Objectives: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured teaching programme on transmission and prevention of HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) among adolescent girls.
Methods: An evaluative research approach was adopted, in which a preexperimental, one group pre- and post-test research design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the structured teaching programme on transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS among adolescent girls studying at Lowry Memorial High School, Bengaluru. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were presented in frequency tables and statistical graphs (bar charts) and analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistical methods (Chi-square and paired "t"-tests) using SPSS version 21.
Results: The findings of the study revealed that the mean percentage difference in the pre- and post-test knowledge scores was statistically significant at 5% level (P < 0.05). The overall mean post-test knowledge score of adolescent girls on transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS was 88.83%. It is apparently higher compared to the pretest knowledge score, which was 67.67% with enhancement of 21.16%. This implies that the structured teaching programme was effective in gaining knowledge of adolescent girls regarding transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
Conclusion: Our study suggests that structured teaching programme enhanced the knowledge of the adolescent girls on transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS. We, therefore, recommend that structured teaching programmes on transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS should be encouraged among adolescents and youths to reduce the spread of HIV infection.
Methods: A search for relevant articles was conducted using a database like MEDLINE, Scopus, PsycINFO and CINAHL. Peer-reviewed English journals published between 2015 and 2019 were included in the review.
Results: A total of eight studies conducted in different settings were included in the review. This review has found that psychosocial, neurohormonal and virologic factors associated with depression affect HIV disease progression. Yet, the chronicity of depression, absence of the hormones that have a buffer effect on depression and lack of examination if depression is a predictor, or an outcome of disease progression, were some of the gaps that require further investigation.
Conclusion: Considerably, more research is needed to better understand the effect of mental disorder, especially depression, on HIV disease progression to AIDS and future interventions should, therefore, concentrate on the integration of mental health screening in HIV clinical setup.
METHOD: A mixed methods approach will be used. Qualitative part: Design: focus group discussions (FGDs) will be conducted.
SETTING: Hospital/NGOs in Terengganu, Malaysia.
PARTICIPANTS: Three FGDs will be conducted with male and female HIV/AIDS patients, and one group of local community leaders. One FGD will be conducted for each group. Three in-depth interviews (IDIs) will be conducted with patients who had HIV/AIDS, of which one will be female. Quantitative part: Design: a cluster randomized clinical trial with 384 HIV/AIDS patients in Terengganu, Malaysia.
INTERVENTION: Mobile SMS counselling intervention for patients concerning the prevention of HIV/AIDS.
RESULTS: The main outcomes of this study will be the differences in knowledge, attitude, and practices of patients concerning the prevention of HIV/AIDS between the baseline and immediate follow-up after the intervention, and after 3 months.
CONCLUSIONS: The mobile based SMS counselling intervention developed will be effective in improving the knowledge, attitude, and practices of patients concerning HIV/AIDS prevention in Terengganu, Malaysia.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: Thai Clinical Trials Registry, TCTR20200212001; 7/02/2020.
RESULTS: Our findings showed that in vivo model of C. neoformans infection demonstrated induction of abundant IL-17A secretion. By examining the lung bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), mediastinal lymph node (mLN) and spleen of the IL-17A-EGFP reporter mice, we showed that intranasal inoculation with C. neoformans promoted leukocytes lung infiltration. A large proportion (~ 50%) of the infiltrated CD4+ helper T cell population secreted EGFP, indicating vigorous TH17 activity in the C. neoformans-infected lung. The infection study in IL-17A-KO mice, on the other hand, revealed that absence of IL-17A marginally boosted fungal burden in the lung and accelerated the mouse death.
CONCLUSION: Therefore, our data suggest that IL-17A is released predominantly from TH17 cells in vivo, which plays a supporting role in the protective immunity against C. neoformans infection.