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Formic (HCOOH) and acetic acids (CH3COOH) are the most abundant carboxylic acids in the Earth's atmosphere and key compounds to aqueous‐phase chemistry. Here we present the first distributions of CH3COOH retrieved from the 2007–2018 satellite observations of the nadir‐looking infrared atmospheric sounding interferometer (IASI), using a neural network‐based retrieval approach. A joint analysis with the IASI HCOOH product reveals that the two species exhibit similar distributions, seasonality, and atmospheric burden, pointing to major common sources. We show that their abundance is highly correlated to isoprene and monoterpenes emissions, as well as to biomass burning. Over Africa, evidence is provided that residual smoldering combustion might be a major driver of the HCOOH and CH3COOH seasonality. Earlier seasonal enhancement of HCOOH at Northern Hemisphere middle and high latitudes and late seasonal secondary peaks of CH3COOH in the tropics suggest that sources and production pathways specific to each species are also at play. Key Points: First atmospheric distributions of acetic acid are obtained from IASI/Metop observationsIn emission regions, formic and acetic acids highly correlate with each other and with biogenic hydrocarbon emissions and biomass burningResidual smoldering combustion appears to be a major driver of the formic and acetic acids seasonality in Africa [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often has a profound negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In the absence of any qualitative studies in sub-Saharan Africa, we undertook a study to explore living experiences, perceptions and unmet needs of South African patients with SLE.Methods: Twenty-five women with SLE consented to participate in the study. They underwent individual in-depth interviews exploring their physical concerns, emotional health, sexual well-being and fertility. NVivo software was used for analysis.Results: Participants were either of black ancestry or mixed racial ancestry, mainly indigent with only a quarter gainfully employed. Living with pain was the most common complaint, negatively impacting on activities of daily living (ADL), family expectations, social life, sleep and intimacy. Most participants expressed challenges of living with fatigue, and many felt their fatigue was misconstrued as being 'simply lazy'. This pernicious fatigue had negative consequences on many facets of ADL, including caring for dependants, job sustainability and sexual well-being. All participants experienced low emotional states, often associated with suicidal ideations. Many experienced difficulties with fertility and childbearing and these were exacerbated in many instances by the pessimism of health care providers, resulting in confusion and depression. Physical disfigurements resulting from lupus-associated alopecia and rashes and corticosteroid-induced weight fluctuations were a major concern. These changes often affected self-image and libido, leading to strained personal relationships. Coping mechanisms that participants adopted included intense spiritual beliefs, 'pushing through the difficult times' and use of alternative therapies to relief symptoms was common. A poor understanding of SLE on the part of participant's family and the community, coupled with the unpredictable course of the disease, exacerbated frustration and social exclusion. For most, limited income, lack of basic services, family dependencies, and comorbid diseases, such as human immune deficiency virus (HIV), exacerbated the daily negative SLE experiences.Conclusion: In this study of mainly indigent South African women, SLE is associated with complex, chronic and challenging life experiences. The chronic relapsing and unpredictable nature of the disease, poor understanding and acceptance of SLE, compounded by a background of poverty, inadequate social support structures, negatively impact on a range of personal, social and vocational daily life experiences. Improved access to psychosocial services and SLE education might result in better outcomes.Trial Registration: (Ethics Project identification code: 275/2016 and M160633 registered 10 & 29 August 2016). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare early and late responses to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in European and non-European HIV-1 infected patients in a Dutch cohort., Methods: We retrospectively analysed the response to HAART of 216 previously treatment-naive HIV-1-infected patients using the University Medical Centre Utrecht HIV database. African (n=51), Asian (n=7), and Central/South American (n=6) patients were classified as non-European, and others as European (n=152). Early failure was defined as a viral load that remained above 400 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL after 6 months of treatment with HAART. Late-phase failure was determined in patients who were successfully treated in the early phase and was defined as two consecutive viral load measurements above 400 copies/mL, a new AIDS-defining event or death., Results: In the early phase, four of 152 (2.6%) European and eight of 64 (12.5%) non-European patients failed HAART. A significant increased risk of virological failure in the early phase of treatment was observed for non-Europeans as compared to Europeans (odds ratio 4.6; 95% confidence interval 1.1-20.2). Low serum drug levels in the absence of resistant virus were often seen at the time of early failure. No difference in late-phase failure was observed between the two groups (adjusted hazard ratio 0.6; 95% confidence interval 0.3-1.2)., Conclusions: Non-European patients had a 4.6 times higher risk of virological failure than their European counterparts in the first 6 months of treatment with HAART. This failure seemed to be associated with low serum drug levels at the time of failure. However, if HAART was successful in the early phase, response rates in the late phase were similar for Europeans and non-Europeans.

We compared data from individuals living in 4 African Venezuelan and 4 African Brazilian communities for 11 protein loci (551 subjects) and 8 hypervariable tandem repeat polymorphisms (252 subjects). There is heterogeneity in diversity within and between the two sets of loci. On the other hand, African-derived Brazilians and Venezuelans do not present marked variability differences between themselves. Although the hypervariable loci show gene diversities that are about four times higher than those obtained from the protein data, they are not more discriminative at the interpopulation level (averages 6% and 4%, respectively). Interpopulation differences do not strictly parallel the geographic distances between the groups, and population relationships obtained from the protein data are not the same as those indicated by hypervariable tandem repeat polymorphisms. Caution is needed in establishing relationships considering just one level of the biological hierarchy.