Background The reasons for minority underrepresentation in HIV/AIDS clinical trials remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the knowledge, experience and factors that influence minority participation in HIV/AIDS studies in the US. Methods An anonymous, bilingual, self-administered survey on study participation was given to HIV-infected adults attending AIDS Clinical Trials Group-affiliated clinics in the US and Puerto Rico. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate differences by race/first language/level of education. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for factors associated with being talked to about participation in a study. Results We analyzed 2,175 complete surveys (221 in Spanish). Among respondents, 31% were White, 40% black/African American (AA) and 21% Hispanic. The overall rate of previous participation in any HIV/AIDS study was 48%. Hispanics were less likely to know about studies compared to whites and AAs (67% vs. 74% and 76%; p<0.001). Compared to whites, AAs and Hispanics were less likely to have been talked to about participating in a study (76% vs. 67% and 67%; p<0.001). The OR for being talked to about participating in a study was 0.65 (95% CI: 0.52–0.81) for AAs and 0.65 (95% CI: 0.49–0.85) for Hispanics, compared to whites. AAs and Hispanics were more likely to state that studies were not friendly to their race (17% and 10% vs. 4%; p<0.001). Conclusions Minorities continue to face barriers for HIV/AIDS trial participation, even when clinical research is available. Enrollment strategies should better target minorities to improve recruitment in HIV/AIDS research.

The use of automatic noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) devices has become a common technique to monitor blood pressure intraoperatively. The usual cuff placement for these devices on the upper arm sometimes poses problems. As an alternative, many clinicians place the cuff on the ankle. This practice has not been previously investigated to determine its efficacy. The purpose of our study was to determine whether a noninvasive blood pressure cuff on the arm could be replaced by one on the ankle. We monitored 24 patients intraoperatively with two non-invasive blood pressure cuffs, one on the upper arm and one on the ankle. Systolic, diastolic, and mean pressures were obtained from each cuff placement at intervals of no shorter than 3 minutes. The time necessary to obtain the measurements and the presence of any artifact were also recorded. A total of 404 pairs of data were obtained and the systolic blood pressure ranged from 82 to 196 mm Hg. The mean and diastolic pressure readings were equivalent between the arm and ankle blood pressure readings. The systolic pressures were not equivalent, reflecting the fact that the ankle systolic blood pressure is physiologically higher than the arm systolic blood pressure. The difference between the times necessary to obtain the readings from arm or ankle was not statistically significant. Eight of the paired readings (2.0%) represented artifact, arbitrarily defined as a difference in mean blood pressure readings of 15 mm Hg between the arm and the ankle. Since the mean blood pressure readings obtained at the arm and at the ankle were statistically equivalent, we concluded that the ankle cuff placement provided a reliable alternative to the placement of the cuff on the arm.

We surveyed awardees of the Minority HIV Investigator Mentoring Program (MHIMP) of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group. Most reported clinical specialization in infectious diseases or HIV medicine (86%), and all but 1 (95%) are engaged in medical/health sciences research. The MHIMP helped retain early-career minority investigators in HIV/AIDS-related research.

A single-room dedicated mass spectrometer can be used to measure carbon dioxide, halogenated anesthetic agents, nitrous oxide, nitrogen, and oxygen. This device challenges the multiplexed mass spectrometer, a current standard in measurement. This study compared the single-room dedicated mass spectrometer with a conventional mass spectrometer that is normally used in a multiplexed setting. In this study, a single-room dedicated Ohmeda 6000 Mini-Mass Spectrometer and the Perkin-Elmer MGA-1100 mass spectrometer were calibrated with the same reference gases and both devices sampled various concentrations of dry gases. Regression lines and intercepts were plotted and showed excellent correlation between the two devices. The intraclass correlation test of Lee, Koh, and Ong, showed the devices to be equivalent with regard to the ability to determine various gas concentrations. Various advantages of a single-room dedicated mass spectrometer are discussed.

We have designed and constructed a ruler ("Torrstick") calibrated in millimeters of mercury for the measurement of hydrostatic pressure differences. Marks are placed on a measuring stick every 1.34 cm, to afford the best compromise between a column of 0.9% saline solution and a column of blood. Several uses for this ruler are proposed, including the measurement of central venous pressure.