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. infantum transmission. Furthermore, these species could be involved in L. major and L. killicki life cycles. The combination of the parasite detection and the blood meal analysis in this study highlights the incrimination of the identified vertebrate in Leishmania transmission. In addition, we quantify for the first time the parasite load in naturally infected sand flies caught in Tunisia. These findings are relevant for a better understanding of L. infantum transmission cycle in the country. Further investigations and control measures are needed to manage L. infantum transmission and its spreading.BACKGROUND The United States HIV care workforce is shrinking, which could complicate service delivery to people living with HIV (PLWH). In this study, we examined the impact of practice transformations, defined as efficiencies in structures and delivery of care, on demonstration project sites within the Workforce Capacity Building Initiative, a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS). METHODS AND FINDINGS Data were collected at 14 demonstration project sites in 7 states and the District of Columbia. Organizational assessments were completed at sites once before and 4 times after implementation. They captured 3 transformation approaches maximizing the HIV care workforce (efforts to increase the number of existing healthcare workforce members involved in the care of PLWH), share-the-care (team-based care giving more responsibility to midlevel providers and staff), and enhancing client engagement in primary HIV care to reducAIDS Program (RWHAP), which tend to have better HIV outcomes than other US clinics; varying practice transformation designs; lack of a true control condition; and a potential Hawthorne effect because site teams were aware of the evaluation. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we found that practice transformations are a potential strategy for addressing anticipated workforce challenges among those providing care to PLWH. They hold the promise of optimizing the use of personnel and ensuring the delivery of care to all in need while potentially enhancing HIV care continuum outcomes.BACKGROUND Considerable controversy exists regarding the optimal treatment for type II odontoid fractures in geriatric patients. Surgical intervention can help patients return to their prior level of function as rapidly as possible while avoiding the morbidity and mortality associated with prolonged and bedbound hospitalization. However, the optimal treatment is still a difficult choice for patients with increased risk from anesthesia. OBJECTIVES The objective of our study was to describe an innovative method of endoscopically-assisted percutaneous unilateral C1 lateral mass screw and C2 pedicle screw-rod nonfusion fixation for type II odontoid fractures in geriatric patients. STUDY DESIGN A case series design and technical notes. SETTING This study took place at Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. METHODS Seven geriatric patients (> 65 years) with type II odontoid fractures and an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 2 or higher received endoscopically-assisted percutaodontoid fractures in geriatric patients. This method offers a compromise between non-operative and operative treatment and allows geriatric patients to rapidly return to their prior level of function. KEY WORDS Endoscopically-assisted surgery; geriatric patient; percutaneous atlantoaxial fixation; type II odontoid fracture; unilateral nonfusion fixation.BACKGROUND Although the reliability of pain drawings (PDs) has been confirmed in people with chronic pain, there is a lack of evidence about the validity of the PD, that is, does the PD accurately represent the pain experience of the patient? OBJECTIVES We investigate whether people with chronic neck pain (CNP) can recognize their own PD to support the validity of the PD in reporting the experience of pain. Moreover, we examined the association between their ability to recognize their own PD with their levels of pain intensity and disability and extent of psychosocial and somatic features. STUDY DESIGN Experimental. SETTING University Laboratory. METHODS Individuals with CNP completed their PD on a digital body chart, which was then automatically modified with specific dimensions using a novel software, providing an objective range of distortion and eliminating errors, which could potentially occur in manually controlled visual-subjective based methods. Following a 10-minute break listening to music, a seriesented with relatively mild CNP, and the results may not be generalized to those with more severe symptoms. CONCLUSIONS People with CNP are generally able to identify their own PD but that their ability to recognize their original PD is negatively correlated with the extent of somatic awareness. KEY WORDS Chronic pain, perception, pain drawings, somatic awareness.BACKGROUND Some 7.7% of the Chinese population suffer from herpes zoster each year, with 29.8% proceeding on to develop postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). AOA hemihydrochloride This amounts to over 32 million people per year. PHN is preceded by 2 phases of pain acute herpetic neuralgia (AHN), and subacute herpetic neuralgia (SHN). Considering the large individual and economic burden, preventing the transition of AHN/SHN to PHN is crucial. However, to date this has been difficult. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy of temporary spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) treatment and prevention of PHN. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective, observational study. SETTING Department of Pain Medicine. METHODS From 2013 to 2017, 99 patients with AHN (n = 42), SHN (n = 34), and PHN (n = 23) underwent tSCS treatment (7-14 days) after failed pharmacologic and interventional therapies. Visual analog scale (VAS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and analgesic consumption were recorded at baseline, post-tSCS, and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after tSCS treatment. RESEY WORDS Herpes zoster, zoster-related pain, postherpetic neuralgia, temporary spinal cord stimulation.BACKGROUND Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) can only relieve mechanical compression but cannot directly reduce the inflammatory reaction of the adjacent nerve root, which contributes to persistent pain and physical disabilities postoperatively. Numerous studies have explored the application of epidural steroids after an open lumbar discectomy in relieving pain by reducing local inflammatory reactions and further peridural scar formation. OBJECTIVES To explore that whether “cocktail treatment” in which a gelatin sponge was impregnated with ropivacaine, dexamethasone, and vitamin B12 promoted early postoperative recovery after PELD. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective, case-controlled study. SETTING All data were from Hong-Hui Hospital in Xi’an. METHODS Between January 2016 and January 2017, 100 patients of single-level lumbar disc herniation were treated with PELD in our hospitals. The cocktail treatment was applied in the first 50 patients (group cocktail), and an equal size gelatin sponge without drugs was used in the other 50 patients as control (group noncocktail).