: Given that HIV prevalence among MSM in some other parts of China has been as high as 3%, STDs facilitate the transmission of HIV, and high prevalence of STDs and sexual risk behaviors among MSM exist in Jiangsu Province, the potential for the future spread of HIV is of concern, and it is urgent to provide MSMs with STD healthcare services and HIV/AIDS/STD prevention education and intervention.

Background With China’s explosive internet growth, activities such as socializing and partner seeking among men who have sex with men (MSM) has also become Web based through popular services such as Blued. This creates a new mode of health promotion with the potential to instantly reach large numbers of MSM, including those who rarely access traditional offline testing facilities. Objective This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the Easy Test in increasing access and uptake of HIV testing and treatment services among MSM and to identify demographic and behavioral predictors of program uptake to inform future implementation. Methods A feasibility study of the Easy Test model was conducted from October 2017 to December 2017 in 14 Chinese provinces. Applicants who provided informed consent completed a self-administered questionnaire and submitted a US $5 deposit to have the free test kit delivered to their homes. Orders were then received, processed, and posted by volunteers from local community-based organizations. Once applicants submitted images of their test results, the deposit was refunded to the applicant. Those whose test results were deemed to be HIV-positive were then connected to a peer navigator to accompany the individual to follow-up medical services. A chi-squared trend test was used to assess the relationship between lifetime HIV testing volume and HIV prevalence. Logistic regression models were used to identify independent risk factors associated with two outcomes: (1) never having tested for HIV and (2) receiving an HIV-positive result. Results A total of 879 individuals submitted Web-based requests for test kits. Their median age was 28 (interquartile range 24-34 years); 69.3% (609/879) had at least a college education, and 51.5% (453/879) had a monthly income between US $450 to $750; 77.7% (683/879) of the applicants submitted images of their test results, among whom 14.3% (98/683) had an HIV-positive result. Among the 42.9% (293/683) who were first-time testers, the HIV prevalence was 18.8% (55/293). Nearly three-quarters (71/98, 72.4%) of those with a positive test result were connected with a peer navigator and enrolled in treatment. Among the first-time testers, having multiple sexual partners (2-3 sexual partners: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.44, 95% CI 1.08-5.50; 4 or above sexual partners: aOR 3.55, 95% CI 1.18-10.68) and reporting inconsistent condom use in the previous 3 months (aOR 7.95, 95% CI 3.66-17.26) were both associated with an HIV-positive result. An inverse dose response relationship between lifetime HIV testing volume and HIV prevalence was also observed in this study (χ 2 3 =55.0; P <.001). Conclusions The Easy Test model reached a larger portion of first-time testers, many who reported higher risk sexual behaviors. This highlights the potential for an internet-based self...

BackgroundChlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection is one of the most pervasive sexually transmitted infections and has high prevalence in urogenital and extra-urogenital sites among men who have sex with men (MSM). This study investigated anatomical site-specific prevalence and genotypes of CT among MSM recruited from three geographic areas in China.MethodsWe collected urine specimens and anorectal, pharyngeal swab specimens from 379 MSM. CT infection was identified using polymerase chain reaction and CT genotyping was determined by sequences of the ompA gene.ResultsThe results indicated that the overall prevalence of CT infection was 18.2% (95% confidence intervals [CIs], 13.9–22.5%) and significantly different between the cities (p = 0.048). The infection was most common at the anorectal site (15.6, 95%CIs 11.6–19.5%) followed by urethral (3.2, 95%CIs 1.4–5.0%) and oropharyngeal sites (1.6, 95%CIs 0.3–2.9%). Genotypes D and G were the most common CT strains in this population but genotype D was significantly predominated in Nanjing while genotype G was in Wuhan. No genotype related to lymphogranuloma venereum was found. CT infection was significantly related to the infection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 14.27, 95%CIs 6.02–33.83, p < 0.001) and age. Men older than 40 years old were less likely to have a CT infection as compared to men under 30 years old (aOR 0.37, 95% CIs 0.15–0.93, p = 0.03).ConclusionThe high CT infection prevalence, particularly in the anorectal site, among MSM suggests the necessity to development an integrated CT screening and treatment program specifically focusing on this high-risk population. Surveillance of CT infections should be improved by including both infection and genotype based surveys into the current surveillance programs in China.

IntroductionInappropriate use of antibiotics to treat gonorrhoea can lead to antibiotic resistance. Education programmes may be helpful for improving physician prescribing behaviours in accordance with treatment guidelines. As traditional education based on printed materials may have limited effect on guideline-based treatment, innovative education strategies are needed. The current trial aims to assess the effectiveness of a novel education intervention to increase guideline-based treatment of gonorrhoea in China.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a two-arm cluster randomised control trial at 144 hospitals (clusters) in eight Chinese provinces. The intervention will include an online training video developed on the WenJuanXing platform that covers workflows and requirements for managing a patient with uncomplicated gonorrhoea. Outpatient physicians in dermatology (dermatovenerology), urology, andrology and gynaecology will be given access to the video via a quick response code. In hospitals allocated to the control arm, physicians will continue to participate in their standard of care training programme. The primary outcome is the proportion of gonorrhoea antibiotic prescriptions adherent to Chinese national guidelines at the cluster level. In addition, to understand the reasons of physician’s non-adherence to the intervention by conducting a questionnaire survey will be considered as the secondary outcome of the study.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was obtained from the Medical Ethics Committee of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Institute of Dermatology (2020-LS-004). All physicians will provide an informed consent prior to participating in the study. Findings of the trial will be disseminated through conferences and peer-reviewed journals, and will be used to develop training programmes for physicians.Trial registration numberChiCTR2000029591.

BACKGROUND With China’s explosive internet growth, activities such as socializing and partner seeking among men who have sex with men (MSM) has also become Web based through popular services such as Blued. This creates a new mode of health promotion with the potential to instantly reach large numbers of MSM, including those who rarely access traditional offline testing facilities. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the Easy Test in increasing access and uptake of HIV testing and treatment services among MSM and to identify demographic and behavioral predictors of program uptake to inform future implementation. METHODS A feasibility study of the Easy Test model was conducted from October 2017 to December 2017 in 14 Chinese provinces. Applicants who provided informed consent completed a self-administered questionnaire and submitted a US $5 deposit to have the free test kit delivered to their homes. Orders were then received, processed, and posted by volunteers from local community-based organizations. Once applicants submitted images of their test results, the deposit was refunded to the applicant. Those whose test results were deemed to be HIV-positive were then connected to a peer navigator to accompany the individual to follow-up medical services. A chi-squared trend test was used to assess the relationship between lifetime HIV testing volume and HIV prevalence. Logistic regression models were used to identify independent risk factors associated with two outcomes: (1) never having tested for HIV and (2) receiving an HIV-positive result. RESULTS A total of 879 individuals submitted Web-based requests for test kits. Their median age was 28 (interquartile range 24-34 years); 69.3% (609/879) had at least a college education, and 51.5% (453/879) had a monthly income between US $450 to $750; 77.7% (683/879) of the applicants submitted images of their test results, among whom 14.3% (98/683) had an HIV-positive result. Among the 42.9% (293/683) who were first-time testers, the HIV prevalence was 18.8% (55/293). Nearly three-quarters (71/98, 72.4%) of those with a positive test result were connected with a peer navigator and enrolled in treatment. Among the first-time testers, having multiple sexual partners (2-3 sexual partners: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.44, 95% CI 1.08-5.50; 4 or above sexual partners: aOR 3.55, 95% CI 1.18-10.68) and reporting inconsistent condom use in the previous 3 months (aOR 7.95, 95% CI 3.66-17.26) were both associated with an HIV-positive result. An inverse dose response relationship between lifetime HIV testing volume and HIV prevalence was also observed in this study (χ23=55.0; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS The Easy Test model reached a larger portion of first-time testers, many who reported higher risk sexual behaviors. This highlights the potential for an internet-based self-test model to increase access to HIV treatment services for HIV-positive MSM in China.

Background The awareness and willingness to use doxycycline-based syphilis chemoprophylaxis among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China remain largely unknown. Methods We recruited MSM online from Nanjing, Wuhan and Changsha between August and October of 2021, collected data from online survey, analyzed their data using descriptive statistics, and constructed binary logistic regression for factors associated with awareness and willingness to use chemoprophylaxis for syphilis and HIV. Results Of 725 participants (44.0% of which resided in Nanjing, 37.7% in Changsha, and 18.3% in Wuhan), a majority were under 25 years of age; 62.2% had college degrees; 11.3% were HIV positive; and 5.10% had prior syphilis infection. Only 28.83% of participants had heard of syphilis chemoprophylaxis before. Odds of knowing syphilis chemoprophylaxis were higher in those who think it is necessary to have syphilis chemoprophylaxis versus those who think it is unnecessary (P = 0.002), and were higher in those whose acquaintance had chemoprophylaxis experience before (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, those who had no previous doxycycline using history, or had positive attitude were more likely to be willing to accept syphilis chemoprophylaxis (P = 0.009, P < 0.001). Over two-thirds (67.8%) of participants preferred the PEP mode in syphilis chemoprophylaxis, and side-effects of drugs remains their most worrying aspect. Conclusions We observed elevated interest in syphilis chemoprophylaxis in MSM in our investigational areas, indicating that the combination of HIV and syphilis chemoprophylaxis in China is promising.

ObjectivesScreening forChlamydia trachomatis(CT) andNeisseria gonorrhoeae(NG) at both urogenital and extragenital sites has been recommended in many countries. Testing of the infections using pooled specimens from urogenital and extragenital sites offer the opportunity to shorten the testing time and reduce the testing cost. Ex-ante pooling is placing the original single-site specimens in a tube with transport media, while ex-post pooling is making a pool of the transport media from both anorectal and oropharyngeal specimens and the urine. This study aimed to conduct a multisite performance evaluation of two pool-specimen approaches (ex-ante and ex-post) in detection of CT and NG using the Cobas 4800 platform among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China.DesignDiagnostic accuracy study.Setting, participants and outcome measuresParticipants were recruited from MSM communities at six cities in China. Two oropharyngeal and anorectal swabs collected by clinical staff and 20 mL first-void urine collected by the participant himself were used for evaluating sensitivity and specificity.ResultsA total of 1311 specimens were collected from 437 participants in six cities. The sensitivities of ex-ante pooling approach as compared with single-specimen approach (reference standard) were 98.7% (95% CI, 92.7% to 100.0%) for detection of CT and 89.7% (95% CI, 75.8% to 97.1%) for NG, and the specificities were 99.5% (95% CI, 98.0% to 99.9%) and 98.7% (95% CI, 97.1% to 99.6%), respectively. The sensitivities of ex-post pooling approach were 98.7% (95% CI, 92.7% to 100.0%) for CT and 100.0% (95% CI, 91.0% to 100.0%) for NG, and the specificities were 100.0% (95% CI, 99.0% to 100.0%) and 100.0% (95% CI, 99.1% to 100.0%), respectively.ConclusionsThe ex-ante and ex-post pooling approaches show good sensitivity and specificity in detecting urogenital and extragenital CT and/or NG, indicating that these approaches can be used in epidemiological surveillance and clinical management of CT and NG infections, particularly among MSM population.

IntroductionChlamydia trachomatis (CT) causes the most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the world, and men who have sex with men (MSM) are considered as a high-risk population for this infection. Data regarding the prevalence of CT infection in China are limited and fragmented. In this study, we aim to determine at the national level the anatomically specific CT prevalence and genotype distribution of CT strains among MSM, recruiting from the venues where MSM commonly seek sexual partners.Methods and analysisThe study will be a nationwide cross-sectional survey to estimate the prevalence of chlamydial infections among MSM who meet the inclusion criteria over a period of 6 months (May–October 2022). A total of 2429 participants will be recruited from the venues where MSM most often seek sex partners in 14 cities of the 7 geographical regions in China. A mobile phone app-based anonymous self-administered questionnaire will be used to collect sociodemographic and behavioural data, and specimens of urine, anorectal and pharyngeal swabs will be collected for identifying the infections of CT and Neisseria gonorrhoeae and genotypes of CT. The data will be analysed using the IBM SPSS program V.20Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Institute of Dermatology and the National Center for STD Control on 9 October 2021 (approval number 2021-KY-037). The study is based on voluntary participation and a written informed consent process. The study results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and reported in conferences. The relevant data will be made available to development of control programmes and used as health education materials to disseminate to the community. The dataset will be deposited in a public repository.Trial registration numberChiCTR2100052869.