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Summary: Background: We aimed to examine factors associated with prenatal syphilis, including prenatal care, and pregnancy outcomes of pregnant women with HIV in Brazil. Methods: Retrospective data were gathered from a national cohort of Brazilian women with HIV on antiretroviral therapy who became pregnant between January 2015 and May 2018. Prenatal syphilis was defined by clinical diagnoses with treatment or any positive syphilis laboratory result between 30 days before conception and pregnancy conclusion. Multivariable logistic regression models examined factors associated with prenatal syphilis risk and adverse pregnancy outcomes (including stillbirth, abortion, preterm delivery, small for gestational age, and congenital abnormalities). Receipt of recommended prenatal syphilis screening and adequacy of prenatal care were also evaluated. Findings: Among 2169 women, 166 (7.77% [95% CI: 6.5–8.8%]) had prenatal syphilis, of whom 151 (91%) had documented treatment. Prevalence of prenatal syphilis was higher among women of Black/Pardo/Indigenous race (13.7/7.7/8.3% vs. 5.8% in White women), those of younger age (median age 25.9 years vs. 27.6 in total cohort) and those with crack/cocaine use during/before pregnancy (20%). Of 1042/2169 women with prenatal care and screening data, 475 (46%) received inadequate prenatal care and only 301 (29%) received the recommended antenatal syphilis screening. Prenatal syphilis was not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes (aOR 0.91 [0.64–1.30]). Interpretation: Prenatal syphilis was prevalent in this cohort of pregnant women with HIV. Prenatal syphilis was not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Attention to syphilis prevention and treatment is especially needed in marginalised women. Funding: Brazilian Ministry of Health and United States’ National Institutes of Health.

Abstract Background Gender reassignment surgery is a procedure some transgender women (TW) undergo for gender-affirming purposes. This often includes the construction of a neovagina using existing penile and scrotal tissue and/or a sigmoid colon graft. There are limited data regarding the composition and function of the neovaginal microbiome representing a major gap in knowledge in neovaginal health. Results Metaproteomics was performed on secretions collected from the neovaginas (n = 5) and rectums (n = 7) of TW surgically reassigned via penile inversion/scrotal graft with (n = 1) or without (n = 4) a sigmoid colon graft extension and compared with secretions from cis vaginas (n = 32). We identified 541 unique bacterial proteins from 38 taxa. The most abundant taxa in the neovaginas were Porphyromonas (30.2%), Peptostreptococcus (9.2%), Prevotella (9.0%), Mobiluncus (8.0%), and Jonquetella (7.2%), while cis vaginas were primarily Lactobacillus and Gardnerella. Rectal samples were mainly composed of Prevotella and Roseburia. Neovaginas (median Shannon’s H index = 1.33) had higher alpha diversity compared to cis vaginas (Shannon’s H = 0.35) (p = 7.2E−3, Mann-Whitney U test) and were more similar to the non-Lactobacillus dominant/polymicrobial cis vaginas based on beta diversity (perMANOVA, p = 0.001, r 2 = 0.342). In comparison to cis vaginas, toll-like receptor response, amino acid, and short-chain fatty acid metabolic pathways were increased (p < 0.01), while keratinization and cornification proteins were decreased (p < 0.001) in the neovaginal proteome. Conclusions Penile skin-lined neovaginas have diverse, polymicrobial communities that show similarities in composition to uncircumcised penises and host responses to cis vaginas with bacterial vaginosis (BV) including increased immune activation pathways and decreased epithelial barrier function. Developing a better understanding of microbiome-associated inflammation in the neovaginal environment will be important for improving our knowledge of neovaginal health. Video Abstract

After more than a year since the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) disease 2019 or COVID-19 has reached the status of a global pandemic, the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in Brazil. As no effective treatment been approved yet, only mass vaccination can stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and end the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple COVID-19 vaccine candidates are under development and some are currently in use. This study aims to describe the characteristics of individuals who have registered in an online platform to participate in clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines. Additionally, participants’ characteristics according to age and presence of comorbidities associated with severe COVID-19 and differences of SARS-CoV-2 testing across different geographical areas/neighborhoods are provided. This was a cross-sectional web-based study conducted between September and December/2020, aiming to reach individuals aged ≥18 years who live in Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area, Brazil. Among 21,210 individuals who completed the survey, 20,587 (97.1%) were willing to participate in clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines. Among those willing to participate, 57.8% individuals were aged 18–59 years and had no comorbidity, 33.7% were aged 18–59 years and had at least one comorbidity, and 8.6% were aged ≥ 60 years regardless the presence of any comorbidity. Almost half (42.6%) reported ever testing for COVID-19, and this proportion was lower among those aged ≥ 60 years (p