Women with HIV transitioning through menopause: Insights from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS).

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess prevalence and age at menopause, identify factors associated with early menopause and explore the provision and utilization of healthcare in women living with HIV in Switzerland. METHODS: This was a retrospective Swiss HIV Cohort Study analysis from January 2010 to December 2018. Descriptive statistics to characterise the population and menopause onset. Logistic regression analysis to identify risk factors for early menopause. RESULTS: Of all women in the SHCS, the proportion of postmenopausal women tripled from 11.5% (n = 274) in 2010 to 36.1% (n = 961) in 2018. The median age at menopause was 50 years. Early menopause (< 45 years) occurred in 115 (10.2%) women and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) (< 40 years) in 23 (2%) women. Early menopause was associated with black ethnicity (52.2% vs. 21.6%, p < 0.001), but not with HIV acquisition mode, CDC stage, viral suppression, CD4 cell count, hepatitis C, smoking or active drug use. While 92% of the postmenopausal women underwent a gynaecological examination during the 36 months before menopause documentation, only 27% received a bone mineral density measurement within 36 months after the last bleed and 11% were on hormone replacement therapy at the time of menopause documentation. CONCLUSIONS: The median age of women living with HIV at menopause is around 2 years lower than that reported for HIV-negative women in Switzerland. HIV care providers need to adapt their services to the requirements of the increasing number of women living with HIV transitioning through menopause. They should be able to recognize menopause-associated symptoms and improve access to bone mineral density measurement as well as hormone replacement therapy.

Non-occupational and occupational factors associated with specific SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among hospital workers - A multicentre cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Protecting healthcare workers (HCWs) from coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is critical to preserve the functioning of healthcare systems. We therefore assessed seroprevalence and identified risk factors for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) seropositivity in this population. METHODS: Between 22 June 22 and 15 August 2020, HCWs from institutions in northern/eastern Switzerland were screened for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We recorded baseline characteristics, non-occupational and occupational risk factors. We used pairwise tests of associations and multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with seropositivity. RESULTS: Among 4664 HCWs from 23 healthcare facilities, 139 (3%) were seropositive. Non-occupational exposures independently associated with seropositivity were contact with a COVID-19-positive household (adjusted OR 59, 95% CI 33-106), stay in a COVID-19 hotspot (aOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.2-4.2) and male sex (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.1). Blood group 0 vs. non-0 (aOR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.8), active smoking (aOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.7), living with children <12 years (aOR 0.3, 95% CI 0.2-0.6) and being a physician (aOR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.5) were associated with decreased risk. Other occupational risk factors were close contact to COVID-19 patients (aOR 2.7, 95% CI 1.4-5.4), exposure to COVID-19-positive co-workers (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-2.9), poor knowledge of standard hygiene precautions (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-2.9) and frequent visits to the hospital canteen (aOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.4-3.8). DISCUSSION: Living with COVID-19-positive households showed the strongest association with SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity. We identified several potentially modifiable work-related risk factors, which might allow mitigation of the COVID-19 risk among HCWs. The lower risk among those living with children, even after correction for multiple confounders, is remarkable and merits further study.

Is switching to an oral antibiotic regimen safe after 2 weeks of intravenous treatment for primary bacterial vertebral osteomyelitis?

BACKGROUND: Vertebral osteomyelitis (VO) may lead to disabling neurologic complications. Little evidence exists on optimal antibiotic management. METHODS: All patients with primary, non-implant VO, admitted from 2000-2010 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with endocarditis, immunodeficiency, vertebral implants and surgical site infection following spine surgery were excluded. Persistence of clinical or laboratory signs of inflammation at 1 year were defined as treatment failure. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) of switch to an oral regimen after 2 weeks. RESULTS: Median antibiotic treatment was 8.1 weeks in 61 identified patients. Switch to oral antibiotics was performed in 72% of patients after a median intravenous therapy of 2.7 weeks. Switch to oral therapy was already performed after two weeks in 34% of the patients. A lower CRP at 2 weeks was the only independent predictor for switch to oral therapy (OR 0.7, 95% confidence interval 0.5-0.9, p = 0.041, per 10 mg/l increase). Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently isolated microorganism (21%). Indications for surgery, other than biopsy, included debridement with drainage of epidural or paravertebral abscess (26 patients; 42%), and CT-guided drainage (3 patients).During the follow-up, no recurrences were observed but 2 patients died of other reasons than VO, i.e. the 1 year intention to treat success rate was 97%. CONCLUSIONS: Cure rates for non-implant VO were very high with partly short intravenous and overall antibiotic therapy. Switching to an oral antibiotic regimen after two weeks intravenous treatment may be safe, provided that CRP has decreased and epidural or paravertebral abscesses of significant size have been drained.