Core and Cohort Updates

Admin Core

Jeffrey Samet has travelled from Boston to Puerto Rico, Washington state, and Australia to attend the CPDD, RSA, and International AIDS meetings this summer. These scientific meetings have allowed him the opportunity to meet up with collaborators, learn about interesting new research projects being conducted around the world, and support our trainees in their research endeavors.

Meanwhile, Carly and Natalia have been back in the office working with the BDM and cohorts to send out samples from the repository for laboratory testing. They’ve also been supporting grant applications and maintaining urbanarch.org. The Admin Core looks forward to coordinating abstract submissions of ARCH data over the next few months.

BDM Core

The U01s are all running smoothly and analytic plans are developing in all cohorts. Several analyses are also in progress. Jaclyn Franklin, an MPH student concentrating in Epidemiology, completed her SPH practicum with the BDM Core during the summer.

Uganda Cohort

As of July 2014, Uganda ARCH has enrolled 463 of 450 subjects and has conducted 292 six-month assessments; 191 twelve-month assessments; 95 eighteen-month assessments; and 26 twenty four-month assessments. Nneka Emenyonu, the project director, has just returned from a site visit in Uganda. All is going well in Uganda and recruitment is continuing beyond our target of 450, as we have approval to recruit up to 650.

In March, 2014 we tested 327 baseline plasma samples for viral load. Of the 323 analyzed, 32 (9.91%) had undetectable HIV viral load and 63 (19.5%) had HIV viral load less than 500 copies/ml. Plans are underway to re-test these 63 baseline samples to confirm HIV status as well as rule out the possibility of unreported receipt of antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Analyses of baseline data are on-going. Based on high levels of enthusiasm for the PEth Biomarker expressed at the URBAN ARCH annual meeting and the CHAART Meeting, we will lead a cross-consortia analysis of PEth data.

Russia Cohort and ZINC RCT

As of July 2014, Russia ARCH has enrolled 210 of 250 participants and has conducted 100 six-month assessments, 56 twelve-month assessments, and 26 eighteen-month assessments.

As of July 2014, ZINC has enrolled and randomized 107 of 250 participants and has conducted 22 six-month assessments.

The team is continuing to work hard to improve recruitment and retention of participants in both studies. The team’s abstract,  “Design of an RCT evaluating zinc supplementation to prevent progression of HIV disease among heavy drinkers in the Russia ARCH cohort” was accepted for an oral presentation at the 142nd APHA Annual Meeting as part of a symposium titled, “International HIV and Alcohol Research: Opportunities for Unique Insights”. The team also submitted an application to the NIAAA diversity supplement program to fund Dr. Kaku So-Armah to work with ZINC data to examine whether liver disease is an important mechanism by which HIV alters biomarkers of innate and adaptive immunity among heavy drinkers.

Boston Cohort

As of July 2014, the Boston ARCH team has enrolled 218 of 250 subjects. 144 six-month follow-up assessments, 96 twelve-month follow-up assessments and 11 eighteen-month follow-up assessments have been completed. Twenty-four-month follow-up assessments are scheduled to begin in December 2014.

In June 2014, Dr. Richard Saitz, the PI of Boston ARCH, presented a poster on the association between recent alcohol consumption and bone mineral density in the cohort at the 37th Annual Research Society on Alcoholism’s Annual Scientific Meeting in Bellevue, Washington.

Upon completion of her practicum with the Boston ARCH Study, in May 2014, Laura Vercammen graduated from the Boston University School of Public Health with a MPH in Epidemiology. In June 2014 Laura rejoined the Boston ARCH team as a full time Research Assistant.