolled as control. Peripheral blood, oral rinse sample, and unstimulated whole saliva were collected to test CD4+ T cell counts, oral Candida carriages, and hBD‐2,3 expressions. Results: In the first year of ART, CD4+ T cell counts increased significantly. However, oral Candida carriages and oral candidiasis decreased significantly, and salivary hBD‐2 expressions in HIV/AIDS patients decreased gradually, salivary hBD‐3 levels were highly variable. Salivary hBD‐2 concentrations were positively related to oral Candida carriages. Conclusions: The incidence of oral candidiasis among HIV/AIDS patients gradually decreased due to the immune reconstruction of ART. Salivary defensins might play an important role in Candida‐host interaction in HIV/AIDS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]