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High School students, recognized as a high-risk group for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), were the focal point of an educational campaign in Southern Italy to share information and good practices about STIs and HIV/AIDS. A baseline survey comprising 76 items was conducted via the REDCap platform to assess students' initial knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to STIs and HIV/AIDS. Sociodemographic variables were also investigated. The association between variables and KAP score was assessed by Kruskal-Wallis' or Spearman's test, as appropriate. An ordinal regression model was built to estimate the effect size, reported as odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI), for achieving higher KAP scores among students features. On a scale of 0 to 29, 1702 participants achieved a median KAP score of 14 points. Higher scores were predominantly reported by students from classical High Schools (OR 3.19, 95% C.I. 1.60–6.33, p<0.001). Additionally, elevated scores were associated with sexually active students (OR 1.48, 95% C.I. 1.12–1.96, p = 0.01), those vaccinated against Human Papilloma Virus (OR 2.47, 95% C.I. 1.89–3.24, p<0.001), those who had used emergency contraception (OR 1.56, 95% C.I. 1.09–2.24, p = 0.02, Table 2) and those obtaining information from TikTok (OR 1.62, 95% C.I. 1.14–2.30, p = 0.01). Conversely, being heterosexual was associated with an overall lower score (OR 0.48, 95% C.I. 0.32–0.73, p<0.001). High School students, often due to early sexual debut, seek information about HIV and STIs independently using social channels. However, the overall level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices remains low. Urgent school-based interventions are needed for this age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loss of patients to follow up is a major issue related to HIV management. Our research was aimed to evaluate, in a single Italian centre, the rate of patients lost to follow-up (LFU) over 10 years, to describe their socio-demographic and clinical features, and to identify predictors of disengagement from care. Between 2008 and 2017, 563 subjects were LFU. Over the years, the proportion of LFU on the number of patients followed per year, decreased from 6.5% in 2008 to 4.8% in 2017 (p for trend = 0.255). Four different subgroups were identified among LFU:116 patients resulted untraceable; 192 had died; 144 were re-engaged elsewhere; 111 were subsequently re-engaged in our centre. Old age (OR 1.08, 95%, CI = 1.06–1.11; p < 0.001), AIDS (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.04–2.64; p = 0.031), drug addiction (OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.07–3.41; p = 0.027) were predictors of death at multivariable analysis. Main predictors of being untraceable were non-Italian nationality (OR = 4.23, 95% CI = 2.19–8.16; p < 0.001) and a short history of cART (OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.88–0.99; p = 0.026). Subjects living far from our Centre were often re-engaged elsewhere (OR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.34–4.15; p = 0.002). According to our analysis, the problem LFU is still relevant: strategies to empower retention in care are thus necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few data are available about the efficacy, durability, and tolerability of doravirine (DOR) + integrase strand inhibitors (INI) as a switching strategy among antiretroviral therapy (ART)-experienced people living with HIV (PLWH)., Setting: Retrospective, multicenter cohort study investigating the durability, efficacy, and tolerability of 2 off-label drug associations of DOR + INI among ART-experienced PLWH., Methods: The study included PLWH who switched to DOR combined with either raltegravir (RAL) or dolutegravir (DTG) between June 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, with at least 1 follow-up (FU) visit. Virologic, biometric, and metabolic parameters were evaluated at baseline (T0) and at 1-3 (T1), 6 (T2), and 12 (T3) months. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses assessed the 28-week probability of persistence on the regimens. Patient satisfaction was measured using the HIV Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire., Results: Ninety-five PLWH were included, 52 in DOR + RAL and 43 in DOR + DTG. Six treatment discontinuations were reported during a mean of 37 (±17) weeks of FU (incidence of 2.7 × 1000 person-weeks FU). Only 2 were the result of virological failure without resistance mutations. DOR + DTG demonstrated significantly higher 28-week persistence than DOR + RAL (HR 1.90, 95% CI: 1.24-2.90, log-rank: P = 0.003). Weight, waist circumference, and fasting lipids reduced considerably at T3 vs T0. Overall, high satisfaction with the new treatment was reported, particularly in the DOR + RAL (68 (64-72)/72), compared with the DOR + DTG group (58 (50-65)/72, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Our experience revealed few treatment discontinuations, improved metabolic parameters, and high patient satisfaction among ART-experienced PLWH switching to DOR combined with INI, irrespective of the specific INI used., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

4,000 new HIV diagnoses and approximately 800 AIDS cases are still reported annually in Italy. Improving public awareness and bringing out HIV-undiagnosed individuals are keystones to progress towards the control of the HIV epidemic. For this purpose, the Open HIV TEST project was organized and delivered by the Italian NGO Anlaids, together with local infectious diseases specialists, in order to provide free access to HIV testing outside the healthcare setting. Between October 2017 and February 2019 six Open HIV TEST initiatives were delivered in six Italian cities (3 northern cities, 1 central and 2 southern cities). In all, 581 people were tested: the overall prevalence of HIV test reactivity was 0.7%. Participants were also asked about previous screenings and about their satisfaction with the initiative: previous HIV screening due to pregnancy or surgical procedures was reported mainly by participants in northern centres (p<0.001); finally, the initiative was considered useful and noteworthy by 99% of participants. Prevalence of HIV test reactivity in our experience was in line with national data. Our experience suggests that active testing and counselling strategies in community settings should be recommended and institutionalized by local health authorities in line with the 90-90-90 global strategy.