Use of Fosaprepitant for Management of Suspected Antimicrobial-Associated Nausea: A Case Report

Intractable nausea can occur in numerous settings. We report on a 49-year-old woman with a past medical history of cystic fibrosis (CF) with chronic hypoxia, chronic nausea, complex infection history and frequent hospitalizations who was admitted to an academic medical center with a CF exacerbation. Her chronic nausea worsened with the use of antimicrobials, and she was unable to tolerate dopamine or serotonin antagonist antiemetics. Nausea persisted despite the use of benzodiazepines and antihistamines. She was given a one-time dose of fosaprepitant 150 mg intravenously (IV) with marked improvement of her nausea. During subsequent exacerbations, she again developed severe nausea which continued to respond well to a one-time dose of fosaprepitant 150 mg IV. Fosaprepitant is a substance P/neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor antagonist that is FDA-approved for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and has been used to prevent post-operative nausea and vomiting. Its use in other contexts has not been well established. This case suggests a role for fosaprepitant in the management of nausea outside the context of chemotherapy or general anesthesia.

Psychiatric symptom burden in older people living with HIV with and without cognitive impairment: the UCSF HIV over 60 cohort study

Psychiatric comorbidities are common in people living with HIV (PLWH) and adversely affect life satisfaction, treatment adherence and disease progression. There are few data to inform the burden of psychiatric symptoms in older PLWH, a rapidly growing demographic in the U.S. We performed a cross-sectional analysis to understand the degree to which symptom burden was associated with cognitive disorders in PLWH over age 60. Participants completed a standardized neuropsychological battery and were assigned cognitive diagnoses using Frascati criteria. We captured psychiatric symptom burden using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and proxy-informed Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q). Those diagnosed with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND, n = 39) were similar to those without HAND (n = 35) by age (median = 67 years for each group, p = 0.696), education (mean = 16 years vs. 17 years, p = 0.096), CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts (mean = 520 vs. 579, p = 0.240), duration of HIV (median = 21 years for each group, p = 0.911) and sex (92% male in HAND vs. 97% in non-HAND, p = 0.617). Our findings showed similarities in HAND and non-HAND groups on both NPI-Q (items and clusters) and GDS scores. However, there was a greater overall symptom burden in HIV compared to healthy elder controls (n = 236, p < 0.05), with more frequent agitation, depression, anxiety, apathy, irritability and nighttime behavior disturbances (p < 0.05). Our findings demonstrate no differences in psychiatric comorbidity by HAND status in older HIV participants; but confirm a substantial neurobehavioral burden in this older HIV-infected population.

Self-perceived HIV risk and the use of risk reduction strategies among men who engage in transactional sex with other men in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

An emerging HIV epidemic can be seen among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam, with prevalence as high as 18%. Transactional sex represents a risk factor for HIV transmission/acquisition among MSM globally, particularly in urban contexts, but remains largely underinvestigated in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. In 2010, 23 MSM who reported exchanging sex for money in the last month completed a brief survey and semistructured qualitative interview at The Life Centre, a non-governmental organization in HCMC, to assess sociodemographics, individual- and structural-level HIV risk factors and explore acceptable future prevention interventions. Participants' mean age was 24 years. Equal proportions of respondents self-identified as heterosexual/straight, homosexual/gay, and bisexual. Participants had a mean of 158 male clients in the past year, with a median of 60 male clients in the past year (interquartile range [IQR]=70) and reported inconsistent condom use and inaccurate perceptions of HIV risk. Nearly half of the sample reported engaging in unprotected anal sex with a male partner in the past 12 months and one-third with a male client. Major themes that emerged for HIV prevention interventions with male sex workers were those that: (1) focused on individual factors (drug and alcohol use, barriers to condom use, knowledge of asymptomatic STIs, enhancement of behavioral risk-reduction skills, and addressing concomitant mental health issues); (2) incorporated interpersonal and relational contexts (led by peer educators, built interpersonal skills, attended to partner type and intimacy dynamics); and (3) considered the exogenous environments in which individual choices/relationships operate (stigma of being MSM in Vietnam, availability of alternative economic opportunities, and varied sexual venues). HIV prevention efforts are needed that address the specific needs of MSM who engage in transactional sex in HCMC. Universally, MSM endorsed HIV prevention interventions, suggesting a need and desire for efforts in this context.

Raising the bar: Breast cancer biomarkers IHC4 harmonization from University of California-Athena pathology collaboration

80

Background: Breast cancer treatment depends on the accurate analysis of immunohistochemical biomarkers (IHC4): estrogen and progesterone receptors, Ki-67, HER2. The Athena Harmonization project was undertaken to reduce technical and scoring variances between different laboratories and different pathologists. Methods: Initial assessment: Five breast cancer samples were sectioned and distributed to 5 UC campuses, where IHC4 and HER2 FISH tests were done per usual methods. Samples were selected to cover the range of negative, positive, and moderate for each antigen. Stained slides were circulated to 10 pathologists for scoring. Digital whole slide images (WSI) were made and scored. Technical variance reduction: A Delphi voting process identified an ideal histology slide for each IHC4 antigen. Laboratories adjusted techniques to match the appearance of the ideal slides, followed by pathologist and quantitative image analysis (QIA) validation. Scoring variance reduction: A digital pathology training tool was created where pathologists scored breast cancer tissue microarrays with known scores for the IHC4 antigens. Results: Scoring variance did not exceed clinical thresholds, although there were significant technical and scoring variances between laboratories that could affect research outcomes. The mean values and variance were similar for WSI and glass slides, except for HER2 (higher scores on WSI but without benefit of workstation calibration). Each laboratory adjusted technical parameters to more closely match the ideal IHC4. Early QIA data indicate reduced variance between adjusted and ideal histology slides. Conclusions: Considerable and significant technical and interpretational variances between five University of California laboratories can be overcome by harmonizing protocols, setting new inter-institutional standards for pathology and histology best practices. Quantitative image analysis and whole slide imaging were instrumental. Subsequent harmonization will include cases near thresholds for clinical treatment guidelines.

A mixed methods study of the sexual health needs of New England transmen who have sex with nontransgender men

The sexual health of transmen--individuals born or assigned female at birth and who identify as male--remains understudied. Given the increasing rates of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among gay and bisexual men in the United States, understanding the sexual practices of transmen who have sex with men (TMSM) may be particularly important to promote sexual health or develop focused HIV prevention interventions. Between May and September 2009, 16 transmen who reported sexual behavior with nontransgender men completed a qualitative interview and a brief interviewer-administered survey. Interviews were conducted until redundancy in responses was achieved. Participants (mean age, 32.5, standard deviation [SD] = 11.1; 87.5% white; 75.0% "queer") perceived themselves at moderately high risk for HIV and STDs, although 43.8% reported unprotected sex with an unknown HIV serostatus nontransgender male partner in the past 12 months. The majority (62.5%) had used the Internet to meet sexual partners and "hook-up" with an anonymous nontransgender male sex partner in the past year. A lifetime STD history was reported by 37.5%; 25.0% had not been tested for HIV in the prior 2 years; 31.1% had not received gynecological care (including STD screening) in the prior 12 months. Integrating sexual health information "by and for" transgender men into other healthcare services, involving peer support, addressing mood and psychological wellbeing such as depression and anxiety, Internet-delivered information for transmen and their sexual partners, and training for health care providers were seen as important aspects of HIV and STD prevention intervention design and delivery for this population. "Embodied scripting" is proposed as a theoretical framework to understand sexual health among transgender populations and examining transgender sexual health from a life course perspective is suggested.

HIV risk and social networks among male-to-female transgender sex workers in Boston, Massachusetts

Male-to-female transgender individuals who engage in sex work constitute a group at high risk for HIV infection in the United States. This mixed-methods formative study examined sexual risk among preoperative transgender male-to-female sex workers (N =11) in Boston. More than one third of the participants were HIV-infected and reported a history of sexually transmitted diseases. Participants had a mean of 36 (SD =72) transactional male sex partners in the past 12 months, and a majority reported at least one episode of unprotected anal sex. Qualitative themes included (a) sexual risk, (b) motivations for engaging in sex work, (c) consequences of sex work, (d) social networks (i.e., "trans mothers," who played a pivotal role in initiation into sex work), and (e) potential intervention strategies. Results suggest that interventions with transgender male-to-female sex workers must be at multiple levels and address the psychosocial and environmental contexts in which sexual risk behavior occurs.

A review of HIV antiretroviral adherence and intervention studies among HIV-infected youth

Advances in antiretroviral medications have resulted in precipitous declines in HIV-associated morbidity and mortality; however, high levels of adherence are crucial to the success of HIV therapies. This article reviews published studies in the United States on HIV-infected youth (ages 13 to 24 years), focusing on adherence to antiretroviral regimens and interventions designed to enhance adherence. A systematic search yielded 21 articles published between 1999 and 2008 that reported data on medication adherence in HIV-infected youth, of which 7 described unique interventions to enhance medication adherence. Five thematic areas were identified to classify factors associated with adherence. Findings suggest psychosocial factors, in particular depression and anxiety, were consistently associated with poorer adherence across studies. Three types of adherence interventions with HIV-infected youth were found. Results suggest that examining adherence within the broader contextual issues present in the lives of youth, including HIV stigma and disclosure, caregiver stress, peer relations, mental health and substance use, and length of time on medications, may be most important to understanding how best to intervene with adherence among this population. Secondary HIV prevention interventions for youth represent a possible mode through which to deliver individually tailored adherence skill building and counseling to improve medication adherence.