Exploration of the role of emotional expression of treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients having followed virtual reality therapy: a content analysis.

BACKGROUND: Emotional responses are an important component of psychotherapeutic processes. Avatar therapy (AT) is a virtual reality-based therapy currently being developed and studied for patients suffering from treatment resistant schizophrenia. Considering the importance of identifying emotions in therapeutical processes and their impact on the therapeutic outcome, an exploration of such emotions is needed. METHODS: The aim of this study is to identify the underlying emotions at the core of the patient-Avatar interaction during AT by content analysis of immersive sessions transcripts and audio recordings. A content analysis of AT transcripts and audio recordings using iterative categorization was conducted for 16 patients suffering from TRS who underwent AT between 2017 and 2022 (128 transcripts and 128 audio recordings). An iterative categorization technique was conducted to identify the different emotions expressed by the patient and the Avatar during the immersive sessions. RESULTS: The following emotions were identified in this study: Anger, Contempt/ Disgust, Fear, Sadness, Shame/ Embarrassment, Interest, Surprise, Joy and Neutral. Patients expressed mostly neutral, joy and anger emotions whereas the Avatar expressed predominantly interest, disgust/contempt, and neutral emotions. CONCLUSIONS: This study portrays a first qualitative insight on the emotions that are expressed in AT and serves as a steppingstone for further investigation in the role of emotions in the therapeutic outcomes of AT.

Identifying risk factors for prevalent anal human papillomavirus type 16 infection in women living with HIV.

BACKGROUND: Women living with HIV (WLHIV) have a high risk of anal cancer. Identifying risk factors for anal HPV 16 infection, the most significant risk factor for anal cancer, is essential for prevention and screening strategies. METHODS: In the EVVA Cohort study, 151 WLHIV had cervical and anal HPV testing with genotyping every 6 months for 2 years, while demographic and clinical data were collected via questionnaires and chart reviews. Here, we present results of baseline data analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 150 women with adequate HPV test results at baseline, HPV 16 DNA was detected anally in 23 (15.3%; 95%CI:10.4-22.1) and cervically in 5 (3.3%; 95%CI:1.4-7.8). In multivariable analysis, current smoking (OR = 6.0; 95%CI: 1.5-23.9), nadir CD4 count ≤ 200 cells/µL (OR = 8.4; 95%CI: 2.0-34.3), prevalent cervical HPV 16 (OR = 14.7; 95%CI: 1.0-222.5) and anogenital herpes in previous 6 months (OR = 9.8, 95%CI: 1.7-56.8) were associated with prevalent anal HPV 16. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of risk factors can help identify WLHIV at greatest risk of anal HPV 16 infection and, potentially, developing subsequent anal cancer. Identification of the subgroup of these women in whom HPV 16 persists could be an early step in the algorithm of anal cancer screening.

Human papillomavirus genotype concordance between Anyplex II HPV28 and linear array HPV genotyping test in anogenital samples.

Anyplex II HPV-28 (HPV-28) can detect individually 28 HPV genotypes. We assessed the agreement between linear array HPV genotyping (LA-HPV) and HPV-28 for detection of 27 HPV genotypes in 410 stored anogenital samples (75 anal samples, 335 physician-collected cervical samples) collected over 5 years from 410 individuals (13 men, 397 women), including 202 HIV-seropositive individuals. HPV DNA was detected in 393 (95.9%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 93.4-97.4) and 382 (93.2%, 95% CI: 90.3-95.3) samples with HPV-28 and LA-HPV (p = 0.13), respectively, for a good agreement of 96.3% (κ = 0.65). Of the 10503 HPV typing results, 10195 (780 positive, 9577 negative) were concordant, for an agreement of 97.1% (95% CI: 96.7-97.4) and an excellent of κ = 0.82 (95% CI: 0.80-0.84). The mean type-specific concordance for 27 genotypes was 97.0%, 95% CI: 95.8-98.5 (κ = 0.86 ± 0.07, 95% CI: 0.83-0.88). Excellent agreement was obtained individually for all high-risk genotypes (κ = 0.81-0.97) and for most other genotypes except for types 42, 44, 54, 68, and 69. The mean number of types per sample in discordant samples detected with LA-HPV (3.0, 95% CI: 2.7-3.4) was greater than in concordant samples (1.4, 95% CI: 1.3-1.5; p< 0.001). In conclusion, HPV-28 compared favorably with LA-HPV, but was more frequently positive for HPV42 and HPV68.

The EVVA Cohort Study: Anal and Cervical Type-Specific Human Papillomavirus Prevalence, Persistence, and Cytologic Findings in Women Living With HIV.

Background: The risk of anal cancer due to high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) is higher in women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) than in the general population. We present findings of cervical and anal HPV and cytologic tests at baseline in the EVVA cohort study and HPV persistence data 6 months after baseline. Methods: Semiannual visits included questionnaires, chart reviews, cervical/anal cytologic and cervical/anal HPV testing for 2 years. Genotyping for 36 HPV genotypes was performed using the Roche Linear Array HPV genotyping test. Results: A total of 151 women living with HIV were recruited. At baseline, 75% had anal HPV, 51% had anal HR-HPV, 50% had cervical HPV, and 29% had cervical HR-HPV. Anal HPV-16 and HPV-51 were more frequent in women born in Canada (31% and 29%, respectively, compared with ≤16% for other women). Most anal HR-HPV types detected at 6 months (57%-93%) were persistent from baseline. Findings of anal cytologic tests were abnormal for 37% of women. Conclusions: Anal HPV is highly prevalent in women living with HIV, and type distribution varies by place of birth. High-resolution anoscopy was indicated in more than one third of results. As anal cancer is potentially preventable, these important findings need to be considered when selecting the best approach for anal cancer screening programs.

Long-Lasting Outbreak of Erythromycin- and Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Campylobacter jejuni Subspecies jejuni From 2003 to 2013 in Men Who Have Sex With Men, Quebec, Canada.

From January 2003 to December 2013, sexual transmission of 2 clades of Campylobacter jejuni subspecies jejuni isolates resulted in a prolonged outbreak among men who have sex with men living in Quebec, Canada. The outbreak isolates were acquired locally and were resistant to erythromycin and ciprofloxacin.