Number Of Partners Research Articles

2211. High prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae identified through routine screening for rectal, pharyngeal, and urethral infections within a HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis program in Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract Background Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective for HIV prevention and is being scaled up globally. Patients on PrEP have high rates of bacterial STIs, like Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), thus routine screening is recommended. However, access to screening tests for STIs are limited in many low-resource settings. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of CT and NG among participants in Vietnam’s first PrEP program. Methods From January through April 2022 participants in the PrEP program at the Sexual Health Promotion Clinic in Hanoi, Vietnam were recruited to study STI prevalence. Study participants completed a survey collecting demographic, behavioral and clinical characteristics. Participants self-collected urine, rectal, and pharyngeal specimens for nucleic-acid testing. Participants positive for NG had an additional specimen collected for culture and antibiotic susceptibility. Results In total, 108 participants were enrolled, median age was 24 years (IQR: 22– 28). All were male and reported having sex with men in the prior 12 months. The median number of sex partners in the prior 1 month was 1 (IQR: 1 – 2). Symptoms within the prior week were reported by 41.7% (45/108) – 19.4% reported rectal, 15.7% reported urethral, and 26.9% reported pharyngeal symptoms. The overall prevalence of CT or NG infections was 31.5% (34/108). The prevalence of CT was 24.1% (26/108); by anatomic site, there were 17 (15.7%) rectal, 10 (9.3%) pharyngeal, and 6 (5.6%) urethral infections. The prevalence of NG was 13.0% (14/108); there were 12 (11.1%) pharyngeal, 9 (8.3%) rectal, and 0 urethral infections. Among participants reporting any symptoms, CT prevalence was 26.7% (12/45) and NG prevalence 13.3% (6/45). All infections were treated. Conclusion The prevalence of CT and NG was very high among this population of young MSM in a PrEP program in Hanoi, Vietnam. A high proportion of CT infections were rectal (65%) and 86% of NG infections were pharyngeal. These findings highlight the need for expanded access to extragenital nucleic-acid testing among PrEP programs in low- and middle-income countries. Studies demonstrating the benefit of CT/NG screening and treatment within PrEP programs are urgently needed. Disclosures Jeffrey Klausner, MD MPH, Cepheid: Advisor/Consultant|Cepheid: Grant/Research Support|Cepheid: Research equipment and supplies.

799. Unstable Housing, Daily Drug Use, and Transactional Sex are Associated with Viremia in Transgender Individuals Living with HIV

Abstract Background In the United States, HIV is highly prevalent among transgender individuals, but factors contributing to viremia in this population are poorly understood. We aimed to assess factors associated with HIV viremia among transgender people living with HIV (PLWH). Methods PATCH is a longitudinal natural history study of transgender individuals in Washington, DC. Participants complete laboratory assessments, as well as surveys assessing demographics, behaviors, and mental health. Patients whose HIV viral load was >200 copies/mL at screening were considered viremic. Fisher’s exact test was used for statistical analysis. Results Of 62 enrolled participants, 35(56%) were HIV+, the majority of whom were prescribed antiretroviral therapy (31, 89%) and had an undetectable viral load (25, 71%). Of PLWH, 35(100%) were assigned male at birth, 34(97%) were Black, and the median age was 37 years. PLWH were predominately stably housed (24, 69%), with 9(26%) reporting daily drug use or more, and 16(46%) reporting transactional sex within a year. When comparing PLWH who were viremic versus those virally suppressed, viremic PLWH were less likely to be prescribed antiretroviral therapy (60% vs 100%, p=0.004), and more likely to have unstable housing (60% vs 25%, p=0.04), use drugs daily or more in the last month (60% vs 12%, p=0.007), and engage in transactional sex in the last 12 months (80% vs 32%, p=0.02). HIV viral suppression was not significantly associated with number of sexual partners within the last 12 months or always using condoms during any type of sex (p >0.05). Conclusion In this cohort of transgender PLWH, we found moderate rates of HIV viremia associated with chaotic life factors such as daily drug use, unstable housing, and engaging in transactional sex. In addition, we found low rates of consistent condom use despite multiple sexual partners, regardless of viral load. Comprehensive care programs that improve access to ART, address substance use disorders and facilitate housing may serve to improve treatment outcomes and reduce risk of HIV transmission in this population. Disclosures Shyam Kottilil, MD, PhD, Arbutus Pharmaceuticals: Grant/Research Support|Gilead: Grant/Research Support|Merck: Grant/Research Support|Regeneron Pharmaceuticals: Advisor/Consultant|Silverback Therapeutics: Advisor/Consultant|The Liver Company: Advisor/Consultant|Yufan Biotechnologies: Advisor/Consultant Elana S. Rosenthal, MD, Gilead Sciences: Grant/Research Support|Merck: Grant/Research Support.

Factors affecting HPV infection in U.S. and Beijing females: A modeling study.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is an important carcinogenic infection highly prevalent among many populations. However, independent influencing factors and predictive models for HPV infection in both U.S. and Beijing females are rarely confirmed. In this study, our first objective was to explore the overlapping HPV infection-related factors in U.S. and Beijing females. Secondly, we aimed to develop an R package for identifying the top-performing prediction models and build the predictive models for HPV infection using this R package. This cross-sectional study used data from the 2009-2016 NHANES (a national population-based study) and the 2019 data on Beijing female union workers from various industries. Prevalence, potential influencing factors, and predictive models for HPV infection in both cohorts were explored. There were 2,259 (NHANES cohort, age: 20-59 years) and 1,593 (Beijing female cohort, age: 20-70 years) participants included in analyses. The HPV infection rate of U.S. NHANES and Beijing females were, respectively 45.73 and 8.22%. The number of male sex partners, marital status, and history of HPV infection were the predominant factors that influenced HPV infection in both NHANES and Beijing female cohorts. However, condom application was not an independent influencing factor for HPV infection in both cohorts. R package Modelbest was established. The nomogram developed based on Modelbest package showed better performance than the nomogram which only included significant factors in multivariate regression analysis. Collectively, despite the widespread availability of HPV vaccines, HPV infection is still prevalent. Compared with condom promotion, avoidance of multiple sexual partners seems to be more effective for preventing HPV infection. Nomograms developed based on Modelbest can provide improved personalized risk assessment for HPV infection. Our R package Modelbest has potential to be a powerful tool for future predictive model studies.

Associated factors with human papillomavirus infection in adult women from northwest Mexico

Research on the association between risk factors and HPV infection in adult women from Hermosillo does not exist, so a study of cases and controls (1: 2) matched by age was designed to analyze this public health problem at local level. Participants were 33 and 66 women with and without HPV, respectively (mean age = 41.8 ± 7.9 years). The difference in characteristics between groups was tested with conditional logistic regression (univariate). Antioxidant intake was adjusted by total energy using the residual method. Two multivariate logistic regression models were generated to identify factors associated with HPV. In both models, the higher consumption of lycopene (OR = 0.96, CI =0.95-0.99, p = 0.019) and the higher Plasma Total Antioxidant Capacity (TACp) (OR = 0.05, CI 95% = 0.03-0.7, p = 0.024), even adjusted by the number of pregnancies, number of sexual partners, and total number of sexual partners per year, reduced the risk of HPV. Multiple pregnancies and sexual behavior increased the risk of HPV, and higher consumption of lycopene and CATp reduced it in the women in this study. Sex education should be strengthened, as well as the consumption of antioxidants in women from Hermosillo to prevent the development of cervical cancer.

Association between substance use and number of sexual partners: evidence from Chile

ABSTRACT Background There is evidence that substance use is associated with risky sexual behaviors among the youth, but the multiplicity of sexual partners has been largely overlooked, particularly in Latin America and low- and middle-income countries. Objective We evaluated the association between the frequency of substance use – alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and cocaine paste – and the number of sexual partners among young people between the ages of 15 and 29 living in Chile. Methods We used data from the Ninth National Youth Survey, a cross-sectional study with a multi-stage random sampling design. Association measures were estimated through separate generalized negative binomial regression models (NB-P), adjusting for sexual onset, sexual orientation, and sociodemographic factors. Results We found an association between the use (once monthly or less) of alcohol (IRR = 1.18, 95%CI [1.04, 1.34]) and cocaine use (IRR = 1.4, 95%CI [1.11, 1.76]) and the number of sexual partners in the previous twelve months. Using alcohol and marijuana several times per month was associated with a risk increase of 1.33 (95%CI [1.16, 1.54]) and 1.22 (95%CI [1.09, 1.36]) respectively. Conclusions Alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine use was associated with an increased risk of having multiple sexual partners compared to nonuse among young people. These findings should be complemented by analyzing other risky sexual behaviors, patterns of substance use, and health outcomes.

Crystal methamphetamine use and bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among gay, bisexual and other sexual minority men in Canada

ObjectiveWhile crystal methamphetamine use by gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) is associated with increased risk for sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmission, less is understood about the causal pathways between crystal methamphetamine use and STIs. We examined whether the association between greater crystal methamphetamine risk and prevalent bacterial STI diagnosis among GBM was mediated by two types of attitudinal variables: attitudes toward condoms, and sexual escape motives, defined as the use of substances to escape self-awareness during sex, and by sexual behaviors. MethodsWe used computer-assisted self-interview questionnaires from 2449 sexually active GBM (18% living with HIV; median age = 33, interquartile range, 27–45) recruited via respondent-driven sampling in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, Canada. Using the baseline data from the Engage cohort study, we fit a series of structural mediation models of the associations between greater crystal methamphetamine risk and bacterial STI (syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) diagnosis. We estimated indirect paths from greater crystal methamphetamine risk, attitudes toward condoms, sexual escape motives, and sexual risk behaviors, adjusting for self-reported demographic variables. ResultsIn the mediated model, the direct association between greater crystal methamphetamine risk and bacterial STI diagnosis was non-significant; however, five indirect paths were significant. Greater crystal methamphetamine risk was associated with bacterial STIs via condom use attitudes and escape motives, which in turn were associated with number of male anal sex partners, condomless anal sex, and oral sex. DiscussionPublic health and counselling interventions for GBM who use crystal methamphetamine and who are at higher risk for STIs should target evidence-based causal paths that consider sexual attitudes and sexual practices.

Changes in Sexual Behaviors with Opposite-Sex Partners and Sexually Transmitted Infection Outcomes Among Females and Males Ages 15–44 Years in the USA: National Survey of Family Growth, 2008–2019

Rates of reported gonorrhea and chlamydial infections have increased substantially over the past decade in the USA and disparities persist across age and race/ethnicity. We aimed to understand potential changes in sexual behaviors, sexual network attributes, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening that may be contributing to these trends. We analyzed data from 29,423 female and 24,605 male respondents ages 15–44 years from the National Survey of Family Growth, 2008–2019. We used survey-weighted linear or logistic regression to evaluate linear temporal trends in sexual behaviors with opposite-sex partners, network attributes, and STI testing, treatment, and diagnosis. Significant declines were observed in condom use at last vaginal sex, mean number of vaginal sex acts, proportion of condom-protected sex acts in the past 4 weeks, and racial/ethnic homophily with current partners among males and females from 2008–2010 through 2017–2019. Among males, mean number of female partners in the past 12 months and concurrency also declined, while the percent reporting ever having sex with another male increased. Past-year testing for chlamydia and any STI increased among females. Research is needed to understand how these changes interact and potentially contribute to increasing reported gonorrhea and chlamydia diagnoses and identify avenues for future intervention.

Testing a model of biopsychosocial successful aging based on socioemotional selectivity theory in the second half of life.

We first tested a successful aging model, which included biomedical and psychosocial indicators. Next, we tested the assumptions on the social network characteristics of the socioemotional selectivity theory in a model where the outcome variable is successful aging. Cross-sectional study. The study was carried out in municipal centers and nursing homes. A total of 478 adults (Mean age = 72.11, SD = 10.43) were enrolled. Psychological Well-being Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale, Future Time Perspective, Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living Scale, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, and Mini-Mental State Examination Test were completed. The structural equation modeling analyses indicated that higher social satisfaction mediated the association of the future time perspective with successful aging. Furthermore, there was another significant indirect sequential path from the future time perspective to successful aging. The path was first via the number of close social partners and second, social satisfaction. The findings highlight the importance of social satisfaction in the process of successful aging and provide novel evidence that the socioemotional selectivity theory can be considered as a biopsychosocial model of successful aging in future studies.

Evaluation of Merchant Banking and Financial Services using VIKOR Method

Commercial banking is a professional service offered by commercial banks to customers for adequate consideration to make payments for their financial needs. Commercial banks are banks that raise funds, provide financial advice and lend to large corporations. These banks are experts in international trade and are experts in dealing with large companies and industries. Commercial banking provides finance to multinational businesses and large commercial enterprises in the country, which helps in boosting the economic strength of the country. Commercial banks do not provide services to the general public; Their services are limited to commercial companies and large business enterprises. A merchant banker fa-cilitates the subscription of securities. A commercial banker plays an important role and undertakes many responsibilities such as private placement of securities, management of public issue of securities, stock broking, and international financial advisory services. A commercial bank is a type of financial institution that offers underwriting, credit services, financial advice services, and fundraising to high-net-worth individuals and large corporations (HWNIs). Commercial banks are transnational organizations with a focus on global trade and service delivery. The VIKOR (VIšekriterijumsko Kompro-misno Rangiranje) Optimal replacement Select method is used in Australia/New Zealand, Continental, Europe, UK, Japan, Singapore, United States. Alternative: Australia/New Zealand, Continental, Europe, UK, Japan, Singapore, United States. Evaluation parameters of Area of manufacturing: Number of Partners, Number of Partners Bank Years, Share of joint venture banks assets, Average ownership per partner. Results: Australiar/New Zealand is got the first rank whereas is the Singapore is having the Lowest rank.

Characteristics of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis users at first PrEP counselling visit: the CSL-PrEP cohort

ObjectivesPre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective for HIV prevention and is mostly used by men who have sex with men (MSM). The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics...

Sexual behavior and drug use impact in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men

BackgroundThe emergence of chemsex has raised several concerns about gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men's (GBMSM) health. In this study we aim to analyze illicit drugs and chemsex use, sexual behavior and sexually transmitted infections (STI) in GBMSM who attended to a sexual health clinic and to explore any potential association between drug use and STI. MethodsWe conducted an observational study between January and June 2019 among GBMSM population attending to a STI clinic in Barcelona, Spain. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was given consecutively to all participants older than 18 years who accepted to participate. ResultsA total of 514 GBMSM (median age of 34 years-old) were included. The median number of sexual partners in the last year was 20. Seventy-one percent did not use condoms consistently for receptive anal intercourse. Drug abuse prevalence in the preceding year was 64.2%, and 26.5% of the individuals practiced chemsex. Gamma-hydroxibutyrate/gammabutyrolactone, poppers and methamphetamine were the most common drugs in chemsex. Chemsex was associated to group sex (OR 9.8 [95 CI: 4–24]), HIV infection (OR 2.5 [95 CI: 1.1–5.8]), taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (OR 3.2 [95 CI: 1.5–7.1]), developing gonorrhea (OR 3.7 [95 CI: 1.5–8.8]) or syphilis (OR 6.7 [95 CI: 2.4–18.7]). ConclusionsThe prevalence of drug use and chemsex was high among GBMSM in Barcelona. Chemsex was associated with group sex, taking PrEP, and contracting syphilis, gonorrhea, and HIV.

Redheaded women are more sexually active than other women, but it is probably due to their suitors.

Women with red hair color, i.e., 1-9% of female Europeans, tend to be the subject of various stereotypes about their sexually liberated behavior. The aim of the present case-control study was to explore whether a connection between red hair color and sexual behavior really exists using data from 110 women (34% redheaded) and 93 men (22% redheaded). Redheadedness in women, correlated with various traits related to sexual life, namely with higher sexual desire as measured by Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory, with higher sexual activity and more sexual partners of the preferred gender over the past year, earlier initiation of sexual life, and higher sexual submissiveness. Structural equation modelling, however, showed that sexual desire of redheaded women mediated neither their higher sexual activity nor their higher number of sexual partners. These results indirectly indicate that the apparently more liberated sexual behavior in redheaded women could be the consequence of potential mates' frequent attempts to have sex with them. Our results contradicted the three other tested models, specifically the models based on the assumption of different physiology, faster life history strategy, and altered self-perception of redheaded women induced by stereotypes about them. Naturally, the present study cannot say anything about the validity of other potential models that were not subjects of testing.

HIV and syphilis knowledge, perceptions, and practices among Myanmar migrant workers in Samut Sakhon Province, Thailand

BackgroundThailand has been one of the largest migration hubs in Southeast Asia for the past four decades and keeps attracting migrants from neighboring countries. Due to difficulties associated with their status, migration can place individuals at a heightened risk for sexually transmitted diseases. This study aimed to examine factors influencing HIV and syphilis preventive behaviors among Myanmar migrants in Samut Sakhon, Thailand.MethodsA cross-sectional mixed-method study was conducted among Myanmar migrants aged 18 years and above in Samut Sakhon Province, Thailand. To fulfill this study's aims, four hundred seventy-three respondents completed a survey to provide quantitative data, and eight participants completed in-depth qualitative interviews. The factors associated with protective sexual behaviors were identified with multiple logistic regression analysis of the quantitative study data and thematic analysis of the qualitative data.ResultsThe respondents showed good knowledge of HIV and syphilis (50.1%), but over half (55.6%) exhibited the negative perception of sexually transmitted disease prevention; about 81.4% of male respondents never used a condom when they had sexual intercourse in the past year. Based on multivariate analysis, income expenses-balance (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.379, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002–5.731, p = 0.049), number of sex partners (AOR = 3.044, 95% CI: 1.339–6.924, p = 0.008), and having sex with a prostitute (AOR = 6.085, 95% CI: 1.28–28.918, p = 0.023) were all statistically associated with unprotected sex. In the qualitative analysis, knowledge, understanding, beliefs; the influence of culture, community, and environment; and condom perceptions were also important factors.ConclusionLow use of condoms in sexual practice was identified, and the appropriate intervention or approach to improve the utilization of condoms in the community was provided.

Starting from scratch in a patrilocal society: how women build networks after marriage in rural Bangladesh.

Humans rely on both kin and non-kin social ties for a wide range of support. In patrilocal societies that practice village exogamy, women can face the challenge of building new supportive networks when they move to their husband's village and leave many genetic kin behind. In this paper, we track how women from 10 diverse communities in rural Bangladesh build supportive networks after migrating to their husband's village, comparing their trajectories with women who remained in their childhood village (Bengali: n = 317, Santal: n = 36, Hajong: n = 39, Mandi: n = 36). Women who migrated for marriage started with almost no adult close kin (mean 0.1) compared to women who remained in their childhood village (mean 2.4). However, immigrants compensated for the lack of genetic kin by a combination of close affinal kin and close friends. By their late 20s, immigrants reported substantially more non-kin friends than did non-immigrants (mean 1.4 versus 1.1) and a comparable number of supportive partners in several domains. These findings raise questions about the functions and quality of these different social ties and how different composition of supportive networks may provide different opportunities for women in these settings. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cooperation among women: evolutionary and cross-cultural perspectives'.

Collaborative Assessment of Molecular Geometries and Energies from the Open Force Field.

Force fields form the basis for classical molecular simulations, and their accuracy is crucial for the quality of, for instance, protein-ligand binding simulations in drug discovery. The huge diversity of small-molecule chemistry makes it a challenge to build and parameterize a suitable force field. The Open Force Field Initiative is a combined industry and academic consortium developing a state-of-the-art small-molecule force field. In this report, industry members of the consortium worked together to objectively evaluate the performance of the force fields (referred to here as OpenFF) produced by the initiative on a combined public and proprietary dataset of 19,653 relevant molecules selected from their internal research and compound collections. This evaluation was important because it was completely blind; at most partners, none of the molecules or data were used in force field development or testing prior to this work. We compare the Open Force Field "Sage" version 2.0.0 and "Parsley" version 1.3.0 with GAFF-2.11-AM1BCC, OPLS4, and SMIRNOFF99Frosst. We analyzed force-field-optimized geometries and conformer energies compared to reference quantum mechanical data. We show that OPLS4 performs best, and the latest Open Force Field release shows a clear improvement compared to its predecessors. The performance of established force fields such as GAFF-2.11 was generally worse. While OpenFF researchers were involved in building the benchmarking infrastructure used in this work, benchmarking was done entirely in-house within industrial organizations and the resulting assessment is reported here. This work assesses the force field performance using separate benchmarking steps, external datasets, and involving external research groups. This effort may also be unique in terms of the number of different industrial partners involved, with 10 different companies participating in the benchmark efforts.

The intersection of neighborhood and race in urban adolescent health risk behaviors.

Racial variability in associations of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and neighborhood disorder with adolescent health risk behaviors remains under-researched, which this study examined over 1 year among racially diverse adolescents. High school students (N = 345; 18% Asian, 44% Black, 16% Multiracial, 22% White) completed surveys assessing neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and neighborhood disorder, and health risk behaviors (lifetime alcohol, cannabis, and cigarette use, number of sexual partners) at baseline (Year 1) and 1-year follow-up (Year 2). Asian, Black, and Multiracial adolescents were more likely to endorse health risk behaviors in Year 2 compared to White adolescents living in similarly disadvantaged neighborhoods at Year 1. Associations of neighborhood disorder with health risk behavior did not differ by race. Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage (but not neighborhood disorder) may predispose Asian, Black, and Multiracial adolescents to health risk behaviors. Findings may inform interventions to address racial disparities in adolescent health risk behaviors.

Factors Related to HPV Vaccination Intention among MSM in China: A Bayesian Network Model

(1) Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and HPV vaccination is the best strategy to prevent HPV infection. Accepting HPV vaccination is an essential factor affecting vaccine promotion among MSM. We aimed to explore the factors related to HPV vaccination intention among MSM and analyze the potential relationship between these factors. (2) Methods: We adopted a nonprobability sampling method to recruit MSM volunteers. Information collection included general demographics, personal behavioral characteristics, knowledge of HPV/vaccine attitudes, and risk threat perception. Bayesian networks (BNs) were used to analyze the data statistically. (3) Results: The BNs showed that perceived HPV risk and attitudes toward vaccine promotion were directly correlated factors, whereas knowledge of HPV/vaccines, a history of HIV testing, and the number of male sexual partners in the past 6 months were indirectly correlated factors. (4) Conclusions: The results of this study illustrate that MSM have a relatively high propensity to receive HPV vaccines. The proposal that strengthening the propagation of HPV and its relevant vaccines, encouraging MSM to undergo regular corresponding tests, and improving their risk perception of HPV infection can be raised to promote HPV vaccination among MSM.

Awareness and willingness to use HIV oral pre-exposure prophylaxis among people who inject drugs in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: A cross-sectional survey.

People who inject drugs (PWID) are at increased risk of HIV infection. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) could help in HIV prevention among PWIDs. However, little is known about PrEP use among PWIDs in low and middle-income countries. This study reports the awareness of and willingness to use PrEP and the associated factors among PWID in Tanzania. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to recruit PWIDs in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Chi-square statistical test was used during data analysis. The P-value of < 0.05 was used to ascertain the statistically significant relationship. IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 was used to analyze the data. The analysis consisted of 260 PWIDs. The mean age of the respondents was 39.0 years with a standard deviation (SD) of ±7.5. Most of the respondents were male (n = 232, 89.2%) with primary education (n = 176, 67.7%). Despite the low awareness of PrEP (n = 42, 165.28%) in the study sample, the majority (n = 239, 91.9%) were willing to use PrEP. Both awareness of and willingness to use PrEP were associated with gender (p = .002 and p = < .001), awareness of HIV prevention programs(p = < .001 and p = .006), selling sex (p = .010 and p = .021), and frequency of condomless sexual intercourse (p = .029 and p = .025) respectively. In multivariable logistic regression, only gender(p = 0.046) was related to awareness of PrEP while awareness of HIV prevention programs (p = 0.009), the risk level of HIV infection(p = < .001), number of sexual partners(p = 0.046), and frequency of condomless sex(p = 0.032) were associated with willingness to use PrEP. Other factors were not statistically significant. Despite low awareness, PWIDs are highly willing to use PrEP. Future research should assess the acceptability of injectable PrEP for PWID, as their acquaintance with injection may make the formulation more practical.

Linking parasitism to network centrality and the impact of sampling bias in its interpretation.

Group living is beneficial for individuals, but also comes with costs. One such cost is the increased possibility of pathogen transmission because increased numbers or frequencies of social contacts are often associated with increased parasite abundance or diversity. The social structure of a group or population is paramount to patterns of infection and transmission. Yet, for various reasons, studies investigating the links between sociality and parasitism in animals, especially in primates, have only accounted for parts of the group (e.g., only adults), which is likely to impact the interpretation of results. Here, we investigated the relationship between social network centrality and an estimate of gastrointestinal helminth infection intensity in a whole group of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). We then tested the impact of omitting parts of the group on this relationship. We aimed to test: (1) whether social network centrality -in terms of the number of partners (degree), frequency of interactions (strength), and level of social integration (eigenvector) -was linked to parasite infection intensity (estimated by eggs per gram of faeces, EPG); and, (2) to what extent excluding portions of individuals within the group might influence the observed relationship. We conducted social network analysis on data collected from one group of Japanese macaques over three months on Koshima Island, Japan. We then ran a series of knock-out simulations. General linear mixed models showed that, at the whole-group level, network centrality was positively associated with geohelminth infection intensity. However, in partial networks with only adult females, only juveniles, or random subsets of the group, the strength of this relationship - albeit still generally positive - lost statistical significance. Furthermore, knock-out simulations where individuals were removed but network metrics were retained from the original whole-group network showed that these changes are partly a power issue and partly an effect of sampling the incomplete network. Our study indicates that sampling bias can thus hamper our ability to detect real network effects involving social interaction and parasitism. In addition to supporting earlier results linking geohelminth infection to Japanese macaque social networks, this work introduces important methodological considerations for research into the dynamics of social transmission, with implications for infectious disease epidemiology, population management, and health interventions.

Soft disorder modulates the assembly path of protein complexes.

The relationship between interactions, flexibility and disorder in proteins has been explored from many angles over the years: folding upon binding, flexibility of the core relative to the periphery, entropy changes, etc. In this work, we provide statistical evidence for the involvement of highly mobile and disordered regions in complex assembly. We ordered the entire set of X-ray crystallographic structures in the Protein Data Bank into hierarchies of progressive interactions involving identical or very similar protein chains, yielding 40205 hierarchies of protein complexes with increasing numbers of partners. We then examine them as proxies for the assembly pathways. Using this database, we show that upon oligomerisation, the new interfaces tend to be observed at residues that were characterised as softly disordered (flexible, amorphous or missing residues) in the complexes preceding them in the hierarchy. We also rule out the possibility that this correlation is just a surface effect by restricting the analysis to residues on the surface of the complexes. Interestingly, we find that the location of soft disordered residues in the sequence changes as the number of partners increases. Our results show that there is a general mechanism for protein assembly that involves soft disorder and modulates the way protein complexes are assembled. This work highlights the difficulty of predicting the structure of large protein complexes from sequence and emphasises the importance of linking predictors of soft disorder to the next generation of predictors of complex structure. Finally, we investigate the relationship between the Alphafold2's confidence metric pLDDT for structure prediction in unbound versus bound structures, and soft disorder. We show a strong correlation between Alphafold2 low confidence residues and the union of all regions of soft disorder observed in the hierarchy. This paves the way for using the pLDDT metric as a proxy for predicting interfaces and assembly paths.