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Background: Sub-Saharan Africa continues to carry a high burden of communicable diseases such as TB and HIV and non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and other cardiovascular conditions. Although investment in research has led to advances in improvements in outcomes, a lot still remains to be done to build research capacity in health. Like many other regions in the world, Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from a critical shortage of biostatisticians and clinical trial methodologists.Methods: Funded through a Fogarty Global Health Training Program grant, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University in South Africa established a new Masters Program in Biostatistics which was launched in January 2017. In this paper, we describe the development of a biostatistical and clinical trials collaboration Module, adapted from a similar course offered in the Health Research Methodology program at McMaster University.Discussion: Guided by three core principles (experiential learning; multi-/inter-disciplinary approach; and formal mentorship), the Module aims to advance biostatistical collaboration skills of the trainees by facilitating learning in how to systematically apply fundamental statistical and trial methodological knowledge in practice while strengthening some soft skills which are necessary for effective collaborations with other healthcare researchers to solve health problems. We also share some preliminary findings from the first four cohorts that took the Module in January-November 2018 to 2021. We expect that this Module can provide an example of how to improve biostatistical and clinical trial collaborations and accelerate research capacity building in low-resource settings.Funding Source: Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: HIV-positive patients are increasingly being affected by non-communicable diseases such as coronary artery disease (CAD). Data from high-income countries (HICs) indicate that HIV-positive patients have different risk-factor profiles for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) as well as different cardiac manifestations of this syndrome compared to HIV-negative patients. There is limited data from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and particularly from South Africa with the biggest HIV epidemic in the world. The objective of this study was to determine the 12-month period prevalence of HIV in patients with ACS and to compare the risk-factor profile, ACS presentation and management between HIV-positive and HIV-negative adults.Methods: We included all patients hospitalised with ACS from 01 January to 31 December 2018 in a tertiary hospital, Tygerberg Hospital, in Cape Town, South Africa. The HIV-status of all patients was determined using routine clinical records. We performed multiple conditional logistic regression on HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients (1:3 ratio) to compare the risk factor profile, ACS presentation and management between the groups.Results: Among 889 patients, 30 (3.4%) were HIV-positive (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.3-4.8). HIV-positive patients were younger, more frequently men, and had a lower prevalence of medical comorbidities and a family history of CAD. They were more likely to present with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) [odd's ratio (OR) (95% CI): 3.12 (1.2-8.4)], and have single-vessel disease [OR (95% CI): 3.03 (1.2-8.0)]. Angiographic and echocardiographic data, as well as management, did not differ between the groups. Among HIV-positive patients, 17 (65%) were virally suppressed (HIV viral load < 200 copies/mL) with a median CD4+ count of 271 cells/mm3. The majority (20, 67%) of HIV-positive patients were receiving antiretroviral therapy at the time of the ACS.Conclusions: We found an HIV-prevalence of 3.4% (95% CI 2.3-4.8) in adults with ACS in a high endemic HIV region. HIV-positive patients were younger and more likely to present with STEMIs and single-vessel disease, but had fewer CAD risk factors, suggesting additional mechanisms for the development of ACS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In sub-Saharan Africa, Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is the most common HIV-associated cancer. KS causes substantial morbidity, and treatment goals should emphasize quality of life (QOL). Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is indicated, and early chemotherapy significantly improves tumor regression. The effect of ART alone or with chemotherapy on QOL in treatment-naïve South Africans with HIV-associated KS was assessed. Methods: KAART (Kaposi Sarcoma AIDS Anti-Retroviral Therapy) is a randomized, controlled, open-label trial of ART versus ART plus chemotherapy. Crossover between arms was allowed for patients with progressive disease. Eighty-nine percent of patients had advanced tumor burden. Within KAART, QOL measured by European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer-QLQ-C30 questionnaire evaluated functional and symptom domains and global QOL. Intragroup changes between baseline and month 12 (Wilcoxon rank sign test), changes between the arms (Mann-Whitney test), and the relationship between responses, determined by AIDS Clinical Trial Group criteria and QOL measures (Kruskal-Wallis test), were evaluated. P values <.01 were considered significant. Results: QOL information was available for 111 of 112 patients. Significant improvements over 12 months were seen in global health status and functional scales (emotional, cognitive, and social scales; not physical and role function). Most symptom scales (fatigue, pain, dyspnea, insomnia, appetite, diarrhea, and constipation) also showed significant improvement. There were no statistically significant changes between arms in intention-to-treat analysis. Patients showing a response to the tumor (complete or partial) reported significantly increased global QOL (P <.001), pain relief, and improved role functioning. Adherence, adverse events, HIV viral load, and CD4 count did not correlate with global QOL. Conclusion: African patients with HIV-associated KS derive a significant benefit in QOL from ART and tumor regression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]