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Background: Advanced antiretroviral treatment has led to a growing population of older persons with HIV. To understand the characteristics of persons aging with HIV, this analysis examines epidemiological profiles of persons with diagnosed HIV through 2021 aged 50 years and older in New York State. Methods: Persons diagnosed with HIV and reported to the NYS HIV registry by December 31, 2021, were included in the analysis. Characteristics of persons aged 50 years and older were compared with persons younger than 50 years. Results: Persons diagnosed with HIV and aged 50 years and older more often reported heterosexual transmission risk and were more often females than individuals diagnosed with HIV younger than 50 years. Among new diagnoses in 2021, persons aged 50 years and older were more likely to have a stage 3 HIV diagnosis. By the end of 2021, 57% of persons living with diagnosed HIV were aged 50 years and older. There was an upward trend of deaths with cardiovascular disease as an underlying cause of death among persons aged 50 years and older. Conclusions: More females diagnosed with HIV and a higher percentage of persons who reported heterosexual transmission risk among persons aged 50 years and older suggest a need for enhanced clinician education and sexual health discussions with this adult population. A greater rate of stage 3 HIV diagnoses in persons aged 50 years and older emphasizes the need for specialized HIV testing and treatment, care for comorbidities, and social supports for this aging population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Misophonia has gained attention in scientific circles that utilise brain imaging to validate diagnoses. The condition is promoted as not merely a symptom of other psychiatric diagnoses but as a discrete clinical entity. We illustrate the social construction of the diagnostic category of misophonia through examining prominent claims in research studies that use brain imaging to substantiate the diagnosis. We show that brain images are insufficient to establish the 'brain basis for misophonia' due to both technical and logical limitations of imaging data. Often misunderstood as providing direct access to the matter of the body, brain images are mediated and manipulated numerical data (Joyce, 2005, Social Studies of Science 35(3), p. 437). Interpretations of brain scans are further shaped by social expectations and attributes considered salient to the data. Causal inferences drawn from these studies are problematic because 'misophonics' are clinically pre‐diagnosed before participating. We argue that imaging cannot replace the social process of diagnosis in the case of misophonia, nor validate diagnostic measures or otherwise substantiate the condition. More broadly, we highlight both the cultural authority and inherent limitations of brain imaging in the social construction of contested diagnoses while also illustrating its role in the disaggregation of symptoms into new diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sexual health among older adults is a major public health concern globally. The syphilis burden is increasing in older adults in China. This study aimed to describe factors associated with syphilis infection and diagnosis among older adults in China during a 16 year period.Methods: Using 16 years of data (2004–2019) from the syphilis case report system of Guangdong, China, we compared data from older adults (aged ≥50 years) with those from younger people (aged 15–49 years). We compared the two age group with the Chi-square test for difference, and Joinpoint regression models to assess the temporal trends.Results: During the study period, 242,115 new syphilis diagnoses were reported in older adults. The mean notification rate of new diagnoses was 64.1 per 100,000 population across the entire 16-year period, which significantly increased over time (average annual percent change [AAPC] 16.2%, 95% CI 13.7–18.7). Syphilis diagnoses increased significantly over time among less developed cities and older women. In 2019, compared with younger adults, newly diagnosed older adults were more likely to be male, native to reporting city, had unknown transmission routes, and were diagnosed late.Conclusion: Our findings call for an urgent need to deliver more targeted prevention interventions for older adults, such as strengthen awareness among health care providers, and integration of syphilis services and primary health care for older adults.

Objectives We assessed whether changes in community viral load ( CVL) over time were associated with the rate of new HIV diagnoses ( NDs). Methods HIV-1-positive individuals referred to our institute and permanently residing in our province were considered for inclusion in the study. A total of 861 HIV-infected adults with at least one HIV RNA measurement (12 530 measurements in total) between 2008 and 2014 were included. Viraemia copy-years were calculated from all HIV RNA values for each patient using the trapezoidal rule; multiple CVL indicators were considered. Total NDs and recent infections (< 1 year) were analysed separately. The association between NDs and CVL was tested by means of mixed Poisson models, with CVL as a fixed effect and year as a random effect. Results The incidence of NDs was 2.28 per 100 000 residents in 2008 and 2.52 per 100 000 residents in 2014. Total numbers of NDs and recent infections did not vary significantly over time ( P for trend 0.879 and 0.39, respectively). Mean HIV RNA decreased from 31 095.8 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL in 2008 to 21 231.5 copies/mL in 2014 ( P < 0.001); a downward trend was always observed regardless of the CVL indicator considered. Depending on the indicator, there were some differences in CVL by patient characteristics. The most substantial contributors to CVL appeared to be male individuals, men who have sex with men ( MSM), non-Italians, and untreated subjects (all P < 0.05). The relative risk of ND increased among Italians and MSM with an increasing proportion of subjects having an undetectable HIV RNA, and decreased in the same population with increasing levels of CVL. Conclusions In our setting, CVL represented a good marker of access to care and treatment; however, reduced CVL did not coincide with a reduction in the rate of NDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]