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Summary: Background: It is uncertain whether people with HIV infection have a higher incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than the general population. Aims: To compare the incidence of HCC between people infected with HBV and/or HCV with and without HIV Methods: We performed a retrospective population‐based cohort study, involving people with HBV and/or HCV infection from 2001 to 2018. The primary endpoint was incidence of HCC; secondary endpoint was all‐cause mortality. We performed Cox proportional hazard regression models to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) of HIV for the primary and secondary endpoints. Results: We identified 1374 people infected with HIV and 39,908 people without HIV with HBV and/or HCV infection. Among those with HIV, 654 (47.6%) had HBV, 649 (47.2%) HCV and 71 (5.2%) HBV‐HCV‐co‐infection; they were younger, and had a higher prevalence of HCV and a lower prevalence of cirrhosis. The incidence rate estimates of HCC were, respectively, 1.5 (95% CI: 0.8–2.5) and 7.6 (95% CI 7.3‐8.0) per 1000 person‐years for those with and without HIV infection. Using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models, among people with HBV, HIV was associated with lower risk of HCC (adjusted HR: 0.376, 95% CI: 0.201–0.704, p = 0.01) and death (adjusted HR: 0.692, 95% CI: 0.552–0.867, p = 0.007). Risks of HCC were similar for HCV and HBV‐HCV co‐infection for people with and without HIV. Conclusions: Among individuals with HBV infection, the Incidence of HCC was lower in those with HIV. For HCV infection, incidence of HCC was similar between those with and without HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) co‐infection is higher in Asia than in Europe and North America and varies significantly between different regions within Asia. Important routes of transmission of both these infections include high‐risk unprotected sexual contact, intravenous drug use, and transmission of maternal infection perinatally or in early childhood. While life expectancy among people living with HIV has been extended with effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), HBV‐induced liver injury and complications have emerged as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in people living with HIV. Objectives: This article describes the prevalence of co‐infection, current clinical practice, and recommendations for the management of people living with HIV‐HBV co‐infection in Asia. Results and Conclusions: Screening for HBV should occur at the time of HIV diagnosis; however, HBV screening rates in people living with HIV in Asia vary widely by region. Similarly, people with HBV should be screened for HIV before initiation of HBV antiviral therapy. People with HIV‐HBV co‐infection should be assessed for liver damage and risk factors for liver disease and be monitored regularly for liver complications and HBV DNA. Medical treatment with ART is lifelong and includes tenofovir and lamivudine or emtricitabine, unless intolerant or contraindicated, as these are active against both HIV and HBV. HBV vaccination programmes are effective in reducing co‐infection rates. Mother‐to‐child transmission can be prevented through measures such as vaccination, antenatal screening, and treatment of pregnant women who are infected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HPV vaccine uptake rates are suboptimal in Hong Kong. A multi-disciplinary school-based HPV health-promotion programme (MDL-SHPVP) aimed at raising HPV knowledge levels and increasing vaccine uptake has therefore been developed to address vaccine hesitancy. This qualitative study was conducted to collect user feedback and identify the strengths and limitations of the educational resources developed for the programme among key vaccination stakeholders including adolescent girls and their mothers. Twenty-six participants including eight mother-daughter dyads, four teachers, three social workers, two school principals and one school nurse were recruited. To cater to the diverse audience, ten educational videos, three animations, a digital game and one booklet were developed for the programme and distributed to the participants for viewing. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted to collect feedback on the acceptability and effectiveness of the resources. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and resulting data were thematically analysed. Three themes and six sub-themes emerged. The educational materials were well-received and effective in raising HPV-knowledge levels, generating confidence in vaccine safety and effectiveness, and boosting vaccination intention. Some doubts regarding vaccine necessity remained, and recommendations for improving resource presentation and accessibility were provided. Our findings suggest that the MDL-SHPVP has the potential to boost HPV vaccine uptake. Future studies may explore educational interventions which target to increase not only HPV vaccination intention but also the sense of urgency so as to encourage timely vaccination for adolescents at the ideal age. Study findings may also provide directions for the development of future health education interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background We examined the effectiveness of molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in reducing hospitalization and deaths in a real-world cohort of nonhospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods This was a territory-wide retrospective cohort study in Hong Kong. Nonhospitalized COVID-19 patients who attended designated outpatient clinics between 16 February and 31 March 2022 were identified. Patients hospitalized on the day of the first clinic appointment or used both oral antivirals were excluded. The primary endpoint was hospitalization. The secondary endpoint was a composite of intensive care unit admission, invasive mechanical ventilation use, and/or death. Results Of 93 883 patients, 83 154 (88.6%), 5808 (6.2%), and 4921 (5.2%) were oral antiviral nonusers, molnupiravir users, and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir users, respectively. Compared with nonusers, oral antiviral users were older and had more comorbidities, lower complete vaccination rate, and more hospitalizations in the previous year. Molnupiravir users were older and had more comorbidities, lower complete vaccination rate, and more hospitalizations in the previous year than nirmatrelvir/ritonavir users. At a median follow-up of 30 days, 1931 (2.1%) patients were hospitalized and 225 (0.2%) patients developed the secondary endpoint. After propensity score weighting, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir use (weighted hazard ratio 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65–0.95; P =.011) but not molnupiravir use (weighted hazard ratio 1.17; 95% CI, 0.99–1.39; P =.062) was associated with a reduced risk of hospitalization than nonusers. The use of molnupiravir or nirmatrelvir/ritonavir was not associated with a lower risk of the secondary endpoint as compared with nonusers. Conclusion Use of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir but not molnupiravir was associated with a reduced risk of hospitalization in real-world nonhospitalized patients with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is increasing worldwide, with complications due to frequent viral mutations, an intricate pathophysiology, and variable host immune responses. Biomarkers with predictive and prognostic value are crucial but lacking. Methods: Serum samples from authentic and D614G variant (non-Omicron), and Omicron-SARS-CoV-2 infected patients were collected for METRNβ detection and longitudinal cytokine/chemokine analysis. Correlation analyses were performed to compare the relationships between serum METRNβ levels and cytokines/chemokines, laboratory parameters, and disease severity. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to evaluate the predictive value of METRNβ in COVID-19. Results: The serumlevel of METRNβ was highly elevated in non-Omicron-SARS-CoV-2 infected patients compared to healthy individuals, and the non-survivor displayed higher METRNβ levels than survivors among the critical ones. METRNβ concentration showed positive correlation with viral load in NAPS. ROC curve showed that a baseline METRNβ level of 1886.89 pg/ml distinguished COVID-19 patients from non-infected individuals with an AUC of 0.830. Longitudinal analysis of cytokine/chemokine profiles revealed a positive correlation between METRNβ and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL6, and an inverse correlation with soluble CD40L (sCD40L). Higher METRNβ was associated with increased mortality. These findings were validated in a second and third cohort of COVID-19 patients identified in a subsequent wave. Discussion: Our study uncovered the precise role of METRNβ in predicting the severity of COVID-19, thus providing a scientific basis for further evaluation of the role of METRNβ in triage therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: Few head‐to‐head evaluations of immune responses to different vaccines have been reported. Methods: Surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) antibody levels of adults receiving either two doses of BNT162b2 (n = 366) or CoronaVac (n = 360) vaccines in Hong Kong were determined. An age‐matched subgroup (BNT162b2 [n = 49] vs. CoronaVac [n = 49]) was tested for plaque reduction neutralization (PRNT) and spike‐binding antibody and T‐cell reactivity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Results: One month after the second dose of vaccine, BNT162b2 elicited significantly higher PRNT50, PRNT90, sVNT, spike receptor binding, spike N‐terminal domain binding, spike S2 domain binding, spike FcR binding and antibody avidity levels than CoronaVac. The geometric mean PRNT50 titres in those vaccinated with BNT162b2 and CoronaVac vaccines were 251.6 and 69.45, while PRNT90 titres were 98.91 and 16.57, respectively. All of those vaccinated with BNT162b2 and 45 (91.8%) of 49 vaccinated with CoronaVac achieved the 50% protection threshold for PRNT90. Allowing for an expected seven‐fold waning of antibody titres over 6 months for those receiving CoronaVac, only 16.3% would meet the 50% protection threshold versus 79.6% of BNT162b2 vaccinees. Age was negatively correlated with PRNT90 antibody titres. Both vaccines induced SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific CD4+ and CD8+ T‐cell responses at 1 month post‐vaccination but CoronaVac elicited significantly higher structural protein‐specific CD4+ and CD8+ T‐cell responses. Conclusion: Vaccination with BNT162b2 induces stronger humoral responses than CoronaVac. CoronaVac induces higher CD4+ and CD8+ T‐cell responses to the structural protein than BNT162b2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]