METHODS: This is a retrospective study on all HIV-infected MSM with syphilis between 2011 and 2015. Data was collected from case notes in five centres namely Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Hospital Umum Sarawak, University of Malaya Medical Centre and Hospital Sungai Buloh.

RESULTS: A total of 294 HIV seropositive MSM with the median age of 29 years (range 16-66) were confirmed to have syphilis. Nearly half (47.6%) were in the age group of 20-29 years. About a quarter (24.1%) was previously infected with syphilis. Eighty-three patients (28.2%) had other concomitant sexually transmitted infection with genital warts being the most frequently reported (17%). The number of patients with early and late syphilis in our cohort were almost equal. The median pre-treatment non-treponemal antibody titre (VDRL or RPR) for early syphilis (1:64) was significantly higher than for late syphilis (1:8) (p<0.0001). The median CD4 count and the number of patients with CD4 <200/μl in early syphilis were comparable to late syphilis. Nearly four-fifth (78.9%) received benzathine-penicillin only, 5.8% doxycycline, 1.4% Cpenicillin, 1% procaine penicillin, and 12.4% a combination of the above medications. About 44% received treatment and were lost to follow-up. Among those who completed 1 -year follow-up after treatment, 72.3% responded to treatment (serological non-reactive - 18.2%, four-fold drop in titre - 10.9%; serofast - 43.6%), 8.5% failed treatment and 17% had re-infection. Excluding those who were re-infected, lost to follow-up and died, the rates of treatment failure were 12.1% and 8.8% for early and late syphilis respectively (p=0.582).

OBJECTIVE: This is merely a published protocol, not the findings of a future study. This study aims to determine and explain the predictors of depressive symptoms among MSM living with HIV. Specifically, this study wants to determine the association between depressive symptoms among MSM living with HIV and biological, psychosocial, and social factors. Finally, the mixed methods will answer to what extent the qualitative results confirm the quantitative results of the predictors of depressive symptoms among MSM living with HIV.

METHODS: The study has ethical approval from the Medical Research Ethics Committee (MREC) of the Ministry of Health (MOH) NMRR ID-21-02210-MIT. This study will apply an explanatory sequential mixed methods study design. It comprised two distinct phases: quantitative and qualitative study design for answering the research questions and hypothesis. This study will randomly recruit 941 MSM living with HIV in the quantitative phase, and at least 20 MSM living with HIV purposively will be selected in the qualitative phase. The study will be conducted in ten public Primary Care Clinics in Selangor, Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire will gather the MSM's background and social, psychological, and biological factors that could be associated with depressive symptoms. For the quantitative study, descriptive analysis and simple logistic regression will be used for data analysis. Then, variables with a P value < 0.25 will be included in multiple logistic regression to measure the predictors of depressive symptoms. In the qualitative data collection, in-depth interviews will be conducted among those with moderate to severe depressive symptoms from the quantitative phase. The thematic analysis will be used for data analysis in the qualitative phase. Integration occurs at study design, method level, and later during interpretation and report writing.

RESULT: The quantitative phase was conducted between March 2022 to February 2023, while qualitative data collection is from March 2023 to April 2023, with baseline results anticipated in June 2023.

METHOD: We assessed mental health and suicidal behavior of 102 self-identified homosexual males from a community-based organization that works with the sexual minority population.

RESULTS: One-third of the participants (32.4%) had experienced attempted suicide, and almost half (47.1%) had a history of suicidal ideation and self-harm (40.2%). Compared to a heterosexual sample, homosexual males had poorer mental health as they scored higher on Beck Hopelessness Scale (Cohen's d = 0.29) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) (Cohen's d = 0.57). The results revealed positive correlations between self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt scores. Participants with history of suicide attempt, suicide ideation and self-harm reported worse general health, more social dysfunction, and severe depression than those without such history.