URBAN ARCH Newsletter

URBAN ARCH Newsletter

Volume 4, Issue 2

April 2017 – June 2017

Check out the current issue of URBAN ARCH News, the quarterly newsletter bringing you news based on the latest URBAN ARCH and related research.

Uganda ARCH – ADEPTT

This issue of the URBAN ARCH quarterly newsletter will focus on the new Uganda ARCH study – ADEPTT. Click here to learn more.

In the News

  • New Grant: Congratulations to Kaku So-Armah on receiving funding for a CFAR developmental project, which will leverage St PETER resources and support whole genome sequencing of fecal microbiomes and intestinal fatty acid binding protein (IFABP) to measure intestinal permeability.
  • Abstract accepted for poster presentation at American Public Health Association (APHA) 2017: False HIV positive diagnoses: Lessons from Uganda and Russia research cohorts (Coleman et al.)
  • New Grant: Congratulations to Angela Bazzi on receiving a K01 grant to develop a community-based PrEP intervention for people who inject drugs.

CHAART will be at RSA 2017! Click here for a list of all presentations and symposia sessions featuring CHAART members!

Spotlight On…Karen Jacobson

In this issue, we interview Karen Jacobson, MD, MPH Co-Investigator of the ADEPTT study and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine. 

 

On The Ground

Click on the buttons to see what the URBAN ARCH Cohorts and Cores have been working on.

Save the Date for the 2018 URBAN ARCH Annual Meeting

The seventh URBAN ARCH Annual Meeting will be held on March 27-28, 2018. Click here for more information about this meeting. We hope to see you there!

New URBAN ARCH Publications 

Article Spotlight
This section highlights and provides brief summaries of URBAN ARCH research and their clinical significance

Phosphatidylethanol confirmed alcohol use among ART-naïve HIV-infected persons who denied consumption in rural Uganda

Under-reporting of alcohol use by people living with HIV (PLWH) adversely impacts clinical outcomes. This study used phosphatidylethanol (PEth), an alcohol biomarker, to examine factors associated with under-reporting of alcohol consumption among ART-naïve PLWH in Uganda. Researchers determined PEth status among participants who denied alcohol consumption to clinic counselors (Group 1, n=104), and those who denied it in their research interview (Group 2, n=198). A positive PEth was defined as ≥8 ng/ml.

  • In Group 1, 28.8% of participants were PEth-positive. The odds of being PEth-positive were higher for those reporting prior unhealthy drinking (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 4.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.8, 12.5).
  • In Group 2, 13.1% of participants were PEth-positive. The odds of being PEth-positive were higher for those reporting past unhealthy drinking (AOR: 4.6, 95% CI: 1.8, 12.2) and among Catholics (AOR: 3.8, 95% CI: 1.3, 11.0) compared with Protestants. Odds were lower for the literate participants (AOR: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1, 0.8).

Conclusions: Under-reporting of alcohol use was substantial, but it was lower in a research setting that conducted testing for breath alcohol and PEth. Strategies to improve alcohol self-report are needed within HIV care settings in Uganda.

Reference: Muyindike WR, Lloyd-Travaglini C, Fatch R, Emenyonu NI, Adong J, Ngabirano C, Cheng DM, Winter MR, Samet JH, Hahn JA. Phosphatidylethanol confirmed alcohol use among ART-naïve HIV-infected persons who denied consumption in rural Uganda. AIDS Care. 2017;13:1-6. [Epub ahead of print].

Article Spotlight summary by URBAN ARCH editor Katherine Calver, PhD

Selected NIH Notices and Funding Opportunities

Click here for more funding announcements related to HIV and alcohol research.

Events and Conferences

Please email Carly Bridden if you will be attending any these meetings, so we can connect you with our investigators.

Click here for more events and conferences.