The human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic is a major public health problem which poses a significant threat to livelihoods and social security in resource-poor countries due to the rapid spread of the infection amongst individuals at the prime of their productive age. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most affected by HIV/AIDS with an estimated 24.7 million people living with HIV in 2014, and accounts for almost 70% of new infections globally. It is necessary for researchers, health workers, policy-makers and consumers to have information on planned and ongoing clinical trials. This will enable them to effectively assess interventions for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and its related conditions, as well planning appropriate future research. The aim of this study was to describe the current status of ongoing HIV clinical trials on the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR) to inform African stakeholders of gaps in research, and potential areas of duplication. A cross-sectional analysis of trials currently registered on PACTR was conducted and excluded all trials that did not research HIV/AIDS interventions. Currently, there are 66 trials investigating HIV interventions registered with 28 looking at treatment. Co-morbid conditions are investigated in 20 trials. Forty-one of the trials are single-centered and being conducted across 14 countries. The remaining 52 trials are multicentered with sites in 14 African countries. At present, there is a growing number of planned or ongoing HIV/AIDS trials currently registered on www.pactr.org. This is encouraging as previous studies of published trials noted that not many were conducted in Africa. There has also been an increase in the number of African principal investigators, an indicator of regional capacity to conduct research. Key words: Human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) treatment, clinical trials, trial registration.
{"title":"Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) clinical trial activity on the African Continent: An analysis of HIV/AIDS trials registered on the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry","authors":"E. Pienaar, A. Abrams, T. Kredo","doi":"10.5897/JAHR2014.0320","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5897/JAHR2014.0320","url":null,"abstract":"The human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic is a major public health problem which poses a significant threat to livelihoods and social security in resource-poor countries due to the rapid spread of the infection amongst individuals at the prime of their productive age. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most affected by HIV/AIDS with an estimated 24.7 million people living with HIV in 2014, and accounts for almost 70% of new infections globally. It is necessary for researchers, health workers, policy-makers and consumers to have information on planned and ongoing clinical trials. This will enable them to effectively assess interventions for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and its related conditions, as well planning appropriate future research. The aim of this study was to describe the current status of ongoing HIV clinical trials on the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR) to inform African stakeholders of gaps in research, and potential areas of duplication. A cross-sectional analysis of trials currently registered on PACTR was conducted and excluded all trials that did not research HIV/AIDS interventions. Currently, there are 66 trials investigating HIV interventions registered with 28 looking at treatment. Co-morbid conditions are investigated in 20 trials. Forty-one of the trials are single-centered and being conducted across 14 countries. The remaining 52 trials are multicentered with sites in 14 African countries. At present, there is a growing number of planned or ongoing HIV/AIDS trials currently registered on www.pactr.org. This is encouraging as previous studies of published trials noted that not many were conducted in Africa. There has also been an increase in the number of African principal investigators, an indicator of regional capacity to conduct research. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Key words: Human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) treatment, clinical trials, trial registration.","PeriodicalId":73590,"journal":{"name":"Journal of AIDS and HIV research (Online)","volume":"7 1","pages":"44-48"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5897/JAHR2014.0320","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71134362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A 57 year old white British bisexual man was referred to the Hepatology department for investigation of raised alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and raised gammaglutamyl transferase (GGT) discovered on a routine health screen. He was known to have essential hypertension, diet-controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus, gout and vitamin d deficiency. His alcohol intake had always been minimal at less than 8 units per month, and there was no history of intravenous drug use. Losartan 50 mg was prescribed to him once daily by his general practitioner (GP), and he did not use over the counter preparations or herbal medications. Further investigations revealed the patient to be
{"title":"Sustained virological response after only 5 weeks treatment with daclatasvir/pegylated interferon and ribavirin as part of a clinical trial in a cirrhotic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) - hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infected patient with liver decompensation during treatment","authors":"S. Flanagan, A. Umaipalan, G. Baily, C. Orkin","doi":"10.5897/JAHR2015.0329","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5897/JAHR2015.0329","url":null,"abstract":"A 57 year old white British bisexual man was referred to the Hepatology department for investigation of raised alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and raised gammaglutamyl transferase (GGT) discovered on a routine health screen. He was known to have essential hypertension, diet-controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus, gout and vitamin d deficiency. His alcohol intake had always been minimal at less than 8 units per month, and there was no history of intravenous drug use. Losartan 50 mg was prescribed to him once daily by his general practitioner (GP), and he did not use over the counter preparations or herbal medications. Further investigations revealed the patient to be","PeriodicalId":73590,"journal":{"name":"Journal of AIDS and HIV research (Online)","volume":"7 1","pages":"33-35"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5897/JAHR2015.0329","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71134150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Data concerning any difference in serum lipid profiles and glucose level after patients switched from stavudine to zidovudine in Ethiopia is very limited. Seventy eight adults receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) that included stavudine/lamivudine with either of efavirenz or nevirapine during ART initiation were enrolled. Of these patients, 53 were switched to zidovudine/lamivudine/nevirapine (NVP-group) and the rest 25 were switched to zidovudine/lamivudine/efavirenz (EFV-group). Serum lipid profiles and glucose were determined after overnight fasting. Dyslipidemia and dysglycaemia were assessed according to the United State National Cholesterol Education program-III guideline. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20. Of the 78 patients, 39.7% were males and 60.3% were females. At the end of the study follow-up, the prevalence of TC ≥ 200 mg/dl, LDL-c ≥ 130 mg/dl, TG ≥ 150 mg/dl, HDL-c < 40 mg/dl and glucose ≥ 110 mg/dl were higher in EFV group when compared with NVP. About 74.4% patients had at least two laboratory abnormities which is compatible with a diagnosis of dyslipidemia at 12 month of post switch. Four lipid profiles abnormal within a single individual was 16% in EFV and 3.8% in NVP group, p = 0.08. Raised HDL-c concentration was observed in NVP group in both periods when compared with EFV. In addition, patients that switched from d4T/3TC/NVP to AZT/3TC/NVP had a significant change in TC and TG (p = 0.001 for both). Also TC ≥ 200 mg/dl was decreased from 49 to 16% (p = 0.04). Furthermore, sex was significantly and negatively associated with raised TC and TGs among patients using NVP based regimen. Raised HDL-c concentration, decreased proportion of abnormal lipid profiles and abnormal glucose was observed in the NVP group. Based on these findings, NVP may be expected to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
{"title":"Change in serum lipid profiles and glucose after switching from stavudine/lamivudine to zidovudine/lamivudine in non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors based anti-retroviral regimens in Southern Ethiopia","authors":"T. Agete, Assegu Demissie","doi":"10.5897/JAHR2014.0325","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5897/JAHR2014.0325","url":null,"abstract":"Data concerning any difference in serum lipid profiles and glucose level after patients switched from stavudine to zidovudine in Ethiopia is very limited. Seventy eight adults receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) that included stavudine/lamivudine with either of efavirenz or nevirapine during ART initiation were enrolled. Of these patients, 53 were switched to zidovudine/lamivudine/nevirapine (NVP-group) and the rest 25 were switched to zidovudine/lamivudine/efavirenz (EFV-group). Serum lipid profiles and glucose were determined after overnight fasting. Dyslipidemia and dysglycaemia were assessed according to the United State National Cholesterol Education program-III guideline. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20. Of the 78 patients, 39.7% were males and 60.3% were females. At the end of the study follow-up, the prevalence of TC ≥ 200 mg/dl, LDL-c ≥ 130 mg/dl, TG ≥ 150 mg/dl, HDL-c < 40 mg/dl and glucose ≥ 110 mg/dl were higher in EFV group when compared with NVP. About 74.4% patients had at least two laboratory abnormities which is compatible with a diagnosis of dyslipidemia at 12 month of post switch. Four lipid profiles abnormal within a single individual was 16% in EFV and 3.8% in NVP group, p = 0.08. Raised HDL-c concentration was observed in NVP group in both periods when compared with EFV. In addition, patients that switched from d4T/3TC/NVP to AZT/3TC/NVP had a significant change in TC and TG (p = 0.001 for both). Also TC ≥ 200 mg/dl was decreased from 49 to 16% (p = 0.04). Furthermore, sex was significantly and negatively associated with raised TC and TGs among patients using NVP based regimen. Raised HDL-c concentration, decreased proportion of abnormal lipid profiles and abnormal glucose was observed in the NVP group. Based on these findings, NVP may be expected to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.","PeriodicalId":73590,"journal":{"name":"Journal of AIDS and HIV research (Online)","volume":"7 1","pages":"18-26"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5897/JAHR2014.0325","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71134504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Olalekan, Adeleke Najemdeen Ajao, Farinloye Emmanuel Oludele, Efuntoye Adeola Ebun
Services integration ensures easy access to multiple services in a cost effective way. Integration of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) services is poor in Nigeria. Removing bottlenecks to successful integration has been of high programmatic priority most especially in resource poor settings. This study determined bottlenecks to effective SRH/HIV services integration in Osun State in Southwestern Nigeria. This study combined descriptive cross sectional and retrospective study designs by collecting validated routine data on SRH/HIV integration from 100 randomly selected health care facilities. Research instruments for descriptive data collection were semi structured self administered questionnaires for health care workers, and exit interviews for patients using a designed checklist. Data was analyzed using a combination of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Excel software(s). The study found that only 31.9% of the health facilities had been trained on SRH/HIV integration, 42.1% of the health facilities were providing services within reach of the communities served, while 32.4% said they regularly complete the integrative referral process. Using the World Bank model of the bottlenecks analysis (BNA) process, three major bottlenecks to SRH/HIV services integration were determined. These include inadequate capacity building and poor access to SRH/HIV integrated services on the supply side. On the demand side, the major bottleneck identified was poor continuous utilization of services. Commodity challenges, poor initial utilization and poor quality of services were not among the leading bottlenecks identified. Several reasons were given as causes of these bottlenecks. Circumventing identified bottlenecks would strengthen SRH/HIV integration in order for patients to benefit from the two services simultaneously. All efforts should be geared towards removing these evidence based bottlenecks. Key words: Sexual and reproductive health/ human immunodeficiency virus (SRH/HIV) integration, bottlenecks analysis (BNA), health facilities, Osun State, Nigeria
{"title":"Bottleneck analysis of challenges facing sexual and reproductive health and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) services integration in Southwestern Nigeria","authors":"A. Olalekan, Adeleke Najemdeen Ajao, Farinloye Emmanuel Oludele, Efuntoye Adeola Ebun","doi":"10.5897/JAHR2014.0319","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5897/JAHR2014.0319","url":null,"abstract":"Services integration ensures easy access to multiple services in a cost effective way. Integration of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) services is poor in Nigeria. Removing bottlenecks to successful integration has been of high programmatic priority most especially in resource poor settings. This study determined bottlenecks to effective SRH/HIV services integration in Osun State in Southwestern Nigeria. This study combined descriptive cross sectional and retrospective study designs by collecting validated routine data on SRH/HIV integration from 100 randomly selected health care facilities. Research instruments for descriptive data collection were semi structured self administered questionnaires for health care workers, and exit interviews for patients using a designed checklist. Data was analyzed using a combination of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Excel software(s). The study found that only 31.9% of the health facilities had been trained on SRH/HIV integration, 42.1% of the health facilities were providing services within reach of the communities served, while 32.4% said they regularly complete the integrative referral process. Using the World Bank model of the bottlenecks analysis (BNA) process, three major bottlenecks to SRH/HIV services integration were determined. These include inadequate capacity building and poor access to SRH/HIV integrated services on the supply side. On the demand side, the major bottleneck identified was poor continuous utilization of services. Commodity challenges, poor initial utilization and poor quality of services were not among the leading bottlenecks identified. Several reasons were given as causes of these bottlenecks. Circumventing identified bottlenecks would strengthen SRH/HIV integration in order for patients to benefit from the two services simultaneously. All efforts should be geared towards removing these evidence based bottlenecks. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Key words: Sexual and reproductive health/ human immunodeficiency virus (SRH/HIV) integration, bottlenecks analysis (BNA), health facilities, Osun State, Nigeria","PeriodicalId":73590,"journal":{"name":"Journal of AIDS and HIV research (Online)","volume":"7 1","pages":"27-32"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5897/JAHR2014.0319","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71134350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In spite of the well proven benefits of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in prolonging life expectancy, being lost to ART follow-up is a problem to the success of antiretroviral therapy programs in resource limited countries including Ethiopia. Thus the aim of the study was to assess the magnitude and predictors of loss to follow-up among adult ART clients. A case-control study design was employed using patients’ chart review. For each case three controls were selected based on the closest day of enrollment. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was performed to test association. A total of 727 adult patients were started on antiretroviral therapy during the study period. Among these, 80 (11%) were found to be lost from follow up for a period of ≥ 3 months and 240 controls were randomly selected for 80 cases in a ratio of 1:3. Presence of bereavement concern, not being provided with isoniazide (INH) prophylaxis, the presence of side effects and earlier periods after ART initiating were found to be associated with increased odds for being lost to follow up. The proportion of lost to follow up in this study was lower than those figures reported for resource poor countries. Thus, more targeted health education, counseling and follow-up is needed for patients with identified risk factors. Key words: Antiretroviral therapy (ART), human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), lost to follow up, Wukro hospital.
{"title":"Predictors of lost to follow up to antiretroviral therapy in primary public hospital of Wukro, Tigray, Ethiopia: A case control study","authors":"Mehari Dessalegn, M. Tsadik, Hailemariam Lemma","doi":"10.5897/JAHR2014.0315","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5897/JAHR2014.0315","url":null,"abstract":"In spite of the well proven benefits of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in prolonging life expectancy, being lost to ART follow-up is a problem to the success of antiretroviral therapy programs in resource limited countries including Ethiopia. Thus the aim of the study was to assess the magnitude and predictors of loss to follow-up among adult ART clients. A case-control study design was employed using patients’ chart review. For each case three controls were selected based on the closest day of enrollment. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was performed to test association. A total of 727 adult patients were started on antiretroviral therapy during the study period. Among these, 80 (11%) were found to be lost from follow up for a period of ≥ 3 months and 240 controls were randomly selected for 80 cases in a ratio of 1:3. Presence of bereavement concern, not being provided with isoniazide (INH) prophylaxis, the presence of side effects and earlier periods after ART initiating were found to be associated with increased odds for being lost to follow up. The proportion of lost to follow up in this study was lower than those figures reported for resource poor countries. Thus, more targeted health education, counseling and follow-up is needed for patients with identified risk factors. \u0000 \u0000 Key words: Antiretroviral therapy (ART), human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), lost to follow up, Wukro hospital.","PeriodicalId":73590,"journal":{"name":"Journal of AIDS and HIV research (Online)","volume":"7 1","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5897/JAHR2014.0315","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71134335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection with HIV is becoming a major challenge in developing countries, including Ethiopia. The problem has not received adequate attention by researchers since the introduction of antiretroviral treatment. This study aims to determine the magnitude of coinfection and identify factors associated with it between ARV-exposed and ARV- naive individuals. Comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV/AIDS clients. Data were gathered from 760 patients. HBV infection was confirmed using hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) tests. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify determinant factors using statiscal package for social sciences (SPSS) Version 18. The prevalence of HBsAg was 3.9% irrespective of treatment status; 5.3 and 2.6% among ARV-exposed and naive individuals, respectively. Men had higher risk of developing HBV infection than women. In ARV-naive individuals, HBsAg sero-prevalence was correlated with poor CD4 cell recovery and previous TB treatment. Moreover, male sex with previous liver disease were risk factors for HBsAg positivity in ARV-exposed individuals. The magnitude of HBV infection among HIV- infected individuals was high among treatment exposed individuals. High HBsAg positivity among ARV-exposed individuals warrants molecular studies to determine the real cause thereby guide future treatment approaches. Key words: active antiretroviral treatment (HAART), HBsAg, HBV/HIV co-infection, ARV-exposed, ARV-naive.
{"title":"Higher prevalence of Hepatitis B virus Infection among ARV- exposed than naive HIV-infected individuals in North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia","authors":"Yared Hailaye Bezabeh, Muluken Dessalegn Muluneh, Solomon Gebere Sillasie, H. Kloos","doi":"10.5897/JAHR2014.0313","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5897/JAHR2014.0313","url":null,"abstract":"Hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection with HIV is becoming a major challenge in developing countries, including Ethiopia. The problem has not received adequate attention by researchers since the introduction of antiretroviral treatment. This study aims to determine the magnitude of coinfection and identify factors associated with it between ARV-exposed and ARV- naive individuals. Comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV/AIDS clients. Data were gathered from 760 patients. HBV infection was confirmed using hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) tests. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify determinant factors using statiscal package for social sciences (SPSS) Version 18. The prevalence of HBsAg was 3.9% irrespective of treatment status; 5.3 and 2.6% among ARV-exposed and naive individuals, respectively. Men had higher risk of developing HBV infection than women. In ARV-naive individuals, HBsAg sero-prevalence was correlated with poor CD4 cell recovery and previous TB treatment. Moreover, male sex with previous liver disease were risk factors for HBsAg positivity in ARV-exposed individuals. The magnitude of HBV infection among HIV- infected individuals was high among treatment exposed individuals. High HBsAg positivity among ARV-exposed individuals warrants molecular studies to determine the real cause thereby guide future treatment approaches. \u0000 \u0000 Key words: active antiretroviral treatment (HAART), HBsAg, HBV/HIV co-infection, ARV-exposed, ARV-naive.","PeriodicalId":73590,"journal":{"name":"Journal of AIDS and HIV research (Online)","volume":"7 1","pages":"10-17"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5897/JAHR2014.0313","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71134325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexie Puran, D. Adler, M. Wallace, T. Bennie, A. Phuti, B. Abar, L. Bekker
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a widely prevalent infection that is associated with a range of adverse outcomes. We compared the rates of incidentally identified BV and other cervico-vaginal infections on Papanicolaou (Pap) smears of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected adolescent females in South Africa. Cervical specimens from 50 HIV-uninfected and 32 HIV-infected sexually active South African adolescent females age 17-21 were collected and analyzed in accordance with the Bethesda system. We found a high overall prevalence of BV (54.9%) in our cohort. While previous research has found an increased prevalence of BV among HIV-infected women, the difference in the prevalence of BV between our HIV-infected group (62.5%) and HIV-uninfected group (50.0%) was not found to be statistically significant. The high rate of BV in both of these groups has significant implications for their risk of HIV acquisition and/or transmission in addition to other associated risks of BV. Given that the Pap smear is specific in incidentally diagnosing BV, it may be utilized as a screening method for BV in the adolescent population.
{"title":"Incidental Findings of Bacterial Vaginosis and Other Infections in Papanicolaou Smears of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Adolescent Females in South Africa.","authors":"Alexie Puran, D. Adler, M. Wallace, T. Bennie, A. Phuti, B. Abar, L. Bekker","doi":"10.5897/JAHR2014.0307","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5897/JAHR2014.0307","url":null,"abstract":"Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a widely prevalent infection that is associated with a range of adverse outcomes. We compared the rates of incidentally identified BV and other cervico-vaginal infections on Papanicolaou (Pap) smears of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected adolescent females in South Africa. Cervical specimens from 50 HIV-uninfected and 32 HIV-infected sexually active South African adolescent females age 17-21 were collected and analyzed in accordance with the Bethesda system. We found a high overall prevalence of BV (54.9%) in our cohort. While previous research has found an increased prevalence of BV among HIV-infected women, the difference in the prevalence of BV between our HIV-infected group (62.5%) and HIV-uninfected group (50.0%) was not found to be statistically significant. The high rate of BV in both of these groups has significant implications for their risk of HIV acquisition and/or transmission in addition to other associated risks of BV. Given that the Pap smear is specific in incidentally diagnosing BV, it may be utilized as a screening method for BV in the adolescent population.","PeriodicalId":73590,"journal":{"name":"Journal of AIDS and HIV research (Online)","volume":"6 9 1","pages":"172-176"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71134231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vaibhav Mahesh Jagad, N. Shenoy, J. Ramapuram, J. Ahmed, Amitha J Lewis, N. Srikant
Low CD4 counts is currently considered to be one of the main indicators of the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced immune depression, but few studies have analyzed its relationship to the presence of oral cytological changes. The aim of this cross sectional study was to analyze the relationship between total CD4 lymphocyte count and the occurrence of cytological changes. The present cross-sectional study included 40 HIV infected patients seen at a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. Oral smears were obtained from dorsum of the tongue and the buccal mucosa using tongue blade and smear was transferred on a glass slide and fixed. The samples were assessed for the presence or absence of cytological changes, and correlated it with their CD4 counts. The CD4 lymphocyte counts of each of the 40 cases was noted and categorized as those below 500 cells/mm3 and above 500 cells/mm3. A total of 24 cases showed CD4 counts less than 500 cells. It was observed that the lesser the CD4 lymphocyte count, the greater the cell yield. These findings suggest that oral cytological changes could be a useful clinical marker of patients with HIV and can also be used as an adjuvant to CD4 counts. In view of these results, emphasis should be placed on the importance of thorough examination of the oral cavity and obtaining oral smears, as these changes provides indirect information about the patient’s immune state. Key words: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, oral cytology, CD4 counts.
{"title":"Oral cytology in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): An immune marker?","authors":"Vaibhav Mahesh Jagad, N. Shenoy, J. Ramapuram, J. Ahmed, Amitha J Lewis, N. Srikant","doi":"10.5897/JAHR2013.0309","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5897/JAHR2013.0309","url":null,"abstract":"Low CD4 counts is currently considered to be one of the main indicators of the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced immune depression, but few studies have analyzed its relationship to the presence of oral cytological changes. The aim of this cross sectional study was to analyze the relationship between total CD4 lymphocyte count and the occurrence of cytological changes. The present cross-sectional study included 40 HIV infected patients seen at a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. Oral smears were obtained from dorsum of the tongue and the buccal mucosa using tongue blade and smear was transferred on a glass slide and fixed. The samples were assessed for the presence or absence of cytological changes, and correlated it with their CD4 counts. The CD4 lymphocyte counts of each of the 40 cases was noted and categorized as those below 500 cells/mm3 and above 500 cells/mm3. A total of 24 cases showed CD4 counts less than 500 cells. It was observed that the lesser the CD4 lymphocyte count, the greater the cell yield. These findings suggest that oral cytological changes could be a useful clinical marker of patients with HIV and can also be used as an adjuvant to CD4 counts. In view of these results, emphasis should be placed on the importance of thorough examination of the oral cavity and obtaining oral smears, as these changes provides indirect information about the patient’s immune state. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Key words: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, oral cytology, CD4 counts.","PeriodicalId":73590,"journal":{"name":"Journal of AIDS and HIV research (Online)","volume":"6 1","pages":"160-163"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5897/JAHR2013.0309","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71134053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper dealt with the importance of social media in engaging young people on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention. The data used in this study, was obtained through a social media survey conducted among young unmarried tertiary graduates between the ages of 15 to 35 who are working in Abuja Nigeria and activities of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) on Facebook from 9 August, 2010 to 30 April, 2014. Respondents were made up of 42.6% males and 57.4% females. The predominant age group is between 26 and 30 (49%). Facebook was the most popular social media site as indicated by respondents. Out of 48% of the respondents who indicated they had sex within the last three months, only 38% claimed to have used condoms and 20% respondents have never had a HIV test. As at 30 April, 2014, NACA Facebook page amassed 2,593 likes. Males were predominant (80%) and 2,404 of the fans are from Nigeria. NACA sponsored competition for youth aged 18 to 29 years on the development of HIV prevention posters attracted a good amount of attention. The winning poster attracted 242 likes and 187 comments and the first runner up got 243 likes and 93 comments. The use of social media networking services to engage young people is recommended to organisations engaged in HIV and other related infections.
{"title":"Importance of social media in engaging young people on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention","authors":"R. C. Abah, T. Aderibigbe, A. Olubunmi","doi":"10.5897/JAHR2014.0302","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5897/JAHR2014.0302","url":null,"abstract":"This paper dealt with the importance of social media in engaging young people on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention. The data used in this study, was obtained through a social media survey conducted among young unmarried tertiary graduates between the ages of 15 to 35 who are working in Abuja Nigeria and activities of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) on Facebook from 9 August, 2010 to 30 April, 2014. Respondents were made up of 42.6% males and 57.4% females. The predominant age group is between 26 and 30 (49%). Facebook was the most popular social media site as indicated by respondents. Out of 48% of the respondents who indicated they had sex within the last three months, only 38% claimed to have used condoms and 20% respondents have never had a HIV test. As at 30 April, 2014, NACA Facebook page amassed 2,593 likes. Males were predominant (80%) and 2,404 of the fans are from Nigeria. NACA sponsored competition for youth aged 18 to 29 years on the development of HIV prevention posters attracted a good amount of attention. The winning poster attracted 242 likes and 187 comments and the first runner up got 243 likes and 93 comments. The use of social media networking services to engage young people is recommended to organisations engaged in HIV and other related infections.","PeriodicalId":73590,"journal":{"name":"Journal of AIDS and HIV research (Online)","volume":"6 1","pages":"152-159"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5897/JAHR2014.0302","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71134183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A five year (2009 to 2013) retrospective cohort study was conducted to assess the treatment outcome of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency (HIV) co-infection patients from April to May, 2014 in six randomly selected health institutions providing Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course (DOTS) program in Western Ethiopia. In the selected health institutions, sputum and blood samples were collected and processed using standard laboratory procedures. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between treatment outcomes and predictor variables. A total of 201 tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency co-infected patients were involved in the study: 15.9% were cured, 44.8% were treatment completed, 17.4% were died during follow-up, 10.0% were defaulted, and 11.4% transferred out to other health institutions. The overall treatment success rates in the last five year was 60.7% and the associated predictors were antiretroviral therapy (ART) status, year of treatment, and sputum examination follow up status at second and fifth month. Therefore, actions targeting (sputum follow up and time to start ART for tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency co-infection patient) on these predictors are necessary to improve the treatment success rate. Key words: Treatment outcome, HIV/TB co-infected, DOTS, Western Ethiopia.
{"title":"Tuberculosis treatment outcomes among tuberculosis/ human immunodeficiency co-infected cases treated under directly observed treatment of short course in Western Ethiopia","authors":"E. Ejeta, T. Birhanu, Tsedeke Wolde","doi":"10.5897/JAHR2014.0312","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5897/JAHR2014.0312","url":null,"abstract":"A five year (2009 to 2013) retrospective cohort study was conducted to assess the treatment outcome of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency (HIV) co-infection patients from April to May, 2014 in six randomly selected health institutions providing Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course (DOTS) program in Western Ethiopia. In the selected health institutions, sputum and blood samples were collected and processed using standard laboratory procedures. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between treatment outcomes and predictor variables. A total of 201 tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency co-infected patients were involved in the study: 15.9% were cured, 44.8% were treatment completed, 17.4% were died during follow-up, 10.0% were defaulted, and 11.4% transferred out to other health institutions. The overall treatment success rates in the last five year was 60.7% and the associated predictors were antiretroviral therapy (ART) status, year of treatment, and sputum examination follow up status at second and fifth month. Therefore, actions targeting (sputum follow up and time to start ART for tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency co-infection patient) on these predictors are necessary to improve the treatment success rate. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Key words: Treatment outcome, HIV/TB co-infected, DOTS, Western Ethiopia.","PeriodicalId":73590,"journal":{"name":"Journal of AIDS and HIV research (Online)","volume":"6 1","pages":"164-171"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5897/JAHR2014.0312","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71134249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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