| 1. |
- Steinthorsdottir, V, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic predisposition to hypertension is associated with preeclampsia in European and Central Asian women
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 11:1, s. 5976-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy, affecting both maternal and fetal health. In genome-wide association meta-analysis of European and Central Asian mothers, we identify sequence variants that associate with preeclampsia in the maternal genome at ZNF831/20q13 and FTO/16q12. These are previously established variants for blood pressure (BP) and the FTO variant has also been associated with body mass index (BMI). Further analysis of BP variants establishes that variants at MECOM/3q26, FGF5/4q21 and SH2B3/12q24 also associate with preeclampsia through the maternal genome. We further show that a polygenic risk score for hypertension associates with preeclampsia. However, comparison with gestational hypertension indicates that additional factors modify the risk of preeclampsia.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Barton, Nick, et al.
(författare)
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New insights into the late Middle Stone Age occupation of Oued elAkarit, southern Tunisia
- 2021
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Ingår i: Libyan Studies. - : Cambridge University Press. - 0263-7189 .- 2052-6148. ; 52, s. 12-35
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article reports on a new project to investigate the activities of early Homo sapiens in the area of the Chotts ‘megalake’ in southernTunisia. Excavations in 2015 and 2019 at Oued el Akarit revealed one of a number of Middle Stone Age (MSA) horizons near the topof a long sequence of Upper Pleistocene deposits. The site identified as Oued el Akarit (Sondage 8) consists of lithic artefacts, bone fragmentsof large ungulates and pieces of ostrich eggshell. Many of the objects are burnt. Excavation of about nine square metres revealed thatthese were associated with a lightly trampled and combusted occupation surface. Amongst the identified artefacts were Levallois flakes someof which could be refitted, thereby indicating the generally undisturbed nature of the occupation. The lithic finds also included side scrapersand other tools diagnostic of the MSA but significantly no bifacial or tanged tools. OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence) dating of thesediments and AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry) radiocarbon dating of ostrich eggshell have produced uncalibrated age determinationsin the range 37,000–40,000 years ago, one of the youngest ages for MSA sites in the region. This is the first example of a securely dated laterMSA occupation in a riparian environment in south-eastern Tunisia
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| 5. |
- Cruise, G.M., et al.
(författare)
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Lago di Bargone, Liguria, N Italy : a reconstruction of Holocene environmental and land-use history
- 2009
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Ingår i: The Holocene. - : Sage Publications. - 0959-6836 .- 1477-0911. ; 19, s. 987-1003
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sediment micromorphology, chemistry and magnetic susceptibility of basin edge deposits at the small, mid-altitude peat site of Lago di Bargone, eastern Liguria, Italy, is compared with a full Holocene palynological sequence and radiocarbon dates from the central part of the peat bog. Micromorphology and MS550 results show that Neolithic to Copper Age forest disturbances and clearings as inferred from the pollen diagrams, occurred during a period of lower water-tables and intermittent drying out of the basin edge deposits. Extensive deforestation and expansion of heath and rassland during the Iron Age and Roman periods is associated with increases in soil erosion and in micromorphological indications of burning. It is argued that the very fine size range of the charred fragments seen in thin sections and the seeming absence of charcoal of coarser size range suggest a system of light, controlled burning, possibly akin to the local tradition of using fire to control weeds and to encourage new grass and herbaceous growth, and not local forest clearance by fire. Micromorphology of the late-Holocene peat contains herbivore dung possibly indicating the use of the site as a watering hole by domesticated stock. The overlying colluvium displays evidence of deep-seated erosion of the local soils and geology which is most likely to have been associated with local mining activities.
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| 6. |
- Kilburn, Kelly, et al.
(författare)
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Cash Transfers, Young Women's Economic Well-Being, and HIV Risk : Evidence from HPTN 068
- 2019
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Ingår i: Aids and Behavior. - : Springer-Verlag New York. - 1090-7165 .- 1573-3254. ; 23:5, s. 1178-1194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite the large interest in economic interventions to reduce HIV risk, little research has been done to show whether there are economic gains of these interventions for younger women and what intermediary role economic resources play in changing participants' sexual behavior. This paper contributes to this gap by examining the impacts of a conditional cash transfer (CCT) for young women in South Africa on young women's economic resources and the extent to which they play a role in young women's health and behavior. We used data from HIV Prevention Trials Network 068 study, which provided transfers to young women (in addition to their parents) conditional on the young woman attending at least 80% of school days in the previous month. We found that the CCT increased young women's economic wellbeing in terms of having savings, spending money, being unindebted, and food secure. We also investigated heterogeneous effects of the program by household economic status at baseline because the program was not specifically poverty targeted and found that the results were driven by young women from the poorest families. From these results, we examined heterogeneity by baseline poverty for other outcomes related to HIV risk including sexual behavior and psychosocial well-being. We found psychosocial well-being benefits in young women from the poorest families and that economic wellbeing gains explained much these impacts.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Lippman, Sheri A., et al.
(författare)
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Village community mobilization is associated with reduced HIV incidence in young South African women participating in the HPTN 068 study cohort
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of the International AIDS Society. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1758-2652. ; 21:S7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in South Africa bear a disproportionate burden of HIV. Community mobilization (CM), defined as community members taking collective action to achieve a common goal related to health, equity and rights, has been associated with increased HIV testing and condom use and has been called a ‘critical enabler’ for addressing the HIV epidemic. However, limited research has examined whether CM is associated with HIV incidence among AGYW.Methods: We examine the association of CM with incident HIV among AGYW (ages 13 to 21) enrolled in the HPTN 068 cohort in the Agincourt Health and socio‐Demographic Surveillance System, South Africa. This analysis includes 2292 participants residing in 26 villages where cross‐sectional, population‐based surveys were conducted to measure CM among 18‐ to 35‐year‐old residents in 2012 and 2014. HPTN 068 participants completed up to five annual visits that included an HIV test (2011 to 2016). Household‐level data were collected from AGYW parents/guardians and census data is updated annually. Mean village‐level CM scores were created using a validated community mobilization measure with seven components (social cohesion, social control, critical consciousness, shared concerns, organizations and networks, leadership and collective action). We used pooled generalized estimating equation regression with a Poisson distribution to estimate risk ratios (RR) for the association of village‐level CM score and CM components with incident HIV infection, accounting for village‐level clustering and adjusting for key covariates.Results: There were 194 incident infections over the follow‐up period. For every additional standard deviation of village‐level CM there was 12% lower HIV incidence (RR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.79, 0.98) after adjusting for individual, household and community characteristics. CM components associated with lower HIV incidence included critical consciousness (RR: 0.88; CI: 0.79, 0.97) and leadership (RR: 0.87; CI: 0.79, 0.95); while not statistically significant, social cohesion (RR: 0.91; CI: 0.81, 1.01), shared concerns (RR: 0.90; CI: 0.81, 1.00), and organizations and networks (RR: 0.91; CI: 0.79, 1.03) may also play a protective role.Conclusions: These results suggest that having strong community social resources will reduce AGYW's risk of HIV acquisition. Work to mobilize communities, focusing on building social cohesion, shared concerns, critical consciousness, and effective and accountable leadership, can fortify prevention programming for AGYW.
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| 9. |
- MacPhail, Catherine, et al.
(författare)
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Cash transfers for HIV prevention : what do young women spend it on? Mixed methods findings from HPTN 068
- 2017
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Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1471-2458. ; 18:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Social grants have been found to have an impact on health and wellbeing in multiple settings. Who receives the grant, however, has been the subject of discussion with regards to how the money is spent and who benefits from the grant.Methods: Using survey data from 1214 young women who were in the intervention arm and completed at least one annual visit in the HPTN 068 trial, and qualitative interview data from a subset of 38 participants, we examined spending of a cash transfer provided to young women conditioned on school attendance.Results: We found that spending was largely determined and controlled by young women themselves and that the cash transfer was predominately spent on toiletries, clothing and school supplies. In interview data, young women discussed the significant role of cash transfers for adolescent identity, specifically with regard to independence from family and status within the peer network. There were almost no negative consequences from receiving the cash transfer.Conclusions: We established that providing adolescents access to cash was not reported to be associated with social harms or negative consequences. Rather, spending of the cash facilitated appropriate adolescent developmental behaviours. The findings are encouraging at a time in which there is global interest in addressing the structural drivers of HIV risk, such as poverty, for young women.
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| 10. |
- Macphail, Richard I., et al.
(författare)
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A rebuttal of the views expressed in "Problems of unscientific method and approach in Archaeological soil and pollen analysis of experimental floor deposits; with special reference to Butser Ancient Farm, Hampshire, UK by R.I. Macphail, G.M. Cruise, M. Allen, J. Linderholm and P. Reynolds" by Matthew Canti, Stephen Carter, Donald Davidson and Susan Limbrey
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of Archaeological Science. ; 33:2, s. 299-305
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Pettifor, Audrey, et al.
(författare)
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HPTN 068: a randomized control trial of a conditional cash transfer to reduce HIV infection in young women in South Africa : Study design and baseline results
- 2016
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Ingår i: Aids and Behavior. - : Springer Nature. - 1090-7165 .- 1573-3254. ; 20:9, s. 1863-1882
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Young women in South Africa are at high risk for HIV infection. Cash transfers offer promise to reduce HIV risk. We present the design and baseline results from HPTN 068, a phase III, individually randomized trial to assess the effect of a conditional cash transfer on HIV acquisition among South African young women. A total of 2533 young women were randomized to receive a monthly cash transfer conditional on school attendance or to a control group. A number of individual-, partner-, household- and school-level factors were associated with HIV and HSV-2 infection. After adjusting for age, all levels were associated with an increased odds of HIV infection with partner-level factors conveying the strongest association (aOR 3.05 95 % CI 1.84–5.06). Interventions like cash transfers that address structural factors such as schooling and poverty have the potential to reduce HIV risk in young women in South Africa.
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| 13. |
- Pettifor, Audrey, et al.
(författare)
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The effect of a conditional cash transfer on HIV incidence in young women in rural South Africa (HPTN 068) : a phase 3, randomised controlled trial
- 2016
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Ingår i: The Lancet Global Health. - : Elsevier. - 2214-109X. ; 4:12, s. e978-e988
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Cash transfers have been proposed as an intervention to reduce HIV-infection risk for young women in sub-Saharan Africa. However, scarce evidence is available about their effect on reducing HIV acquisition. We aimed to assess the effect of a conditional cash transfer on HIV incidence among young women in rural South Africa.Methods: We did a phase 3, randomised controlled trial (HPTN 068) in the rural Bushbuckridge subdistrict in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. We included girls aged 13–20 years if they were enrolled in school grades 8–11, not married or pregnant, able to read, they and their parent or guardian both had the necessary documentation necessary to open a bank account, and were residing in the study area and intending to remain until trial completion. Young women (and their parents or guardians) were randomly assigned (1:1), by use of numbered sealed envelopes containing a randomisation assignment card which were numerically ordered with block randomisation, to receive a monthly cash transfer conditional on school attendance (≥80% of school days per month) versus no cash transfer. Participants completed an Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI), before test HIV counselling, HIV and herpes simplex virus (HSV)-2 testing, and post-test counselling at baseline, then at annual follow-up visits at 12, 24, and 36 months. Parents or guardians completed a Computer-Assisted Personal Interview at baseline and each follow-up visit. A stratified proportional hazards model was used in an intention-to-treat analysis of the primary outcome, HIV incidence, to compare the intervention and control groups. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01233531).Findings: Between March 5, 2011, and Dec 17, 2012, we recruited 10 134 young women and enrolled 2537 and their parents or guardians to receive a cash transfer programme (n=1225) or not (control group; n=1223). At baseline, the median age of girls was 15 years (IQR 14–17) and 672 (27%) had reported to have ever had sex. 107 incident HIV infections were recorded during the study: 59 cases in 3048 person-years in the intervention group and 48 cases in 2830 person-years in the control group. HIV incidence was not significantly different between those who received a cash transfer (1·94% per person-years) and those who did not (1·70% per person-years; hazard ratio 1·17, 95% CI 0·80–1·72, p=0·42).Interpretation: Cash transfers conditional on school attendance did not reduce HIV incidence in young women. School attendance significantly reduced risk of HIV acquisition, irrespective of study group. Keeping girls in school is important to reduce their HIV-infection risk.Funding: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health.
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| 14. |
- Price, Jessica, et al.
(författare)
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The association between perceived household educational support and HIV risk in young women in a rural South African community (HPTN 068) : A cross sectional study
- 2019
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Libarary Science. - 1932-6203. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To characterise perceived household support for female education and the associations between educational support and HIV prevalence, HSV-2 prevalence and sexual risk behaviours.Methods: This cross-sectional study used baseline survey data from the Swa Koteka HPTN 068 trial undertaken in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The study included 2533 young women aged 13-20, in grades 8-11 at baseline. HIV and HSV-2 status were determined at baseline. Information about patterns of sexual behaviour and household support for education was collected during the baseline survey. Linear regression and binary logistic regression were used to determine associations between household support for education and both biological and behavioural outcomes.Results: High levels of educational support were reported across all measures. HIV prevalence was 3.2% and HSV-2 prevalence was 4.7%, both increasing significantly with age. Over a quarter (26.6%) of young women reported vaginal sex, with 60% reporting condom use at last sex. The median age of sexual debut was 16 years. Household educational support was not significantly associated with HIV or HSV-2; however, the odds of having had vaginal sex were significantly lower in those who reported greater homework supervision (OR 0.82, 95% CI: 0.72-0.94), those who engaged in regular discussion of school marks with a caregiver (OR 0.82, 95% CI: 0.71-0.95) and when caregivers had greater educational goals for the young woman (OR 0.82, 95% CI: 0.71-0.96). In contrast, greater caregiver disappointment at dropout was significantly associated with reported vaginal sex (OR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.14-1.46).Conclusion: Young women in rural South Africa report experiencing high levels of household educational support. This study suggests that greater household educational support is associated with lower odds of having vaginal sex and engaging in risky sexual behaviour, though not with HIV or HSV-2 prevalence.
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| 15. |
- Rosenberg, Molly, et al.
(författare)
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Evidence for sample selection effect and Hawthorne effect in behavioural HIV prevention trial among young women in a rural South African community
- 2018
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2044-6055. ; 8:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: We examined the potential influence of both sample selection effects and Hawthorne effects in the behavioural HIV Prevention Trial Network 068 study, designed to examine whether cash transfers conditional on school attendance reduce HIV acquisition in young South African women. We explored whether school enrolment among study participants differed from the underlying population, and whether differences existed at baseline (sample selection effect) or arose during study participation (Hawthorne effect).Methods: We constructed a cohort of 3889 young women aged 11-20 years using data from the Agincourt Health and socio-Demographic Surveillance System. We compared school enrolment in 2011 (trial start) and 2015 (trial end) between those who did (n=1720) and did not (11=2169) enrol in the trial. To isolate the Hawthorne effect, we restricted the cohort to those enrolled in school in 2011.Results: In 2011, trial participants were already more likely to be enrolled in school (99%) compared with non-participants (93%). However, this association was attenuated with covariate adjustment (adjusted risk difference (aRD) (95% Cl): 2.9 (0.7 to 6.5)). Restricting to those enrolled in school in 2011, trial participants were also more likely to be enrolled in school in 2015 (aRD (95% Cl): 4.9 (1.5 to 8.3)). The strength of associations increased with age.Conclusions: Trial participants across both study arms were more likely to be enrolled in school than nonparticipants. Our findings suggest that both sample selection and Hawthorne effects may have diminished the differences in school enrolment between study arms, a plausible explanation for the null trial findings. The Hawthorne-specific findings generate hypotheses for how to structure school retention interventions to prevent HIV.
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| 16. |
- Rosenberg, Molly, et al.
(författare)
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Executive function associated with sexual risk in young South African women : Findings from the HPTN 068 cohort
- 2018
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 13:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose Heightened sexual risk in adolescence and young adulthood may be partially explained by deficits in executive functioning, the set of cognitive processes used to make reasoned decisions. However, the association between executive function and sexual risk is understudied among adolescent girls and young women, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Methods In a cohort of 853 young women age 18-25 in rural Mpumalanga province, South Africa, we evaluated executive function with three non-verbal cognitive tests: I. a rule-finding test, II. a trail-making test, and III. a figure drawing test. Using log-binomial regression models, we estimated the association between lower executive function test scores and indicators of sexual risk (unprotected sex acts, concurrent partnerships, transactional sex, and recent HSV-2 infection). Results In general, young women with lower executive function scores reported higher frequencies of sexual risk outcomes, though associations tended to be small with wide confidence intervals. Testing in the lowest quintile of Test I was associated with more unprotected sex [aPR (95% CI): 1.4 (1.0, 1.8)]. Testing in the lowest quintile of Test II was associated with more concurrent relationships and transactional sex [aPR (95% CI): 1.6 (1.1, 2.5) and 1.7 (1.3, 2.4), respectively], and testing in the lowest four quintiles of Test III was associated with more concurrent relationships [aPR (95% CI): 1.7 (1.0, 2.7)]. Conclusions These results demonstrate an association between low executive function and sexual risk in South African young women. Future work should seek to understand the nature of this association and whether there is promise in developing interventions to enhance executive function to reduce sexual risk.
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| 17. |
- Stoner, Marie C. D., et al.
(författare)
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Does Partner Selection Mediate the Relationship Between School Attendance and HIV/Herpes Simplex Virus-2 Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in South Africa : An Analysis of HIV Prevention Trials Network 068 Data
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 1525-4135 .- 1944-7884. ; 79:1, s. 20-27
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: School attendance prevents HIV and herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) in adolescent girls and young women, but the mechanisms to explain this relationship remain unclear. Our study assesses the extent to which characteristics of sex partners, partner age, and number mediate the relationship between attendance and risk of infection in adolescent girls and young women in South Africa.Design: We use longitudinal data from the HIV Prevention Trials Network 068 randomized controlled trial in rural South Africa, where girls were enrolled in early adolescence and followed in the main trial for more than 3 years. We examined older partners and the number of partners as possible mediators.Methods: We used the parametric g-formula to estimate 4-year risk differences for the effect of school attendance on the cumulative incidence of HIV/HSV-2 overall and the controlled direct effect (CDE) for mediation. We examined mediation separately and jointly for the mediators of interest.Results: We found that young women with high attendance in school had a lower cumulative incidence of HIV compared with those with low attendance (risk difference = -1.6%). Partner age difference (CDE = -1.2%) and the number of partners (CDE = -0.4%) mediated a large portion of this effect. In fact, when we accounted for the mediators jointly, the effect of schooling on HIV was almost removed, showing full mediation (CDE = -0.3%). The same patterns were observed for the relationship between school attendance and cumulative incidence of HSV-2 infection.Conclusion: Increasing school attendance reduces the risk of acquiring HIV and HSV-2. Our results indicate the importance of school attendance in reducing partner number and partner age difference in this relationship.
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| 18. |
- Stoner, Marie C. D., et al.
(författare)
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Effect of schooling on age-disparate relationships and number of sexual partners among young women in rural South Africa enrolled in HPTN 068
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. - : Wolters Kluwer Health. - 1525-4135 .- 1944-7884. ; 76:5, s. E107-E114
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Attending school may have a strong preventative association with sexually transmitted infections among young women, but the mechanism for this relationship is unknown. One hypothesis is that students who attend school practice safer sex with fewer partners, establishing safer sexual networks that make them less exposed to infection.Setting: We used longitudinal data from a randomized controlled trial of young women aged 13-20 years in the Bushbuckridge district, South Africa, to determine whether the percentage of school days attended, school dropout, and grade repetition are associated with having a partner 5 or more years older (age-disparate) and with the number of sexual partners in the previous 12 months.Methods: Risks of having an age-disparate relationship and number of sexual partners were compared using inverse probability of exposure weighted Poisson regression models. Generalized estimating equations were used to account for repeated measures.Results: Young women who attended fewer school days (<80%) and who dropped out of school were more likely to have an age-disparate relationship (risk difference 9.9%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9% to 16.0%; risk difference (%) dropout 17.2%, 95% CI: 5.4% to 29.0%) and those who dropped out reported having fewer partners (count difference dropout 0.343, 95% CI: 0.192 to 0.495). Grade repetition was not associated with either behavior.Conclusion: Young women who less frequently attend school or who drop out are more likely to have an age-disparate relationship. Young women who drop out have overall more partners. These behaviors may increase the risk of exposure to HIV infection in young women out of school.
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| 19. |
- Stoner, Marie C. D., et al.
(författare)
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The effect of school attendance and school dropout on incident HIV and HSV-2 among young women in rural South Africa enrolled in HPTN 068
- 2017
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Ingår i: AIDS. - : LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. - 0269-9370 .- 1473-5571. ; 31:15, s. 2127-2134
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To estimate the association between school attendance, school dropout, and risk of incident HIV and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection among young women.Design: We used longitudinal data from a randomized controlled trial in rural Mpumalanga province, South Africa, to assess the association between school days attended, school dropout, and incident HIV and HSV-2 in young women aged 13-23 years.Methods: We examined inverse probability of exposure weighted survival curves and used them to calculate 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5-year risk differences and risk ratios for the effect of school attendance on incident HIV and HSV-2. A marginal structural Cox model was used to estimate hazard ratios for the effect of school attendance and school dropout on incident infection.Results: Risk of infection increased over time as young women aged, and was higher in young women with low school attendance (<80% school days) compared with high (>= 80% school days). Young women with low attendance were more likely to acquire HIV [hazard ratio (HR): 2.97; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.62, 5.45] and HSV-2 (HR: 2.47; 95% CI: 1.46, 4.17) over the follow-up period than young women with high attendance. Similarly, young women who dropped out of school had a higher weighted hazard of both HIV (HR 3.25 95% CI: 1.67, 6.32) and HSV-2 (HR 2.70; 95% CI 1.59, 4.59).Conclusion: Young women who attend more school days and stay in school have a lower risk of incident HIV and HSV-2 infection. Interventions to increase frequency of school attendance and prevent dropout should be promoted to reduce risk of infection.
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