Knowledge, attitudes, practices about HIV and implications in risk and stigma prevention among French Guianese and Brazilian border inhabitants : Beliefs about HIV among border inhabitants.

BACKGROUND: The border area between French Guiana and Brazil is an active HIV-transmission zone. The aim of the present study was to describe HIV knowledge, risk and the level of stigma among inhabitants of this border area. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 621 inhabitants over 18 years of age in the border cities of Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock in French Guiana and Oiapoque in Brazil. It was conducted between October 2017 and February 2018. An anonymous standardized questionnaire was filled out by culturally-trained mediators, then analyzed using STATA 12. RESULTS: Almost half (45.9%) of the individuals had a low education level. Participants whose native language was Portuguese or French demonstrated better HIV knowledge than other populations, notably native Amerindian and creole-speaking people. HIV risk behavior was more frequent in men and in younger age groups. People with good HIV knowledge reported having performed more HIV tests in the last year than participants with poor knowledge. The stigma level was high and reported in 74.8% of respondents. CONCLUSIONS: These results illustrate the need for initiatives to improve HIV prevention among autochthonous populations on both sides of this border area. Cross-border collaboration on health policies could produce common key messages adapted to the education level and multi-linguistic populations who live in this area.

Neurocognitive deficits in morbidly obese children with obstructive sleep apnea.

Neurocognitive abilities were measured in 14 morbidly obese children, five of whom had obstructive sleep apnea as determined by polysomnography. As in adults, children with obstructive sleep apnea had deficits in learning, memory, and vocabulary. Moreover, apneic/hypopneic events were inversely related to memory and learning performance among the entire sample.

Genetic analysis of Hispanic individuals with cystic fibrosis.

We have performed molecular genetic analyses of Hispanic individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) in the southwestern United States. Of 129 CF chromosomes analyzed, only 46% (59/129) carry delta F508. The G542X mutation was found on 5% (7/129) of CF chromosomes. The 3849 + 10kbC-->T mutation, detected primarily in Ashkenazi Jews, was present on 2% (3/129). R1162X and R334W, mutations identified in Spain and Italy, each occurred on 1.6% (2/129) of CF chromosomes. W1282X and R553X were each detected once. G551D and N1303K were not found. Overall, screening for 22 or more mutations resulted in detection of only 58% of CF transmembrane conductance regulator gene mutations among Hispanic individuals. Analysis of KM19/XV2c haplotypes revealed an unusual distribution. Although the majority of delta F508 mutations are on chromosomes of B haplotypes, the other CF mutations are on A and C haplotypes at higher-than-expected frequencies. These genetic analyses demonstrate significant differences between Hispanic individuals with CF and those of the general North American population. Assessment of carrier/affected risk in Hispanic CF individuals cannot, therefore, be based on the mutation frequencies found through studies of the general population but must be adjusted to better reflect the genetic makeup of this ethnic group. Further studies are necessary to identify the causative mutation(s) in this population and to better delineate genotype/phenotype correlations. These will enable counselors to provide more accurate genetic counseling.