Efficacy of behavioral interventions to increase engagement in sexual health services among LatinX youth in the United States: A meta-analysis for post-pandemic implications.

INTRODUCTION: LatinX youth in the U.S. are disproportionately affected by HIV and STIs, commonly attributed to a lack of diagnostic testing and regular physician consultations to address sexual health. These disparities have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This meta-analysis seeks to assess the efficacy of behavioral interventions among LatinX youth in the U.S. that aim to increase engagement in sexual health services (i.e., STI/HIV testing, physician consultations). CONTENT: Following PRISMA guidelines, seven electronic databases were searched. We systematically extracted data with a coding form, and effect sizes were obtained from each study on HIV/STI testing outcomes and physician consultation. Moderator analyses were run for demographic and intervention characteristics. SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK: Of nine included studies, the interventions created a small-to-moderate effect on increased engagement of sexual health services (d +=0.204, 95 % CI=0.079, 0.329). Moderator analyses showed that interventions including the following characteristics were most efficacious at facilitating care services: community-based or online setting, access to diagnostic testing, social media/remote components, parental involvement, and longer session duration. This meta-analysis provides informative results regarding behavioral interventions that have proven efficacious in facilitating engagement in sexual health services among LatinX youth. Most prominently, interventions that are remote or through social media, community-based, and incorporated parents had large positive effects. These findings prove useful for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation and provide guidance for targeting LatinX youth to engage them in sexual health services as primary and secondary STI and HIV prevention.

Diversity and prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths of free-roaming dogs on coastal beaches in Ecuador: Potential for zoonotic transmission.

Free-roaming dogs are highly exposed to a range of zoonotic parasites, including helminths, which can be transmitted to humans, particularly in rural tropical settings of developing countries. To evidence the diversity and prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths in the stools of free-roaming dogs on the public Pacific coastal beaches of Ecuador, a cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2021 to August 2022. The sampling beaches are located along the tropical Pacific coastal region. Stools were collected from the ground in containers with 10% formalin and processed using the Ritchie method; eggs were identified under a microscope. A total of 573 stools were examined from 20 beaches; the overall prevalence was 157 (27.4%) for one or more helminths. Ten parasites were identified, nine of which are potentially zoonotic. Ancylostoma spp. was the most prevalent (19.4%), followed by Toxocara spp. (7.2%). Trichuris spp., Dipylidium caninum, Diphyllobothrium spp., Capillaria spp., Dicrocoelium spp., Heterobilharzia americana, Hymenolepis spp. and Spirocerca spp. were also observed. Five of them are reported for the first-time infecting dogs in Ecuador. Hence, we evidenced that Ecuadorian beaches are highly contaminated with the dogs' zoonotic gastrointestinal helminths, posing a great risk to public health. Differences in the presence and prevalence were found in samples of tropical humid and dry climate zones. Therefore, based on our findings, we encourage the implementation of broad antiparasitic treatment and prevention strategies to reduce the zoonotic risk.

The effect of test presentation on children with autism spectrum disorders and neurotypical peers.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this experiment was to determine if there is alternate forms reliability for paper- and computer-administered standardized vocabulary tests. Another purpose was to determine whether the behavioral ratings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) would improve during the computer-administered testing sessions secondary to a decreased need for social interaction. METHOD: Thirty-six school-age children (half with ASDs, half neurotypical [NT]) took 2 versions (i.e., paper vs. computer) of the Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT-2000; Brownell, 2000a) and the Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (ROWPVT-2000; Brownell, 2000b). Order of presentation was counterbalanced across participants. Test sessions were videotaped, and randomly selected 1-min intervals were rated for behaviors. Standardized test scores and behavior ratings were compared for equivalence across the test presentation methods. RESULTS: Standard scores for both versions of the tests were not significantly different for both groups of participants. There were no differences in behavioral ratings between the two methods of test presentation. CONCLUSION: Alternate forms reliability was found, thus expanding the options for testing for school-age populations. The use of computers had no effect on the behaviors of the children with ASDs. The ramifications of this finding for assessment and intervention for children with ASDs are discussed.

Immunophenotypic markers and antiretroviral therapy (IMART): T cell activation and maturation help predict treatment response.

To determine whether markers of T cell activation and maturation are independently predictive of the response to potent antiretroviral therapy, the Immunophenotypic Markers and Antiretroviral Therapy study applied a novel data-sharing strategy across 5 Adult AIDS Clinical Trial Group trials that counted naive and activated CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in 324 subjects. Regression models--adjustment for baseline CD4 cell count, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA, and study--revealed that high pretreatment CD8(+) T cell activation predicted virologic failure (P=.046). Additional models showed the greatest increase in CD4(+) T cell counts in subjects with highest pretreatment naive CD4(+) T cell counts (P<.0001), which was enhanced by high CD4(+) and low CD8(+) T cell activation. Total lymphocyte count also predicted a subsequent CD4(+) T cell change. These results document the utility of T cell markers in predicting treatment outcome and their potential value for the study and management of HIV-1 infection.