Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV in Brazil: hopes and moral panic in the social construction of a biomedical technology.

This paper addresses the role emotions play in the social assemblage of medicines and technical processes in the response to the HIV called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV. We describe a series of stages and processes in the social construction of PrEP in Brazil from the run-up to the launch of the initiative by the Ministry of Health to the subsequent implementation of the strategy by public health services. To understand the meanings and symbolism assigned to this biomedical technology, we examined the hopes underpinning scientific, government and non-governmental narratives, clinical processes and health policy. The social trajectory of PrEP was influenced not only by these hopes but also by fears and concerns about the impact of this approach to HIV prevention on lifestyles and modes of sexual governance. The evidence used in this study comes from interviews with health professionals and AIDS activists, anthropological fieldwork, scientific articles and documentary analysis. Our findings provide important insights into how emotions have shaped the meanings assigned to PrEP and shed light on the complex game of negotiation involved in defining responses to the HIV epidemic.

Drivers of Sexual Inactivity Among Women Living with HIV and AIDS: Findings of the GENIH Study in São Paulo, Brazil.

The advances on HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment have enabled people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) better quality of life. However, the persistence of HIV-related stigma and discrimination, and the risks triggered by HIV disclosure, may be a barrier to the sexual exercise of PLHA. We investigated the prevalence of sexual inactivity and the reasons given for it among a representative sample of women of reproductive age living with HIV/AIDS (WLWHA) in the municipality of São Paulo, Brazil. We surveyed 918 WLWHA with probability proportional to average number of visits in each of the 18 referral HIV/AIDS services. Sexual inactivity was defined as not having had vaginal sexual intercourse in the year prior to research. Statistical modeling of the factors associated with sexual inactivity was carried out by way of bivariate and multivariate analysis. In all, 22.2% (n = 200) of the women did not have sexual relations in the year prior to the interview. The majority reported a reduction in desire (64.5%) and sexual activity (68%). Among the women not in a relationship, the predictors of sexual inactivity were: being older (35-49) (ORa = 2.25); not being Catholic (ORa = 2.91); having kept the diagnosis secret from their partner (ORa = 2.45); having had up to five sexual partners throughout life (ORa = 3.81). The diagnosis of HIV seems to have more of an effect on the desire for and frequency of sexual activity than on its interruption. Sexual inactivity was influenced by the stigma of HIV/AIDS, by age, and by moral-religious values.

Institutional context and VCT practitioner narratives: possibilities and limitations for HIV prevention in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) is an HIV prevention strategy that promotes the principles of confidentiality and informed consent. International research has highlighted VCT counselors' isolation from service planning and the contradictions they negotiate between local values and global testing recommendations. In Brazil, studies have identified many limitations, including counselors' difficulties to implement a vulnerability approach to HIV prevention as recommended in the country's national guidelines. These studies, however, have not considered the particularities of the institutional contexts where counselors work. This research addresses these gaps in the VCT literature by exploring how VCT services are organized and how counselors perceive and perform their practices in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. METHODS: This is a case study of VCT services in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The research design included individual structured interviews with seven VCT service coordinators and twenty individual semi-structured interviews with VCT counselors. Participants were sampled according to gender, undergraduate degree and work trajectory to capture a diverse range counselor narratives. RESULTS: The VCT services were relatively homogenous in terms of functioning and had a similar restricted roll of activities including individual counseling and occasional external prevention activities with groups vulnerable to HIV. All VCT services reported reductions in staff size. Some counselors used dialogical practices to build trust, guarantee confidentiality and adjust their practices in accordance with their clients' values and practices. Others emphasized imperative messages or focused on risk and individual responsibility. Connections between how counselors perceive their practices and the organization of their work environment were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the importance of counseling as a prevention strategy we recommend rethinking the relationship between counselors' practices and the organization of VCT services. The challenges brought about by the expansion of "test and treat" programs globally and other social and symbolic aspects of the HIV epidemic, such as gender inequalities, must also be taken into account. Further reflection is also needed on the relationship between counseling guidelines and practices within the vulnerability approach to HIV prevention.

Sex, love and money along the Namibian-Angolan border.

In sub-Saharan Africa, young women engaged in relationships with multiple partners in order to gain material benefits play a key role in local HIV dynamics. This paper is based upon field observations and interviews with 38 young women who live along the Angolan-Namibian border. In the last 10 years, rapid urbanisation has attracted migrants in search of opportunities to do business in the region. Our findings show that sexual-affective economic networks reflect these socioeconomic changes. Women, particularly those from particular ethnic groups and/or from Namibia, with low levels of formal education and social support are often excluded from the labour market and turn to emotional-sexual male-centred networks for material and financial benefits. Men in these networks tend to be older, have higher socioeconomic status and greater geographic mobility. This 'capitalisation' of intimate relationships is material and symbolic; it enables women to acquire goods and access to services identified with an urban and globalised lifestyle. It is also emotional because relationships include affection and pleasure. Engaging in these relationships involves some social risks (bad reputation, family rejection, discrimination and violence), but maintaining ties often takes priority over safer sex and social sanctions.

The "moral career" of perinatally HIV-infected children: revisiting Goffman's concept.

HIV-infected children usually live in vulnerable situations, experiencing discrimination and stigma commonly felt by other people living with HIV/AIDS. The present study aims to analyse primary socialisation of HIV-infected children and adolescents recruited from a public health service in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) as a social process that shapes a new generation of stigmatised and vulnerable persons. Research was informed by an interactionist perspective, focusing on key aspects of HIV-infected children and adolescents life histories under the conceptual frame of Erving Goffman's theories regarding "moral careers". Goffman defines the making of a moral career as the process through which a person learns that she/he possesses a particular attribute, which may lead her/him to be discredited by members of the surrounding society. We have identified aspects of life histories of HIV-vertically infected children and adolescents for each aspect of "moral career" as described by Goffman, relating them to as family structure, the experience of living HIV within the family, and the position and family role of a given subject. The patterns of "moral career" proposed by Goffman in 1963 were useful in identifying components of HIV-related stigma among children and adolescents. These include gender and social disadvantages, difficulty in coping with a child with a potentially severe disease, orphanhood, abandonment, adoption and disclosure of one's HIV serostatus. Primary socialisation of HIV-infected children and adolescents is a key piece of the complex HIV/AIDS-labelling process that could be targeted by interventions aiming to decrease stigma and marginalisation. Health care workers and stakeholders should be committed to ensuring education and guaranteeing the legal rights of this specific population, including the continuous provision of quality health care, full access to school and support to full disclosure of HIV diagnosis.

Potential Challenges of the Extraction of Carotenoids and Fatty Acids from Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) Oil.

Pequi is a natural source of bioactive compounds with wide versatility for fresh or processed fruit consumption, but it is still little explored economically. Functional foods are the subject of diverse scientific research since, in addition to being nourishing, they contain bioactive compounds capable of promoting several benefits to the human body. Pequi is a fruit species native to the Brazilian Cerrado, which is rich in oil and has components with a high nutritional value, such as unsaturated fatty acids (omega-3, omega-6, EPA, and DHA), antioxidants (carotenoids and phenolic compounds), and vitamins. Therefore, the present narrative review aims to compile and critically evaluate the methods used to extract oil from the pulp and almonds of pequi and describes the carotenoid separation from the oil because carotenoids are natural pigments of great interest in the pharmaceutical and food industries. It is emphasized that the main challenges linked to bioactive compound extraction are their susceptibility to degradation in the processing and storage stages of pequi and its derived products.

The production of social discourse on Hansen' disease and health education materials in Brazil: a skin patch as something harmless or a serious disease?

AIMS: Hansen's disease is endemic in Brazil and government control programmes promote publicity campaigns to increase the detection of new cases through the production and distribution of educative material. OBJECTIVES: This study analyses a set of 276 educational materials produced by governmental and non-governmental organisations that work to control Hansen's disease in Brazil. It describes the content of the materials and the way the issues were approached. DESIGN: It is a qualitative study that adopts the theoretical and methodological framework of the semiology of social discourse. RESULTS: Analysis reveals that the relations between the enunciator and recipient of the materials are asymmetrical as a result of the technical and educational language employed. Biomedical information forms the basis for social representations an practices of Hansen's disease, as opposed to historical collective knowledge of 'leprosy'. The prioritised topics are: signs and symptoms of the disease, treatment stigma, cure and surveillance. CONCLUSIONS: The institutionalisation of public education on Hansen's disease in Brazil was not limited simply to the change of terminology from 'leprosy' to 'Hansen's disease,' but was shaped also by new educational practices. It is recommended that the evaluation and production of new materials be incorporated into the set of activities already carried out in health centres so as to expand the discussion on content, language and the best way to address the disease in the materials.

A retreat from human rights? A reflection on sex work's place in contemporary HIV prevention.

In 2012, the World Health Organization guidelines for HIV prevention recommended the decriminalisation of sex work as their number one good practice. Although human rights language played a key role in the international scientific and activist endorsement of the WHO policies, since then there have been few initiatives in terms of advancing the kinds of structural and political changes endorsed. In this Commentary, we reflect on sex work's place in the broader field of the biomedicalization of responses to HIV. The analysis is based on literature reviews and our research trajectories, including preliminary results from a qualitative study on the implementation of PrEP in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We argue that sex workers occupy an ambiguous and less visible role in current AIDS policies, and that such policies are increasingly characterised by their prioritisation of biomedical approaches over structural factors. These shifts should be understood as part of a broader, global hegemony of clinical responses to HIV prevention and the continuation of a neoliberal discourse around human rights, without adequate investment in the material conditions necessary to guarantee these rights.

[Views and practices of women living with HIV/AIDS on reproduction, sexuality, and rights]. / Visões e práticas de mulheres vivendo com HIV/aids sobre reprodução, sexualidade e direitos.

The article analyzes the views and practices on reproduction, sexuality, and rights of women living with HIV/AIDS (WLWA). This qualitative study was based on interviews at two moments, 2013 and 2018, with seven WLWA seen at HIV/AIDS referral services in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The study examined the opinions and experiences on motherhood, affective-sexual relations, feminism, and sexual and reproductive rights. The findings reveal the women's naturalized perception of the female body and their accountability on the events in sexual and reproductive life. An association was seen between reproductive right and the right to choose motherhood or the fathers' participation in raising the children. As for sexual rights, the prevailing conception was the woman's (or person's) right to choose in the face of demands, impositions, or violence to have sex, including the context of matrimonial relations. The sociocultural context proved to be more determinant in preventive practices and reproductive trajectory than HIV serology. WLWA displayed the capacity to reshape practices linked to routine care for the family, motherhood, contraceptive choices, and the exercise of sexuality. Yet traditional gender norms appear heavily in their family dynamics, and the reach of these transformations is mediated by the sociocultural and economic context. Thus, lower access to symbolic goods by low-income strata, which characterizes the universe of the women interviewed here, compromises their access to the gains made in sexual freedom and female autonomy.

O artigo analisa as visões e práticas sobre reprodução, sexualidade e direitos de mulheres vivendo com HIV/aids (MVHA). O estudo, de caráter qualitativo, teve, por base, entrevistas feitas em dois momentos, 2013 e 2018, com sete MVHA atendidas em serviços de referência em HIV/aids no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Foram investigadas opiniões e vivências sobre maternidade, interações afetivo-sexuais, feminismo e direitos sexuais e reprodutivos. Os achados revelam a percepção naturalizada das entrevistadas sobre o corpo feminino e a sua responsabilização acerca dos eventos da vida sexual e reprodutiva. Nota-se uma associação entre direito reprodutivo e direito de escolha da maternidade ou da participação dos pais na criação dos filhos. Quanto aos direitos sexuais, prevaleceu a concepção do direito de escolha da mulher (ou pessoa) diante das demandas, imposições ou violência para fazer sexo, incluindo o contexto das relações matrimonias. A conjuntura sociocultural mostrou-se mais determinante das práticas preventivas e trajetória reprodutiva do que a sorologia do HIV. Foi notado a capacidade das MVHA de remodelar práticas ligadas à rotina de cuidado com a família, à maternidade, a escolhas contraceptivas e ao exercício da sexualidade. Mas, as normas tradicionais de gênero se mostram fortemente nas suas dinâmicas familiares, e o alcance dessas transformações é mediado pelo contexto sociocultural e econômico. Assim, o menor acesso a bens simbólicos dos estratos populares, que caracteriza o universo das mulheres entrevistadas, compromete o acesso desses grupos a conquistas relativas à liberdade sexual e à autonomia feminina.

El artículo analiza las visiones y prácticas sobre reproducción, sexualidad y derechos de mujeres viviendo con VIH/sida (MVHA). El estudio, de carácter cualitativo, tuvo como base entrevistas realizadas en dos momentos, 2013 y 2018, con siete MVHA atendidas en servicios de referencia en VIH/sida en Río de Janeiro, Brasil. Se investigaron opiniones y vivencias sobre maternidad, interacciones afectivo-sexuales, feminismo, derechos sexuales y reproductivos. Los hallazgos revelan la percepción naturalizada de las entrevistadas sobre el cuerpo femenino y su responsabilización acerca de los eventos de la vida sexual y reproductiva. Se nota una asociación entre derecho reproductivo y derecho de elección de la maternidad o de la participación de los padres en la crianza de los hijos. En cuanto a los derechos sexuales, prevaleció la concepción del derecho de elección de la mujer (o persona) ante las demandas, imposiciones o violencia para tener relaciones sexuales, incluyendo el contexto de las relaciones matrimoniales. La coyuntura sociocultural se mostró más determinante en las prácticas preventivas y trayectoria reproductiva que respecto a la serología del VIH. Se señaló la capacidad de las MVHA de remodelar prácticas relacionadas con la rutina de cuidado con la familia, maternidad, elecciones contraceptivas y ejercicio de la sexualidad. Sin embargo, las normas tradicionales de género se muestran fuertemente en sus dinámicas familiares y el alcance de esas transformaciones es mediado por el contexto sociocultural y económico. Así, el menor acceso a bienes simbólicos de los estratos populares, que caracteriza el universo de las mujeres entrevistadas, compromete el acceso de estos grupos a conquistas relacionadas con la libertad sexual y autonomía femenina.

HIV-related stigma among young people living with HIV transitioning to an adult clinic in a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. / Estigma relacionado ao HIV entre jovens em transição para a clínica de adultos num hospital público no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

This study analyzes how experiences of HIV-related stigma are expressed among HIV-positive young people transitioning to an adult clinic, the health service, the family, the affective-sexual interactions, and their relationship with inequalities and social hierarchies. This research included 31 young people (median age 21) transitioning to an adult clinic (G1) and 12 young people (median age 30) who had already made this transition (G2), both monitored at a health service in Rio de Janeiro. Seventy percent of the 43 young people were women and 65% were infected by mother-to-child transmission. Young people answered questionnaires and participated in focus groups on AIDS stigma and transition to adulthood. Most reported discrimination associated with HIV stigma in daily life and health care. G1 young people showed more significant concern about the consequences of HIV disclosure and difficulties with treatment. The G2 accounts suggest that establishing marital relationships, including HIV-negative partners and children, linked to treatment access allowed resignifying the fear of stigmatization. The findings aim to guide the training and action of professionals involved in the prevention and care of young people living with HIV.

Neste estudo investigamos como vivências de estigma do HIV se expressam entre jovens soropositivos, em transição para a clínica de adultos, no serviço de saúde, na família e nas interações afetivos-sexuais e sua relação com as desigualdades e hierarquias sociais. O estudo envolveu 31 jovens (idade mediana 21) em transição para a clínica de adultos (G1) e 12 jovens (idade mediana 30) que já fizeram essa transição (G2), ambos atendidos num serviço de saúde do Rio de Janeiro. Dentre os 43 jovens, 70% eram mulheres e 65% foi infectado por transmissão vertical. Os jovens responderam a questionários e participaram de grupos focais sobre estigma da aids e passagem para a vida adulta. A maioria relatou situações de discriminação associadas ao estigma do HIV na vida cotidiana e no cuidado em saúde. Os jovens do G1 revelaram maior preocupação com as consequências da revelação do HIV e dificuldades com o tratamento. Os relatos do G2 sugerem que a constituição de relações conjugais, incluindo parceiro/a e filhos soronegativos e o acesso ao tratamento, possibilitaram resignificar o receio da estigmatização. Os achados visam orientar a formação e ação de profissionais envolvidos na prevenção e cuidado de jovens vivendo com HIV.

First report of Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Metastrongylidae) in Achatina fulica (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Southeast and South Brazil.

The rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a worldwide-distributed zoonotic nematode that can cause human eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. Here, for the first time, we report the isolation of A. cantonensis from Achatina fulica from two Brazilian states: Rio de Janeiro (specifically the municipalities of Barra do Piraí, situated at the Paraiba River Valley region and São Gonçalo, situated at the edge of Guanabara Bay) and Santa Catarina (in municipality of Joinville). The lungworms were identified by comparing morphological and morphometrical data obtained from adult worms to values obtained from experimental infections of A. cantonensis from Pernambuco, Brazil, and Akita, Japan. Only a few minor morphological differences that were determined to represent intra-specific variation were observed. This report of A. cantonensis in South and Southeast Brazil, together with the recent report of the zoonosis and parasite-infected molluscs in Northeast Brazil, provide evidence of the wide distribution of A. cantonensis in the country. The need for efforts to better understand the role of A. fulica in the transmission of meningoencephalitis in Brazil and the surveillance of molluscs and rodents, particularly in ports, is emphasized.

Vulnerability to STIs/HIV: sociability and the life trajectories of young women who have sex with women in Rio de Janeiro.

This study aims to better understand STI/HIV-related vulnerability among self-identified lesbians and bisexual young women aged 18-26 years in two neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro. Based on ethnographic observations and in-depth interviews, the paper analyses their life experiences and trajectories. Findings reveal that sexual identities and ties attributed to sexual interactions with women and men have an important role in influencing perceptions of vulnerability. The notion of STI and HIV risk is not well developed among women who have sex with women. It emerges largely in practices with bisexual female partners and those of the opposite sex, since in these the potential for HIV transmission (through contact with semen) is recognized. Sexually transmitted infection and HIV-related risk with male partners is seen as small by the women in the study, since such relationships are seen as 'occasional' and generally speaking occur with someone they know well. The value given to trust and the lack of alignment between sexual identities and sexual practices reinforces the need for approaches to STI and HIV prevention and care that prioritise the sexual history and practices of women and their sexual identities within specific contexts.

The contribution of Journal Ciência & Saúde Coletiva to gender and health studies. / A contribuição da Revista Ciência & Saúde Coletiva para os estudos sobre e gênero e saúde.

This paper aims to explore Journal Ciência & Saúde Coletiva's contributions to gender and health studies. Therefore, mapping was carried out through the SciELO platform, using the terms gender, man/men, woman/women, youth/youths, adolescent/adolescents. A total of 164 papers were selected, categorized by year of publication, type of study, population, topics addressed, and method. The analysis of the material shows the journal's contribution to proposing themes that favor analyses from the gender perspective. Some productions reflect the most current discussions. However, the paucity of works on gender in life cycles and the intersectional approach suggests that the journal's proactive posture should be maintained to encourage gender analysis in other topics than sexual and reproductive health, masculinities, and gender violence against women.

Este artigo tem como finalidade explorar as contribuições da C&SC para os estudos sobre gênero e saúde. Para tanto, foi realizado um mapeamento por meio da plataforma da revista no SciELO, utilizando os unitermos gênero, homem/homens, mulher/mulheres, jovem/jovens, adolescente/adolescentes. Foram selecionados 164 artigos, categorizados em função do ano de publicação, tipo de estudo, população estudada, temas abordados e método. A análise do material aponta a contribuição da revista ao propor temas que favorecem análises na perspectiva de gênero. Algumas produções traduzem discussões atuais. Entretanto, o pequeno número de artigos sobre gênero nos ciclos de vida e desde uma abordagem interseccional sugere que a postura proativa da revista deve ser mantida para estimular análises de gênero em outros temas que não a saúde sexual e reprodutiva, as masculinidades e a violência de gênero contra mulheres.

Relationships between scientific production and public policies: the case of indigenous people's health in the field of collective health. / Relações entre produção cientifica e políticas públicas: o caso da área da saúde dos povos indígenas no campo da saúde coletiva.

This paper analyses the relationship between studies on the health of indigenous people in public health and public policies aimed at reducing ethnic-racial inequalities. This selection assumes that scientific production on the subject is part of the societal effort to confront health inequities and guarantee the rights and public policies of indigenous people. In total, 3,417 papers were found between 1956 and 2018, and 418 were selected for analysis from systematic literature mapping in the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Lilacs, Sociological Abstract, and Web of Science databases. Initially, the literature is marked by the biomedical benchmark. After 1990, publications and dialogue with the human and social sciences are expanded, including the analysis of the implementation of indigenous health policy. We identified that the knowledge produced is associated with the political, social, and scientific transformations of the health reform and the indigenous agenda. Scientific production increased in 2010. We can conclude that the knowledge guiding the scientific production on indigenous health was established from a horizon politically implicated with the studied populations and improved Indigenous Health Subsystem.

Experiences of transgender women/transvestites with access to health services: progress, limits, and tensions. / Experiências de acesso de mulheres trans/travestis aos serviços de saúde: avanços, limites e tensões.

Given both the changes in sexual customs, norms and policies and the persistent patterns in Brazil, the article analyzes the experiences of transgender women/transvestites with access to health services and discusses sexual/gender discrimination and their demands for gender transition and AIDS prevention services. The study involved interviews with nine transgender women/transvestites 23-45 years of age from low-income strata in the Baixada Fluminense region of Greater Metropolitan Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016 and observation of contexts of prostitution and sociability. Compared to the violence experienced years previously, the narratives of transgender women/transvestites highlight important social strides. They report that health professionals do not discriminate against them based on their condition, although they resist calling them by their social names. This embarrassment and the structural problems of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) are minimized by the agency of trans women/transvestites in obtaining care, such as recourse to contact networks and awareness of their civil rights. The narratives on their search for body changes for transitioning often reveal a tense combination of the technologies offered by health services and those managed by transvestites themselves. Although AIDS policies focus on measures for trans women/transvestites, HIV prevention is not among their main demands on health services. There are subjective barriers for accessing services, resulting from internalized stigma and the association of HIV infection with their living conditions. Improvement in healthcare for the trans/travestite population requires a debate on structural problems in the SUS, the defense of its expanded view of care, and investments in professional training.

Frente às mudanças e permanências nos costumes, normas e políticas sexuais no Brasil, o artigo analisa as experiências de acesso de mulheres trans/travestis aos serviços de saúde e discute a discriminação sexual/de gênero e as suas demandas aos serviços de transição de gênero e prevenção da aids. O estudo envolveu entrevistas com nove mulheres trans/travestis, de 23-45 anos, das camadas populares da Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, realizadas em 2016, e observações de contextos de prostituição e sociabilidade. Comparando com as agressões vividas anos atrás, as narrativas das mulheres trans/travestis destacam avanços sociais. Relatam que os profissionais não as discriminam por sua condição, embora haja resistência ao uso do nome social. Esse constrangimento, somado aos problemas estruturais do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), são minimizados devido à agência das trans/travestis para obter atendimento, seja pelo recurso às redes de contatos, seja por sua consciência de direitos de cidadania. As narrativas sobre a busca por mudanças corporais para a transição de gênero revelam uma conjugação, por vezes tensa, entre as tecnologias oferecidas nos serviços de saúde e aquelas manejadas pelas travestis. Embora as políticas de aids focalizem ações para trans/travestis, a prevenção do HIV não está entre as suas principais demandas aos serviços. Há obstáculos de ordem subjetiva para acessar os serviços, decorrentes do estigma internalizado e da associação da infecção pelo HIV com suas condições de vida. A melhoria da atenção em saúde da população trans/travesti requer um debate sobre os problemas estruturais do SUS, a defesa da visão ampliada de cuidado do sistema e investimentos na capacitação profissional.

Frente a los cambios y permanencias culturales, normativas y políticas en Brasil, el artículo analiza las experiencias de acceso de mujeres trans/travesti a servicios de salud, y discute la discriminación sexual/de género y sus demandas respecto a los servicios de transición de género y prevención del SIDA. En el estudio se realizaron entrevistas con nueve mujeres trans/travestis, de 23-45 años, procedentes de estratos populares, de la Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, realizadas en 2016 y observaciones en contextos de prostitución y sociabilidad. Comparando las agresiones vividas en el pasado, los relatos de las mujeres trans/travesti destacan avances sociales. Describen que los profesionales no las discriminan por su condición, aunque haya resistencia al uso del nombre social. Este inconveniente, sumado a los problemas estructurales del Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), son minimizados devido a la agencia de las trans/travestis para obtener atención, gracias a las redes de contactos y su conciencia sobre sus derechos como ciudadanas. Los relatos sobre la búsqueda de cambios corporales para la transición de género revelan una tensión, entre las tecnologías ofrecidas por los servicios de salud y aquellas que manejan las travestis. Aunque las políticas de SIDA enfaticen acciones orientadas a trans/travestis, la prevención del VIH no está entre sus principales demandas de servicios. Existen obstáculos de carácter subjetivo para acceder a estos servicios, derivados del estigma internalizado y de la asociación de la infección por VIH con sus condiciones de vida. La mejora de la atención en salud de la población trans/travesti requiere un debate sobre los problemas estructurales del SUS, la defensa de su visión amplia de cuidado e inversiones en la capacitación profesional.

A review of HIV testing strategies among MSM (2005-2015): Changes and continuities due to the biomedicalization of responses to AIDS.

Global AIDS policy points to a new prevention rationale centred on the identification and treatment of people infected with HIV, particularly among the so-called key populations. This study analyses the continuities and changes in HIV testing strategies based on a meta-narrative review of academic output (2005-2015) focusing on men who have sex with men. We reviewed 65 articles based on their prevention approaches, testing strategies and the involvement of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community-based organisations. The analysis found continuities in HIV testing strategies in addition to changes. A new focus is reflected in the expansion and diversification of testing offered, the reduced importance of counselling, an emphasis on condom use associated with test results and on the absence of active participation of NGOs in implementing social responses to AIDS. Our findings indicate a systematic lack of problematising the potential ethical, political and cultural issues surrounding HIV testing as a strategy to control the epidemic. The findings of our study reinforce criticisms of the biomedicalization of current HIV-related policies, and reiterate the importance of combining progress achieved in increasing access to diagnosis and treatment with the historical achievements of social responses to AIDS.

Challenges facing HIV treatment as prevention in Brazil: an analysis drawing on literature on testing. / Desafios do tratamento como prevenção do HIV no Brasil: uma análise a partir da literatura sobre testagem.

According to current global AIDS guidelines, HIV testing is key to the success of the 'treatment as prevention' (TasP) strategy and the control of AIDS. In view of Brazil's commitment to these guidelines, this article characterizes the principles and justifications underpinning TasP and discusses implementation challenges. The analysis draws on a systematic review of the literature (2005 to 2015) on recruitment and testing strategies for men who have sex with men. This approach was adopted based on the assumption that current knowledge on HIV testing can offer valuable insights into the foundations of global AIDS policies and their uptake in local contexts. Based on the analysis of the 65 articles selected, we suggest that TasP represents a shift in the AIDS prevention paradigm. There is an overlap between prevention and care and the new approach places major emphasis on biomedical and psychological knowledge. The TasP approach fails to address the factors associated with HIV vulnerability and the stigma surrounding AIDS and undermines the participation of activists and PLWHA as autonomous producers of preventive of preventive practices. We argue that, to ensure the effective implementation of TasP in Brazil, it is necessary to discuss issues such as the protection of human rights and the structural problems facing Brazil's public health system.

Segundo as diretrizes globais atuais, a realização do teste anti-HIV é crucial para o sucesso da estratégia do 'tratamento como prevenção' (TcP) e controle da Aids. Dado o compromisso do Brasil com essa política, este artigo objetiva caracterizar os princípios e justificativas do TcP e discutir os desafios da sua implementação. A reflexão é orientada por uma revisão sistemática da literatura internacional de 2005 a 2015 sobre estratégias de captação e oferta do teste do HIV entre homens que fazem sexo com homens (HSHs). Tal escolha parte do pressuposto de que a produção acadêmica é uma fonte relevante para compreender os fundamentos e apropriações das políticas globais de Aids nos contextos locais. Segundo a análise dos 65 artigos selecionados, a TcP opera uma transformação no paradigma preventivo. Prevalece uma superposição entre prevenção e assistência, sugerindo maior peso aos conhecimentos e práticas biomédicos. Esse enfoque não contempla o enfrentamento de fatores estruturais associados à vulnerabilidade ao HIV e ao estigma da Aids e a participação de ativistas e PVHA como produtores autônomos de praticas preventivas. Argumentamos que a efetividades da TcP no Brasil requer uma discussão sobre a garantia dos direitos humanos e problemas estruturais e programáticos do sistema público de saúde.

Elucidating how two different types of bleaching earths widely used in vegetable oils industry remove carotenes from palm oil: Equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamic parameters.

This work compared the mechanisms of adsorption of carotenes from hybrid palm oil onto two kinds of bleaching earths widely used by industrial refiners (acid-activated and neutral). First, it was performed a deep characterization of adsorbent surfaces: acid activated adsorbent showed micropore volumes twice larger than the neutral. FTIR analysis of adsorbent after adsorption demonstrated that active site was Si-O-Si for both adsorbents. However, comparison of peak shapes suggested distinctive interactions between adsorbent/adsorbate for each adsorbent. Latterly, an extensive kinetic and equilibrium study was performed. Kinetic data were in accordance with pseudo-first and pseudo-second-order models. Adjusting to the intra-particle diffusion model evidenced more than one mechanism controlling the adsorption process. Equilibrium data demonstrated adsorption is only favorable at low carotene concentration at liquid phase for acid adsorbent (lower than 1 mg/mL). For neutral adsorbent, it was not clearly observed a favorable region with the studied conditions. The acid adsorbent could adsorb more carotenes per adsorbent weight than neutral. Finally, neutral adsorbent showed higher heterogeneity of interaction between adsorbate and adsorbent than the acid, especially at low adsorbent coverages.

Social movement of women with HIV/AIDS: an experience between posithive citizen from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. / Movimento social de mulheres com HIV/AIDS: uma experiência entre cidadãs "posithivas" do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Faced with the historical role of organized civil society in the social responses to AIDS and the global health governance, this paper analyzes the biography of women living with HIV/AIDS, members of the National Movement of Posithive Citizens (MNCP), a national network of HIV-positive women. We used a qualitative approach with observations about the actions of the MNCP in Rio de Janeiro and individual interviews with eight members of the MNCP about their motivations and experiences in the movement. Most of the respondents were older than 50 years and had been diagnosed in the 1990s. Their biographies have been marked by social and gender inequalities. Their entry into the MNCP resulted from the need for HIV post-diagnosis support and in health servicesill-equipped to receive them. The movement contributed to the reconstruction of social identity, access to information on care and social support. According to the findings, the actions of the movement do not prioritize the feminist movement's agenda and coping with AIDS-related stigma and HIV vulnerability. Faced with the current global and national context of increased biomedical interventions in AIDS policies and declining resources for the social movement, the study fosters reflections on the challenges of organized civil society in local social responses to the AIDS epidemic.

Diante do papel histórico da sociedade civil organizada nas respostas sociais à aids e na governança global em saúde, o artigo analisa a biografia de mulheres com HIV/aids, integrantes do Movimento Nacional das Cidadãs Posithivas (MNCP), uma rede nacional de mulheres soropositivas. Utilizou-se abordagem qualitativa, com observações das ações do MNCP no Rio de Janeiro e entrevistas individuais com oito integrantes do MNCP, sobre suas motivações e experiências no movimento. A maioria das entrevistadas tinha mais de 50 anos e foi diagnosticada na década de 1990. Suas biografias foram marcadas por desigualdades sociais e de gênero. A entrada no MNCP resultou da necessidade de suporte pós-diagnóstico do HIV e do pouco acolhimento nos serviços de saúde. O movimento contribuiu para reconstrução da identidade social, acesso a informação sobre cuidado e apoio social. Segundo os achados, as ações do movimento não priorizam pautas do movimento feminista e o enfrentamento do estigma da aids e das condições de vulnerabilidade ao HIV. Frente ao atual contexto, global e nacional, de recrudescimento de intervenções biomédicas nas políticas de aids e da redução de recursos para o movimento social, o estudo fomenta reflexões sobre os desafios da sociedade civil organizada nas respostas sociais locais a epidemia de aids.

[Sexuality and STD/AIDS prevention in mental health care: the views and practices of mental health professionals in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]. / Sexualidade e prevenção das IST/aids no cuidado em saúde mental: o olhar e a prática de profissionais no Município do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Despite major strides in the Psychiatric Reform and high HIV rates among users of mental health services, there is a lack of prevention policies for this population. The gap is further aggravated by mental health professionals' difficulty in approaching the sexuality of mental health care users. The article analyzes the perceptions and practices of mental health professionals concerning these issues in three service models in the Network of Psychosocial Care (RAPS) in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Eight focus groups were held with mental health care teams from a public university institution in a Center for Psychosocial Care III (CAPS III) and a Street Outreach Service. A total of 61 health professionals participated (40 women and 21 men), mostly 20 to 40 years of age, both residents and professionals from various health fields. The health professionals identified greater vulnerability of users of mental health care services to situations of sexual violence, and not only to STD/AIDS. They emphasized the importance of addressing sexuality and STD/AIDS prevention; however, these issues do not appear in the team discussions and rarely surface in daily patient care due to their lack of training and knowledge, as well as to the absence of institutional guidelines. The health professionals admitted their difficulties and highlighted the importance of establishing spaces for exchange of experiences in the services. The findings point to the need to incorporate sexuality and STD/AIDS prevention in the institutional dynamics and training of mental health professionals. Despite mental health deinstitutionalization and strides in the AIDS field, in addition to the supply of comprehensive humanized care, such themes have still not been incorporated into the debates in the RAPS. The article concludes with recommendations to help improve the quality of mental health care.

A despeito dos avanços da Reforma Psiquiátrica e das elevadas taxas de infecção pelo HIV entre usuários de serviços de saúde mental, é evidenciada a falta de políticas de prevenção para essa população. Tal lacuna é agravada pela dificuldade de profissionais de saúde mental em abordar a sexualidade dos usuários de serviços de saúde mental. Este artigo analisa as percepções e práticas dos profissionais de saúde mental sobre esses temas em três modelos de serviços da Rede de Atenção Psicossocial (RAPS) do Município do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Foram realizados oito grupos focais com equipes de profissionais de saúde mental de uma instituição universitária pública, de um Centro de Atenção Psicossocial III (CAPS III) e do Consultório na Rua. Participaram 61 profissionais de saúde mental (40 mulheres e 21 homens), majoritariamente na faixa de 20 e 40 anos, residentes e profissionais de diversas áreas. Os profissionais de saúde mental reconheceram uma maior vulnerabilidade dos usuários de serviços de saúde mental às situações de violência sexual, mas não às IST/aids. Afirmaram ser importante abordar a sexualidade e a prevenção das IST/ aids, todavia, tais temas não aparecem nas discussões em equipe e raramente no dia a dia do cuidado devido à falta de formação e conhecimento dos profissionais de saúde mental, bem como da ausência de diretrizes e orientações institucionais. Os profissionais de saúde mental reconheceram suas dificuldades e reforçaram a importância da construção de espaços de troca de experiências nos serviços. Os achados apontam a necessidade de incorporar a sexualidade e a prevenção das IST/ aids na dinâmica institucional e na formação dos profissionais de saúde mental. Apesar da desinstitucionalização e dos avanços no campo da aids, além da oferta de um cuidado integral e humanizado, tais temas ainda não foram incorporados ao debate na RAPS. Foram indicadas recomendações que visam contribuir na melhoraria da qualidade do cuidado oferecido.

Respecto a los avances de la Reforma Psiquiátrica y las elevadas tasas de infección por VIH entre usuarios de servicios de salud mental, se evidencia una falta de políticas de prevención para esta población. Tal laguna se agrava por la dificultad de los profesionales de salud mental en abordar la sexualidad de los usuarios de servicios de salud mental. Este artículo analiza las percepciones y prácticas de los profesionales de salud mental sobre esos temas en tres modelos de servicios de la Red de Atención Psicosocial (RAPS) del municipio de Río de Janeiro, Brasil. Se realizaron ocho grupos focales con equipos de profesionales de salud mental de una institución universitaria pública, de un Centros de Atención Psicosocial III (CAPS III) y de un consultorio en la calle. Participaron 61 profesionales de salud mental (40 mujeres y 21 hombres), mayoritariamente dentro de una franja de 20 a 40 años, residentes y profesionales de diversas áreas. Los profesionales de salud mental reconocieron una mayor vulnerabilidad de los usuarios de servicios de salud mental a situaciones de violencia sexual, pero no a las ETS/SIDA. Afirmaron que era importante abordar la sexualidad y la prevención de las ETS/SIDA, sin embargo, tales temas no aparecen en las discusiones en equipo y raramente en el día a día del cuidado, debido a la falta de formación y conocimiento de los profesionales de salud mental, así como la ausencia de directrices y orientaciones institucionales. Los profesionales de salud mental reconocieron sus dificultades y reforzaron la importancia de la construcción de espacios de intercambio de experiencias en los servicios. Los hallazgos apuntan la necesidad de incorporar la sexualidad y la prevención de las ETS/SIDA en la dinámica institucional y en la formación de los profesionales de salud mental. A pesar de la desinstitucionalización, y de los avances en el campo del SIDA, además de la oferta de un cuidado integral y humanizado, tales temas todavía no fueron incorporados al debate en la RAPS. Se indicaron recomendaciones que tienen como objetivo contribuir a la mejora de la calidad del cuidado ofrecido.