URBAN ARCH Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 4
October 2014 – December 2014
Check out the current issue of URBAN ARCH News, the quarterly newsletter bringing you news based on the latest URBAN ARCH and related research
URBAN ARCH Now In Its 4th Year
As we enter our 4th year in existence as the URBAN ARCH Consortium, we are beginning to see the product of all the hard work the cohort and core teams have put into building the research studies and infrastructure. Recently the Uganda and Russia cohorts met their recruitment goals, with the Boston cohort not far behind (they might have even reached it by the time you are reading this). We applaud all the efforts of the research assistants and study staff who made that happen!! With the collection of baseline data nearly complete, the BDM Core prepared baseline data tables for the study teams and interested collaborators to review in cohort-specific and Consortium-wide meetings. The excitement of reviewing baseline data has energized the group to work on several abstracts for the 2015 Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) conference. In addition to study recruitment and analyses, the URBAN ARCH investigators have been working with affiliated collaborators on grant submissions for supplements and new applications. We received funding for two administrative supplements and plan to continue to take advantage of URBAN ARCH’s cohorts and sample repository to advance HIV and alcohol research by working with collaborators from a range of disciplines. Simultaneous to the efforts of the URBAN ARCH active cohorts (Uganda, Russia, Boston), our investigators have been busy publishing on the HIV/Alcohol studies that were the predecessors for these current cohorts.
In year 4, we will shift focus from recruitment to follow-up assessments and will continue generating new ideas for analyses within and across our cohorts. We have an exciting year ahead of us and welcome you to join us!
The Addiction Health Services Research Conference (AHSR) was held in Boston this October, where there was an opportunity to connect with researchers and clinicians working in the addiction treatment field. Pictures (l-r): Jeffrey Samet, Alicia Ventura, Carly Bridden & Bulat Idrisov; Seville Meli & Ted Park; Jeffrey Samet & Ben Linas.
- SAVE THE DATE – URBAN ARCH ANNUAL MEETING: April 28-28, 2015; BU Medical Campus
- New Grant: Congratulations to Dr. Kaku So-Armah on receiving an NIAAA Diversity Supplement to examine the role of liver disease, alcohol, and immune dysfunction in our Russia ZINC study.
- In the News: Intervention may not reduce risky behaviors among those with HIV and Why Are HIV Rates So High in Russia? (Jeffrey Samet)
- Abstract accepted for oral presentation at APHA 2014: Design of an RCT evaluating zinc supplementation to prevent progression of HIV disease among heavy drinkers in the Russia ARCH cohort (Freiberg et al).
- Abstract accepted for oral presentation at MUST 2014: Prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among HIV+ pre-ART patients in Mbarara (Adong et al).
- Abstract accepted for oral presentation at MUST 2014: Under reporting of alcohol consumption among persons with HIV not yet on ART in Mbarara, Uganda (Muyindike et al).
In this issue, we interview Meg Sullivan, MD, Co-Investigator of the Boston ARCH Cohort, Director of HIV Clinical Programs, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine.
Click on the buttons to see what the URBAN ARCH Cohorts and Cores have been working on.
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THE WITNESS – Facts about tracking participants in a local setting
By the Ugandan ARCH RAs: Catherine Kahinda, Flavia Ninsiima, Catherine Kyampire & Shiphrah Nantongo
Pictured above: The RAs, Christine Ngabirano (study coordinator), & Patrick Agumenaitwe (data manager)
- Samet JH, Raj A, Cheng DM, Blokhina E, Bridden C, Chaisson CE, Walley AY, Palfai TP, Quinn EK, Zvartau E, Lioznov D, Krupitsky E. HERMITAGE- a randomized controlled trial to reduce sexually transmitted infections and HIV risk behaviors among HIV-infected Russian drinkers. Addiction. 2014 Aug 29. [Epub ahead of print]
- Sundararajan R, Wyatt MA, Woolf-King S, Pisarski EE, Emenyonu N, Muyindike WR, Hahn JA, Ware NC. Qualitative Study of Changes in Alcohol Use Among HIV-Infected Adults Entering Care and Treatment for HIV/AIDS in Rural Southwest Uganda. AIDS Behav. 2014 Oct 17. [Epub ahead of print]
- Tsui JI, Cheng DM, Coleman SM, Lira MC, Blokhina E, Bridden C, Krupitsky E, Samet JH. Pain is associated with risky drinking over time among HIV-infected persons in St. Petersburg, Russia. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2014 Aug 29. [Epub ahead of print]
Notices from NIH
- NIH researchers seek to expand treatment options–NIAAA to conduct clinical trials of gabapentin for alcohol use disorder
- NIH Operates Under a Continuing Resolution (NOT-OD-15-001), Office of the Director, NIH
- Notice of Revised NIH Definition of Clinical Trial (NOT-OD-15-015),Office of the Director, NIH
Selected Funding Opportunities
- Secondary Analyses of Existing Alcohol Epidemiology Data (R21) (PA-14-336)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Application Due Date(s): November 25, 2014 for both the first new application and the first resubmission application due date, then Standard dates apply
- Extracellular Vesicles in HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse (R01) (RFA-DA-15-011) (R21) (RFA-DA-15-012)
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Application Due Date(s): December 15, 2014
- Women & Sex/Gender Differences in Drug and Alcohol Abuse/Dependence (R03) (PA-14-037)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute on Drug Abuse
Application Due Date(s): Standard dates apply
Click here for more funding announcements related to HIV and alcohol research.
Upcoming Events and Conferences
Please email Carly Bridden if you will be attending any these meetings, so we can connect you with our investigators.
- APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition November 15-19, 2014; New Orleans, Louisiana
- International Workshop on HIV Observational Databases March 26-28, 2015; Catania, Sicily
Abstract deadline: December 3, 2014 - Southern HIV and Alcohol Research Consortium (SHARC) January 28-29, 2015; Gainesville, Florida
Click here for more upcoming events and conferences.
Featured Resources
- Alcohol Use Disorder: A Comparison Between DSM-IV and DSM-5
- “Current HIV Research” – HIV and Alcohol
- Chronic diseases threaten progress against HIV/AIDS (JAIDS)
This issue of the newsletter concludes our first year in publication. Thank you for reading and….
For more information or to be removed from this list, please contact: Carly Bridden, URBAN ARCH Administrative Director.
U24AA020778 × U24AA020779 × U01AA020776 × U01AA020780 × U01AA021989 × U01AA020784