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INTRODUCTION: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery based on user needs can enhance PrEP access and impact. We examined whether telehealth for daily oral PrEP delivery could change the indicators of care related to prophylactic use in five Brazilian public HIV clinics (testing centres, outpatient clinics and infectious disease hospitals). METHODS: Between July 2019 and December 2020, clients on PrEP for at least 6 months could transition to telehealth or stay with in-person follow-up. Clients were clinically monitored until June 2021. A desktop or mobile application was developed, comprising three asynchronous consultations and one annual in-person consultation visit. Predictors influencing telehealth preference and care outcomes were examined. The analysis encompassed intent-to-treat (first choice) and adjustments for sexual practices, schooling, age, duration of PrEP use and PrEP status during the choice period. RESULTS: Of 470 users, 52% chose telehealth, with the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) increasing over time for PrEP use (aOR for 25-months of use: 4.90; 95% CI: 1.32-18.25), having discontinued PrEP at the time of the choice (aOR: 2.91; 95% CI: 1.40-6.06) and having health insurance (aOR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.24-2.94) and decreasing for those who reported higher-risk behaviour (aOR for unprotected anal sex: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.29-0.88). After an average follow-up period of 1.6 years (95% CI: 1.5-1.7), the risk of discontinuing PrEP (not having the medication for more than 90 days) was 34% lower with telehealth (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.45-0.97). When adjusted by mixed linear regression, no differences in adherence (measured by mean medication possession rate) were found between in-person and telehealth (p = 0.486) or at pre- and post-telehealth follow-ups (p = 0.245). Sexually transmitted infections increased between the pre-follow-up and post-follow-up choices and were not associated with in-person or telehealth (p = 0.528). No HIV infections were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that telehealth for PrEP delivery can enhance service rationalization and reinforce the prevention cascade. This approach reduces prophylaxis interruptions and is mainly preferred by individuals with lower demands for healthcare services.

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BACKGROUND: The influence of age at diagnosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) prognosis is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To compare in a Brazilian cohort of NSCLC patients of different age groups: 1) The overall survival; 2) Clinical features and treatment options. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study using a hospital-based registry, for NSCLC patients registered in years 2000-2009. Patients were grouped into three age groups: Young adults (YA: < 40 years), middle-aged (MA: 40-64 years) and elderly (E: ≥ 65 years). Kaplan-Meier was used to estimate overall survival and Cox regression for hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: 17,422 NSCLC patients were included: 370 YA (2.1%), 8,697 MA (49.9%) and 8,355 E (48.0%). Compared with older age groups, the YA group had a higher proportion of females, patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma and metastatic disease (63.2%). Overall survival was longer in YA in the entire cohort and in all clinical stages (CSs) (p < 0.001). For YA, higher education level was a good prognosis factor (compared with illiterate and incomplete elementary); advanced or metastatic disease (compared with early-stage disease) and treatment based in radiotherapy or chemotherapy (CT) (without surgery), compared with treatment combinations with surgery, were poor prognostic factors. Young men (but not women) had lower HR of death compared with older groups; YA had lower HR of death in all CSs compared with patients from older groups. A higher percentage of YA were treated with surgery or CT in early-stage disease compared with older groups. Besides that, YA and MA patients treated with surgery or CT had a better prognosis than elderlies. Conclusions: In this Brazilian cohort of NSCLC patients, most young individuals were diagnosed with metastatic disease. YA presented longer survival than older age groups in all CSs, but mainly in CS I/II and III, where some patients may achieve long remissions or cure.

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This study evaluated Trypanosoma cruzi parasitemia in persons with chronic Chagas disease, compared the parasitemia in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive and -negative subjects, and, for HIV-positive subjects, analyzed the association between parasitemia and occurrence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-defining illnesses, CD4 cell counts, HIV loads, and antiretroviral therapy. In total, 110 adults with chronic Chagas disease (29 HIV positive, 81 HIV negative) were studied. T. cruzi parasitemia was evaluated by xenodiagnosis, blood culture, and direct microscopic examination of blood. T. cruzi parasitemia was detected significantly more frequently in HIV-positive than in HIV-negative subjects (odds ratio, 12.3; 95% confidence interval, 3.7-41.2). HIV-positive patients also had higher levels of parasitemia. No statistically significant association was seen between parasitemia and the variables of interest among the HIV-positive subjects.

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A group of 208 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women in Brazil were studied for the presence of human papillomavirus with the general SPF(10) PCR primer set. Virtually all (98%) women were found positive for human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA. Genotyping by the reverse hybridization line probe assay (HPV-LiPA) revealed a high prevalence of multiple genotypes (78.9% of the cases), with an average of 3.1 genotypes per patient (range, 1 to 10 genotypes). HPV 6 was the most prevalent genotype and was observed in 80 (39.2%) patients, followed by types 51 (31.9%), 11 (26.0%), 18 (24.0%), and 16 (22.5%). Of the genotypes detected, 40.9% were low-risk genotypes. Twenty-two (10.5%) patients showed normal (Pap I) cytology, 149 (71.6%) patients had inflammation (Pap II), and 28 patients (13.4%) had a Pap III score. The prevalence of high-risk genotypes increased with the cytological classification. There were no significant associations between the number of HPV genotypes detected and the cytological classification, HIV viral load, and CD4 count in these patients. In conclusion, the highly sensitive SPF(10) LiPA system shows that a very high proportion of HIV-infected women in Brazil are infected with HPV and often carry multiple HPV genotypes.

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