Newsletter

Volume 8, Issue 2

April – June 2021

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

Reflections from the 2021 URBAN ARCH Training and Mentoring Event

In this edition of the URBAN ARCH Newsletter we share advice for trainees from URBAN ARCH mentors. 

In this issue, we interview Kaku So-Armah, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine.

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

New URBAN ARCH Publications

• Corcorran MA, Ludwig-Baron N, Cheng DM, Lioznov D, Gnatienko N, Patts G, So-Armah K, Blokhina E, Bendiks S, Krupitsky E, Samet JH, Tsui JI. The Hepatitis C continuum of care among HIV-positive persons with heavy alcohol use in St. Petersburg, Russia. AIDS Behav. 2021 Mar 17. Epub ahead of print.
• Freiman JM, Fatch R, Cheng D, Emenyonu N, Ngabirano C, Geadas C, Adong J, Muyindike WR, Linas BP, Jacobson KR, Hahn JA. Prevalence of elevated liver transaminases and their relationship with alcohol use in people living with HIV on anti-retroviral therapy in Uganda. PLoS One. 2021 Jun 1;16(6):e0250368.
• Fuster D, Nunes D, Cheng DM, Saitz R, Samet JH. Alcohol consumption and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels in HIV/HCV coinfected patients. Viruses. April 2021;13(5):716.
• Fuster D, So-Armah K, Cheng DM, Coleman SM, Gnatienko N, Lioznov D, Krupitsky EM, Freiberg MS, Samet JH. Lack of association between recent cannabis use and advanced liver fibrosis among HIV-positive heavy drinkers. Curr HIV Res. 2021 May 19. Epub ahead of print.
• Hahn JA, Murnane PM, Vittinghoff E, Muyindike WR, Emenyonu NI, Fatch R, Chamie G, Haberer JE, Francis JM, Kapiga S, Jacobson K, Myers B, Couture MC, DiClemente RJ, Brown JL, So-Armah K, Sulkowski M, Marcus GM, Woolf-King S, Cook RL, Richards VL, Molina P, Ferguson T, Welsh D, Piano MR, Phillips SA, Stewart S, Afshar M, Page K, McGinnis K, Fiellin DA, Justice AC, Bryant K, Saitz R. Factors associated with phosphatidylethanol (PEth) sensitivity for detecting unhealthy alcohol use: An individual patient data meta-analysis. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. April 2021. Epub ahead of print.
• Lodi S, Emenyonu NI, Marson K, Kwarisiima D, Fatch R, McDonell MG, Cheng DM, Thirumurthy H, Gandhi M, Camlin CS, Muyindike WR, Hahn JA, Chamie G. The drinkers’ intervention to prevent tuberculosis (DIPT) trial among heavy drinkers living with HIV in Uganda: study protocol of a 2×2 factorial trial. Trials. May 2021;22(1):355. PMCID: PMC8136096
• Lodi S, Freiberg M, Gnatienko N, Blokhina E, Yaroslavtseva T, Krupitsky E, Murray E, Samet JH, Cheng DM. Per-protocol analysis of the ZINC trial for HIV disease among alcohol users. Trials. Mar 2021;22(1):226. PMCID: PMC7989012
• Pierre F, Forman LS, Winter M, Cheng D, Ngabirano C, Emenyonu N, Hunt PW, Huang Y, Muyindike W, Samet J, Hahn JA, So-Armah K. Alcohol consumption and tryptophan metabolism among people with HIV prior to antiretroviral therapy initiation: The Uganda ARCH cohort study. Alcohol Alcohol. 2021 May 24. Epub ahead of print.

Article Spotlight

Factors Associated with Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) Sensitivity Among People Who Report Unhealthy Alcohol Use

Most studies of the effects of alcohol consumption rely on self-report by participants, blood tests to determine levels of phosphatidylethanol (PEth, an alcohol metabolite), or a combination of the two. URBAN ARCH researchers recently conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis to examine factors associated with the sensitivity of PEth among people who reported unhealthy alcohol use.* They identified 21 studies, which included 4073 observations from 3085 participants (31% female, 32% African, 28% African American, 28% White, and 12% other race/ethnicity).

The main findings were that:

• PEth sensitivity (i.e. ≥8 ng/mL) was 82%.
• After adjusting for AUDIT-C, researchers found no association between sex, age, race/ethnicity, or method of blood collection with PEth sensitivity.
• In analyses that also included biologic variables…
  • participants with higher hemoglobin and indeterminate and advanced liver fibrosis had significantly higher odds of PEth sensitivity.
  • participants with higher BMI and those living with HIV had significantly lower odds of PEth sensitivity.
  • African Americans and Africans had higher odds of PEth sensitivity compared with White participants in some analyses.

* Defined as Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption (AUDIT-C) scores of ≥3 for women and ≥4 for men.

Comments: This meta-analysis found that among people who reported unhealthy alcohol use, several biological factors and race/ethnicity (in some models) were associated with PEth sensitivity. Clinicians should be aware of how these factors may affect their patients, and researchers should consider adjusting analyses where appropriate. 

Reference: Hahn JA, Murnane PM, Vittinghoff E, et al. Factors associated with phosphatidylethanol (PEth) sensitivity for detecting unhealthy alcohol use: An individual patient data meta-analysis.  Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2021;10.1111/acer.14611.

URBAN ARCH Abstracts at Upcoming Conferences

Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA): June 19-23, 2021

• Ghare S, Singhal R, Stocke K, Vadhanam M, So-Armah K, Samet JH, Cheng D, Bendiks S, Gnatienko N, Blokhina E, Krupitsky E, Lioznov D, McClain CJ, Chichetto N, Tindle H, Freiberg M, Barve S. Targeted metabolic profiling of plasma bile acids in people living with HIV (PLWH) who are heavy drinkers.
  •  Session 09a: Health harms / benefits (Sunday, June 20 4:30-6:30PM)

• Mensah SO, Freiberg M, Cheng D, Palatkin V, Patts G, Bendiks S, Blokhina E, Gnatienko N, Tindle H, Barve S, Singhal R, Ghare S, Tandon S, Lioznov D, Samet JH, So-Armah K . Alcohol, HIV and trimethylamine-n-oxide (TMAO) levels.
  • Session 05a: Hepatic / Gastrointestinal Tract and 05b: Gene Expression (not C.N.S.) (Monday, June 21 4:30-6:30PM)

• Singhal R, Ghare S, Stocke K, Vadhanam M, So-Armah K, Samet JH, Cheng D, Bendiks S, Gnatienko N, Blokhina E, Krupitsky E, Lioznov D, McClain CJ, Chichetto N, Tindle H, Freiberg M, Barve S. Microbial dysbiosis in people living with HIV (PLWH) who are heavy alcohol drinkers is marked by a decrease in butyrate producing bacteria.
  • Session 09a: Health harms / benefits (Sunday, June 20 4:30-6:30PM)

• Tandon S, Singhal R, Freiberg M, Cheng D, Palatkin V, Patts G, Johnson WE, Bendiks S, Blokhina E, Gnatienko N, Tindle S, Barve S, Ghare S, Mensah SO, Lizonov D, Samet JH, So-Armah K. Whole metagenome sequencing to explore change in abundance of butyrate-producing genes in gut microbiota of people with HIV who reduce alcohol consumption.
  • Session 12b: Alcohol abuse, dependence (Sunday, June 20 4:30-6:30PM)

College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD): June 21-24, 2021

• Bertholet N, Saitz R, Hahn J, Freiberg M, Winter MR, Heeren T, Magane K, Chretien A, Lloyd-Travaglini C, Fatch R, Forman L, Rateau L, Blokhina E, Muyindike W, Gnatienko N, Samet JH. Impact of alcohol use disorder severity on HIV viral suppression and CD4 count in three international cohorts of people living with HIV.
  • Mini-Oral Communication II: Immune (Tuesday, June 22 11:30AM-12:00PM)

NIDA International Forum: June 22-24, 2021

• Rossi SL, Lioznov D, Cheng D, Truong V, Bendiks S, Gnatienko N, Lodi S, Blokhina E, Raj A, Rateau L, Sereda Y, Krupitsky E, Samet JH, Lunze K. COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and substance use behaviors among people with HIV in St. Petersburg, Russia.

International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2021): July 18-21, 2021

• Tindle H, Freiberg M, Cheng DM, Gnatienko N, Blokhina E, Yaroslavtseva T, Bendiks S, Patts G, Hahn J, So-Armah K, Stein M, Bryant K, Lioznov D, Krupitsky E, Samet JH. Results from a randomized controlled trial of smoking cessation medications for alcohol reduction among HIV-positive heavy drinkers and daily smokers in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Click here for more events and conferences.