Interactions of Antiretroviral Drugs with Food, Beverages, Dietary Supplements, and Alcohol: A Systematic Review and Meta-analyses

Multiple factors may affect combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). We investigated the impact of food, beverages, dietary supplements, and alcohol on the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of 33 antiretroviral drugs. Systematic review in adherence to PRISMA guidelines was performed, with 109 reports of 120 studies included. For each drug, meta-analyses or qualitative analyses were conducted. We have found clinically significant interactions with food for more than half of antiretroviral agents. The following drugs should be taken with or immediately after the meal: tenofovir disoproxil, etravirine, rilpivirine, dolutegravir, elvitegravir, atazanavir, darunavir, lopinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir. Didanosine, zalcitabine, zidovudine, efavirenz, amprenavir, fosamprenavir, and indinavir should be taken on an empty stomach for maximum patient benefit. Antiretroviral agents not mentioned above can be administered regardless of food. There is insufficient evidence available to make recommendations about consuming juice or alcohol with antiretroviral drugs. Resolving drug-food interactions may contribute to maximized cART effectiveness and safety.

Using the Lifeworld Approach to Improve HIV Testing

Major guidelines for HIV recommend that testing should be provided in a way that is adapted to the lifeworld of groups at risk. However, precise definitions as to what adaption to the lifeworld means are missing. Therefore, this research project evaluated how the lifeworld approach can be operationalized in regard to HIV testing and how voluntary counseling and testing services can use this approach to improve efficacy. A survey for VCT providers in Germany showed a limited number of factors influencing the adaption to the lifeworld of groups at risk. The opening hours, the number of languages used in public relations, and the comfort of the waiting zone are important for all clients. For men who have sex with men, information material for use in social networks and peer volunteers are relevant. Intravenous drug users are concerned with participation, (low) costs, and counseling. For migrants, continuing staff training and anonymity are important.

Rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis among known HIV-infected patients in Oyo State, Nigeria

A major opportunistic infection among HIV-infected people is tuberculosis (TB). It accelerates the deadly progression of HIV which results in further decline in the patient's immune status and early death. More than 9 million people suffer from this debilitating coinfection worldwide. More worrisome is the fact that some patients now develop resistance to rifampicin, a first-line drug against TB. This study therefore aimed at determining the rifampicin-resistant TB prevalence rate among known HIV-positive patients in Oyo State. This cross-sectional study was performed by collecting suitable sputum samples from 397 known HIV patients who attended ART Clinic between January and December 2017. The samples were analyzed using the GeneXpert machine, a real-time polymerase chain reaction-based equipment. Of the total 397 tested, 172 (43.3%) were male while 225 (56.7%) were females. Fifty (12.6%) of the 397 known HIV patients tested positive to TB and 6 (12%) of the 50 were resistant to rifampicin. Four (2.3%) of the 172 males had rifampicin-resistant TB and 2 (0.9%) of the 225 females were resistant to rifampicin. Age group 31-40 years was the most affected with pulmonary TB while age group 10-20 years was the most affected with rifampicin-resistant TB. Six (1.5%) of the total 397 were rifampicin resistant. In conclusion, strict compliance with the infection control measures is strongly advocated for to prevent further transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to people living with HIV most of whom have their immune system already weakened.

HIV and tuberculosis co-infection in a highly HIV-infected population of rivers state, Nigeria

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) are considered as key players in the global health scene. This study sought to determine the prevalence of TB among HIV-positive attendees of the Directly Observed Treatment of Short Course (DOTS) program at the military hospital in Port Harcourt. The association of HIV prevalence with gender and age as risk factors was also determined. A total of 200 patients aged 15-65 years were screened. Re-screening for HIV was done for confirmation. The overall prevalence for anti-TB antibodies amongst HIV-positive individuals was 14.0% (7.5% in males and 6.5% in females) while HIV prevalence following re-screening was 92%. It was observed that based on employment status and level of education, the highest HIV prevalence was seen in unemployed individuals and individuals with no formal education. The result showed that 29.9% of the HIV seropositives were males while 70.1% were females. Sex-related prevalence of HIV-TB coinfection within groups indicated significantly higher co-infection rates (P < 0.05) among males (23.1%) than females (9.6%). Age-related prevalence of HIV-TB coinfection within groups showed that co-infection was significantly greater (P < 0.05) in ages below 30 years (21.2%) than in their counterparts 30 years and above (9.6%). This study confirmed the presence of TB co-infections among HIV-positive individuals in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Considering the role of TB in driving the HIV pandemic, it is imperative that HIV-positive patients are screened for TB infection regularly to reduce the scale of active HIV-TB co-infection.

Developments in early diagnosis and therapy of HIV infection in newborns

INTRODUCTION

Infants who acquire HIV have an exceptionally high risk of morbidity and mortality if they do not receive antiretroviral therapy (ART).

AREAS COVERED

This review aims to summarize the currently available evidence on ART in HIV-infected neonates. Data were obtained from literature searches from PubMed, abstracts from International Conferences (2000-2017), and authors' files

EXPERT OPINION

Current evidence favors early diagnosis and prompt ART of HIV infection in newborns. The precise timing of initiation of ART remains undetermined. Very early (close to birth) ART appears to limit the size of the viral reservoir and may restrict replication-competent virus, but the clinical benefit remains unproven. Among the current options for initial therapy, in full term neonates from 2 weeks of life onwards, a lopinavir/ritonavir-based three-drug regimen is preferred. In term infants, younger than 2 weeks a nevirapine-based regimen is recommended, although there are no clinical trial data supporting that initiating treatment before 2 weeks improves outcome compared to starting afterwards. Existing safety information is insufficient to recommend ART in preterm infants, with pharmacokinetic data available for zidovudine only. If ART is considered in this setting, an individual case assessment of the risk/benefit ratio of treatment should be made.

Treatment of HIV infection: Swedish recommendations 2009

On 4 previous occasions, in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007, the Swedish Medical Products Agency (Läkemedelsverket) and the Swedish Reference Group for Antiviral Therapy (RAV) have jointly published recommendations for the treatment of HIV infection. In November 2008, an expert group under the guidance of RAV once more revised the guidelines, of which this is a translation into English. The most important updates in the present guidelines include the following: (a) treatment initiation is now recommended at a CD4 cell count of approximately 350/microl; (b) new recommendations for first-line therapy: abacavir/lamivudine or tenofovir/emtricitabine in combination with efavirenz or a boosted protease inhibitor (PI/r); (c) an increased focus on reducing the use of antiretroviral drugs that may cause lipoatrophy; (d) an emphasis on quality assurance of HIV care through the use of InfCare HIV; (e) considerably altered recommendations for the initiation of antiretroviral therapy in children. All infants (<1 y) should start antiretroviral therapy, regardless of immune status. Also, absolute CD4+ cell counts, rather than percentage, may be used to guide treatment initiation in children above the age of 5 y.