Inflammatory pathways amongst people living with HIV in Malawi differ according to socioeconomic status

Background Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increased amongst people living with HIV (PLWH) and are driven by persistent immune activation. The role of socioeconomic status (SES) in immune activation amongst PLWH is unknown, especially in low-income sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where such impacts may be particularly severe. Methods We recruited Malawian adults with CD4<100 cells/ul two weeks after starting ART in the REALITY trial (NCT01825031), as well as volunteers without HIV infection. Clinical assessment, socioeconomic evaluation, blood draw for immune activation markers and carotid femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) were carried out at 2- and 42-weeks post-ART initiation. Socioeconomic risk factors for immune activation and arterial stiffness were assessed using linear regression models. Results Of 279 PLWH, the median (IQR) age was 36 (31–43) years and 122 (44%) were female. Activated CD8 T-cells increased from 70% amongst those with no education to 88% amongst those with a tertiary education (p = 0.002); and from 71% amongst those earning less than 10 USD/month to 87% amongst those earning between 100–150 USD/month (p = 0.0001). Arterial stiffness was also associated with higher SES (car ownership p = 0.003, television ownership p = 0.012 and electricity access p = 0.029). Conversely, intermediate monocytes were higher amongst those with no education compared to a tertiary education (12.6% versus 7.3%; p = 0.01) and trended towards being higher amongst those earning less than 10 USD/month compared to 100–150 USD/month (10.5% versus 8.0%; p = 0.08). Water kiosk use showed a protective association against T cell activation (p = 0.007), as well as endothelial damage (MIP1β, sICAM1 and sVCAM1 p = 0.047, 0.026 and 0.031 respectively). Conclusions Socioeconomic risk factors for persistent inflammation amongst PLWH in SSA differ depending on the type of inflammatory pathway. Understanding these pathways and their socioeconomic drivers will help identify those at risk and target interventions for NCDs. Future studies assessing drivers of inflammation in HIV should include an SES assessment.

Correlation between psychological component of school adaptation and socioeconomic risk factors of early development

The subject of this article is the examination of the root problems of the adverse impact of socioeconomic risk factors upon the psychological component of school adaptation of first-graders. The goal lies in establishment of correlation between the characteristics of psychological component of school adaptation of elementary school students and various socioeconomic risk factors in their early development. The research involves 284 first-graders 7-8 years of age (126 girls and 158 boys). Research methodology relies on the following materials: &ldquo;House &ndash; Tree &ndash; Man&rdquo; by J. Buck, &ldquo;Little Houses&rdquo; by A. O. Orekhova, &ldquo;Faces&rdquo; by N. V. Lukyanchenko, T. L. Yadryshnikov, &ldquo;Ladder&rdquo; by V. G. Shchur, social passport of a family. The correlation analysis reveals that the indicators of the psychological component of school adaptation, such as the level of self-esteem, emotional adaptation, depressive states, emotional background, and sense of security, are most affected by the socioeconomic risk factors of early development. The author also establishes the dependence of the characteristics of psychological component of school adaptation of first-graders on the educational background of their parents and family atmosphere. Socioeconomic risk factors in child&rsquo;s life prior to school are rather related to emotional state of a child, determining the emotional well-being and success in school adaptation. Timely identification of these factors allows preventing the difficulties that may arise during the school period.

Precision Mapping of COVID-19 Vulnerable Locales by Epidemiological and Socioeconomic Risk Factors, Developed Using South Korean Data

COVID-19 has severely impacted socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. To support pandemic control strategies, geographically weighted negative binomial regression (GWNBR) mapped COVID-19 risk related to epidemiological and socioeconomic risk factors using South Korean incidence data (20 January 2020 to 1 July 2020). We constructed COVID-19-specific socioeconomic and epidemiological themes using established social theoretical frameworks and created composite indexes through principal component analysis. The risk of COVID-19 increased with higher area morbidity, risky health behaviours, crowding, and population mobility, and with lower social distancing, healthcare access, and education. Falling COVID-19 risks and spatial shifts over three consecutive time periods reflected effective public health interventions. This study provides a globally replicable methodological framework and precision mapping for COVID-19 and future pandemics.