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

META HIV CVD: Research on Alcohol and HIV Through the Years

In this edition of the URBAN ARCH Newsletter, we highlight the META HIV CVD P01 Center, their annual Research on Alcohol and HIV meeting, and look ahead to a newly funded P60 Center.

Updates from 2nd Generation URBAN ARCH HIV/Alcohol P01s

International URBAN ARCH Center Updates

Click on the buttons below to see what the International URBAN ARCH Center Cores and Projects have been working on.

Spotlight on… Judy Hahn, PhD, MA

In this interview, we highlight Judy Hahn and the recently-funded Center for Alcohol/HIV Innovations and Biomarker Research (CALIBER) P60.

 

 

Article Spotlight

Sex-based Differences in Gut Microbiome Composition and Function Among People with HIV and Risky Drinking

Among people with HIV, alcohol use has been shown to contribute to gut dysbiosis, affecting beneficial butyrate-producing bacterial families. Researchers examined sex-based differences in the composition and function of the gut microbiome among 202 adults with HIV and risky alcohol use (≥5 heavy drinking days in the last month) who were participants in the St PETER HIV trial in St. Petersburg, Russia. Alcohol use was assessed at baseline via self-report and Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) biomarker levels in blood. Fecal samples were provided within 30 days of baseline to assess gut microbiome via 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

  • Participants were predominantly male (71 percent) and had an average age of 38 years. Average alcohol consumption in the cohort ranged from 4.9 to 108.9 drinks per week in the last month. Participants had no documented antibiotic, prebiotic, or probiotic use in the prior three months.
  • In adjusted analyses, women in the cohort had significantly greater gut microbiome diversity than men (as assessed via alpha diversity indices, Operational Taxonomic Units, and Shannon Index).
  • Compared with men, women also had significantly higher percent relative abundance of Firmicutes and lower percent relative abundance of Bacteroidota and higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidota Women also had significantly higher percent relative abundance of beneficial butyrate-producing bacteria.
  • Women had a lower percent relative abundance of the pathobiont, Prevotellaceae.

Comments: This study showed significant sex-based differences in gut microbiome diversity and composition among people with HIV and risky drinking. Microbial gut dysbiosis has been associated with inflammation and other comorbidities; tailored probiotic therapies for improving gut health in people with HIV and alcohol use may help mitigate these negative outcomes.

Reference: Rao AV, Ghare SS, Gautam V, Hoffman KL, Petrosino J, So-Armah K, Samet JH, Patts GJ, Cheng DM, Blokhina E, Krupitsky EM, Lioznov D, Zvartau E, McClain CJ, Tindle H, Freiberg MS, Barve SS. Sex differences in beneficial and pathogenic bacteria in People With HIV (PWH) with a history of heavy alcohol drinking. Front. Microbiol. 2025;16:1632949.

Register Now: 2026 URBAN ARCH Annual Meeting

Mark your calendars! The 2026 URBAN ARCH Annual Meeting will be held on Monday, March 30, 2026. Attendees are invited to join us virtually or in-person in Boston. Please click here to view the meeting agenda and register here. We hope to see you there!

Photo from the 2024 URBAN ARCH Annual Meeting in Boston.

New URBAN ARCH Publications

Events and Conferences

Upcoming abstract deadlines: 2026 International AIDS Society (January 27, 2026), 2026 Research Society on Alcohol (January 30, 2026)

Click here for more events and conferences.

Happy Holidays from URBAN ARCH!