Recombinant HIV-1 Vif protein (NDK)

Background: Clinicians and health departments would ideally undertake targeted efforts to promote HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and frequent HIV testing using data-based criteria to identify populations at elevated risk for HIV. We developed an HIV risk prediction score for men who have sex with men (MSM) to identify individuals at substantial risk for HIV acquisition. Methods: We created a retrospective cohort of MSM who tested HIV-negative at the sexually transmitted disease clinic in Seattle, WA, from 2001 to 2015, and identified seroconversions using HIV surveillance data. We split the cohort randomly 2:1 into derivation and validation data sets, and used Cox proportional hazards to estimate the hazard of acquiring HIV associated with behavioral and clinical predictors, and the Akaike information criterion to determine which variables to retain in our model. Results: Among 16,448 MSM, 640 seroconverted over a 14.3-year follow-up period. The best prediction model included 13 variables and had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.73 (95% confidence interval: 0.71 to 0.76), 76% sensitivity, and 63% specificity at a score cutoff >= 11. A simplified model restricted to 2011-2015 included 4 predictors [methamphetamine use, condomless receptive anal intercourse (CRAI), >= 10 partners, and current diagnosis or self-reported gonorrhea/syphilis in the past year]. This model, the Seattle PrEP Score, had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.69 (95% confidence interval: 0.64 to 0.73), 62% sensitivity, and 70% specificity. One-year incidence was 0.5% for a score of 0, 0.7% for a score of 1, and 2.1% for scores >= 2. Conclusions: The Seattle PrEP Score was predictive of HIV acquisition and could help clinicians and public health agencies identify MSM who could benefit from PrEP and frequent HIV testing.

Objective We developed a mobile cognitive test of verbal learning and memory, the mobile verbal learning test (mVLT), to allow for brief, repeated and portable delivery of a 12-item list learning test through a smartphone. This study examined the psychometric properties of the mVLT among older persons with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Methods Sixty-eight persons with HIV and 36 HIV-negative individuals (aged 50-74) completed three trials of the mVLT on a smartphone once daily for 14 days. A different word list was administered each day. Results Participants completed 80% of the 14 mVLT administrations, equating to 1166 valid and complete mVLTs. Neither adherence nor mean mVLT total score (number correct in 3 recall trials) differed by HIV status. No practice effects from repeated mVLT administration were observed, and there were moderately strong correlations of mVLT performance with performance on the in-lab version of the task and with traditional cognitive assessments of cognitive processes contributing to memory. We found evidence of within-person learning across mVLT trials, with persons with HIV demonstrating less learning from trials 1 to 3 compared to HIV-negative participants. Conclusions The mVLT is a valid method to assess learning in the real world in older adults with and without HIV.