Towards a BRICS Optical Transient Network (BRICS-OTN).

This paper is based on a proposal submitted for a BRICS astronomy flagship program, which was presented at the 2019 meeting of the BRICS Astronomy Working Group, held in Rio de Janeiro from 29 September to 2 October 2019. The future prospects for the detection and study of transient phenomena in the Universe heralds a new era in time domain astronomy. The case is presented for a dedicated BRICS-wide flagship program to develop a network of ground-based optical telescopes for an all-sky survey to detect short lived optical transients and to allow follow-up of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger transient objects. This will leverage existing and planned new facilities within the BRICS countries and will also draw on the opportunities presented by other multi-wavelength space- and ground-based facilities that exist within the BRICS group. The proposed optical network would initially perform followup observations on new transients using existing telescopes. This would later expand to include a new global network of \sim ∼ 70 wide-field 1-m telescopes which will cover the entire sky, simultaneously, with a cadence of less than a few hours. This realization would represent a ground-breaking and unique global capability, presenting many scientific opportunities and associated spin-off benefits to all BRICS countries.

Individual and geographic disparities in human papillomavirus types 16/18 in high-grade cervical lesions: Associations with race, ethnicity, and poverty.

BACKGROUND: Current vaccines protect against 2 human papillomavirus (HPV) types, HPV 16 and 18, which are associated with 70% of cervical cancers and 50% of high-grade cervical lesions. HPV type distribution was examined among women with high-grade lesions by individual and area-based measures of race, ethnicity, and poverty. METHODS: This analysis included 832 women aged 18 to 39 years reported to a surveillance registry in Connecticut during 2008 to 2010. Diagnostic specimens were obtained for HPV DNA testing. Individual measures were obtained from surveillance reports, medical records, and patient interviews. Cases were geocoded to census tracts and linked to area-based measures of race, ethnicity, and poverty. Statistical analysis included use of generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: Overall, 44.8% of women had HPV 16/18. In a multivariate model controlled for confounding by age and diagnosis grade, black race (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.34-0.88), Hispanic ethnicity (aPR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.40-0.88), and higher area-based poverty (aPR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.40-0.87) were associated with a lower likelihood of HPV 16/18 positivity. Black and Hispanic women were less likely to have HPV 16/18 than white women across all levels of area-based measures. CONCLUSIONS: Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, and higher area-based poverty are salient predictors of lower HPV 16/18 positivity among women with high-grade cervical lesions. These data suggest that HPV vaccines might have lower impact among black and Hispanic women and those living in high poverty areas. These findings have implications for vaccine impact monitoring, vaccination programs, and new vaccine development.

Sources of information for assessing human papillomavirus vaccination history among young women.

Assessing history of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is important for monitoring vaccine uptake, impact, and effectiveness. Based on data collected from 1720 women with high-grade cervical lesions reported to a statewide surveillance system in Connecticut, we found that available medical records did not contain HPV vaccination information for 34% of women, and 43% of women could not be reached for interview. When both were used for data collection, concordance of vaccination history (83%) and sensitivity of self-report (96%) were both high. Reviewing medical records based on self-reported information about vaccine providers increased confirmation of vaccination histories in this sample by 18%. The vaccine registry in Connecticut is not currently utilized for HPV vaccinations, but efforts to increase use for adolescent vaccines could be useful in the future to overcome limitations of other sources.

Declining rates of high-grade cervical lesions in young women in Connecticut, 2008-2011.

Vaccines that prevent infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 that are known to cause cervical cancer have been available in the United States since 2006. High-grade cervical lesions are important for monitoring early vaccine impact because they are strong surrogates for cancer yet can develop within years after infection as opposed to decades. Trends in high-grade cervical lesions including cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2, 2/3, and 3 and adenocarcinoma in situ among women ages 21 to 39 years old were examined using a statewide surveillance registry in Connecticut from 2008 to 2011. During this time period, HPV vaccine initiation increased among adolescent females from 45% to 61%. Analyses were stratified by age, according to census tract measures of proportion of population Black, Hispanic, living in poverty, and by urban/nonurban counties. The annual rate per 100,000 females ages 21 to 24 years declined from 834 in 2008 to 688 in 2011 (P(trend) < 0.001). No significant declines were observed among women ages 25 to 39 years. Significant declining trends also occurred in census tracts with lower proportions of the population being Black, Hispanic, or living below the federal poverty level. Declines in high-grade cervical lesions have occurred among young women during 2008 to 2011. This is the first report of declines in cervical neoplasia in the United States since HPV vaccines became available. Continued surveillance is needed to measure vaccine impact and monitor health disparities.