Background: Although evidence shows that engaging in chemsex can be associated with poor mental health, little is known about the relationship between psychological factors and this type of drug use. ...We aim to explore associations between engagement in chemsex and several psychological variables (adverse life events, attachment styles, emotional regulation skills, self-care patterns) in a sample of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) with drug-related problems. Methods: A group of GBMSM engaged in chemsex (n = 41) and a control group of GBMSM (n = 39) completed an online survey to assess drug-related problems and the abovementioned psychological variables, in which both groups were compared. All analyses were adjusted for covariates showing significant differences between groups. Results: Compared to the control group, participants engaged in chemsex showed significantly higher frequencies of an avoidant-insecure attachment style and early adverse life events, regardless of all covariates (HIV status, job situation, and place of birth). Poorer emotional regulation and self-care patterns and a higher frequency of sexual abuse were also found in participants engaged in chemsex, though we cannot rule out the influence of HIV status on this second group of variables. Conclusions: Some people with drug-related problems engaged in chemsex might have suffered early adverse events and might have an avoidant-insecure attachment style. Moreover, those who have been diagnosed with HIV might show higher emotional dysregulation and poorer self-care patterns. These variables should be routinely evaluated in this population.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, FSPLJ, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Background
Although switching antiretroviral therapy (ART) in people with human immunodeficiency virus experiencing insomnia due to dolutegravir-related neurotoxicity is well founded upon ...evidence, there is a lack of proof in regard to the outcome of stopping dolutegravir-based ART in people without insomnia but reporting poor sleep quality.
Methods
This is a randomized, multicenter, open-label study to evaluate the reversibility of patient-reported sleep disturbances in patients on dolutegravir/lamivudine/abacavir without insomnia after switching to darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide. The participants were randomized to switch ART at baseline or at week 4 and then completed 8 weeks of darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide. Our primary objective was to compare changes in sleep quality between arms at week 4. Secondary objectives were to compare changes in mood and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NS) at week 4 and 4 and 8 weeks after switching to darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide. The participants completed a survey, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS), and specific questions to explore NS, at each visit to assess those objectives.
Results
We included 72 participants. The results show that study arms were similar at baseline; however, at week 4, PSQI scores remained unchanged with dolutegravir/lamivudine/abacavir, whereas patients improved significantly after switching to darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide. Similar differences between arms were also observed in HADS and NS changes. At weeks 4 and 8 after all participants switched to darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide, we have observed significant improvements in PSQI and HAD scores and in NS.
Conclusions
In patients reporting subclinical sleep disturbances without insomnia, switching from dolutegravir/lamivudine/abacavir to darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide was associated with better sleep quality and improvements in mood and NS.
This trial explores the subclinical neurotoxicity of DTG/3TC/ABC and its reversibility after switching to DRV/COBI/FTC/TAF in virologically suppressed HIV-infected individuals, a regimen known for its safety neuropsychiatric profile. Results will help to understand the neurotoxicity profile of dolutegravir-based therapies.
Sexualized drug use (SDU) has become a public health concern in recent years. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of SDU in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men living with HIV ...(HIV + GBMSM) in Madrid during 2019/2020 and compare it with data from 2016/2017 in order to detect changes in patterns.
We analyzed the frequency of SDU in a sample of HIV + GBMSM attending HIV clinics, who participated in an anonymous online survey regarding sexual behavior and recreational drug use. The association between SDU, sexual risk behaviors, and STIs was evaluated.
This study included 424 HIV + GBMSM, with a mean age of 40 (10.43) years. Overall, 94% (396) reported being sexually active. Additionally, 33% (140) had been diagnosed with an STI within the previous year. Moreover, 54% (229) had used drugs in the last year, 25% (107) engaged in SDU, and 16% (17) reported engagement in slamsex. After adjusting for confounding factors, SDU was associated with STIs, fisting, unprotected anal intercourse, and having >24 sexual partners in the last year. According to the DUDIT test scores, 80% (81) probably had problematic drug use (≥6 points), and 8% (8) probable drug dependence (≥25 points). When comparing the U-SEX-1 (2016/2017) data with the U-SEX-2 (2019/2020) data, no significant differences were found in the proportion of participants practicing SDU or slamming.
The prevalence of SDU among HIV + GBMSM has remained high in recent years and without significant changes. The risk of problematic drug use among those who practice SDU is high. We observed a clear association between SDU, high-risk sexual behaviors, and STIs.
Background. The evolution of neurocognitive performance in aviremic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients treated with <3 antiretrovirals is unknown. Methods. We prospectively included ...aviremic (≥1 year) HIV-positive patients, without concomitant major neurocognitive confounders, currently receiving boosted lopinavir or darunavir as monotherapy (n = 67) or triple antiretroviral therapy (ART) (n = 67) for ≥1 year. We evaluated neurocognitive function (7 domains) at baseline and after 1 year. We performed analysis of covariance to evaluate if 1 additional year of exposure to monotherapy compared with triple ART had an effect on Global Deficit Score (GDS) changes after adjustment for potential confounders. We also compared the evolution of neurocognitive performance and impairment rates. Results. Intention-to-treat analysis showed that monotherapy did not influence 1-year GDS change after adjustment for significant confounders (age, ethnicity, duration of therapy, hepatitis C virus status, and HOMA-IR index); the adjusted effect was −0.04 (95% confidence interval, −.14 to .05; P = .38). Neurocognitive stability was observed with monotherapy and triple therapy (GDS crude mean change, −0.09 95% confidence interval, −.16 to −.01 vs −0.08 −.14 to −.02, after 1 year of follow-up, similar proportions of patients changed neurocognitive status from impaired to unimpaired (monotherapy, 4 of 18 22.2%; triple therapy, 4 of 19 21.1%; P = .91) and vice versa (monotherapy, 5 of 44 10.2% and triple therapy, 3 of 45 6.3%; P = .48). Similar results were observed in an on-treatment analysis and with use of clinical ratings instead of GDS changes. Conclusions. The number of antiretrovirals included in the ART regimen does not seem to influence the evolution of neurocognitive function in HIV-infected patients with suppressed plasma viremia.
In patients who remain virologically suppressed in plasma with triple-drug ART a switch to protease inhibitor monotherapy maintains high rates of suppression; however it is unknown if protease ...inhibitor monotherapy is associated to a higher rate of neurocognitive impairment.
In this observational, cross-sectional study we included patients with plasma virological suppression (≥ 1 year) without concomitant major neurocognitive confounders, currently receiving for ≥ 1 year boosted lopinavir or darunavir as monotherapy or as triple ART. Neurocognitive impairment was defined as per the 2007 consensus of the American Association of Neurology. The association between neurocognitive impairment and protease inhibitor monotherapy, adjusted by significant confounders, was analysed.
Of the 191 included patients--triple therapy: 96, 1-2 years of monotherapy: 40 and >2 years of monotherapy: 55--proportions (95% CI) with neurocognitive impairment were: overall, 27.2% (20.9-33.6); triple therapy, 31.6% (22.1-41.0); short-term monotherapy, 25.0% (11.3-38.7); long-term monotherapy: 21.4% (10.5-32.3); p = 0.38. In all groups, neurocognitive impairment was mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic by self-report. There were not significant differences in Global Deficit Score by group. In the regression model confounding variables for neurocognitive impairment were years on ART, ethnicity, years of education, transmission category and the HOMA index. Adjusted by these variables the Odds Ratio (95% CI) for neurocognitive impairment of patients receiving short-term monotherapy was 0.85 (0.29-2.50) and for long-term monotherapy 0.40 (0.14-1.15).
Compared to triple drug antiretroviral therapy, monotherapy with lopinavir/ritonavir or darunavir/ritonavir in patients with adequate plasma suppression was not associated with a higher rate of asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment than triple drug ART.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Sexualized intravenous drug use, also known as slamsex, seems to be increasing among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM). Physical and psychopathological symptoms have previously been ...reported in this population, although research on the subject of slamsex is scarce. The objectives of our study were to describe the psychopathological background of a sample of HIV-positive MSM who engaged in slamsex during the previous year and to compare physical, psychopathological, and drug-related symptoms between these participants and those who engaged in non-injecting sexualized drug use.
Participants (HIV-positive MSM) were recruited from the U-Sex study in 22 HIV clinics in Madrid during 2016-17. All participants completed an anonymous cross-sectional online survey on sexual behavior and recreational drug use. When participants met the inclusion criteria, physicians offered them the opportunity to participate and gave them a card with a unique code and a link to access the online survey. The present analysis is based on HIV-positive MSM who had engaged in slamsex and non-injecting sexualized drug use.
The survey sample comprised 742 participants. Of all the participants who completed the survey, 216 (29.1%) had engaged in chemsex, and of these, 34 (15.7%) had engaged in slamsex. Participants who engaged in slamsex were more likely to have current psychopathology (depression, anxiety, and drug-related disorders) than participants who engaged in non-injecting sexualized drug use. In addition, participants who engaged in slamsex more frequently reported high-risk sexual behaviors and polydrug use and were more often diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and hepatitis C than those who did not inject drugs. Compared with participants who did not inject drugs, participants who engaged in slamsex experienced more severe drug-related symptoms (withdrawal and dependence), symptoms of severe intoxication (loss of consciousness), and severe psychopathological symptoms during or after slamsex (eg, paranoid thoughts and suicidal behaviors).
Slamsex is closely associated with current psychiatric disorders and severe drug-related and psychiatric symptoms.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Darunavir/ritonavir monotherapy is an experimental switching strategy for virologically suppressed patients without protease inhibitor resistance to avoid nucleos(t)ide-related toxicities. This ...therapy maintains virological suppression in most patients, but at slightly lower rates than standard therapy that includes two nucleos(t)ides. Patients experiencing virological failure are generally re-suppressed without emergence of resistance with the resumption of two nucleos(t)ides. Reports of cerebrospinal fluid viral escape has been observed in patients receiving protease inhibitor monotherapy, and concerns exist regarding the capacity of protease inhibitor monotherapy to control HIV infection in the brain and to prevent neurocognitive decline. In the current report we have pooled together available evidence regarding the capacity of darunavir/ritonavir monotherapy to control HIV replication in cerebrospinal fluid and to prevent neurocognitive decline.
In a cross-sectional study of aviremic neurocognitively impaired patients receiving protease inhibitors as triple-drug therapy (n = 30) or as monotherapy (n = 22), we found no statistically ...significant differences in the types of cognitive domains involved or severity of cognitive deficit. Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of total proteins, total tau, myelin basic protein, neuron-specific enolase, β2 microglobulin, S100B protein, or prevalence of cerebrospinal fluid HIV-RNA detection by standard (6.3% vs 7.1% P = 1) or ultrasensitive assays (50% vs 71.4%, P = 0.28) were similar in both groups. These results do not suggest important differences in the pattern of neurocognitive impairment between groups receiving very different antiretroviral strategies.
Introduction
Emotional processing is basic for social behaviour. We examine for the first time the facial emotion processing in long‐term HIV‐suppressed patients.
Materials and Methods
...Cross‐sectional study comparing (ANOVA) six facial emotional processing tasks (two discrimination, two memory and two recognition) between HIV‐suppressed patients (HIV+) on effective antiretroviral therapy (>2 years) and matched (age, gender) healthy controls (HCs). Accuracy in the recognition of basic emotions (neutral, happiness, sadness, anger and fear) in each recognition task was also compared (Mann–Whitney U test) between HIV+ and HCs. In the subset of HIV+, we evaluate which factors were associated with impaired recognition of basic emotions (accuracy below 50%) by multiple logistic regression analysis. Overall performance in all six emotional tasks were separately compared between neurocognitive impaired and non‐impaired HIV+.
Results
We included 107 HIV+, mainly Caucasian (89%) male (72%) with a mean age of 47.4 years, neurocognitively non‐impaired (75.5%), and 40 HCs. Overall discrimination (p=0.38), memory (p=0.65) and recognition tasks (p=0.29) were similar in both groups. However, HIV+ had lower sadness recognition in both recognition tasks and lower sadness, anger and fear recognition in the facial affect selection task (Figure 1). Only estimated pre‐morbid functioning (WAIS‐III‐R vocabulary subtest score) was significantly associated with sadness (1.99 95% CI 1.18–3.58; p=0.01) and anger recognition deficits (2.06 95% CI 1.14–3.45; p=0.015) in the facial affect selection task. In HIV+ individuals, neurocognitive impairment was associated with worse memory task results (p<0.01, d=0.88; p<0.01, d=1.48).
Conclusions
We did not find difference in the overall emotion processing between HIV+ and HIV‐ individuals. However, we found particular recognition deficits in the entire HIV+ sample. Estimated pre‐morbid functioning was associated with sadness and anger recognition deficits in the facial affect selection task. Neurocognitive impaired HIV+ had additional memory deficits. These recognition deficits might conduct to social difficulties.
Introduction
The prevalence of risky alcohol consumption, associated factors and its impact on the brain is not well established in clinically stable HIV patients.
Materials and Methods
Within the ...PIVOT neurocognitive sub‐study, effectively suppressed HIV‐infected adults on either standard cART or ritonavir‐boosted PI monotherapy completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) designed to detect risky alcohol consumption. They also completed a brief neuropsychological assessment (NPZ 5) composed by five measures. For this cross‐sectional analysis, we calculated rates of hazardous (AUDIT=8–15) or harmful (AUDIT=16–19) consumption and likely dependence (AUDIT>20). We explored the association between risky alcohol intakes (AUDIT>8) and clinical/demographical variables, conducting logistic regressions when significant association was found (p<.05). Also, the association between cognitive performance and alcohol consumption was calculated and adjusted by potential confounders.
Results
Of the 146 included participants, the majority were male (86.3%), white (81.5%) and educated (mean years on formal education=15, SD=3.9). Average age was 47.6 years (SD=8.7), and 36.3% had risky consumption (29.5% hazardous, 6.2% harmful, 0.7% likely dependence). White ethnicity and male sex were positively associated with risky consumption (Table 1). After adjustments, white ethnicity remained significantly associated with risky consumption (1.64 95% CI 0.34–2.95; p=0.013). Better cognitive performance was associated with risky alcohol consumption in the univariate analysis (p<.001). After adjustment by ethnicity, sex and years of education, cognitive performance and risky alcohol consumption maintained significant association (0.45 95% CI 0.19–0.70 p=0.001).
Conclusions
Despite the substantially high prevalence of risky alcohol consumption, it was not associated with worse adherence, immunological or quality of life measures in this cohort of effectively suppressed patients but prevalence of likely alcohol dependency was extremely low. White patients were more vulnerable to risky consumption. Moreover, positive association between cognitive performance and risky alcohol consumption remained after adjustment. In our study, the association we found between cognitive function and alcohol consumption does not reflect the effect of alcohol dependency on cognition.
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