Direct acting antiviral agents for the management of chronic hepatitis C infection have recently been licensed. These new protease inhibitors are combined with pegylated interferon and ribavirin and markedly increase the proportion of patients who respond to antiviral therapy. The protease inhibitors may be used with a 'lead-in' phase of ...

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a global health problem affecting more than 350 million people worldwide. Chronic carriage of HBV is related to the age when the infection occurs; the younger the age the higher the chronicity rate. Knowledge of the natural history of CHB is important for the management ...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicates preferentially in the liver, and in most cases the HCV infection becomes chronic and often results in hepatocellular carcinoma. When the HCV plus-strand RNA genome has been delivered to the cytosol of the infected cell, its translation is directed by the Internal Ribosome Entry Site ...

OBJECTIVES: To examine the feasibility of perflubutane-based ultrasound for grading hepatic fibrosis. METHODS: This prospective study included 202 subjects; main study (controls:33, F0-1:35, F2:26, F3:23, cirrhosis:29) and subsequent study (controls:16, F0-1:7, F2:20, F3:7, cirrhosis:6). Diagnostic abilities for assessing fibrosis grade were compared between contrast findings and FIB4 (age × AST/[platelet ...

Rather than being separated by discrete boundaries, the different phases of viral replication cycles partially overlap one another. In this issue, Dale et al. (2011) describe a remarkable example of this phenomenon: HIV-1 matures, and thus becomes infectious, but only after it has already started entering target cells.

To assess the safety and efficacy of the PrePex device for nonsurgical circumcision in adult males as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention program in Rwanda. Single-center 6-week noncontrolled study in which healthy men underwent circumcision using the PrePex device, which employs fitted rings to clamp the foreskin, leading to ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common occupational hazards for female sex workers in low-income and middle-income countries. Yet, most infections are asymptomatic and sensitive screening tests are rarely affordable or feasible. Periodic presumptive treatment (PPT) has been used as a component of STI control interventions to ...

Selecting the primary endpoint is one of the most important decisions in designing clinical trials. Many HIV trials are powered for surrogate markers, often virologic suppression. Among 49 recently published Phase 3 or higher randomized HIV trials only 14% were powered for clinical outcomes such as the progression to AIDS, ...

When counselling patients for postexposure prophylaxis after sexual exposure, we may need to inform them that the efficacy may be low, especially if the patient also had risks prior to the 72 hours between exposure and treatment. The use of a point-of-care test, as well as fourth generation HIV tests ...

Objective To explore the contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic features for quantitative assessment of hepatic fibrosis. Methods 86 patients with chronic viral hepatitis B were enrolled in this study from March 2007 to August 2009. The patients were classified into 5 groups (S0-S4) according to fibrosis stage evaluated with ultrasound guided liver biopsy. ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: There is conflicting information as to whether antiretroviral drugs with better central nervous system (CNS) penetration (neuroHAART) assist in improving neurocognitive function and suppressing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) HIV RNA. The current review aims to better synthesise existing literature by using an innovative two-phase review approach (qualitative and quantitative) ...

Coccidioidomycosis is caused by the dimorphic fungus Coccidioides immitis, which is endemic in southwestern United States. We report a case of coccidioidomycosis of cervical lymph nodes that occurred early after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy during the phase of immune system recovery, demonstrating a rare disease in a ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Little is known about hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) level during the natural course of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The aims of this study were to determine the HBsAg titer in the different phases of HBV infection and to evaluate for the presence of a correlation ...

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis C is associated with significant morbidity and mortality as a consequence of progression to cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver failure. Current treatment for chronic hepatitis C with pegylated interferon (IFN) and ribavirin is associated with suboptimal responses and numerous adverse effects. A number of botanical products have ...

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common chronic bloodborne illness in the United States. The incidence of acute hepatitis C in the United States peaked near 50,000 cases in the late 1980s but has stabilized since 2003 to less than 5,000 cases annually. The combination of pegylated interferon ...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurs mainly in chronically diseased livers following hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Early detection and diagnosis of HCC would be of great clinical benefit. In this study, we used a random phage display peptide library and sera from early-stage primary HCC patients ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We studied the relationship between IL28B gene-related SNP rs12979860 and early viral kinetics (day 0-28) during peginterferon and ribavirin treatment in 171 African Americans (AA) and 188 Caucasian Americans (CA) with HCV genotype 1. [Results] Compared to non-C/C genotypes, C/C was associated with greater declines in serum ...

Little is known about the presence and role of neutralizing antibodies (NtAbs) in perinatal hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Using HCV pseudoparticles, NtAbs were studied longitudinally in 12 HCV-infected children with or without evidence of acute hepatitis during the first year of life. Broadly reactive NtAbs of maternal origin did ...

BACKGROUND: HIV prevalence is high among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. Longitudinal studies are needed to measure HIV incidence, determine causes of acquisition, and test prevention interventions. We described two novel methods to enroll and maintain a cohort of MSM, focusing on their abilities to establish ...

BACKGROUND: Since October 2005, a total of 2,921,561 blood donations have been screened by the South African National Blood Service for hepatitis B virus (HBV) by individual-donation nucleic acid testing (ID-NAT). Over 4 years, 149 hepatitis B surface antigen-negative acute-phase HBV NAT-positive donations were identified (1:19,608). The lookback program identified one probable ...

Background. Proinflammatory cytokines play a critical role in antiviral immune responses. Large-scale genome studies have found correlations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the interleukin (IL) 18 promoter and spontaneous control of hepatitis C virus (HCV), suggesting a role in clearance.Methods. Plasma IL-18, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, alanine aminotransferase ...

Boceprevir is a hepatitis C virus (HCV) serine protease NS3 inhibitor that has recently been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency and Health Canada for the treatment of chronic genotype 1 HCV infection. It has potent in vitro antiviral activity against HCV genotypes 1a ...

The primary aim of this study was to estimate HIV incidence within a high-risk population in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam using both cross-sectional and prospective methodologies. A secondary aim was to develop a local correction factor for the BED and avidity index incidence assays. The research study design ...

Stigma and discrimination have been "bed fellows" of HIV and AIDS in India. Perpetuated by lack of awareness, deep-rooted traditional beliefs, adherence to harmful practices, and a moralistic tag associated with a condition connected with sex (in India the method of HIV transmission being largely heterosexual in nature) and high-risk ...

The RNA genome of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) diversifies rapidly during the acute phase of infection, but the selective forces that drive this process remain poorly defined. Here we examined whether Darwinian selection pressure imposed by CD8(+) T cells is a dominant force driving early amino acid replacement in ...

Objectives To describe trends in HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) in New Zealand 1996-2008, and to identify characteristics associated with HIV diagnoses in the resurgent phase. Methods: Data collected through routine surveillance of HIV infection, where the mode of transmission included homosexual contact, were analysed ...

ABSTRACT: A clinical picture of dry eye and dry mouth with the histological counterpart of focal lymphocytic sialoadenitis, usually detected in minor salivary glands, is considered the hallmark of Sjögren's syndrome. The association of sicca complaints and focal sialoadenitis can be also found in a number of other diseases, including ...

HIV-1 often evades cytotoxic T cell (CTL) responses by generating variants that are not recognized by CTLs. We used single-genome amplification and sequencing of complete HIV genomes to identify longitudinal changes in the transmitted/founder virus from the establishment of infection to the viral set point at 1 year after the ...

Medications currently available for the treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are highly effective but not curative. The current paradigm is to recognize patients who require long-term treatment (with its inconveniences) among the majority of healthy carriers who do not need treatment. International guidelines have been established to identify ...

For a decade, standard therapy for patients with genotype 1 chronic HCV (HCV G1) consisted of pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) alfa-2a or Peg-IFN alfa-2b, combined with ribavirin. Despite the improved efficacy of this therapy over others, the overall sustained virologic response rate in patients with HCV G1 was still low. This ...

Background. The importance of Q fever, spotted fever group rickettsiosis (SFGR), and typhus group rickettsiosis (TGR) as causes of febrile illness in sub-Saharan Africa is unknown; the putative role of Q fever as a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection is unclear. Methods. We identified febrile inpatients in Moshi, Tanzania, from September 2007 ...

Therapies in addition to the direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA) under evaluation for chronic hepatitis C include host targets such as cyclophilin inhibitors and immunomodulators. Both passive and therapeutic vaccines hold promise for the future. Although the numbers of drug categories and individual agents are increasing, only a handful of the ...

BACKGROUND: The hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase (pol) gene completely overlaps with the envelope (S) gene. Mutations in the pol gene of HBV, either from selection of primary or secondary resistance mutations, typically result in changes in the overlapping hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Recent studies have conferred a new ...

Background and methodology We examined the effect of becoming HIV-positive on contraceptive practices in a Phase III randomised controlled trial of the diaphragm for HIV prevention. We coded self-reported contraceptive use into seven categories of methods in order of effectiveness. We compared the proportion using each category of contraception at ...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection represents a growing health burden in Australia. This clinical audit aimed to enhance general practitioner awareness of the recommended management for patients with chronic hepatitis B. OBJECTIVE This article describes a clinical two-phase audit of 119 Australian GPs who contributed records retrospectively of patients ...

In response to pressure exerted by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-mediated CD8(+) T cell control, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) escape mutations often arise in immunodominant epitopes recognized by MHC class I alleles. While the current standard of care for HIV-infected patients is treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), ...

OBJECTIVE:: This study aims to investigate the association between serial serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and spontaneous hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion age in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected children. METHODS:: One hundred and four HBeAg-positive chronic genotype B or C HBV infected patients were included into this long-term ...

There is an urgent need to develop vaginal microbicides to empower women to better control their own sexual life and to protect themselves against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Prevention of STIs with its 330 million cases a year would have a great global health impact. Because of ...

BACKGROUND:: We compared the effectiveness of the new WHO 2007 diagnostic algorithm for pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) for HIV prevalent settings (WHO07) to the WHO 2003 guidelines used by the Ugandan National Tuberculosis Programme (UgWHO03) and most other countries for the diagnosis of smear-negative PTB. METHODS:: A prospective observational cohort design ...

The efforts of the topical microbicide field to identify a safe and effective topical microbicide were realized in July of 2010 with the reporting of the results of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa 004 trial. In this trial, a 1% tenofovir gel was found ...

PURPOSE: To identify factors influencing hepatobiliary phase (HBP) hepatic enhancement on gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed abdominal gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRIs and medical records of patients with (n = 97) and without (n = 48) CLD. CLD subgroups were formed ...

Eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) by antiviral therapy is the treatment of choice for mixed cryoglobulinemia secondary to this infection, but many patients fail to achieve sustained viral responses and need second-line treatments. Several studies have demonstrated that the infusion of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab is highly effective ...

Background: There is insufficient information about HBsAg levels and their correlation with serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Aims: We aimed to describe HBsAg levels during various phases of CHB and to investigate the correlation with serum HBV DNA levels. Methods: A total of 645 ...

Sputum microscopy is the only tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic available at peripheral levels of care in resource limited countries. Its sensitivity is low, particularly in high HIV prevalence settings. Fluorescence microscopy (FM) can improve performance of microscopy and with the new light emitting diode (LED) technologies could be appropriate for peripheral ...

Gene therapy for individuals infected with HIV has the potential to provide a once-only treatment that will act to reduce viral load, preserve the immune system, and mitigate cumulative toxicities associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The authors have been involved in two clinical trials (phase I and phase ...

Although chronic HBV infection is the leading cause of chronic liver disease and death worldwide, there are substantial differences in its clinical courses regarding prevalence, mode of transmission, characteristics of each phase, responses to antiviral therapy, and development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, according to geographical areas (Asia versus Western ...

ABSTRACT: When detected, HIV can be effectively treated with antiretroviral therapy. Nevertheless in the U.S. approximately 25% of those who are HIV-infected do not know it. Much remains unknown about how to increase HIV testing rates. New Internet outreach methods have the potential to increase disease awareness and screening among ...

The aim of this study was to determine the difference of anti-CCP and RF between HIV positive patients and a healthy control group. The rheumatological complications in HIV positive patients are rather common and are recognized as a serious problem that requires more attention. Anti-CCP and RF are the only ...

A 73-year-old female, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for 10 years, developed precore mutant hepatitis B virus-associated fulminant hepatitis after 1 year of infliximab therapy and subsequent methotrexate withdrawal. We emphasize the importance of preemptive antiviral therapy before starting infliximab administration and withdrawing immunosuppressive drugs.

Over the past decades, more effective and less toxic biologicals have revolutionized rheumatology therapy in our battle against the autoimmune chronic inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthropathy. But what about for patients who have previously had an infection of the liver? Prior hepatitis B virus infection clearly presents a challenge ...