Current Issue : April - June Volume : 2018 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 6 Articles
Since 2012, theWHOrecommends lifelongARTwith TDF+FTC/3TC+EFV for all HIV-positive pregnant and breastfeedingwomen\n(Option B-plus). In this analysis we describe the proportion of early and late transmission in mothers with high retention in\nKampala, Uganda. We included 700 pregnant women from January 2012 to August 2014 with a follow-up extended to August\n2016; themedian age was 31 years (IQR: 26ââ?¬â??35), 36.3% inWHOstage 3/4; median CD4 count was 447 cells/...
Background. HIV remains amajor public health challenge in Zambia.Theroll-out of antiretroviral treatment (ART) has engendered\nnew challenges in retention in care. Objective. To conceptualise the factors affecting retention in care of ART patients at three\nprimary healthcare facilities using the ecological framework. Method. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews\nwith 45 ART patients and three focus group discussions with 20 healthcare providers from three primary healthcare facilities in\nKabwe district, Zambia, and subjected to thematic content analysis. Results. Individual level barriers to retention in care included\nside effects, gaining weight, belief in faith healing, and use of herbal remedies and alcohol. Interpersonal barriers such as stigma\nand nondisclosure of HIV status were reported. At the institutional level, inadequate space in the clinic, long waiting times, long\ntravel distances, and shortage of third-line drugs presented barriers to retention in care. Food shortages and patient mobility were\nreported as community barriers to retention in care. Conclusion.The ecological framework conceptualises the complex and dynamic\nfactors affecting retention inART care and highlights the need formultifaceted interventions that combine health education, disease\nmanagement, and opportunities for income generation in a socially responsive and accountable environment....
Nigeria has about 3.8 million people living with HIV, the second largest globally. Stigma and discrimination are major barriers to\ntesting, treatment uptake, and adherence. In this review, we synthesized information on research studies, policies, and programmes\nrelated to HIV-stigma in Nigeria. This was with a view to identify critical areas that research and programmes must address in\norder to accelerate the progress towards zero (new infections, discrimination, and death) target by year 2030. Existing studies were\nmostly devoted to stigma assessment using varieties of measures. Research, policies, and programmes in the past two decades have\nmade very useful contributions to stigma reduction.We identified the need for a consistent, valid, and objective measure of stigma\nat different levels of the HIV response. Nigeria does not lack relevant policies; what needs to be strengthened are design, planning,\nimplementation, monitoring, and evaluation of context-specific stigma reduction programmes....
Introduction. Low levels of nasal NO have been associated with increased propensity to rhinosinusitis and respiratory tract\ninfections. Our objective was to describe nasalNOlevels in HIV-infected individuals versus healthy controls and determine possible\nrisk factors for reduced nasal NO levels. Materials and Methods. HIV-infected individuals and healthy controls were recruited.\nParticipants underwent nasal NO testing by standardized methods using a CLD88 chemiluminescence analyzer and completed the\nSinonasal Outcome Test-20 (SNOT-20) on symptoms of rhinosinusitis. Results. Participants included 41 HIV-infected individuals\nwith suppressed VL on antiretroviral therapy (ART group), 5HIV-infected individuals with detectable VL off ART (viremic group),\nand 12 healthy controls (HC group).Mean nasal NO level was 253 (�±77) nL/min in the ART group, 213 (�±48) nL/min in the viremic\ngroup, and 289 (�±68) nL/min in the HC group (...
A large number of dead bodies are referred to forensic autopsy halls for medicolegal examination. They can be a source of\ntransmission of infectious diseases through direct contact or autopsy tools. The main aim of this study was to estimate the virus\ninfection rates in the dead bodies. One thousand consecutive dead bodies that had been referred to autopsy hall of LegalMedicine\nBureau of Tehran, Iran, during 2016,were included.The blood sampleswere analyzed in the laboratory for detection of HBsAg, HBs\nAb, HIV Ab, and HCV Ab, after providing informed consent from legal next of kin of the dead bodies. The general characteristics\nof the dead bodies were also collected by a checklist. Forty-seven cases of HIV seropositivity, 80 cases of HBs Ag seropositivity,\nand 97 cases for HCV Ab seropositivity were found. Among them, 27 cases of HIV, 40 cases of anti-HBC positive, and 94 cases\nof RIBA testing positive for HCV were proved through confirmatory tests. In other words, 2.6% of the dead bodies were infected\nwith HIV, 3.8% with HBV, and 9% with HCV.The total infection rate was 15.5%. This is a worrying risk for pathologist and autopsy\ntechnicians....
Negative hedonic sensory qualities of HIV antiretroviral drugs often reduce patient adherence particularly in pediatric populations\nrequiring oral consumption. This study examines the palatability of an innovative delivery mechanism utilizing a freeze-dryingin-\nblister approach to create fast-dissolving tablets (FDTs) containing a fixed-dose combination of lopinavir and ritonavir (LPV/r).\nConsumption patterns of solutions during brief-access and long-term testing and baby foodstuff consumption were analyzed\nto evaluate the orosensory detection and avoidance of placebo FDTs containing no LPV/r (FDTâË?â??) and FDTs containing LPV/r\n(FDT+). Rats showed no change in consumption patterns for the placebo FDTâË?â?? compared with control solutions. Rats can detect\nbut do not avoid FDT+ at body-weight-adjusted dosages in both brief-access (30-s) and long-term (23 h) consumption tests. There\nis an aversive response to concentrated doses of FDT+ during brief-access tests that cannot be masked by 25%sucrose.However, the\nstrongest FDT+ concentration was not rejectedwhen mixed with 50 g of applesauce, banana sauce, or rice cereal baby foodstuffs.The\naverseness of the FDT+ was associated with the presence of LPV/r and not the FDTâË?â?? formulation itself.Thenovel FDT formulation\nappears to be a palatable delivery mechanism for oral antiretroviral pharmaceuticals especially when mixed with baby foodstuffs....
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