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Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on initiation and effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in people diagnosed with HIV remains unclear. We evaluated critical delays in HIV care in people diagnosed before and during the pandemic in ex-Aquitaine, France., Methods: We considered adults diagnosed with HIV-1 in 2018-2021 and enrolled in the ANRS CO3 AQUIVIH-NA and followed them until October 10, 2022 for those diagnosed during the pandemic (April 01, 2020-December 31, 2021) and until March 31, 2020 for historical controls. We compared their characteristics at inclusion and the median time between diagnosis and ART initiation, ART initiation and viral suppression, and diagnosis and virologic, suppression (effective management)., Results: Eighty-three individuals were diagnosed during the pandemic versus 188 during the prepandemic period. Median follow-up was 549 (interquartile range: 329-713) days. Populations were similar in sex, age, HIV acquisition mode, hospital type, and clinical characteristics at diagnosis; however, fewer were foreign-born during the pandemic (15.7% versus 33.5%, P = 0.003). The probability of ART initiation, therapeutic success, and effective management was higher in people living with HIV (PLWH) diagnosed during the pandemic in adjusted analyses (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.5 to 2.7; HR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.2 to 2.3; HR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.3 to 2.6, respectively). Those diagnosed during the pandemic were 2.3 (95% CI: 1.2 to 4.1) times more likely to be virologically suppressed within six months of diagnosis compared with historical controls., Conclusions: Pandemic-related reorganizations may have resulted in newly diagnosed PLWH being prioritized; however, the lower proportion of foreign-born PLWH diagnosed during the pandemic period, likely because of reduced migration and potential delays in diagnosis, may contribute to these preliminary findings., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest in relation to this manuscript. S.F. has received financial support from Gilead Sciences, MSD and ViiV Healthcare to attend scientific conferences. D.B. has received speaking fees from Gilead Healthcare, MSD, ViiV Healthcare and outside the submitted work., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

We evaluated people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus' (PLWH) quality of life (QoL) and assessed whether their demographic, disease-related, socioeconomic, or behavioral characteristics were associated with poorer QoL. ANRS CO3 AQUIVIH-NA cohort participants (Nouvelle Aquitaine, France) were recruited to a cross-sectional study (2018-2020) and their QoL assessed (WHOQOL-BREF). We calculated median (Q1, Q3) QoL domain scores and assessed factors associated with poorer median QoL using bivariable and multivariable quartile regression. Of the 965 PLWH included, 98.4% were on antiretroviral therapy, 94.7% were virally-suppressed, 63.5% reported good/very good QoL. Median scores (0-100) were highest for physical (69;Q1, Q3: 56, 81) and environmental (69; 56, 75) QoL and lowest for social (56; 44, 69) and psychological (56; 44, 69) QoL. PLWH with ≥ 3 comorbidities, HIV-related stigma, or income of < 1500€/month had poorer median adjusted physical, psychological, social, and environmental QoL scores compared to reference groups. While more than half of PLWH reported good/very good QoL, we have not achieved good QoL in 90% of PLWH. Multi-morbidity, HIV-related stigma, and social determinants were consistently and independently associated with poorer QoL. Addressing structural factors in addition to those indirectly related to HIV is required to attain good QoL in all PLWH., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Objectives: To conduct an audit of vaccination practices against pertussis in maternity wards to assess immunization practices targeting women, knowledge and awareness among health professionals and their involvement in the vaccination process, and to estimate their vaccine coverage., Materials and Methods: 2017 cross-sectional descriptive survey using a data collection sheet of immunization practices targeting women and an anonymous questionnaire for health professionals whose vaccine coverage had been documented by the occupational health service., Results: Five public maternity wards participated: one had a vaccination policy for women; 426 of 822 health professionals completed the questionnaire, 76% (from 50% of all residents to 83% of nurses) declared their vaccination status as up to date. Staff files in occupational health services showed that 69% of 822 health professionals received at least one vaccine booster during adulthood (57% less than 10 years before the survey); documented vaccination coverage rates ranged from 75% for residents to 91% for senior physicians. Occupational physicians and family physicians respectively performed 41% and 34% of vaccinations. While knowledge regarding vaccines was good, only 47% of health professionals declared prescribing them and 18% declared administering the anti-pertussis vaccine "often" or "very often"., Conclusions: Updated data is needed to confirm the reported increase as participating centers are not representative of all birth centers. The active role of health professionals in vaccination-based pertussis prevention needs to be reinforced., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To explore knowledge on syphilis, sexual behaviors, and attitudes in men living with HIV in southwestern France., Patients and Methods: In the ANRS CO3 Aquitaine Cohort of people living with HIV (PLHIV), a self-administered questionnaire was proposed to all male PLHIV attending one of the seven participating clinics between September 22 and October 24, 2014. The 15 questions explored patient knowledge about syphilis disease, attitudes, and behaviors during sexual intercourse., Results: Among 302 patients surveyed, 101 reported at least one episode of syphilis. A history of syphilis was associated with awareness that syphilis was on the rise in men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Aquitaine region (46% vs. 22%, P<0.0001). Knowledge that syphilis could be transmitted by oral sex was low in both patients with (37%) and without (20%) a history of syphilis (P=0.0045). Patients with a history of syphilis more often used recreational drugs (RR 1.6; P=0.0028). Among 160 patients who had sexual intercourse with a man in the past 12 months, 23% reported using condoms for oral intercourse and 80% reported using condoms for anal intercourse. Sixty-two per cent of MSM declared being ready to change their practice if informed about the rise in syphilis., Conclusions: This survey revealed important information gaps in PLHIV about syphilis and related behavior. The reported receptiveness of this population to behavioral change may help inform educational interventions., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The aim of the paper is to describe the characteristics of postmenopausal HIV-infected women and to investigate the factors associated with an earlier onset of menopause in a hospital-based cohort. Information was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. A Cox model was used to determine factors associated with menopause. Among the 404 women who completed the questionnaire, 69 were naturally postmenopausal at the time of the study (median age at onset: 49 years, premature menopause <40 years: 12%). The onset of menopause was studied among the 41 women still menstruating at the enrollment in the cohort, and who experienced menopause during follow-up. African origin (hazard ratio [HR] = 8.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.23-29.89) and history of injecting drug use (IDU) (HR = 2.46; 95% CI = 1.03-5.85) were associated with an increased risk of earlier menopause. Women with a CD4 cell count <200 cells/mm(3) tended to reach menopause earlier (HR = 2.25; 95% CI = 0.94-5.39). Earlier occurrence of menopause seems to be associated with factors already reported in HIV-negative women (IDU, ethnicity) and with HIV-related immunodeficiency.

Objective: To describe the viroimmunologic response and its prognostic factors 6 months after initiating triple antiretroviral therapy in a cohort of HIV-1-infected patients., Methods: Positive virologic response during follow-up (VL+) was defined as plasma HIV RNA level <500 copies/ml and positive immunologic response (CD4+) as an increase of CD4+ count of at least 50 cells/mm3. Four categories of response were defined: VL+/CD4+; VL+/CD4-; VL-/CD4+ and VL-/CD4-. Prognostic factors were studied through a polytomous logistic regression (VL-/CD4-, as reference)., Results: Baseline characteristics of the 478 studied patients were: 22% at AIDS stage, 77% pretreated, median CD4+ cell count 195/mm3 and HIV RNA level 4.42 log. At 6 months 37.5% were VL+/CD4+; 15.7% VL+/CD4-; 23.8% VL-/CD4+ and 23.0% VL-/CD4-. Baseline HIV RNA level was associated to a higher risk of VL-/CD4+ response. More advanced age was associated with a higher risk of isolated immunologic failure (VL+/CD4-), whereas pretreatment and saquinavir therapy were associated with a lower frequency of positive virologic response independently of immunologic response., Conclusion: HIV-RNA level, pretreatment, and saquinavir therapy were already known to be linked to therapeutic response. Based on our results, a high baseline HIV-RNA level is associated with isolated immunologic response; moreover, age should be of importance in treatment decision.

Objective: To describe trends in the evolution of causes of death in a cohort of HIV-infected patients before and after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART)., Methods: This descriptive study concerned all the patients of the Aquitaine cohort who died between 1995 and 1997. Causes of deaths were grouped into 13 'deaths due to an AIDS-defining underlying cause', and eight 'non AIDS' categories. Comparisons were performed between two comparable periods of 18 months, January 1995-June 1996 and July 1996-December 1997 to focus on changes introduced by the prescription of HAART in June 1996., Results: Five hundred and thirty-two deaths were notified in 36 months for a total of 3687 patients. The comparison between causes of deaths before and after June 1996 showed a significant difference between the two periods with a decreasing proportion of AIDS causes of death, from 82.7% to 72.2% (p = 0.007)., Conclusion: HAART treatment has reduced the number and percentage of deaths due to AIDS-related causes among persons who died with HIV infection in South-western France.

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of and risk factors for clinical lipodystrophy (LD) and metabolic disorders in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1-infected patients. A cross-sectional survey of the Aquitaine Cohort was performed in January 1999. The clinical diagnosis of LD was categorized as fat wasting (FW), peripheral fat accumulation (FA), and mixed syndromes (MS). Of the 581 patients studied, 61% were treated with protease inhibitors. The overall prevalence of LD was 38% (95% confidence interval [CI], 32-42): prevalence of FW was 16% (95% CI, 13-18); of FA, 12% (95% CI, 10-15); and of MS, 10% (95% CI, 8-13). The prevalences of metabolic abnormalities were 49% (95% CI, 44-53) for lipid disorders and 20% (95% CI, 17-23), for glucose disorders. Factors associated with LD were age (for FW and MS), male sex (for FW), AIDS stage (for MS), body mass index (for FW and FA), waist-to-hip ratio (for FA and MS), and duration of antiretroviral treatment (for FW).

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the vitamin A status of pre-school urban children and to compare the situation between a traditional district and a new settlement after two decades of intense urbanisation., Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional stratified survey was carried out in Bamako, Mali, on a representative sample of children (aged 4-6 years). 532 children were involved from a traditional district and 453 from a new settlement (NS). The vitamin A status was assessed by: clinical indicators (ophthalmic examination), subclinical indicators (questionnaire looking for night blindness, impression cytology with transfer test (ICT), modified relative dose response test (MRDR), and a diet inquiry about vitamin A intakes. Acute malnutrition was assessed by a weight/height measure., Results: In both districts, all the clinical indicators were below the WHO criteria that define a public health problem. Both the ICT test, respectively 19 and 21% of abnormal tests, and the MRDR, 67.3 and 73.1% of tests > or = 0.06, indicated a subclinical vitamin A deficiency as defined by WHO thresholds. During the preceding week only four children in NS had consumed vitamin A-rich food less than seven times. No significant difference between the two districts was found either for clinical or subclinical indicators (p > 0.5)., Conclusion: Despite a rapid urbanisation, the vitamin A status of the children seemed to be rather homogeneous among the different districts. The population remained vulnerable with peripheral depletion and low hepatic stores of vitamin A. The urban children should be carefully monitored regarding vitamin A status.

In developing countries, vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major contributor to child blindness and is associated with increased mortality. We assessed the vitamin A status of a Sahelien population and evaluated the correlation between the various criteria used to score xerophthalmia. The survey was carried out between June 1992 (the end of the dry season) using a representative sample of 906 children between the ages of 3 and 7 years in the district of Douentza. The population sample was selected by a two stage cluster sampling method (villages and then households). Vitamin A status was evaluated using clinical, histological and nutritional criteria. Clinical examination included testing for night blindness (XN), Bitot's spots (X1B) and corneal scars (XS). The Impression Cytology with Transfer (ICT) test described by Amedee-Manesme was used for histological analysis. Cases of follicular trachoma were recorded because of the possible influence of active trachoma on the findings of the ICT test. Nutritional status was determined by measuring the height for weight ratio according to the National Center for Health Statistics criteria. The prevalence of XN was 2.7% (1.6-3.7), significantly higher than the WHO threshold for a public health problem. The prevalence of X1B was 0.5% (0.1-1.2), and no corneal scars were detected. 31.7% of the children were suffering from malnutrition, but malnutrition did not correlate with any of the ophthalmological indicators of a public health problem. Among the 842 readable ICT tests, 265 were abnormal (31.4% of the total, 28.2-34.5). This incidence of abnormal results was unexpectedly low, in the light of the clinical results, and well below the threshold value of 50% suggested by Carlier.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)