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Birds such as the cowbird that lay their eggs in the nests of other birds have evolved strategies to disguise their chicks and not just their eggs. María De Mársico and her colleagues at the University of Buenos Aires observed eggs or hatchlings from the screaming cowbird (Molothrus rufoaxillaris; pictured left) or the shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) that were placed or laid in the nests of the baywing (Agelaioides badius; right), and measured the fledglings' survival rates. The researchers found

Throughout the arid regions of Africa formerly mobile pastoral populations are becoming sedentary. Although pastoral sedentarization is encouraged by international development agencies and national governments as solutions to food insecurity, poor health care, and problems of governance, it has not been demonstrated that abandoning the pastoral way of life, and particularly children's access to milk and other livestock products, is beneficial to the health and well-being of pastoral populations. This paper reports the results of a 3-year study of one pastoral and four settled Rendille communities of northern Kenya based on data from 17 repeated bimonthly surveys of childhood dietary, growth, and morbidity patterns and household level economic strata. Bivariate analysis of 5,535 measurements from 488 children from birth to 9 years revealed that age-specific height and weight measurements for the pastoral community are uniformly heavier and taller than children from the sedentary villages. Multivariate analysis using Generalized Estimating Equations methodology showed that the amount of milk consumed was always a statistically significant determinant of child weight and height growth, regardless of drought or non-drought times and breastfeeding status. Other significant determinants of child growth include morbidity and poverty, both associated with sedentary communities. These results indicate that international

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Despite advances in HIV treatment and care, the current care landscape is inadequate to meet women's comprehensive care needs. A women-centered approach to HIV care, as envisioned by women living with HIV, is central to guiding policy and practice to improve care and outcomes for women living with HIV in Canada.

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Background We developed estimates of community viral load (VL) and risk factors for unsuppressed VL from a cross-sectional study of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vancouver, Canada. Methods MSM were recruited from February 25, 2012 – February 28, 2014 using Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS). Participants completed a computer assisted self-interview questionnaire and a nurse-administered point-of-care HIV test. For HIV positive participants, we conducted VL and CD4 cell counts. We used RDS-weighted analysis to obtain population estimates of key variables and multivariable logistic regression to examine factors associated with having a VL ≥200 copies/mL among HIV-positive participants. Results We recruited 719 participants, of whom 119 (16.6%) were seeds. Our estimate of the population HIV prevalence was 23.4% (95% CI 15.8 – 31.0%) after RDS-adjustments. We estimated that 18.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.8 – 30.4%) of HIV-positive MSM in Vancouver had a VL ≥200 copies/mL. Having an unsuppressed VL was associated with non-Caucasian ethnicity (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]= 4.34; 95% CI 1.67 – 11.1); an annual income of <$15,000 CAD (AOR=6.43; 95%CI 2.08–19.9); using GHB in the previous six months (AOR=4.85; 95%CI 1.79–13.2); unprotected anal intercourse with a known HIV negative or unknown serostatus partner (AOR=3.13; 95%CI 1.10–8.90); and disclosing one’s HIV serostatus ≥50% of the time (AOR=7.04; 95%CI 1.01–49.1). Conclusion Despite a high prevalence of HIV, we estimated that a small proportion of HIV positive MSM have undiagnosed HIV and unsuppressed VL. Our results highlight the importance of continued work to address health inequities using a social determinants of health framework.