Factors Associated with Problem Drinking among Women Employed in Food and Recreational Facilities in Northern Tanzania

Background

There is growing evidence that alcohol consumption is associated with increased risk of HIV infection. To determine factors associated with problem drinking, we analyzed data collected in two prospective cohorts of at-risk female food and recreational facility workers in northern Tanzania.

Methods

We enrolled HIV seronegative women aged 18–44 years and employed in the towns of Geita, Kahama, Moshi, and Shinyanga. At enrolment, women were interviewed to obtain information about alcohol use, using CAGE and AUDIT screening scales, and risk factors for HIV infection. Blood and genital samples were collected for detection of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We characterized alcohol use, concordance, and agreement of the scales, and examined the associations between characteristics of participants and problem drinking as defined by both scales using logistic regression. Lastly, we assessed problem drinking as a risk factor for recent sexual behavior and prevalent STIs.

Results

Among enrollees, 68% women reported ever drinking alcohol; of these 76% reported drinking alcohol in the past 12 months. The prevalence of problem drinking was 20% using CAGE and 13% using AUDIT. Overall concordance between the scales was 75.0% with a Kappa statistic of 0.58. After adjusting for age, independent factors associated with problem drinking, on both scales, were marital status, occupation, facility type, increasing number of lifetime sexual partners, and transactional sex in the past 12 months. In addition, women who were problem drinkers on either scale were more likely to report having ≥1 sexual partner (CAGE: aOR = 1.56, 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.10–2.23; AUDIT: aOR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.34–3.00) and transactional sex (CAGE: aOR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.26–2.56; AUDIT: aOR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.04–2.18), in the past 3 months.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that interventions to reduce problem drinking in this population may reduce high-risk sexual behaviors and contribute in lowering the risk of HIV infection.     

Association of AHSG gene polymorphisms with serum Fetuin-A levels in individuals with cardiovascular calcification in west of Iran

Molecular Biology Reports - Fetuin-A (AHSG) is a multifunctional secretory protein and acts as an ectopic valve and artery calcification inhibitor. We assessed the correlation between serum levels...     

Sterilization and protection of protein in combinations of Camellia sinensis green tea extract and gamma irradiation

Sterilization of milk protein without heating is of great interest. Gamma irradiation is a very powerful method to decontaminated casein. Gamma-irradiation of proteins in aqueous media at doses higher than 5kGy is known to induce their aggregation (without oxygen) or degradation (in presence of oxygen). Camellia sinensis green tea extract addition before irradiation of caseins cow milk proteins was examined. It was found that the presence of C. sinensis green tea extract during irradiation in the presence of oxygen conditions prevented the protein aggregation even at doses higher than 10kGy, probably by scavenging oxygen radicals produced by irradiation. The protective role of C. sinensis green tea extract allowing the gamma-irradiation treatment of caseins cow milk proteins in solution, was asserted by sodium dodecyl-sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and by high performance liquid chromatography inverse phase (RP-HPLC). The total viable microorganisms content evaluated by Plate Count Agar (PCA) incubation for 12h at 37°C, showed that caseins protein preparations gamma-irradiated remained sterile at a dose 2kGy in absence of C. sinensis green tea extract and at a dose lower than 2kGy in the presence of C. sinensis green tea extract.     

In vivo visualization of F-actin structures during the development of the moss Physcomitrella patens

* The 'in planta' visualization of F-actin in all cells and in all developmental stages of a plant is a challenging problem. By using the soybean heat inducible Gmhsp17.3B promoter instead of a constitutive promoter, we have been able to label all cells in various developmental stages of the moss Physcomitrella patens, through a precise temperature tuning of the expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-talin. * A short moderate heat treatment was sufficient to induce proper labeling of the actin cytoskeleton and to allow the visualization of time-dependent organization of F-actin structures without impairment of cell viability. * In growing moss cells, dense converging arrays of F-actin structures were present at the growing tips of protonema cell, and at the localization of branching. Protonema and leaf cells contained a network of thick actin cables; during de-differentiation of leaf cells into new protonema filaments, the thick bundled actin network disappeared, and a new highly polarized F-actin network formed. * The controlled expression of GFP-talin through an inducible promoter improves significantly the 'in planta' imaging of actin.     

Identification and Characterization of Thioredoxin H-Type Gene Family in Triticum turgidum ssp. durum in Response to Natural and Environmental Factor-Induced Oxidative Stress

Plant Molecular Biology Reporter - Key message: Thioredoxin h-type isoforms are tissue-specific, differentially expressed in germinating seeds and under salinity stress and highly regulated by...     

Epidemiology of Curable Sexually Transmitted Infections among Women at Increased Risk for HIV in Northwestern Tanzania: Inadequacy of Syndromic Management

Background

Curable, non-viral pathogens account for a significant burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and there is established evidence that STIs increase both HIV acquisition and transmission. We investigated the prevalence, trends, and factors associated with Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis and Treponema pallidum, and the performance of syndromic management, among a cohort of women working in bars, hotels, and other food and recreational facilities near large-scale mines in northwestern Tanzania.

Methods

HIV-negative women aged 18–44 years (N = 966) were enrolled and followed for 12 months in a microbicides feasibility study. We collected sociodemographic and behavioural data, performed clinical examinations, and tested for STIs, at enrolment and 3-monthly. Risk factors for STIs were investigated using logistic regression models with random effects. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of syndromic management were calculated.

Results

At enrolment, the prevalences of C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae, T. vaginalis, and high-titre active syphilis were 111/956 (12%), 42/955 (4%), 184/945 (19%) and 46/965 (5%), respectively. There were significant decreases over time for C. trachomatis and T. vaginalis (OR trend per month: 0.94 [95% CI 0.91, 0.97]; and 0.95 [0.93, 0.98], respectively; both p<0.001). The majority of these infections were not diagnosed by the corresponding syndrome; therefore, most participants were not treated at the diagnosis visit. Syndromic management was poorly predictive of laboratory-diagnosed infections. We identified a number of risk factors for STIs, including low educational level, some sexual behaviours, and ever having been pregnant.

Conclusions

This analysis demonstrates that the prevalences of curable STIs are high among women who work in food and recreational facilities in northwestern Tanzania. Most of these infections are missed by syndromic management. Accurate and affordable rapid-point-of-care tests and innovative interventions are needed to reduce the burden of STIs in this population which is at increased risk for HIV.     

Molecular characterisation of Vibrio cholerae O1 strains carrying an SXT/R391-like element from cholera outbreaks in Kenya: 1994-2007

Background  

Over the last decade, cholera outbreaks in parts of Kenya have become common. Although a number of recent studies describe the epidemiology of cholera in Kenya, there is pauCity of information concerning the diversity and occurrence of mobile genetic elements in Vibrio cholerae strains implicated in these outbreaks. A total of 65 Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor serotype Inaba isolated between 1994 and 2007 from various outbreaks in Kenya were investigated for mobile genetic elements including integrons, transposons, the integrating conjugative elements (ICEs), conjugative plasmids and for their genotypic relatedness.