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- Geldsetzer, Pascal, et al.
(författare)
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Depressive Symptoms and Their Relation to Age and Chronic Diseases Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Rural South Africa
- 2019
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Ingår i: The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. - 1079-5006 .- 1758-535X. ; 74:6, s. 957-963
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Understanding how depression is associated with chronic conditions and sociodemographic characteristics can inform the design and effective targeting of depression screening and care interventions. In this study, we present some of the first evidence from sub-Saharan Africa on the association between depressive symptoms and a range of chronic conditions (diabetes, HIV, hypertension, and obesity) as well as sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to a population-based simple random sample of 5,059 adults aged 40 years and older in Agincourt, South Africa. Depressive symptoms were measured using a modified version of the eight-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression screening tool. Diabetes was assessed using a capillary blood glucose measurement and HIV using a dried blood spot. Results: 17.0% (95% confidence interval: 15.9%-18.1%) of participants had at least three depressive symptoms. None of the chronic conditions were significantly associated with depressive symptoms in multivariable regressions. Older age was the strongest correlate of depressive symptoms with those aged 80 years and older having on average 0.63 (95% confidence interval: 0.40-0.86; p<.001) more depressive symptoms than those aged 40-49 years. Household wealth quintile and education were not significant correlates. Conclusions: This study provides some evidence that the positive associations of depression with diabetes, HIV, hypertension, and obesity that are commonly reported in high-income settings might not exist in rural South Africa. Our finding that increasing age is strongly associated with depressive symptoms suggests that there is a particularly high need for depression screening and treatment among the elderly adults in rural South Africa.
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| 3. |
- Marcus, Maja E., et al.
(författare)
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Home-based HIV testing strategies for middle-aged and older adults in rural South Africa
- 2023
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Ingår i: AIDS. - : Wolters Kluwer. - 0269-9370 .- 1473-5571. ; 37:14, s. 2213-2221
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: More than one in four adults over 40 years with HIV in South Africa are unaware of their status and not receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). HIV self-testing may offer a powerful approach to closing this gap for aging adults. Here, we report the results of a randomized comparative effectiveness trial of three different home-based HIV testing strategies for middle-aged and older adults in rural South Africa.DESIGN: Two thousand nine hundred and sixty-three individuals in the 'Health and Ageing in Africa: a Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI)' cohort study were randomized 1 : 1 : 1 to one of three types of home-based and home-delivered HIV testing modalities: rapid testing with counseling; self-testing, and both rapid testing with counselling and self-testing.METHOD: In OLS regression analyses, we estimated the treatment effects on HIV testing and HIV testing frequency at about 1 year after delivery. Finally, we assessed the potential adverse effects of these strategies on the secondary outcomes of depressive symptom as assessed by the CESD-20, linkage to care, and risky sexual behavior.RESULTS: There were no significant differences in HIV testing uptake or testing frequency across groups. However, respondents in the self-testing treatment arms were more likely to shift from testing at home and a facility [self-testing (HIVST), -8 percentage points (pp); 95% confidence interval (CI) -14 to -2 pp; self-testing plus rapid testing and counselling (ST+RT+C); -9 pp, 95% CI -15 to -3 pp] to testing only at home (HIVST 5 pp; 95% CI 2 to 9 pp; ST+RT+C: 5 pp, 95% CI 1 to 9 pp) - suggesting a revealed preference for self-testing in this population. We also found no adverse effects of this strategy on linkage to care for HIV and common comorbidities, recent sexual partners, or condom use. Finally, those in the self-testing only arm had significantly decreased depressive symptom scores by 0.58 points (95% CI -1.16 to -0.01).CONCLUSION: We find HIV self-testing to be a well tolerated and seemingly preferred home-based testing option for middle-aged and older adults in rural South Africa. This approach should be expanded to achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.
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| 4. |
- Pivarcsi, Andor, et al.
(författare)
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Tumor immune escape by the loss of homeostatic chemokine expression.
- 2007
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 104:48, s. 19055-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The novel keratinocyte-specific chemokine CCL27 plays a critical role in the organization of skin-associated immune responses by regulating T cell homing under homeostatic and inflammatory conditions. Here we demonstrate that human keratinocyte-derived skin tumors may evade T cell-mediated antitumor immune responses by down-regulating the expression of CCL27 through the activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-Ras-MAPK-signaling pathways. Compared with healthy skin, CCL27 mRNA and protein expression was progressively lost in transformed keratinocytes of actinic keratoses and basal and squamous cell carcinomas. In vivo, precancerous skin lesions as well as cutaneous carcinomas showed significantly elevated levels of phosphorylated ERK compared with normal skin, suggesting the activation of EGFR-Ras signaling pathways in keratinocyte-derived malignancies. In vitro, exogenous stimulation of the EGFR-Ras signaling pathway through EGF or transfection of the dominant-active form of the Ras oncogene (H-RasV12) suppressed whereas an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor increased CCL27 mRNA and protein production in keratinocytes. In mice, neutralization of CCL27 led to decreased leukocyte recruitment to cutaneous tumor sites and significantly enhanced primary tumor growth. Collectively, our data identify a mechanism of skin tumors to evade host antitumor immune responses.
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| 5. |
- Rohr, Julia K., et al.
(författare)
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HIV treatment cascade for older adults in rural South Africa
- 2020
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Ingår i: Sexually Transmitted Infections. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 1368-4973 .- 1472-3263. ; 96:4, s. 271-276
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The HIV treatment cascade is a powerful framework for understanding progress from initial diagnosis to successful treatment. Data sources for cascades vary and often are based on clinical cohorts, population cohorts linked to clinics, or self-reported information. We use both biomarkers and self-reported data from a large population-based cohort of older South Africans to establish the first HIV cascade for this growing segment of the HIV-positive population and compare results using the different data sources.Methods: Data came from the Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI) 2015 baseline survey of 5059 adults aged 40+ years. Dried blood spots (DBS) were screened for HIV, antiretroviral drugs and viral load. In-home surveys asked about HIV testing, diagnosis and antiretroviral therapy (ART) use. We calculated proportions and CIs for each stage of the cascade, conditional on attainment of the previous stage, using (1) biomarkers, (2) self-report and (3) both biomarkers and self-report, and compared with UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets.Results: 4560 participants had DBS results, among whom 1048 (23%) screened HIV-positive and comprised the denominator for each cascade. The biomarker cascade showed 63% (95% CI 60 to 66) on ART and 72% (95% CI 69 to 76) of those on ART with viral suppression. Self-reports underestimated testing, diagnosis and ART, with only 47% (95% CI 44 to 50) of HIV-positive individuals reporting ART use. The combined cascade indicated high HIV testing (89% (95% CI 87 to 91)), but lower knowledge of HIV-positive status (71% (95% CI 68 to 74)).Conclusions: Older South Africans need repeated HIV testing and sustained ART to reach 90-90-90 targets. HIV cascades relying on self-reports are likely to underestimate true cascade attainment, and biomarkers provide substantial improvements to cascade estimates.
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| 6. |
- Rohr, Julia K., et al.
(författare)
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Performance of self-reported HIV status in determining true HIV status among older adults in rural South Africa : a validation study
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of the International AIDS Society. - 1758-2652. ; 20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: In South Africa, older adults make up a growing proportion of people living with HIV. HIV programmes are likely to reach older South Africans in home-based interventions where testing is not always feasible. We evaluate the accuracy of self-reported HIV status, which may provide useful information for targeting interventions or offer an alternative to biomarker testing.Methods: Data were taken from the Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI) baseline survey, which was conducted in rural Mpumalanga province, South Africa. A total of 5059 participants aged ≥40 years were interviewed from 2014 to 2015. Self-reported HIV status and dried bloodspots for HIV biomarker testing were obtained during at-home interviews. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) for self-reported status compared to “gold standard” biomarker results. Log-binomial regression explored associations between demographic characteristics, antiretroviral therapy (ART) status and sensitivity of self-report.Results: Most participants (93%) consented to biomarker testing. Of those with biomarker results, 50.9% reported knowing their HIV status and accurately reported it. PPV of self-report was 94.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 92.0–96.0), NPV was 87.2% (95% CI: 86.2–88.2), sensitivity was 51.2% (95% CI: 48.2–54.3) and specificity was 99.0% (95% CI: 98.7–99.4). Participants on ART were more likely to report their HIV-positive status, and participants reporting false-negatives were more likely to have older HIV tests.Conclusions: The majority of participants were willing to share their HIV status. False-negative reports were largely explained by lack of testing, suggesting HIV stigma is retreating in this setting, and that expansion of HIV testing and retesting is still needed in this population. In HIV interventions where testing is not possible, self-reported status should be considered as a routine first step to establish HIV status.
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| 7. |
- Rosenberg, Molly S., et al.
(författare)
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Are circumcised men safer sex partners? : Findings from the HAALSI cohort in rural South Africa
- 2018
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 13:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: The real-world association between male circumcision and HIV status has important implications for policy and intervention practice. For instance, women may assume that circumcised men are safer sex partners than non-circumcised men and adjust sexual partnering and behavior according to these beliefs. Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is highly efficacious in preventing HIV acquisition in men and this biological efficacy should lead to a negative association between circumcision and HIV. However, behavioral factors such as differential selection into circumcision based on current HIV status or factors associated with future HIV status could reverse the association. Here, we examine how HIV prevalence differs by circumcision status in older adult men in a rural South African community, a non-experimental setting in a time of expanding VMMC access.Methods: We analyzed data collected from a population-based sample of 2345 men aged 40 years and older in a rural community served by the Agincourt Health and socio-Demographic Surveillance System site in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. We describe circumcision prevalence and estimate the association between circumcision and laboratory-confirmed HIV status with log-binomial regression models.Results: One quarter of older men reported circumcision, with slightly more initiation-based circumcisions (56%) than hospital-based circumcisions (44%). Overall, the evidence did not suggest differences in HIV prevalence between circumcised and uncircumcised men; however, those who reported hospital-based circumcision were more likely to test HIV-positive [PR (95% CI): 1.28 (1.03, 1.59)] while those who reported initiation-based circumcision were less likely to test HIV-positive [PR (95% CI): 0.68 (0.51, 0.90)]. Effects were attenuated, but not reversed after adjustment for key covariates.Conclusions: Medically circumcised older men in a rural South African community had higher HIV prevalence than uncircumcised men, suggesting that the effect of selection into circumcision may be stronger than the biological efficacy of circumcision in preventing HIV acquisition. The impression given from circumcision policy and dissemination of prior trial findings that those who are circumcised are safer sex partners may be incorrect in this age group and needs to be countered by interventions, such as educational campaigns.
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| 8. |
- Rosenberg, Molly S., et al.
(författare)
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Sexual Behaviors and HIV Status : A Population-Based Study Among Older Adults in Rural South Africa
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. - 1525-4135 .- 1944-7884. ; 74:1, s. E9-E17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To identify the unmet needs for HIV prevention among older adults in rural South Africa.Methods: We analyzed data from a population-based sample of 5059 men and women aged 40 years and older from the study Health and Aging in Africa: Longitudinal Studies of INDEPTH Communities (HAALSI), which was carried out in the Agincourt health and sociodemographic surveillance system in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. We estimated the prevalence of HIV (laboratory-confirmed and self-reported) and key sexual behaviors by age and sex. We compared sexual behavior profiles across HIV status categories with and without age–sex standardization.Results: HIV prevalence was very high among HAALSI participants (23%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 21 to 24), with no sex differences. Recent sexual activity was common (56%, 95% CI: 55 to 58) across all HIV status categories. Condom use was low among HIV-negative adults (15%, 95% CI: 14 to 17), higher among HIV-positive adults who were unaware of their HIV status (27%, 95% CI: 22 to 33), and dramatically higher among HIV-positive adults who were aware of their status (75%, 95% CI: 70 to 80). Casual sex and multiple partnerships were reported at moderate levels, with slightly higher estimates among HIV-positive compared to HIV-negative adults. Differences by HIV status remained after age–sex standardization.Conclusions: Older HIV-positive adults in an HIV hyperendemic community of rural South Africa report sexual behaviors consistent with high HIV transmission risk. Older HIV-negative adults report sexual behaviors consistent with high HIV acquisition risk. Prevention initiatives tailored to the particular prevention needs of older adults are urgently needed to reduce HIV risk in this and similar communities in sub-Saharan Africa.
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