BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) epidemiological research has generally been individual based, typically focusing on women, with couple-based research mostly consisting of cross-sectional assessment of prevalent HPV infection in both partners.ObjectiveThe HPV Infection and Transmission among Couples through Heterosexual activity (HITCH) study was set up to investigate the transmissibility of HPV among young, recently formed couples in Montreal, Canada. This paper provides an overview of the HITCH cohort study design and procedures as well as a narrative summary of the most important findings.MethodsHITCH is a longitudinal investigation of HPV transmission in recently formed heterosexual partnerships initiated within 6-month pre-enrollment, a time at which considerable transmission is believed to occur. A total of 549 newly formed dyads were recruited (2005-2011) from postsecondary institutions, including 502 young women and their male partners. An additional 46 males were enrolled at follow-up, as some women enrolled a subsequent partner at follow-up. Women aged 18-24 years were followed for 24 months for acquisition of HPV types not present at enrollment, whereas men returned for a single follow-up visit at month 4, for a sum total of 3361 clinic visits. The last follow-up visit occurred in January 2014. Extensive sociodemographic, sexual behavioral, and medical history data were collected every 2-4 months using computer-assisted, self-administered questionnaires. Furthermore, participants provided genital, blood, oral, and hand specimens for HPV assessment.ResultsAlthough in its early analysis stage, HITCH has produced important publications. Findings from HITCH have increased the available knowledge about the natural history of HPV transmission and its determinants, provided further evidence regarding oral-oral and oral-genital routes of HPV transmission, and supplied empirically valid epidemiological parameters of HPV transmission to assist mathematical modelers in health economic assessments. In addition, HITCH data were made available to several multistudy collaborations evaluating new HPV detection assays and evidence for-or-against HPV type replacement following the introduction of HPV vaccination.ConclusionsHITCH will continue to offer a unique resource for research on HPV transmission.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)RR1-10.2196/11284

Objectives Timely HIV diagnosis and presentation to medical care are important for treatment and prevention. Our objective was to measure late diagnosis, delayed presentation and late presentation among individuals in the Ontario HIV Treatment Network Cohort Study (OCS) who were newly diagnosed in Ontario. Methods The OCS is a multi‐site clinical cohort study of people living with HIV in Ontario, Canada. We measured prevalence of late diagnosis [CD4 count < 350 cells/μL or an AIDS‐defining condition (ADC) within 3 months of HIV diagnosis], delayed presentation (≥ 3 months from HIV diagnosis to presentation to care), and late presentation (CD4 count < 350 cells/μL or ADC within 3 months of presentation). We identified characteristics associated with these outcomes and explored their overlap. Results A total of 1819 OCS participants were newly diagnosed in Ontario from 1999 to 2013. Late diagnosis (53.0%) and presentation (54.0%) were common, and a quarter (23.1%) of participants were delayed presenters. In multivariable models, the participants of delayed presentation decreased over calendar time, but that of late diagnosis/presentation did not. Late diagnosis contributed to the majority (> 87%) of late presentation, and the prevalence of delayed presentation was similar among those diagnosed late versus early (13.4 versus 13.4%, respectively; P = 0.99). Characteristics associated with higher odds of late diagnosis/presentation in multivariable analyses included older age at diagnosis/presentation; African, Caribbean and Black race/ethnicity; Indigenous race/ethnicity; female sex; and being a male who did not report sex with men. There were lower odds of late diagnosis/presentation among participants who had ever injected drugs. In contrast, delayed presentation risk factors included younger age at diagnosis and having ever injected drugs. Conclusions Late presentation is common in Ontario, as it is in other high‐income countries. Our findings suggest that efforts to reduce late presentation should focus on facilitating earlier diagnosis for the populations identified in this analysis.

Background Sustained optimal use of combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) has been shown to decrease morbidity, mortality and HIV transmission. However, incomplete adherence and treatment interruption (TI) remain challenges to the full realization of the promise of cART. We estimated trends and predictors of treatment interruption and resumption among individuals in the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC) collaboration. Methods cART-naïve individuals ≥18 years of age who initiated cART between 2000–2011 were included. We defined TIs as ≥90 consecutive days off cART. We used descriptive analyses to study TI trends over time and Cox regression to identify factors predicting time to first TI and time to treatment resumption after a first TI. Results 7,633 participants were eligible, of whom 1,860 (24.5%) experienced a TI. The prevalence of TI in the first calendar year of cART decreased by half over the study period. Our analyses highlighted a higher risk of TI among women (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 1.59, 95%CI: 1.33–1.92), younger individuals (aHR: 1.27, 95%CI: 1.15–1.37 per decade increase), earlier treatment initiators (CD4 count ≥350 versus <200 mm3, aHR: 1.46, 95%CI: 1.17–1.81), Aboriginal participants (aHR: 1.67, 95%CI: 1.27–2.20), injecting drug users (aHR: 1.43, 95%CI: 1.09–1.89), and users of zidovudine versus tenofovir in the initial cART regimen (aHR: 2.47, 95%CI: 1.92–3.20). Conversely, factors predicting treatment resumption were male sex, older age, and a CD4 cell count <200 mm3 at cART initiation. Conclusion Despite significant improvements in cART since its advent, our results demonstrate that TIs remain relatively prevalent. Strategies to support continuous HIV treatment are needed to maximize the benefits of cART.