Delivery of WeChat-Based HIV Result e-Reports in Social Networks for Recruitment of High-Risk Population: Baseline Data From a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Disclosure of infectious disease status to social network peers can facilitate reaching and early detection among high-risk populations. In this era of social media, globally, HIV/AIDS represents a high burden of infectious disease. Thus, delivery of an HIV result e-report via social media presents a new approach that has the potential to improve contact with and enrollment of the high-risk population in research studies and routine practice. OBJECTIVE: This study explores the effectiveness and associated factors of a recruitment strategy (ie, WeChat-based HIV e-report delivery in social networks) on the enrollment of men who have sex with men (MSM) for an HIV testing intervention study. METHODS: This was an enrollment result analysis of an ongoing cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) aiming to promote HIV testing among MSM. Recruitment of potential participants was based on the unit of an egocentric social network, which includes 1 core member (an offline tested ego as the recruiter) and several network members (online alters as network associates). Alters' enrollment and alters' transformation to ego-recruiters (alter-ego) were measured as outcomes. Recruitment outcomes were compared between the exchangeable and regular e-report groups of the RCT. Associated factors of both outcomes were also investigated, including sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, social network characteristics, e-report types, and online delivery information. Binary outcomes were modeled using logistic models, with Firth correction for rare events. Qualitative interviews were conducted to understand facilitators and barriers in detail for alter-ego as the subsequent wave's recruiter. RESULTS: The e-report of 1157 egos who tested offline were delivered to 5165 alters in 3 recruitment waves; eventually, 1162 eligible alters enrolled in this RCT (response rate: 22.5%). In the exchangeable e-report group, 544 egos recruited 467 alters, of which 35 alters transformed to alter-egos (7.5%), whereas in the regular e-report group, 613 egos recruited 695 alters, of which 40 alters transformed to alter-egos (5.8%). Alters' enrollment at first wave was associated with a higher number of e-reports being forwarded by the egos. Alters' transformation to alter-egos for the subsequent wave was associated with the exchangeable e-report, higher income, being a Guangzhou resident, unprotected anal intercourse, preferring self-testing, and viewing senders' e-reports frequently. Qualitative interviews revealed that the lack of awareness of e-reports' function and inadequate access to e-reports at offline testing facilities were major barriers to alters' transformation to offline ego-recruiters. CONCLUSIONS: The delivery of e-report was feasible in MSM social network, and the success and sustainability of online recruitment depended on high levels of familiarity among MSM with the digital tool. The HIV e-report exchange mechanism might promote MSM to test HIV offline to get their own e-report for exchange in the community. The e-report provides an innovative recruitment method with great potential to trace direct contacts for infectious diseases studies.

Association of n-6 PUFAs with the risk of diabetic retinopathy in diabetic patients.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), the most common microvascular complication of diabetes and leading cause of visual impairment in adults worldwide, is suggested to be linked to abnormal lipid metabolism. The present study aims to comprehensively investigate the relationship between n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and DR. This was a propensity score matching based case-control study, including 69 pairs of DR patients and type 2 diabetic patients without DR with mean age of 56.7 ± 9.2 years. Five n-6 PUFAs were determined by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS system. Principle component regression (PCR) and multiple conditional logistic regression models were used to investigate the association of DR risk with n-6 PUFAs depending on independent training and testing sets, respectively. According to locally weighted regression model, we observed obvious negative correlation between levels of five n-6 PUFAs (linoleic acid, γ-linolenic acid, eicosadienoic acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid and arachidonicacid) and DR. Based on multiple PCR model, we also observed significant negative association between the five n-6 PUFAs and DR with adjusted OR (95% CI) as 0.62 (0.43,0.87). When being evaluated depending on the testing set, the association was still existed, and PCR model had excellent classification performance, in which area under the curve (AUC) was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.78, 0.99). In addition, the model also had valid calibration with a non-significant Hosmer-Lemeshow Chi-square of 9.44 (P = 0.307) in the testing set. n-6 PUFAs were inversely associated with the presence of DR, and the principle component could be potential indicator in distinguishing DR from other T2D patients.

The effect of high glucose-based peritoneal dialysis fluids on thioredoxin-interacting protein expression in human peritoneal mesothelial cells.

BACKGROUND: It has been demonstrated that thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) interacted with NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) and participated in the NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Our previous study has demonstrated that in human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs), exposure to high glucose-based peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1ß expression. This study aimed to investigate the effect of high glucose-based PD fluids on the TXNIP expression and the underlying mechanisms by which TXNIP-NLRP3 interaction mediates the inflammatory injury to HPMCs in high glucose-based PD fluids conditions. METHODS: TXNIP gene and protein expression was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunoblot. Immunoprecipitation was used to evaluate the interaction between TRX1 and TXNIP, TXNIP and NLRP3. ROS production and IL-1ß expression was examined by flow cytometry and immunoblot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively. RESULTS: It was identified that high glucose-based PD solutions enhance the level of TXNIP gene and protein in cultured HPMCs and a rat-based PD model. We also found that ROS generation induced by high glucose-based PD solutions disrupts the TRX1-TXNIP association, while promoting the binding of TXNIP to NLRP3 in HPMCs. Furthermore, the application of a ROS inhibitor (APDC) to HPMCs blocked the high glucose-based PD solution-induced TXNIP-NLRP3 binding, in addition to ROS production and IL-1ß expression. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study revealed a novel mechanism underlying high glucose-containing PD-mediated peritoneal inflammatory injury, supporting the attenuation of ROS generation as a potential therapeutic strategy to alleviate such pathology.