Evaluation of 278 New Bluephase Style Light Curing Units Purchased Over Six Years.

OBJECTIVE: This study measured 278 new curing lights (LCUs) to determine if they met the manufacturer's specifications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a 6-year period, the light output from 278 Bluephase Style LCUs was measured before the LCUs were given to students (41 in 2017, 44 in 2018, 46 in 2019, 48 in 2020, 50 in 2021, and 49 in 2022). The radiant exitance (mW/cm²) from each year was compared using ANOVA and Tukey- Kramer multiple comparisons test with adjustment for the unequal sample sizes (α=0.05). The results were also compared against the manufacturer's stated radiant exitance of 1200 mW/cm². RESULTS: The 278 LCUs delivered an average (± standard deviation) radiant exitance of 1203 ± 16.7 mW/cm². The lowest radiant exitance was 1149 mW/cm² and the highest was 1257 mW/cm². Although there were statistically significant differences in the LCUs from each year, these values were within the manufacturer's tolerance of values of ± 10%. Approximately 13% of the emitted light was below 420 nm, and 87% was above 420 nm. CONCLUSION: These new LCUs were all multiple peak LCUs that emitted an average radiant exitance of 1,203 mW/cm² (range 1149 to 1257 mW/cm². Purchasers of the Style LCU can be confident that their new LCU will meet the manufacturer's specifications.

Living with HIV at the time of its normalization: a routine experience for women?

To meet the objective of ending the AIDS pandemic in 2030, screening and access to antiretroviral treatments (ARV) must be extended in Africa. This in turns requires that people agree to be screened and treated. Since the beginning of the epidemic, however, the stigmatization of people persons living with HIV (PlHIV) has been a major obstacle in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Despite a substantial reduction in its prevalence over the past 20 years in Burkina Faso, its stigma remains high. The objective of this study is to characterize the local expression of stigmatization in this country towards these women to help to combat it. The method used a long-term ethnographic survey that combined observations of the setting and qualitative interviews of 40 women - both seronegative and seropositive. The results show the appearance of a sort of normalization of HIV/AIDS because the bioclinical effects of the infection are less serious and less visible than they were before ARV. The social effects of the disease nonetheless continue to constitute a threat, or at least they are so perceived by both seropositive and seronegative women. Although less visible, stigmatization persists and constrains seropositive women to use strategies to withdraw from some social spaces to protect themselves. PlHIV active in community associations play an essential role in this setting. They help women to keep their stigmata "under control" and play a role in its normalization by helping to moderate representations of HIV/AIDS and the people who have it.

[Self-disclosure of a HIV-positive serostatus: factors favoring disclosure and consequences for persons living with HIV/AIDS in Burkina Faso]. / Partage de l'information sur le statut sérologique VIH positif : facteurs associés et conséquences pour les personnes vivant avec le VIH/sida au Burkina Faso.

UNLABELLED: Disclosure of HIV-serostatus remains a way to avoid sexual transmission of HIV because it allows partners to take the necessary protective measures, e.g. use of condoms. Disclosure is nevertheless difficult due to the discrimination associated with HIV. The objective of this study was to analyze factors leading to self-disclosure of HIV-positive status within a sample of persons of both sexes attending different healthcare services in Burkina Faso. METHODOLOGY: Cross-sectional study conducted by interviewing 740 patients in 26 healthcare services. Univariate (Chi(2) test) and multivariate (logistic regression) analyses were performed. The significance level was 5%. Qualitative data on factors associated with self-disclosure of HIV-positive status were analyzed. RESULTS: The majority of the patients (81.4%) informed at least one person who was very often a close relative (descendant, ascendant and sibling) or the partner. At multivariate analysis, HIV-serostatus was associated with using antiretroviral treatment, (OR=0.40, 95% CI: 0.3-0.7, P<0.001), known HIV-serostatus for at least one year (OR=0.6; 95% CI: 0.4-0.9), living in couple (2.3; 95% CI: 1.4-3.8). CONCLUSION: In a context limiting HIV testing due to the fear of social stigma, these results appear to be in favor of the Voluntary Counseling Testing model with a focus on the couple and/or families.

User fees and access to ARV treatment for persons living with HIV/AIDS: implementation and challenges in Burkina Faso, a limited-resource country.

Access to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment remains a crucial problem for patients living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in limited-resources countries. Some African countries have adopted the principle of providing ARV free of charge, but Burkina Faso opted for a direct out-of-pocket payment at the point of care delivery, with subsidized payments and mechanisms for the poorest populations to receive these services free of charge. Our objectives were to determine the proportion of PLWHA who pay for ARV and to identify the factors associated with ARV access in Burkina Faso. A cross-sectional study was performed in 13 public health facilities, 10 Nongovernmental Organizations and association health facilities, and three faith-based health facilities. In each facility, 20 outpatients receiving ARV were interviewed during a routine clinic visit. A multivariate analysis by logistic regression was performed. Among the expected 520 patients receiving ARV, 499 (96.0%) were surveyed. The majority of patients (79%) did not pay for their ARV treatment, thereby limiting cost recovery from patient payments. In a multivariate analysis, level of education and income were associated with free access to ARV. Patients with no education more frequently received free ARV than those who had received some level of education (OR 2.7, 95% CI [1.3-5.6]). Patients without any income or with less than US$10 per month were more likely to receive free ARV (OR 2.6 [95% CI 1.3-5.2]) than those who earned more than US$10 per month. However, 16% of patients without any income and 21% of those without employment paid for ARV, and the costs of drugs for opportunistic infections, food, and transport remained a burden for 85%, 91%, and 74%, respectively, of those who did not pay for ARV. Free access to a minimum care package for every PLWHA would enhance access to ARV.