Ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in low- and middle-income countries by 2030: is it possible?

Knowledge About HIV/AIDS and its Transmission and Misconception Among Women in Thailand: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

PurposeAsian and pacific region countries are considered to be high risk countries for Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV). There is little literature quantifying the relationship between education of HIV/AIDS and its principal socioeconomic determinants through a spatial analysis. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and awareness about HIV among the women in Thailand, and its direct and indirect association with sociodemographic factors including sexual education, level of education, area of living and wealth index through a structural equation modelling approach.DesignCross-sectional analysis using data from the 2022 UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS).SettingThailand.SubjectsA total of 3671 women from the 2022 MICS dataset.MeasuresKey variables included knowledge and misconceptions about HIV, sexual education, education level, area of residence, marital status, and wealth index.AnalysisStructural equation modeling was used to assess direct and indirect effects of sociodemographic factors on HIV-related knowledge and misconceptions.ResultsThe direct effect of sexual education on knowledge, transmission and misconception about HIV/AIDS is significant (β = 0.051, P = .002). The mediation effect test found that the sexual education and education indirectly affected knowledge, transmission and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS through the mediation effect of women's marital status (β = -0.068, P = .018) and wealth index (β = 0.007, P = <.001).ConclusionSexual education alone is insufficient to improve health literacy on HIV/AIDS, as other mediating factors such as education level, wealth index, marital status and area of residence are also key drivers. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 by 2030, it is essential to enhance HIV/AIDS related health education for women through multifaceted intervention programs that address these mediating factors.

Assessing the impact of HIV self-testing on diagnosis rates in vulnerable groups in belo horizonte, Brazil: A cross-sectional analysis

Background

In recent years, HIV self-testing (HIVST) has emerged as a promising approach to enhance accessibility and uptake of HIV testing, particularly among populations at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Despite its potential benefits, the effectiveness, and challenges of HIVST warrant careful examination to inform public health strategies effectively. This study investigates the effectiveness and challenges of HIV self-testing (HIVST) in populations at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Study design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods

We employed questionnaires, HIVST, and standard tests for HIV, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis, in patients exhibiting STI risk behaviors in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, between August and November of 2019.

Results

We engaged 125 individuals, median age of 33.5 years, with most participants (61 %) deviating significantly during self-testing. Despite this, HIVST was generally perceived as user-friendly. From the perspective of health professionals, there was 100 % agreement between HIVST and the gold standard HIV testing results. Notably, among those seeking solely HIV testing, 19.2 % tested positive for Syphilis, and 4.8 % for Hepatitis C. Only a minority (4.8 %) were aware of the HIV window period.

Conclusion

While HIVST presents benefits, the evidence does not yet support its widespread adoption as a standalone public health policy. Moreover, exclusive reliance on HIVST might mask the prevalence of other STIs. We advocate for a holistic approach to HIV and STI testing, incorporating education, counseling, and comprehensive healthcare access in public health initiatives.

Evaluating knowledge, practice, and attitude of Syrian population on sexually transmitted infections and human immunodeficiency virus

BACKGROUND

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can cause severe and fatal complications; knowledge about these diseases is essential for promoting safe sex practices and modifying behaviours that are harmful to one's health. This study investigates Syrian people's understanding, attitudes, and behaviors towards HIV/AIDS and STIs, aiming to identify factors promoting safe sex practices and modifying harmful behaviors.

METHODS

This online cross-sectional study was conducted in Syria between 3 September and 23 November 2022, involving all 18+ individuals. The questionnaire was adapted from a previous study containing 74 questions from five sections: socio-demographic information, knowledge and practice regarding STIs, knowledge and practice regarding HIV/AIDS, attitude towards HIV/AIDS, and attitude regarding STIs and analyzed using descriptive and multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

The study involved 1073 participants mostly aged between 18-30, with 55.3% females. Over half had good awareness of STIs and HIV/AIDS, with 55% and 63% respectively. Specifically, the overall knowledge level of STI type, signs/symptoms, risks of transmission, preventive methods, and complications for untreated STIs were (45.7%), (52.9%), (58.1%), (66.1%), and (59.6%), respectively. Medical field respondents had higher knowledge of HIV (P-value < 0.05, OR = 2).

CONCLUSION

Our results show that Syrian people have a knowledge level of STIs and HIV was moderate. However, the attitude toward STIs was negative, as less than half of the participants had a good attitude. It is essential to solve these knowledge gaps, especially in low-income countries such as Syria.

Knowledge, Perception, and Practice of Safe Medical Circumcision on HIV Infection Risk Reduction among Undergraduate Students of a Public University in Northern Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

About 70% (25.6 million) of the global HIV/AIDS burden is from Sub-Saharan Africa. Safe male circumcision (SMC) is one of the measures that were adopted by the Ugandan government aimed at reducing the risk of HIV infection contraction, as recommended by the WHO. Its main goal was to maximize HIV prevention impact with voluntary medical circumcision services to all adult men and adolescent boys. The objective of our study was to assess the knowledge, perception, and practice of safe medical circumcision on HIV infection risk reduction among undergraduate students of a public university in Northern Uganda.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 556 randomly selected Lira University undergraduate students from March 2023 to June 2023. With the use of a self-administered questionnaire, we collected data on the knowledge and perceptions of undergraduate students towards safe medical circumcision. Data were exported to Stata® 17 statistical software. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate regression analyses were done at a statistical level of significance P value < 0.05.

Results

Our 556 study participants had an age range of 21-25 years. The majority (81.29%) of the respondents knew that safe medical circumcision reduces the risk of acquiring HIV. However, the perception is that close to 3 in 4 (74.46%) of the students were unsure if they would opt for safe medical circumcision as risk reduction measure against HIV. The practice of safe medical circumcision was 64.8% among the study participants.

Conclusions

More than three in four of the undergraduate students have knowledge on safe medical circumcision as risk reduction measure for HIV infection. And close to 3 in 4 (74.46%) of the student's perception were unsure if they would opt for safe medical circumcision as risk reduction measure against HIV. The practice of safe medical circumcision was 64.8% among the study participants. Therefore, in an effort to increase SMC's adoption for HIV/AIDS prevention, the Ministry of Health of Uganda and related stakeholders in health should work hand in hand with university study bodies in order to optimize SMC uptake among university students.

Leveraging electronic medical records for HIV testing, care, and treatment programming in Kenya-the national data warehouse project

BACKGROUND

Aggregate electronic data repositories and population-level cross-sectional surveys play a critical role in HIV programme monitoring and surveillance for data-driven decision-making. However, these data sources have inherent limitations including inability to respond to public health priorities in real-time and to longitudinally follow up clients for ascertainment of long-term outcomes. Electronic medical records (EMRs) have tremendous potential to bridge these gaps when harnessed into a centralised data repository. We describe the evolution of EMRs and the development of a centralised national data warehouse (NDW) repository. Further, we describe the distribution and representativeness of data from the NDW and explore its potential for population-level surveillance of HIV testing, care and treatment in Kenya.

MAIN BODY

Health information systems in Kenya have evolved from simple paper records to web-based EMRs with features that support data transmission to the NDW. The NDW design includes four layers: data warehouse application programming interface (DWAPI), central staging, integration service, and data visualization application. The number of health facilities uploading individual-level data to the NDW increased from 666 in 2016 to 1,516 in 2020, covering 41 of 47 counties in Kenya. By the end of 2020, the NDW hosted longitudinal data from 1,928,458 individuals ever started on antiretroviral therapy (ART). In 2020, there were 936,869 individuals who were active on ART in the NDW, compared to 1,219,276 individuals on ART reported in the aggregate-level Kenya Health Information System (KHIS), suggesting 77% coverage. The proportional distribution of individuals on ART by counties in the NDW was consistent with that from KHIS, suggesting representativeness and generalizability at the population level.

CONCLUSION

The NDW presents opportunities for individual-level HIV programme monitoring and surveillance because of its longitudinal design and its ability to respond to public health priorities in real-time. A comparison with estimates from KHIS demonstrates that the NDW has high coverage and that the data maybe representative and generalizable at the population-level. The NDW is therefore a unique and complementary resource for HIV programme monitoring and surveillance with potential to strengthen timely data driven decision-making towards HIV epidemic control in Kenya. DATABASE LINK: ( https://dwh.nascop.org/ ).

Effect of e-health interventions on HIV prevention: a protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Global epidemiological data indicates that despite implementation of multiple interventions and significant financial investment, the HIV/AIDS epidemic remained inadequately controlled as of 2020. E-health presents a novel approach in delivering health information and health care and has gained popularity in HIV prevention worldwide. However, evidence on the effectiveness of e-health interventions on HIV prevention among diverse populations remains inadequate. Our study aims to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of varying e-health interventions on HIV prevention, with the objective of providing data support and guidance for the development of future e-health HIV intervention strategies.

METHODS

A systematic search of electronic English databases, including MEDLINE through PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science, along with three Chinese databases, including National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Wanfang Digital Periodicals (WANFANG), and Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals (VIP) database, will be conducted for the period of 1 January 1980 to 31 December 2022. Additionally, gray literature and unpublished trials in trial registers will be searched. Studies aimed at HIV prevention through e-health interventions, with full-text publications available in either English or Chinese, will be included. Study types will be limited to RCT, cluster RCT, and quasi-experiment study. The risk of bias in individual studies will be assessed following the guideline highlighted by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The outcomes will cover cognitive, behavioral, psychological, management, and biological measures of individuals involved in e-health interventions. The quality of evidence will be assessed by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Ultimately, a systematic review with meta-analysis will be conducted to compare the effectiveness of e-health interventions among diverse populations.

DISCUSSION

This systematic review seeks to establish novel insights into the effectiveness of e-health interventions in diverse populations worldwide. It will inform the design and use of e-health interventions to optimize HIV-related strategies.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42022295909.

Incidence and predictors of opportunistic infections in adolescents and adults after the initiation of antiretroviral therapy: A 10-year retrospective cohort study in Ethiopia

Background

Opportunistic infections (OIs) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV). However, there are few robust recent data on the rates of OIs and the risk factors that contribute to their occurrence. Therefore, the current study sought to determine the incidence of OIs and identify predictors among adolescents and adults after the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) at Wolaita Sodo University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (WSUCSH), Southern Ethiopia.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study design was employed. The study population was adolescents and adults who initiated ART between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2021. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 537 participants' records. We reviewed the medical records of the sampled individuals from 1 May 2022 to 15 June 2022. KoboCollect version 2021.2.4 and STATA version 14.0 software were used for data collection and analysis, respectively. We calculated the incidence rate per 100 person-years of observation (PYO) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the occurrence of any OIs. The Weibull regression model was fitted after the goodness-of-fit test for the Cox proportional hazard model was deemed inadequate. An adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) with 95% CI was used to identify a significant predictor of OIs. The statistical significance was made at a 5% significance level.

Results

A total of 515 participants contributed to 1,829 person-years of risk, of whom 164 (31.84%) exhibited at least one OI. The overall incidence rate of OIs was 8.97 cases (95% CI: 7.69, 10.44) per 100 PYO. The independent predictors of OIs were being female [AHR: 1.65 (95% CI (1.15, 2.36), P = 0.007)], individuals classified as World Health Organization (WHO) HIV clinical stage III [AHR: 1.98 (95% CI (1.12, 3.51), P = 0.019)], individuals who did not take cotrimoxazole preventive therapy (CPT) [AHR: 2.58 (95% CI (1.62, 4.11), P < 0.001)], mild malnutrition [AHR: 1.62 (95% CI (1.06, 2.54), P = 0.035)], and poor adherence to ART [AHR: 4.21 (95% CI (2.39, 7.44), P < 0.001)].

Conclusion

The rate of OIs after the initiation of ART was still high. Moreover, being female, not taking CPT, poor adherence to ART, mild malnutrition, and advanced HIV disease at presentation were found to increase the hazards of developing OIs.

Male partners involvement in human immune deficiency virus testing and counseling during prenatal care visits in Bichena town Westcentral Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Objective

Transmission of the Human immune deficiency virus (HIV) from mother to child remains a significant problem in developing countries. Male partners’ involvement in HIV testing and counseling is a major entry point for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. This study aimed to assess male partners’ involvement in HIV testing and counseling during prenatal care visits in Bichena town, Westcentral Ethiopia.

Results

A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from October 1/2018 to June 15/2019 among 406 male partners. Less than half (41.38%) [95% CI: 36.20–46.10%] of the male partners were involved in HIV testing and counseling. In multivariable analysis male partners who are found in the age group of 20–29 years, secondary, and diploma and above educational level, good knowledge of the services provided in the prenatal care visits, male partners whose wife had ≥ 4 prenatal care visits, good knowledge of mother to child transmission (MTCT) and PMTCT of HIV, entering the prenatal care room together with his wife, discussing maternal health issue with health care providers, and travel < 15 min to reach a nearby health facility were associated with male partners involvement in HIV testing and counseling.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13104-022-06215-9.

Global Health Facility-Based Interventions to Achieve UNAIDS 90-90-90: A Systematic Review and Narrative Analysis

To evaluate whether health facility-based HIV interventions align with UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets, we performed a systematic review through the lens of UNAIDS targets. We searched 11 databases, retrieving 5201 citations with 26 eligible studies classified by country income and UNAIDS target. We analyzed whether reporting of study outcome metrics was in line with UNAIDS targets using a standardized extraction form and results were summarized in a narrative synthesis given data heterogeneity. We also assessed the quality of randomized trials with the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and observational studies with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Stratification of interventions by country income level revealed themes in successful interventions that provide insight for scale-up in similar resource contexts. Few studies reported outcomes using metrics according to UNAIDS targets. Standardization of reporting according to the UNAIDS framework could facilitate comparability of interventions and inform country-level progress on an international scale.

Microfinance, retention in care, and mortality among patients enrolled in HIV care in East Africa

OBJECTIVE

To measure associations between participation in community-based microfinance groups, retention in HIV care, and death among people with HIV (PWH) in low-resource settings.

DESIGN AND METHODS

We prospectively analyzed data from 3609 patients enrolled in an HIV care program in western Kenya. HIV patients who were eligible and chose to participate in a Group Integrated Savings for Health Empowerment (GISHE) microfinance group were matched 1 : 2 on age, sex, year of enrollment in HIV care, and location of initial HIV clinic visit to patients not participating in GISHE. Follow-up data were abstracted from medical records from January 2018 through February 2020. Logistic regression analysis examined associations between GISHE participation and two outcomes: retention in HIV care (i.e. >1 HIV care visit attended within 6 months prior to the end of follow-up) and death. Socioeconomic factors associated with HIV outcomes were included in adjusted models.

RESULTS

The study population was majority women (78.3%) with a median age of 37.4 years. Microfinance group participants were more likely to be retained in care relative to HIV patients not participating in a microfinance group [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.71; P = 0.046]. Participation in group microfinance was associated with a reduced odds of death during the follow-up period (aOR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.28-1.09; P = 0.105).

CONCLUSION

Participation in group-based microfinance appears to be associated with better HIV treatment outcomes. A randomized trial is needed to assess whether microfinance groups can improve clinical and socioeconomic outcomes among PWH in similar settings.

Seroprevalence of Human Herpesvirus Infections in Newly Diagnosed HIV-Infected Key Populations in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Background

Human herpesvirus (HHV) infections can significantly increase the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission and accelerate disease progression. In the population at high risk of HIV infection, also termed as key populations (female sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), and people who inject drugs (PWID)), and their sexual partners, HHV infections can potentially compromise the efforts to prevent and control HIV infection. Here, we investigated the seroprevalence of HHV infections among HIV-infected key populations in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methodology. We analyzed 262 archived serum samples of HIV-infected key populations from the integrated biobehavioral surveillance (IBBS) study conducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine IgG and IgM titers for cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2.

Results

The overall seropositivity of HHV IgG was 92% (95% CI: 87.7–95.3%). HHV IgM was not detected in any of the samples. The most seroprevalent coinfection was CMV at 69.1% (181/262), followed by HSV-2 33.2% (87/262) and HSV-1 32.1% (84/262). HSV-2 infection differed by key population groups; it accounted for FSW (46.3%) (p=0.0001) compared to PWID (21.6%) and MSM (22.7%). In contrast, seroprevalence for CMV and HSV-1 was comparable across the key population groups; whereby, CMV was 62%, 75.3%, and 75% and HSV-1 was 26.4%, 39.2%, and 31.8% for FSW, MSM, and PWID, respectively. We also observed that multiple coinfections with CMV-HSV-2 (p=0.042) and CMV-HSV-1-HSV-2 (p=0.006) were significantly associated with key population aged above 40 years.

Conclusion

The IgG seroprevalence of CMV, HSV-1, and HSV-2 was high among HIV-positive key populations. These findings indicate that these individuals are prone to recurrence of HHV infections and may harbor replicating viruses that subsequently may affect HIV disease progression. Therefore, this warrants concerted efforts for integrated HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention programs targeting key populations.

Uncovering a behavioral strategy for establishing new habits: Evidence from incentives for medication adherence in Uganda

Incentives are used to improve many health-related behaviors, but evidence is mixed for their effectiveness both during the incentivization period and, even more so, on the persistence of the behavior after incentives are withdrawn. In this paper, we present the results of a randomized controlled trial that successfully uses incentives to improve medication adherence among HIV-infected patients in Uganda over 20 months, and follows the sample for another 6 months to measure the persistence of these behavioral improvements. Our study contributes to the literature on habit formation by identifying a behavioral strategy that is associated with persistently high medication adherence after controlling for observable individual-level characteristics and the receipt of incentives. We find evidence supporting a psychological theory of habits as reflexive context-behavior associations, which suggests new ways of designing incentive-based interventions for better promoting persistent, healthier behaviors.

Antiretroviral Treatment Failure and Associated Factors Among HIV-Infected Children on Antiretroviral Therapy: A Retrospective Study

Background

HIV/AIDS-associated morbidity and mortality have reduced since the introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Treatment failure is one of the causes of mortality, morbidity, and the development of drug-resistant viral strains. Therefore, this research aims to assess the prevalence and associated factors of treatment failure among children with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy attending the University of Gondar Specialized Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted on 200 children registered for ART from 2005 to 2017. Data regarding patients’ socio-demographic, baseline clinical characteristics, and treatment-related information were collected through a review of their medical records. Data were entered into Epi-info version 3.5.3 and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21 software. To summarize characteristics of the study participant’s descriptive statistics were done. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression were fitted to identify factors associated with treatment failure. The odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to assess the strength of the association and P-value<0.05 in the multivariable regression was considered as statistically significant.

Results

The prevalence of ART failure was 12.5% (95% CI: 7.88, 17.12), clinical failure was the most common followed by immunologic failure with only a small proportion having both clinical and immunologic failure. The mean time to develop treatment failure after initiation of the first-line regimen was 22.28 ± 24.00 months. Being male (AOR= 3.15; 95% CI: 1.18–8.39), co-infected with tuberculosis (TB) at baseline (AOR= 2.37; 95% CI: 1.23–8.84), being on ART for a long period (>36 months) (AOR= 1.01; 95% CI: 1.34–2.89), and regimen change (AOR=9.22; 95% CI: 3.36–25.03) were factors of ART failure.

Conclusion

In this study, there is significant treatment failure among HIV-infected children. Having co-infection, being on ART for a long period, regimen change, and being male were found to be independent factors of treatment failure in children. Therefore, timely identification and monitoring of ART failure should be necessary to enhance the benefit and to prevent further complications. Prophylaxis for opportunistic infections such as co-trimoxazole preventive therapy should continue to recover the immunological status of the child.

HIV supply chains in low- and middle-income countries: overview and research opportunities

Purpose

Despite HIV being reported as one of the major global health issues, availability and accessibility of HIV services and supplies remain limited, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The effective and efficient operation of HIV supply chains is critical to tackle this problem. The purpose of this paper is to give an introduction to HIV supply chains in low- and middle-income countries and identify research opportunities for the operations research/operations management (OR/OM) community.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors review a combination of the scientific and grey literature, including both qualitative and quantitative papers, to give an overview of HIV supply chain operations in low- and middle-income countries and the challenges that are faced by organizing such supply chains. The authors then classify and discuss the relevant OR/OM literature based on seven classification criteria: decision level, methodology, type of HIV service modeled, challenges, performance measures, real-life applicability and countries covered. Because research on HIV supply chains in low- and middle-income countries is limited in the OR/OM field, this part also includes papers focusing on HIV supply chain modeling in high-income countries.

Findings

The authors conclude this study by identifying several tendencies and gaps and by proposing future research directions for OR/OM research.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first literature review addressing this specific topic from an OR/OM perspective.

Hospitalization and Predictors of Inpatient Mortality among HIV-Infected Patients in Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Jimma, Ethiopia: Prospective Observational Study

Despite the number of patients enrolled in ART is increased, HIV/AIDS continues to constitute a significant proportion of medical admissions and risk of mortality in low- and middle-income countries. As one of these countries, the case in Ethiopia is not different. The aim of this study was thus to assess reasons for hospitalization, discharge outcomes, and predictors of inpatient mortality among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Jimma University Specialized Hospital (JUSH), Jimma, Southwest Ethiopia. Prospective observational study was conducted in medical wards of JUSH from February 17^th to August 17^th, 2017. In this study, 101 PLWH admitted during the study period were included. To identify the predictors of mortality, multiple logistic regression analysis was employed. Of the 101 hospitalized PLWH, 62 (61.4%) of them were females and most of them (52.5%) were between 25 and 34 years of age. A majority (79.2%) of the study participants were known HIV patients, before their admission. Tuberculosis (24.8%), infections of the nervous system (18.8%), and pneumonia (9.9%) comprised more than half of the reasons for hospitalization. Moreover, drug-related toxicity was a reason for hospitalization of 6 (5.9%) patients. Outcomes of hospitalization indicated that the overall inpatient mortality was 18 (17.8%). The median CD4 cell counts for survivors and deceased patients were 202 cells/μL (IQR, 121–295 cells/μL) and 70 cells/μL (IQR, 42–100 cells/μL), respectively. Neurologic complications (AOR = 13.97; 95% CI: 2.32–84.17, P = 0.004), CD4 count ≤ 100 cells/μl (AOR = 16.40; 95% CI: 2.88–93.42, P = 0.002), and short hospital stay (AOR = 12.98, 95% CI: 2.13–78.97, P = 0.005) were found to be significant predictors of inpatient mortality. In conclusion, opportunistic infections are the main reason of hospitalization in PLWH.

Virological Failure and Associated Risk Factors among HIV/AIDS Pediatric Patients at the ART Clinic of Jimma university Medical Center, Southwest Ethiopia

Background:

Pediatric antiretroviral treatment failure is an under-recognized issue that receives inadequate attention in the field of pediatrics and within HIV treatment programs. Despite the reduction in morbidity and mortality, a considerable proportion of patients fail to achieve a sustained virologic response to therapy. Thus virological failure is an increasing concern globally.

Objective:

This study aimed to assess the virological failure and associated risk factors among HIV/AIDS pediatric patients at Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) follow up clinic of Jimma University Medical Center, southwest Ethiopia.

Methods:

An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted at the ART follow-up clinic of Jimma University Medical Center. A structured English version checklist was developed and used for data extraction from patients’ charts from April -May 2019. Then the data was coded and entered using epi data 4.2 and exported to statistical package for social science (SPSS version 22) for analysis. Descriptive analysis was conducted for categorical as well as continuous variables. Multivariable logistic regression was performed in a backward, step-wise manner until a best-fit model was found.

Results:

Of 140 HIV/AIDS pediatric patients enrolled in this study, 72(51.4%) were male and the mean age was 9.7±3.3 Years. ABC-3TC-NVP was the commonly used ART medication in this population, which was 37.1% followed by AZT-3TC-EFV(32.1%). The mean duration of antiretroviral treatment (ART) follow-up was 63.8±29.4 months. Among the study population, 11.0% of them had virological failure. Weight at ART initiation [OR=1.104, 95 CI% [1.013-1.203], p=0.024] and WHO clinical stage 3 [AOR=0.325, 95CI, 0.107-0.991,P=0.048] were the significant risk factors for the virological failure.

Conclusion:

A significant proportion of HIV/AIDS pediatric patients had virological failure. Weight at ART initiation and patients having WHO clinical stage 3 were risk factors associated with virological failure in this study. Governmental and non-governmental concerned bodies should invest their effort to devise strategies for the achievement of HIV/AIDS treatment targets.

HIV Capsid Inhibitors Beyond PF74

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) capsid plays important roles at multiple stages of viral replication. At the initial stages, controlled uncoating (disassembly) of the capsid ensures efficient reverse transcription of the single-stranded RNA genome, into the double-stranded DNA. Whereas at later stages, a proper assembly of capsid ensures the formation of a mature infectious virus particle. Hence, the inhibition of capsid assembly and/or disassembly has been recognized as a potential therapeutic strategy, and several capsid inhibitors have been reported. Of these, PF-3450074 (PF74) has been extensively studied. Recently reported GS-CA inhibitors (GS-CA1 and GS-6207), have shown a strong potential and appear to contain a PF74 scaffold. The location of resistance mutations and the results of structural studies further suggest that GS-CA compounds and PF74 share the same binding pocket, which is located between capsid monomers. Additionally, phenylalanine derivatives containing the PF74 scaffold show slightly enhanced capsid inhibiting activity. A comparison of capsid structures in complex with host factors and PF74, reveals the presence of common chemical entities at topologically equivalent positions. Here we present the status of capsid inhibitors that contain PF74 scaffolds and propose that the PF74 scaffold may be used to develop strong and safe capsid inhibitors.

GS-CA Compounds: First-In-Class HIV-1 Capsid Inhibitors Covering Multiple Grounds

Recently reported HIV-1 capsid (CA) inhibitors GS-CA1 and GS-6207 (an analog of GS-CA1) are first-in-class compounds with long-acting potential. Reportedly, both compounds have greater potency than currently approved anti-HIV drugs. Due to the limited access to experimental data and the compounds themselves, a detailed mechanism of their inhibition is yet to be delineated. Using crystal structures of capsid-hexamers bound to well-studied capsid inhibitor PF74 and molecular modeling, we predict that GS-CA compounds bind in the pocket that is shared by previously reported CA inhibitors and host factors. Additionally, comparative modeling suggests that GS-CA compounds have unique structural features contributing to interactions with capsid. To test their proposed binding mode, we also report the design of a cyclic peptide combining structural units from GS-CA compounds, host factors, and previously reported capsid inhibitors. This peptide (Pep-1) binds CA-hexamer with a docking score comparable to GS-CA compounds. Affinity determination by MicroScale thermophoresis (MST) assays showed that CA binds Pep-1 with a ~7-fold better affinity than well-studied capsid inhibitor PF74, suggesting that it can be developed as a possible CA inhibitor.

Programmatic outcomes and impact of rapid public sector antiretroviral therapy expansion in adults prior to introduction of the WHO treat-all approach in rural Eswatini

OBJECTIVES

To assess long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART) outcomes during rapid HIV programme expansion in the public sector of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland).

METHODS

This is a retrospectively established cohort of HIV-positive adults (≥16 years) who started first-line ART in 25 health facilities in Shiselweni (Eswatini) between 01/2006 and 12/2014. Temporal trends in ART attrition, treatment expansion and ART coverage were described over 9 years. We used flexible parametric survival models to assess the relationship between time to ART attrition and covariates.

RESULTS

Of 24 772 ART initiations, 6% (n = 1488) occurred in 2006, vs. 13% (n = 3192) in 2014. Between these years, median CD4 cell count at ART initiation increased (113-265 cells/mm3 ). The active treatment cohort expanded 8.4-fold, ART coverage increased 8.0-fold (7.1% in 2006 vs. 56.8% in 2014) and 12-month crude ART retention improved from 71% to 86%. Compared with the pre-decentralisation period (2006-2007), attrition decreased by 5% (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.88-1.02) during HIV-TB service decentralisation (2008-2010), by 17% (aHR 0.83, 0.75-0.92) during service consolidation (2011-2012), and by 20% (aHR 0.80, 0.71-0.90) during further treatment expansion (2013-2014). The risk of attrition was higher for young age, male sex, pathological baseline haemoglobin and biochemistry results, more toxic drug regimens, WHO III/IV staging and low CD4 cell count; access to a telephone was protective.

CONCLUSIONS

Programmatic outcomes improved during large expansion of the treatment cohort and increased ART coverage. Changes in ART programming may have contributed to better outcomes.

Haptoglobin phenotypes with weak antioxidant capacity increase risk factors of cardiovascular disease in Ghanaian HIV-infected patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy

OBJECTIVE

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has considerably reduced HIV/AIDS-related morbidity and mortality; however, the therapy has been associated with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and genetic predisposition factors may aggravate disease outcome. This study was aimed at investigating the relationship between haptoglobin phenotypes and risk factors of CVD in HIV patients.

METHODS

A total of 105 HIV sero-positive patients on HAART and 75 HIV-infected HAART-naïve individuals were enrolled in the study. Socio-demographics and clinical characteristics of the participants were obtained using a well-structured questionnaire. Lipid profile, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and haptoglobin (Hp) phenotypes were analysed from serum whiles haemoglobin (Hb) level, CD4⁺ cell count and HIV viral RNA load were determined using whole blood.

RESULTS

Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) was significantly higher in patients on HAART than the naïve group (P < 0.05). Age, BMI, visceral fat, systolic blood pressure LDH and lipid variables strongly and positively correlated with AIP (P < 0.05), with the exception of HDL-c (P < 0.001) which showed a negative correlation. HAART was associated with hypertension (χ²  = 4.33, P = 0.037), hypercholesterolaemia (χ²  = 10.99, P < 0.001), elevated LDL-c (χ² = 10.30, P < 0.001) and decreased HDL-c (χ²  = 3.87, P = 0.09). Hp2-2 and Hp0 collectively was strongly associated with hypertension (OR = 2.54, P = 0.011), obesity (OR = 5.97, P < 0.001) and hypercholesterolaemia (OR = 2.99, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

HIV/AIDS patients on HAART expressing Hp phenotypes with weak antioxidant capacity have an increased risk of developing CVD.

Assessing the impact of HIV status on injury outcomes: A multicenter study of trauma patients in Rwanda

BACKGROUND

There is conflicting evidence regarding the impact of human immunodeficiency virus serostatus on trauma outcomes in low-resource settings. This study sought to evaluate the impact of human immunodeficiency virus serostatus on mortality outcomes for Rwandan patients presenting after trauma.

METHODS

This retrospective review of the University of Rwanda trauma registry captured all adult trauma patients with known human immunodeficiency virus status presenting between March 2011 and July 2015. Confirmed human immunodeficiency virus-positive cases were matched 1:2 with known human immunodeficiency virus-negative controls using a modified Kampala Trauma Score, sex, and district of residence or primary hospital. All-cause mortality was compared using multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

In total, 11,280 patients were recorded prospectively in the registry (169 human immunodeficiency virus positive; 334 human immunodeficiency virus negative matches). There was no difference in delay of hospital presentation or time until operation (P = .50 and P = .57, respectively). Less than 30% of all patients underwent operation during admission (n = 133), and the rate of operative intervention was independent of human immunodeficiency virus serostatus (P = .946). There was no association between development of any complication and human immunodeficiency virus status (P = .837). The overall mortality rate was 8.9% and 3.3% for human immunodeficiency virus-positive and human immunodeficiency virus-negative patients, respectively (P = .010). Human immunodeficiency virus positivity was associated with increased 30-day mortality when controlling for potential confounders (P = .016; odds ratio 3.60, 95% confidence interval: 1.27-10.2, C statistic 0.88).

CONCLUSION

Both human immunodeficiency virus and trauma pose substantial public health threats in sub-Saharan Africa. Known human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity in Rwandan trauma patients is associated with early mortality. Further investigation regarding testing, treatment, and outcomes in human immunodeficiency virus-positive trauma patients is warranted and provides an opportunity for leveraging human immunodeficiency virus global health efforts in trauma outcomes assessment.

Residual T cell activation and skewed CD8+ T cell memory differentiation despite antiretroviral therapy-induced HIV suppression

HIV infection results in excessive T cell activation and dysfunction which may persist even during effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). The dynamics of immune 'deactivation' and extent to which T cell memory subsets normalize after ART are unclear. We longitudinally assessed the influence of 1 year of ART on the phenotype of T cells in HIV-infected African women, relative to matched HIV-uninfected women, using activation (CD38, HLA-DR) and differentiation markers (CD27, CD45RO). ART induced a substantial reduction in T cell activation, but remained higher than HIV-uninfected controls. ART largely normalized the distribution of CD4+ T cell memory subsets, while the distribution of CD8+ T cell memory subsets remained significantly skewed compared to HIV-uninfected individuals. Thus, there was a considerable but only partial reversal of T cell defects upon ART. Understanding T cell impairment may provide important insights into mechanisms of HIV pathogenesis in the era of ART.

Evolving treatment implementation among HIV-infected pregnant women and their partners: results from a national surveillance study in Italy, 2001-2015

BACKGROUND

The current global and national indications for antiretroviral treatment (ART, usually triple combination therapy) in adolescent and adults, including pregnant women, recommend early ART before immunologic decline, pre-exposure chemoprophylaxis (PrEP), and treatment of HIV-negative partners in serodiscordant couples. There is limited information on the implementation of these recommendations among pregnant women with HIV and their partners.

METHODS

The present analysis was performed in 2016, using data from clinical records of pregnant women with HIV, followed between 2001 and 2015 at hospital or university clinics within a large, nationally representative Italian cohort study. The study period was divided in three intervals of five years each (2001-2005, 2006-2010, 2011-2015), and the analysis evaluated temporal trends in rates of HIV diagnosis in pregnancy, maternal antiretroviral treatment at conception, prevalence of HIV infection among partners of pregnant women with HIV, and proportion of seronegative and seropositive male partners receiving antiretroviral treatment.

RESULTS

The analysis included 2755 pregnancies in women with HIV. During the three time intervals considered the rate of HIV diagnosis in pregnancy (overall 23.3%), and the distribution of HIV status among male partners (overall 48.7% HIV-negative, 28.6% HIV-positive and 22.8% unknown) remained substantially unchanged. Significant increases were observed in the proportion of women with HIV diagnosed before pregnancy who were on antiretroviral treatment at conception (from 62.0% in 2001-2005 to 81.3% in 2011-2015, P < 0.001), and in the proportion of HIV-positive partners on antiretroviral treatment (from 73.3% in 2001-2005 to 95.8% in 2011-2015, P = 0.002). Antiretroviral treatment was administered in 99.1% of the pregnancies that did not end early because of miscarriage, termination, or intrauterine death, and in 75.3% of those not ending in a live birth. No implementation of antiretroviral treatment was introduced among male HIV-negative partners.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest good implementation of antiretroviral treatment among HIV-positive women and their HIV-positive partners, but no implementation, even in recent years, of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) among uninfected male partners. Further studies should assess the determinants of this occurrence and clarify the attitudes and the potential barriers to PrEP use.

Revisiting the AIDS Epidemic in Pakistan: Where We Stand and What We Must Aim For

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the major cause of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in humans, where the immune system totally succumbs to the virus. A large proportion of the AIDS infected belong to developing countries and AIDS prevalence is intensified by severe poverty, malnutrition, and famine; fatal illnesses with a scorn shortage of medical amenities complemented with the lack of education and development. Current Pakistani health system setting is in a dire need of improvement. Low literacy rates, high birth rates, and associated maternal mortality plus a lack of clean drinking water and appropriate sanitation system have a serious impact on general living conditions contributing to a relatively short lifespan. HIV is, therefore, becoming a growing health concern in Pakistan with a rapid rise in the reported cases. AIDS is most prevalent among injection drug users (IDUs), male/female sex workers, and unchecked deported migrant workforce. To combat this virus, the Pakistan Government has been working hard over the past few years with local bodies and international organizations in an effort to combat this menace. This review aims to discuss the risk factors for the rise of this epidemic in the country and the recommendations, efforts to be done to address this alarming issue.