Browsing by Author "Murnane, Pamela M."

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    Household-Based HIV Counseling and Testing as a Platform for Referral to HIV Care and Medical Male Circumcision in Uganda: A Pilot Evaluation
    (PloS one, 2012) Tumwebaze, Henry; Tumwesigye, Elioda; Baeten, Jared M.; Kurth, Ann E.; Revall, Jennifer; Murnane, Pamela M.; Chang, Larry W.; Celum, Connie
    Combination HIV prevention initiatives incorporate evidence-based, biomedical and behavioral interventions appropriate and acceptable to specific populations, aiming to significantly reduce population-level HIV incidence. Knowledge of HIV serostatus is key to linkages to HIV care and prevention. Household-based HIV counseling and testing (HBCT) can achieve high HIV testing rates. We evaluated HBCT as a platform for delivery of combination HIV prevention services in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: We conducted HBCT in a semi-urban area in southwestern Uganda. All adults received standard HIV prevention messaging. Real-time electronic data collection included a brief risk assessment and prevention triage algorithm for referrals of HIV seropositive persons to HIV care and uncircumcised HIV seronegative men with multiple sex partners to male circumcision. Monthly follow-up visits for 3 months were conducted to promote uptake of HIV care and male circumcision. Results: 855 households received HBCT; 1587 of 1941 (81.8%) adults were present at the HBCT visit, 1557 (98.1% of those present) were tested and received HIV results, of whom, 46.5% were men. A total of 152 (9.8%) were HIV seropositive, for whom the median CD4 count was 456 cells/mL, and 50.7% were newly-identified as HIV seropositive. Three months after HBCT, 88.5% of HIV seropositive persons had attended an HIV care clinic; among those with CD4 counts ,250 cells/mL, 71.4% initiated antiretroviral therapy. Among 123 HIV seronegative men with an HIV+ partner or multiple partners, 62.0% were circumcised by month 3. Conclusions: HBCT achieves high levels of knowledge of HIV serostatus and is an effective platform for identifying at-risk persons and achieving higher uptake of HIV prevention and care services through referrals and targeted follow-up than has been accomplished through other single focus strategies.
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    Tenofovir concentrations in hair strongly predict virologic suppression in breastfeeding women
    (AIDS (London, England), 2019) Murnane, Pamela M.; Bacchetti, Peter; Currier, Judith S.; Brummel, Sean; Okochi, Hideaki; Phung, Nhi; Louie, Alexander; Kuncze, Karen; Hoffman, Risa M.; Nematadzira, Teacler; Soko, Dean K.; Owor, Maxensia; Saidi, Friday; Flynn, Patricia M.; Glenn Fowler, Mary; Gandhi, Monica
    Antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence is often suboptimal in the perinatal period. We measured hair tenofovir (TFV) concentrations as a metric of adherence in postpartum women to understand patterns and predictors of adherence throughout this critical period. Additionally, we examined the association between hair TFV concentrations and virologic outcomes. Methods: Between 12/2012–09/2016, hair samples were collected longitudinally from delivery through breastfeeding from women on ART in the PROMISE study (NCT01061151) in sub-Saharan Africa. Hair TFV levels were measured using validated methods. Using generalized estimating equations, we estimated the association between hair TFV levels and virologic suppression (<400 copies/mL) over time and assessed predictors of hair TFV levels. Results: Hair TFV levels were measured at 370 visits in 71 women from delivery through a median of 14 months (IQR 12–15) of breastfeeding. Levels ranged from below detection (0.002) to 1.067 nanograms/milligram (geometric mean: 0.047). After ≥90 days on ART, 69 women had at least one viral load measured (median 5 measures, range 1–9); 18 (26%) experienced viremia at least once. Each doubling of TFV level more than doubled odds of concurrent virologic suppression (OR 2.35, 95%CI: 1.44–3.84, p=0.0006) and was associated with 1.43 times the odds of future suppression (95%CI: 0.75–2.73, p=0.28). Relative to the first 3 months after delivery, hair levels were highest in months 6–12 (1.42 fold higher, 95%CI: 1.09–1.85, p=0.01). Conclusion: Hair TFV levels strongly predicted concurrent virologic suppression among breastfeeding women. Objective adherence metrics can supplement virologic monitoring to optimize treatment outcomes in this important transition period.