URBAN ARCH Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 1
January 2015 – March 2015
Check out the current issue of URBAN ARCH News, the quarterly newsletter bringing you news based on the latest URBAN ARCH and related research
What is the URBAN ARCH Data and Sample Repository and How Can You Access It?
The URBAN ARCH data and sample repository is an important resource for the consortium’s investigation of alcohol-related outcomes in HIV-infected individuals domestically and internationally. The repository holds data and biological specimens collected from URBAN ARCH’s three cohorts (Uganda, Russia, and Boston), as well as affiliated studies. The repository aims to [1] foster cross-cohort studies, and [2] encourage collaboration with external investigators from around the world.
The URBAN ARCH data repository is maintained by the Biostatistics and Data Management (BDM) Core staff and securely stored on servers managed by the Boston University Medical Campus Office of Information Technology. Depending on the project, analyses with repository data may be performed by the BDM or by the external investigators requesting the data. The URBAN ARCH sample repository is overseen by both the Administrative (Admin) and BDM Cores. Freezers are professionally managed by staff from the General Clinical Research Unit (GCRU) under the umbrella of the BU Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), and physically housed on the BU Medical Campus. Investigators interested in using data and/or samples from the repository are encouraged to learn what data/samples are available here and contact an URBAN ARCH investigator or Administrative Director, Carly Bridden. A written request outlining the proposed study question will be reviewed by the URBAN ARCH Steering Committee prior to release of data or samples. Priority will be given to questions that address both alcohol and HIV research issues.
The URBAN ARCH data and sample repository is poised to become not only a central data bank of the URBAN ARCH Consortium, but a resource for investigators seeking to understand alcohol’s impact on HIV disease and efforts to mitigate alcohol’s adverse consequences on people living with HIV both domestically and internationally.
Pictures (l-r): 1)Jeffrey Samet (PI) with repository freezer; 2) Carly Bridden (Administrative Director) with a shipment of samples; and 3) Tasha Coughlin (BDM Core) & Jeffrey Samet.
- SAVE THE DATE – URBAN ARCH ANNUAL MEETING: April 28-29, 2015; BU Medical Campus
- Presentation at 2015 American Society of Addiction Medicine Conference: Chronic Pain Management In HIV/HCV Co-infected: Complexities and Opportunities (Samet), as part of the “Clinical Management of Substance Abusers with Co-Occurring HIV and HCV Infections” session on April 25, 2015 at 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
- Symposium accepted at 2015 Research Society for Alcoholism Meeting: Medical consequences of alcohol use among people living with HIV (Samet and Bryant), with two URBAN ARCH presentations: “Lifetime alcohol consumption and bone mineral density in HIV-infected adults with substance dependence” (Saitz) and “Unhealthy alcohol use and HIV disease progression in two ART naïve Ugandan cohorts” (Hahn).
- Presentation accepted as part of a symposium at 2015 Research Society for Alcoholism Meeting: Alcohol and condom use at a most recent sexual event among HIV-infected Ugandan adults (Woolf-King).
- Abstract accepted for poster presentation at American Pain Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting 2015: Pain and mortality among HIV-infected persons with alcohol problems (Tsui et al.)
- In the News: For Heroin Users, Less May Reduce Immune Cells (Edelman)
- In the News: Calling it straight on alcohol (Saitz and Samet)
- Abstract accepted for poster presentation at Einstein-Montefiore CFAR HIV symposium 2014: Prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms amongst HIV+ pre-ART patients in Mbarara (Adong et al.)
In this issue, we interview Judith Hahn, PhD, MA, Principal Investigator of the Uganda ARCH Cohort and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.
Click on the buttons to see what the URBAN ARCH Cohorts and Cores have been working on.
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Medication Adherence in the ZINC Trial
By: Glory Koerbel and Natalia Gnatienko
- 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. 2015 Jan; 110(1):80-90.
Notices from NIH
- Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for NIAAA Collaborative Partnership on HIV/AIDS and Alcohol-Related Outcomes Research (U54) (NOT-AA-15-004)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for NIAAA Consortiums for HIV/AIDS and Alcohol Outcomes Research Project (U01) (NOT-AA-15-005)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for NIAAA Consortiums for HIV/AIDS and Alcohol Outcomes Research Administrative Resource (U24) (NOT-AA-15-006)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for NIAAA Consortiums for HIV/AIDS and Alcohol Outcomes Research Resource (U24) (NOT-AA-15-007)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - New Biographical Sketch Format Required for NIH and AHRQ Grant Applications Submitted for Due Dates on or After May 25, 2015 (NOT-OD-15-032)
Office of the Director, NIH
Selected Funding Opportunities
- Developing Technologies and Tools to Monitor HIV Brain Reservoirs and How They May be Altered by Exposure to Substances of Abuse (R21/R33) (RFA-DA-15-018)
National Institute of Drug Abuse
Application Receipt Date(s): April 10, 2015
- Advancing Exceptional Research on HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse (R01) (RFA-DA-16-001)
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Application Receipt Date(s): July 31, 2015
- Unconventional Roles of Ethanol Metabolizing Enzymes, Metabolites, and Cofactors in Health and Disease (R21) (PA-15-057)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Application Receipt/Submission 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.
- International Workshop on HIV Observational Databases
March 26-28, 2015; Catania, Sicily
- American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
April 23-26, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Hilton Austin
- URBAN ARCH Annual Meeting
April 28-29, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston University Medical Campus
- National Summit on HCV and HIV Diagnosis, Prevention, and Access to Care
June 4-6, 2015; Arlington, VA
Abstract submission deadline: March 9, 2015
Click here for more upcoming events and conferences.
Featured Resources
For more information or to be removed from this list, please contact: Carly Bridden, URBAN ARCH Administrative Director.
U24AA020778 × U24AA020779 × U01AA020776 × U01AA020780 × U01AA021989 × U01AA020784