No abstract

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for prevention of HIV infection has demonstrated efficacy in randomized controlled trials as well as in demonstration projects. For PrEP implementation to result in significant reductions in HIV incidence for men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States, sufficient access to PrEP care and continued engagement outside of demonstration projects is required. We report the results of a follow-up survey of 173 former participants from the Miami and San Francisco sites of the U.S. PrEP Demo Project, administered 4–6 months after study completion. Survey respondents continued to frequently access medical care and had a high incidence of sexually transmitted infections after completion of the Demo Project, indicating ongoing sexual risk behavior. Interest in continuing PrEP was high, with 70.8% indicating they were “very interested” in continuing PrEP. Among respondents, 39.9% reported continuation of PrEP following completion of the Demo Project, largely through their primary care providers and frequently at low or no cost. Variability in access and engagement was seen, with participants from the San Francisco site, those with medical insurance, and those with a primary care provider at the end of the Demo Project more likely to successfully obtain PrEP medication. Two respondents reported HIV seroconversion in the period between study completion and the follow-up survey. Additional effort to increase equitable access to PrEP outside of demonstration projects is needed to realize the potential impact of this evidence-based prevention intervention.

Anopheles gambiae Giles sensu stricto (Diptera: Culicidae) egg development and its relation to environmental parameters is an understudied aspect of vector biology. Although several studies have illustrated the dramatic effects of temperature on egg development, egg hatching dynamics remain unclear. The objective of this study was to expose An. gambiae eggs to various temperatures for different lengths of time and determine the impact on egg development and hatching count. Batches of mosquito eggs (n = 30 eggs/replicate) were incubated under moist conditions at temperatures of 12, 22, 27, 33, and 42 degrees C for intervals of 1, 3, 7, and 10 days. After that, they were flooded with distilled water at 27 degrees C, and hatching counts were observed for up to 7 days. Mosquito eggs held at 22 and 27 degrees C had the highest overall mean hatching count. During early incubation periods, eggs held at 33 degrees C had hatching counts comparable to 22 and 27 degrees C, but counts decreased drastically during later incubation periods. Temperatures of 12 and 42 degrees C reduced mosquito egg viability, because few eggs hatched in these temperature regimes. Other experiments revealed that during early embryonic development, temperature had a major effect on the developing embryo, while later in embryonic development it had no dramatic effect. Microscopic observation of the An. gambiae embryo showed that extreme low and high temperatures affected the normal development of the embryo. A regression model was developed to describe the effect of incubation temperature and incubation period on egg hatching counts, which demonstrated that the optimum temperature for egg hatching ranges from 24 to 30 degrees C, irrespective of incubation period. The interaction between temperature and time period may have implications for dry-season survival and climate-based models of malaria risk.

No abstract

Although a high prevalence of bullying behaviors among adolescents has been documented, little is known about the association between bullying behaviors and alcohol use among perpetrators or victims. This study used data from a representative two-stage cluster random sample of 44, 532 middle school adolescents in Florida. We found a high prevalence of bullying behaviors (30% physical, 52% verbal, 12% cyber). A higher proportion of students (21%) who were involved in any type of bullying behavior used alcohol than students who were not involved (13%). Students involved in bullying behaviors as perpetrators or victims were significantly more likely to have used alcohol in the past-30-days than students who were not involved in bullying. Results suggest that bullying behaviors may be associated with alcohol use and that early evaluation of bullying behavior may be important as part of alcohol-use prevention programs among young adolescents.

Using data collected through venue-based sampling in South Florida from 2004 to 2005 as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Among Men Who Have Sex with Men, we estimate the prevalence of crystal methamphetamine use and its association with high-risk sexual behaviors among a large and diverse sample of men who have sex with men (MSM) residing in South Florida. We also examine how these associations differ between HIV-positive and HIV-negative men. Bivariate analyses were used to assess the characteristics of study participants and their sexual risk behaviors by drug use and self-reported HIV status group. Of 946 MSM participants in South Florida, 18% reported crystal methamphetamine use in the past 12 months. Regardless of self-reported HIV status, crystal methamphetamine users were more likely to report high-risk sexual behaviors, an increased number of non-main sex partners, and being high on drugs and/or alcohol at last sex act with a non-main partner. Our findings indicate that crystal methamphetamine use is prevalent among the MSM population in South Florida, and this prevalence rate is similar, if not higher, than that found in US cities that have been long recognized for having a high rate of crystal methamphetamine use among their MSM populations. Notably, the use of crystal methamphetamine among both HIV-positive and HIV-negative MSM is associated with increased HIV-related risk behaviors.

Although no temporal relationships can be determined between drinking alcohol before age 13 and delinquent behavior outcomes, the results suggested that adolescents under the age of 13 need to be included in national epidemiological surveys on alcohol use and more efforts need to be directed toward the implementation of prevention programs early in elementary and middle schools.

Vector-borne diseases are an increasing issue to public health, endangering billions of people worldwide. Controlling vector mosquitoes is widely accepted as the most effective way to prevent vector-borne disease outbreaks. Mosquito surveillance is critical for the development of control strategies under the integrated vector management framework. We hypothesize that the effectiveness and reliability of using BG-Sentinel traps for the surveillance strongly depend on the bait used to attract mosquitoes. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of BG-Sentinel traps baited with CO 2 and BG-Lure. A total of 72 traps were deployed for 48 hours once a week for four weeks. For the initial 24-hour period, the traps were baited with CO 2 , and then for an additional 24 hours using the BG-Lure. Collected mosquitoes were analyzed using the Generalized Estimating Equation for repeated measures analysis. Biodiversity was assessed by the Shannon and Simpson indices and by individual rarefaction curves and SHE profiles. A total of 5,154 mosquitoes were collected, from which 3,514 by traps baited with CO 2 and 1,640 mosquitoes by traps baited with BG-Lure. Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus were the most abundant and dominant species. Results from the Generalized Estimating Equation models indicated that more than twice as many mosquitoes were attracted CO 2 than to the BG-Lure. The comparison of attractiveness of CO 2 and BG-Lure to Ae . aegypti and Cx . quinquefasciatus was non-significant, suggesting that both species were equally attracted by the baits. The individual rarefaction curves for Ae . aegypti and Cx . quinquefasciatus imply that traps baited with BG-Lure underestimated mosquito species richness compared to those baited with CO 2 . BG-Lure were less effective in attracting mosquitoes with low abundances and failed to collect Cx . coronator and Cx . nigripalpus , which were consistently collected by traps baited with CO 2 . According to our results, CO 2 significantly ( P <0.05) attracted more mosquitoes (2.67 adjusted odds ratios) than the BG-Lure when adjusted for time and species, being more effective in assessing the relative abundance of vector mosquitoes and yielding more trustworthy results. Traps baited with CO 2 collected not only more specimens, but also more species in a more consistent pattern.