us-map.html ¶ A list of severe manifestations of monkeypox can be found at https://emergency. cdc.gov/han/2022/han00475.asp. ** During the study period and as of October 21, 2022, CDC was notified by state and local jurisdictions of five decedents whose death certificates included monkeypox as a cause of death or contributing factor, six decedents whose cause of death is still under active investigation, and one decedent in whom the death was not monkeypox-related. Additional monkeypox cases involving severe disease or death might not be included in this report if CDC has not yet been notified about the case or if the case occurred outside of the study period.

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) persist despite great advancements in combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). The gold standard for diagnosing cognitive impairment consists of a time-consuming neuropsychological battery of tests given by a trained neuropsychologist, however in the outpatient HIV clinic this is not feasible. The International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS) was developed to help identify individuals with cognitive impairment in the outpatient setting. The IHDS is moderately sensitive for detecting more symptomatic forms of HAND but sensitivity has been shown to be poor in mild impairment. The IHDS has not been evaluated in developed countries in large cohort populations. We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study of only HIV+ individuals in an urban clinic and evaluated the prevalence of HAND and associated risk factors for cognitive impairment using the IHDS. A total of 507 HIV+ individuals participated in the study of which the majority were male (65%) and African American (68%); and 41% had cognitive impairment. On multivariate analysis, African American race (p=2.21), older age (p=1.03), high school education or less (p=2.03) and depression (p=1.05) were associated with cognitive impairment. The high prevalence of HAND in this group suggests that more severe forms of HAND persist despite cART. Identified risk factors were non-HIV-related and suggest that environmental and sociodemographic factors have a significant impact on cognitive functioning and should be given more attention. The IHDS should be further evaluated in large cohort HIV+ and HIV− populations in the United States, as there remains a significant need to identify an effective brief screening tool for cognitive impairment.

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Background Progression along the HIV care continuum has been a key focus for improving outcomes for people living with HIV (PLWH). Transgender women with HIV (TGWWH) have not made the same progress as their cisgender counterparts. Methods All PLWH identifying as transgender women receiving care at our clinic from 1/1/2015 to 12/31/2019 were identified from the electronic health records (EHR) using ICD codes. Demographics, laboratory data, prescription of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), and visit history were abstracted from the EHR. Retention in care and viral suppression were defined using CDC definitions. The proportions of TGWWH who were consistently retained in care or virally suppressed over time was calculated using a binary response generalized mixed model including random effects and correlated errors. Results Of the 76 PLWH identified by ICD codes, two were excluded for identifying as cisgender and 15 for insufficient records, leaving 59 TGWWH included for analysis. Patients were on average 35 years old, black (86%), with a median CD4 count of 464 cells/µL. There were 13 patients on GAHT at study entry and 31 receiving GAHT at any point during the study period. 55% were virally suppressed at study entry and 86% at GAHT initiation. The proportion of TGWWH who were consistently virally suppressed over time was greater among those receiving GAHT compared to those who were not (p=0.04). Conclusions Rates of viral suppression were significantly greater among TGWWH receiving GAHT when compared to those who were not. More research to evaluate reasons behind this effect are needed.

HIV-infected women are at increased risk of invasive cervical cancer, however screening rates remain low. The objectives of this study were to analyze a quality improvement intervention to increase cervical cancer screening rates in an urban academic HIV clinic and to identify factors associated with inadequate screening. Barriers to screening were identified by a multi-disciplinary quality improvement committee at the Washington University Infectious Diseases clinic. Several strategies were developed to address these barriers. The years pre- and post-implementation were analyzed to examine the clinical impact of the intervention. A total of 422 women were seen in both the pre-implementation and post-implementation periods. In the pre-implementation period, 222 women (53%) underwent cervical cancer screening in the form of Papanicolaou (Pap) testing. In the post-implementation period, 318 women (75.3%) underwent cervical cancer screening (p<0.01). Factors associated with lack of screening included fewer visits attended (pre: 4.2 ± 1.5; post: 3.4 ± 1.4; p<0.01). A multidisciplinary quality improvement intervention was successful in overcoming barriers and increasing cervical cancer screening rates in an urban academic HIV clinic.