Data to Care Pilot Program in Chicago: Experience, Outcomes, and Direction for the Future.

CONTEXT: Data to Care (D2C) involves sharing HIV surveillance data between health care facilities and health departments to improve continuity of care for people living with HIV (PLWH). The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) initiated a D2C pilot program at the University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) from June 2016 to September 2019. OBJECTIVES: To describe the proportion of patients reported by UCM as not in care who were able to be matched to CDPH enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System (eHARS) and to report the individual-level factors associated with matching and viral suppression. DESIGN: Retrospective program evaluation. SETTING: UCM, an academic health care center that provides HIV care to adults via a Ryan White clinic on the south side of Chicago. PARTICIPANTS: Adult PLWH who had received care at UCM but did not have current documented HIV care visit(s). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Proportion of matched patients; factors associated with matching and viral suppression. RESULTS: Overall, 72.4% (n = 813/1123) of patients reported by UCM were matched by CDPH to eHARS. Individuals aged 40 to 49 years (odds ratio [OR] = 1.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-3.62), 50 to 59 years (OR = 2.47; 95% CI, 1.37-4.47), and 60 years or older (OR = 6.18; 95% CI, 3.18-12.32) were more likely to match in eHARS. People who lived outside of Chicago (OR = 0.09; 95% CI, 0.05-0.15) or with unknown zip codes (OR = 0.08; 95% CI, 0.05-0.12) were less likely to match. Men who have sex with men and persons older than 50 years were more likely to be virally suppressed. CONCLUSIONS: D2C is an evidence-based strategy for reengagement of PLWH; however, program implementation relies on successful data matching. We found that a large proportion of patients from UCM were not matched, particularly those who were younger or lived outside of Chicago. Additional research is needed to understand ways to improve data matching to facilitate reengagement in HIV care.

Measuring Retention in HIV Care in the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Impact of Telehealth.

It is unknown how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted traditional measures of retention in HIV care. We calculated six different retention measures at an urban HIV care clinic for two time periods: pre-pandemic, and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with and without inclusion of telehealth appointments. Spearman rank correlation was used to assess correlation between different measures of retention. For both the pre-pandemic and pandemic time periods, there was strong correlation among measures of missed visits (range 0.857-0.957). More patients were considered retained in care during the pandemic when telehealth appointments were included in the analysis.

Development of a predictive model for identifying women vulnerable to HIV in Chicago.

INTRODUCTION: Researchers in the United States have created several models to predict persons most at risk for HIV. Many of these predictive models use data from all persons newly diagnosed with HIV, the majority of whom are men, and specifically men who have sex with men (MSM). Consequently, risk factors identified by these models are biased toward features that apply only to men or capture sexual behaviours of MSM. We sought to create a predictive model for women using cohort data from two major hospitals in Chicago with large opt-out HIV screening programs. METHODS: We matched 48 newly diagnosed women to 192 HIV-negative women based on number of previous encounters at University of Chicago or Rush University hospitals. We examined data for each woman for the two years prior to either their HIV diagnosis or their last encounter. We assessed risk factors including demographic characteristics and clinical diagnoses taken from patient electronic medical records (EMR) using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. We created a multivariable logistic regression model and measured predictive power with the area under the curve (AUC). In the multivariable model, age group, race, and ethnicity were included a priori due to increased risk for HIV among specific demographic groups. RESULTS: The following clinical diagnoses were significant at the bivariate level and were included in the model: pregnancy (OR 1.96 (1.00, 3.84)), hepatitis C (OR 5.73 (1.24, 26.51)), substance use (OR 3.12 (1.12, 8.65)) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) chlamydia, gonorrhoea, or syphilis. We also a priori included demographic factors that are associated with HIV. Our final model had an AUC of 0.74 and included healthcare site, age group, race, ethnicity, pregnancy, hepatitis C, substance use, and STI diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our predictive model showed acceptable discrimination between those who were and were not newly diagnosed with HIV. We identified risk factors such as recent pregnancy, recent hepatitis C diagnosis, and substance use in addition to the traditionally used recent STI diagnosis that can be incorporated by health systems to detect women who are vulnerable to HIV and would benefit from preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

No-show Prediction Model Performance Among People With HIV: External Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: Regular medical care is important for people living with HIV. A no-show predictive model among people with HIV could improve clinical care by allowing providers to proactively engage patients at high risk of missing appointments. Epic, a major provider of electronic medical record systems, created a model that predicts a patient's probability of being a no-show for an outpatient health care appointment; however, this model has not been externally validated in people with HIV. OBJECTIVE: We examined the performance of Epic's no-show model among people with HIV at an academic medical center and assessed whether the performance was impacted by the addition of demographic and HIV clinical information. METHODS: We obtained encounter data from all in-person appointments among people with HIV from January 21 to March 30, 2022, at the University of Chicago Medicine. We compared the predicted no-show probability at the time of the encounter to the actual outcome of these appointments. We also examined the performance of the Epic model among people with HIV for only HIV care appointments in the infectious diseases department. We further compared the no-show model among people with HIV for HIV care appointments to an alternate random forest model we created using a subset of seven readily accessible features used in the Epic model and four additional features related to HIV clinical care or demographics. RESULTS: We identified 674 people with HIV who contributed 1406 total scheduled in-person appointments during the study period. Of those, we identified 331 people with HIV who contributed 440 HIV care appointments. The performance of the Epic model among people with HIV for all appointments in any outpatient clinic had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.65 (95% CI 0.63-0.66) and for only HIV care appointments had an AUC of 0.63 (95% CI 0.59-0.67). The alternate model we created for people with HIV attending HIV care appointments had an AUC of 0.78 (95% CI 0.75-0.82), a significant improvement over the Epic model restricted to HIV care appointments (P<.001). Features identified as important in the alternate model included lead time, appointment length, HIV viral load >200 copies per mL, lower CD4 T cell counts (both 50 to <200 cells/mm3 and 200 to <350 cells/mm3), and female sex. CONCLUSIONS: For both models among people with HIV, performance was significantly lower than reported by Epic. The improvement in the performance of the alternate model over the proprietary Epic model demonstrates that, among people with HIV, the inclusion of demographic information may enhance the prediction of appointment attendance. The alternate model further reveals that the prediction of appointment attendance in people with HIV can be improved by using HIV clinical information such as CD4 count and HIV viral load test results as features in the model.

Age and Racial Disparities in Telehealth Use Among People with HIV During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in widespread telehealth expansion. To determine telehealth uptake and potential sociodemographic differences in utilization among people with HIV (PwH), we examined HIV care appointments at the University of Chicago Medicine, an urban tertiary hospital. Visits between March 15th and September 9th for 2019 and 2020 were categorized as in-person, telehealth, and within telehealth, video, and phone. Differences in visit types were modeled using logistic regression to examine associations with demographics, insurance type, and HIV risk transmission category. Telehealth appointments were more likely for those aged 46-60 versus those 31-45 [46-60; AOR 1.89 95% CI (1.14, 3.15)]. Black race and participants of other races were less likely to use telehealth compared to whites [Black: AOR 0.33 95% CI (0.16, 0.64), other: AOR 0.10 95% CI (0.02, 0.34)]. Future studies should continue to examine potential disparities in telehealth use among PwH, including age and racial differences.

Multicenter Development and Validation of a Model for Predicting Retention in Care Among People with HIV.

Predictive analytics can be used to identify people with HIV currently retained in care who are at risk for future disengagement from care, allowing for prioritization of retention interventions. We utilized machine learning methods to develop predictive models of retention in care, defined as no more than a 12 month gap between HIV care appointments in the Center for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) cohort. Data were split longitudinally into derivation and validation cohorts. We created logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), and gradient boosted machine (XGB) models within a discrete-time survival analysis framework and compared their performance to a baseline model that included only demographics, viral suppression, and retention history. 21,267 Patients with 507,687 visits from 2007 to 2018 were included. The LR model outperformed the baseline model (AUC 0.68 [0.67-0.70] vs. 0.60 [0.59-0.62], P < 0.001). RF and XGB models had similar performance to the LR model. Top features in the LR model included retention history, age, and viral suppression.

Association between patient-reported barriers and HIV clinic appointment attendance: A prospective cohort study.

The association between patients' confidence in their ability to attend appointments and future retention in care has not previously been studied in a general HIV clinic. A survey of potential and known risk factors for poor retention was developed using validated screening tools and administered to 105 patients at an HIV clinic. Retention in care was assessed prospectively using two definitions: (1) two appointments at least three months apart within one year ("HRSA/HAB retention") and (2) no missed appointments within one year ("missed visits retention"). Most patients were African American (86%) and male (59%). Although most patients were confident they could keep their HIV appointments (89%), fewer were retained (HRSA/HAB: 73%; missed visits: 56%). Patients' confidence in their ability to keep future appointments was not associated with retention. Employment was associated with lower odds of HRSA/HAB retention (aOR 0.26 [95% CI 0.09-0.77]), and childcare was a common barrier that was associated with lower odds of missed visits retention (aOR 0.06 [95% CI 0.006-0.62]). Other known risk factors for poor retention were inconsistently associated with retention in care.

Impact of mail order pharmacy use and travel time to pharmacy on viral suppression among people living with HIV.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of mail order pharmacy services and travel time to pharmacy on HIV viral suppression rates among people living with HIV. For adult patients receiving HIV care from 2010 to 2015 at an urban HIV care clinic, we collected demographics, pharmacy type, viral load, and patient home and pharmacy address. We geocoded addresses and measured travel time to pharmacy by car and public transportation. No difference was observed in recent viral suppression rates based on pharmacy type (p = 0.41), distance to pharmacy (p = 0.16), or travel time to pharmacy by car (p = 0.20) or public transportation (p = 0.15). The only factors significantly associated with sustained viral suppression were number of doses per day of antiretroviral therapy, with patients prescribed twice daily regimens less likely to be virally suppressed than those prescribed once daily regimens (aOR 0.4, 95% CI, [0.1, 0.6]) and average household income in patients' zip code, with patients living in zip codes with average household income <$40,000 per year less likely to be virally suppressed than those living in zip codes with average income >$55,000 per year (aOR 0.2. 95% CI, [0.1, 0.7]).

Impermeable dust mite covers in the primary and tertiary prevention of allergic disease: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Up to 40% of the world's population has been diagnosed with an allergic disease. The most prevalent allergy is to house dust mites. Impermeable mattress covers are often the first treatment in the prevention and decrease of symptoms of allergic disease. OBJECTIVE: To perform a meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of impermeable mattress covers in the primary prevention of allergic disease and as a single intervention in the tertiary prevention of allergic disease symptoms. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL were systematically searched for relevant publications. Seven primary prevention trials (n = 3,461) and 17 tertiary prevention trials (n = 1,671) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. All article reviews and abstractions were performed in duplicate. RESULTS: No significant pooled relative risks were found for the prevention of allergic disease. The pooled relative risks were 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62-1.51) for house dust mite sensitization, 0.92 (95% CI 0.81-1.05) for wheeze, 0.85 (95% CI 0.70-1.02) for asthma, 1.03 (95% CI 0.90-1.19) for allergic rhinitis, and 1.05 (95% CI 0.84-1.32) for allergic dermatitis. Likewise, no significant pooled standardized mean differences were found in the tertiary prevention of symptoms. The pooled standardized mean differences were -0.03 (95% CI -0.15 to 0.09) for peak flow, -0.06 (95% CI -0.32 to 0.20) for asthma symptom score, and -0.39 (95% CI -0.88 to 0.11) for nasal symptom score. A significant effect was seen in the decrease of house mite dust level in the mattress (-0.79, 95% CI -0.98 to -0.60). CONCLUSION: No evidence was found to support the use of impermeable mattress covers in the primary prevention of allergic disease or in the tertiary prevention of allergic disease symptoms.

Exploring the Feasibility of an Electronic Tool for Predicting Retention in HIV Care: Provider Perspectives.

Retention in care for people living with HIV (PLWH) is important for individual and population health. Preemptive identification of PLWH at high risk of lapsing in care may improve retention efforts. We surveyed providers at nine institutions throughout Chicago about their perspectives on using an electronic health record (EHR) tool to predict the risk of lapsing in care. Sixty-three percent (20/32) of providers reported currently assessing patients' risk for lapsing in care, and 91% (29/32) reported willingness to implement an EHR tool. When compared to those with other job roles, prescribers agreed (vs. neutral) that the tool would be less biased than personal judgment (OR 13.33, 95% CI 1.05, 169.56). Prescribers were also more likely to identify community health workers as persons who should deliver these interventions (OR 10.50, 95% CI 1.02, 108.58). Transportation, housing, substance use, and employment information were factors that providers wanted to be included in an EHR-based tool. Social workers were significantly more likely to indicate the inclusion of employment information as important (OR 10.50, 95% CI 1.11, 98.87) when compared to other participants. Acceptability of an EHR tool was high; future research should investigate barriers and evaluate the effectiveness of such a tool.

Reflex Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Type 1 RNA Testing Enables Timely Differentiation of False-Positive Results From Acute HIV Infection.

Accurate, timely human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis is critical. Routine HIV screening program data were examined before and after reflex HIV type 1 RNA testing. Reflex testing facilitated confirmation of reactive HIV screening assays (as true or false positives) (odds ratio, 23.7 [95% confidence interval, 6.7-83.4]; P < .0001), improving detection of acute HIV and reducing unconfirmed discordant results.

Assessing Patient Acceptance of an Automated Algorithm to Identify Ciswomen for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.

The use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in cisgender women (ciswomen) lags far behind their need. Data elements from the electronic medical record (EMR), including diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection (STI), can be incorporated into automated algorithms for identifying clients who are most vulnerable to HIV and would benefit from PrEP. However, it is unknown how women feel about the use of such technology. In this study, we assessed women's attitudes and opinions about an automated EMR-based HIV risk algorithm and determined if their perspectives varied by level of HIV risk. Respondents were identified using best practice alerts or referral to a clinic for STI symptoms from January to December 2021 in Chicago, IL. Participants were asked about HIV risk factors, their self-perceived HIV risk, and their thoughts regarding an algorithm to identify ciswomen who could benefit from PrEP. Most of the 112 women who completed the survey (85%) thought they were at low risk for HIV, despite high rates of STI diagnoses. The majority were comfortable with the use of this algorithm, but their comfort level dropped when asked about the algorithm identifying them specifically. Ciswomen had mixed feelings about the use of an automated HIV risk algorithm, citing it as a potentially helpful and empowering tool for women, yet raising concerns about invasion of privacy and potential racial bias. Clinics must balance the benefits of using an EMR-based algorithm for ciswomen with their concerns about privacy and bias to improve PrEP uptake among particularly vulnerable women.

Trends in STI testing and diagnosis rates during the COVID-19 pandemic at a large urban tertiary care center, and the role of the emergency department in STI care.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on access to care, including outpatient sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment. Many vulnerable populations already relied on the emergency department (ED) for much of their care prior to the pandemic. This study examines trends in STI testing and positivity before and during the pandemic at a large urban medical center and evaluates the role of the ED in providing STI care. Methods: This is a retrospective review of all gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomonas tests from November 1, 2018, through July 31, 2021. Demographic information and location and results of STI testing were extracted from the electronic medical record. Trends in STI testing and positivity were examined for 16 month periods before and after the COVID-19 pandemic started (March 15, 2020), with the latter divided into the early pandemic period (EPP: March 15 -July 31, 2020) and late pandemic period (LPP: August 1, 2020 - July 31, 2021). Results: Tests per month decreased by 42.4% during the EPP, but rebounded by July 2020. During the EPP, the proportion of all STI testing originating in the ED increased from 21.4% pre-pandemic to 29.3%, and among pregnant women from 45.2% to 51.5%. Overall STI positivity rate increased from 4.4% pre-pandemic to 6.2% in the EPP. Parallel trends were observed for gonorrhea and chlamydia individually. The ED represented 50.5% of overall positive tests, and as much as 63.1% of positive testing during the EPP. The ED was the source of 73.4% of positive tests among pregnant women, which increased to 82.1% during the EPP. Conclusions: STI trends from this large urban medical center paralleled national trends, with an early decrease in positive cases followed by a rebound by the end of May 2020. The ED represented an important source of testing for all patients, and especially for pregnant patients, throughout the study period, but even more so early in the pandemic. This suggests that more resources should be directed towards STI testing, education, and prevention in the ED, as well as to support linkage to outpatient primary and obstetric care during the ED visit.

Predictive Modeling of Lapses in Care for People Living with HIV in Chicago: Algorithm Development and Interpretation.

BACKGROUND: Reducing care lapses for people living with HIV is critical to ending the HIV epidemic and beneficial for their health. Predictive modeling can identify clinical factors associated with HIV care lapses. Previous studies have identified these factors within a single clinic or using a national network of clinics, but public health strategies to improve retention in care in the United States often occur within a regional jurisdiction (eg, a city or county). OBJECTIVE: We sought to build predictive models of HIV care lapses using a large, multisite, noncurated database of electronic health records (EHRs) in Chicago, Illinois. METHODS: We used 2011-2019 data from the Chicago Area Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Network (CAPriCORN), a database including multiple health systems, covering the majority of 23,580 people with an HIV diagnosis living in Chicago. CAPriCORN uses a hash-based data deduplication method to follow people across multiple Chicago health care systems with different EHRs, providing a unique citywide view of retention in HIV care. From the database, we used diagnosis codes, medications, laboratory tests, demographics, and encounter information to build predictive models. Our primary outcome was lapses in HIV care, defined as having more than 12 months between subsequent HIV care encounters. We built logistic regression, random forest, elastic net logistic regression, and XGBoost models using all variables and compared their performance to a baseline logistic regression model containing only demographics and retention history. RESULTS: We included people living with HIV with at least 2 HIV care encounters in the database, yielding 16,930 people living with HIV with 191,492 encounters. All models outperformed the baseline logistic regression model, with the most improvement from the XGBoost model (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.776, 95% CI 0.768-0.784 vs 0.674, 95% CI 0.664-0.683; P<.001). Top predictors included the history of care lapses, being seen by an infectious disease provider (vs a primary care provider), site of care, Hispanic ethnicity, and previous HIV laboratory testing. The random forest model (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.751, 95% CI 0.742-0.759) revealed age, insurance type, and chronic comorbidities (eg, hypertension), as important variables in predicting a care lapse. CONCLUSIONS: We used a real-world approach to leverage the full scope of data available in modern EHRs to predict HIV care lapses. Our findings reinforce previously known factors, such as the history of prior care lapses, while also showing the importance of laboratory testing, chronic comorbidities, sociodemographic characteristics, and clinic-specific factors for predicting care lapses for people living with HIV in Chicago. We provide a framework for others to use data from multiple different health care systems within a single city to examine lapses in care using EHR data, which will aid in jurisdictional efforts to improve retention in HIV care.

Multi-Level and Intersectional Stigma Experienced by Black Transgender Women in Chicago: a Qualitative Study to Inform Sociostructural Interventions for Reducing Stigma and Improving Health Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Stigma contributes to health disparities including increased HIV vulnerability among minority communities. Black transgender women experience multiple forms of stigma (e.g., anticipated, experienced), which can result in poor HIV-related outcomes. We utilized an adapted social ecological model (ASEM) to better understand the levels at which stigma is encountered and its impact on lived experience, particularly related to making healthcare decisions. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews and two focus groups (n = 38) were conducted with Black transgender women and Black transfeminine individuals in Chicago from 2016 to 2017. Participants were asked about discrimination in the community, healthcare experiences, and their thoughts and decision-making process with their healthcare provider regarding HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. We conducted thematic analysis and organized our findings based on the levels of the ASEM: individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and structural. RESULTS: Participants experienced and anticipated stigma at each ASEM level. Stigma was not experienced in isolation: stigma experienced at one level caused anticipated stigma at other levels and internalized stigma leading to negative self-image. In each case, stigma adversely impacted health outcomes (e.g., medication nonadherence, disengagement from care). Stigma within healthcare settings, medication-related stigma, and stigma directed at appearance and identity are particularly detrimental to shared decision-making with a healthcare provider. CONCLUSIONS: Recognizing and valuing Black transgender women's experience with stigma are essential for developing social and structural interventions that may work collaboratively across multiple levels of lived experience to reduce stigma and healthcare disparities faced by Black transgender women.

POWER Up-Improving pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake among Black cisgender women in the Southern United States: Protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial (SW-CRT).

BACKGROUND: HIV disproportionately affects Black/African American cisgender women (hereafter women) in the United States. Despite its proven effectiveness, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention remains vastly under-prescribed to women based on their need. Increasing PrEP uptake and persistence among women is crucial to reducing HIV transmission; however, there have been few studies designed specifically for women. This article describes the study protocol used to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of implementation strategies to improve PrEP uptake and persistence among Black women in the Midwest and South. METHODS: PrEP Optimization among Women to Enhance Retention and Uptake (POWER Up) is an evidence-based, woman-focused set of five implementation science strategies that addresses barriers of PrEP utilization at the provider, patient, and clinic levels. POWER Up includes 1) routine PrEP education for patients, 2) standardized provider training, 3) electronic medical record (EMR) optimization, 4) PrEP navigation, and 5) PrEP clinical champions. These strategies will be adapted to specific clinics for implementation, tested via a stepped-wedge trial, and, if effective, packaged for further dissemination. DISCUSSION: We will utilize a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial (SW-CRT) to measure change in PrEP utilization across diverse geographic areas. Preparation for adapting and implementing the bundle of strategies is needed to determine how to tailor them to specific clinics. Implementation challenges will include adapting strategies with the available resources at each site, maintaining stakeholder involvement and staff buy-in, adjusting the study protocol and planned procedures as needed, and ensuring minimal crossover. Additionally, strengths and limitations of each strategy must be examined before, during, and after the adaptation and implementation processes. Finally, the implementation outcomes of the strategies must be evaluated to determine the real-world success of the strategies. This study is an important step toward addressing the inequity in PrEP service delivery and increasing PrEP utilization among Black women in the U.S.

PrEP Persistence Support and Monitoring in Areas of High HIV Burden in the Midwestern United States.

Monitoring pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) metrics can guide service delivery yet does not occur routinely. We developed a survey to understand current practices for monitoring PrEP at PrEP-providing organizations in Illinois and Missouri. The survey was distributed from September through November 2020; 26 organizations participated. Most respondents indicated ongoing efforts to screen for PrEP eligibility (66.7%), link to care (87.5%), and retain clients in care (70.8%); 70.8% reported collecting data on PrEP initiation, 41.7% on retention in care, and 37.5% on missed visits. Barriers to monitoring PrEP metrics included lack of IT support (69.6%), manual processes (69.6%), and lack of staff resources (65.2%). Most respondents offered clients support for PrEP retention and adherence and wanted to expand interventions for PrEP persistence, yet fewer monitored corresponding metrics. To enhance PrEP implementation, organizations should improve monitoring and evaluation of PrEP metrics along the entire continuum and respond with appropriate services to support clients.

Dietary protein intake and blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The authors conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the association of dietary protein intake with blood pressure. To identify articles published before April 2011, the authors searched electronic databases, conducted a manual bibliography review, and consulted experts in the field. Forty trials (including 3,277 participants in total) met the eligibility criteria and were included. Using a standardized form, 2 investigators independently abstracted data on study design, participant characteristics, and treatment outcomes. Net change estimates were pooled across trials using random-effects models. Compared with carbohydrate, dietary protein intake was associated with significant changes in mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure of -1.76 mm Hg (95% confidence interval (CI): -2.33, -1.20) and -1.15 mm Hg (95% CI: -1.59, -0.71), respectively (both P 's < 0.001). Both vegetable protein and animal protein were associated with significant blood pressure changes of -2.27 mm Hg (95% CI: -3.36, -1.18) and -2.54 mm Hg (95% CI: -3.55, -1.53), respectively, for systolic blood pressure (both P 's < 0.001) and -1.26 mm Hg (95% CI: -2.26, -0.26) and -0.95 mm Hg (95% CI: -1.72, -0.19), respectively, for diastolic blood pressure (both P 's = 0.014). Blood pressure reduction was not significantly different when vegetable protein was compared directly with animal protein. These findings indicate that partially replacing dietary carbohydrate with protein may be important for the prevention and treatment of hypertension.

Knowledgeable, aware / interested: Young black women's perceptions of pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Purpose: HIV in the United States disproportionately affects young Black women. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective HIV prevention option that has the potential to reduce HIV incidence among HIV-vulnerable populations. However, data regarding women's awareness, interest in starting, and feelings of acceptability or stigma about PrEP remains limited, particularly among adolescent and young Black women. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 100 sexually active young Black women ages 13-24 years attending women's health clinics in Chicago, IL. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and determine more about what the PrEP needs and barriers are in this community. Associations were modeled using logistic regression and 95% confidence intervals for both bivariate and multivariable models. Results: In our survey (N = 100), half of study participants (50%) expressed interest in starting PrEP in the next three months and a majority (80%) of young women were confident they could obtain PrEP. Pregnant young women were significantly more interested in starting PrEP than non-pregnant women [OR 2.3 95% CI (1.0, 5.4)], p = 0.05), however, this association did not remain significant in adjusted models. Conclusions: This study provides a more complete understanding of awareness, interest in, and acceptability of PrEP among adolescent and young Black women attending women's health clinics. Findings indicate sustained interest in starting PrEP, reduced stigma, and increased awareness of PrEP among young Black women. These findings suggest that integrating PrEP into women's health clinics is a promising strategy to increase awareness and utilization of PrEP and decrease HIV transmission among youth at highest risk.