Immunodefiency

Despite the growing prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodefiency syndrome (AIDS) in the Philippines and the psychosocial challenges it engenders, there remains a dearth of research on the intersection of HIV and hospice care. Stigma and discrimination further compound the challenges of providing inclusive hospice care to HIV patients in the country. Drawing upon the results of a recently published article centered on a Veteran assigned male at birth who expressed a desire for gender reassignment while receiving end-of-life care, this paper highlights the importance of sensitivity, understanding, and affirmation in hospice settings for HIV patients in the Philippines...

Kaposi's sarcoma remains enignmatic with many clinical and epidemiological patterns. We review them and describe the groove sign, an important association worthy of recognition. We also stress Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) without coexistent human immunodefiency virus infection, with recent data from China describing an extraordinarily high classical KS prevalence rate among Uygurs and Kazaks in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, presumably derived from elderly men residing there. The possible travel of HHV-8 along the ancient silk road from Italy to the Xinjiang Uyghur region remains intriguing...

Objective: To investigate the risk factors and outcomes of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection post umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation (UCBT) in children with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID). Methods: Clinical data of 143 PID children who received UCBT in the Children's Hospital of Fudan University from January 2015 to June 2020 were collected retrospectively. CMV-DNA in the plasma was surveilled once or twice a week within 100 days post-UCBT. According to the CMV-DNA test results, children were divided into the CMV-infected group and the CMV-uninfected group...

BACKGROUND: In some parts of Africa, the patients and those who survived COVID-19 are stigmatized and this has impeded the response activities put in place to control the pandemic. Inspite of this, most efforts in preventing COVID-19 were geared towards the use of non-pharmacologic measures without corresponding measures to dissipate stigmatization in the community. Therefore, this study assessed the factors associated with perceived stigmatization of patients with COVID-19 among residents of Agege local government, Lagos State, Nigeria...

25 B-cell depleted patients (24 following anti-CD19/20 therapy) diagnosed with COVID-19, had been symptomatic for a median of 26 days but remained antibody negative. All were treated with convalescent plasma with high neutralizing antibody titers. 21 (84%) recovered, indicating the potential therapeutic effects of this therapy in this particular population.

The lipid composition of human immunodefiency virus 1 (HIV-1) virions is enriched in sphingomyelin, but the roles that sphingomyelin or other sphingolipids might play in the HIV-1 replication pathway have not been elucidated. In human cells, sphingolipid levels are regulated by ceramide synthase (CerS) enzymes that produce ceramides, which can be converted to sphingomyelins, hexosylceramides, and other sphingolipids. In many cell types, CerS2, which catalyzes the synthesis of very long chain ceramides, is the major CerS...

Background: Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is important for HIV prevention, providing up to 60% protection. Although VMMC is usually a safe procedure, it is not free of associated serious adverse events. In the Uganda VMMC program, which is available to males 10 years of age and older, 11 individuals were reported with tetanus infection out of almost 3.5 million circumcisions over an eight-year period (2009-2018). The majority had received tetanus vaccination prior to VMMC. Disproportionately and statistically significantly, the elastic collar compression method accounted for half the tetanus infection cases, despite contributing to only less than 10% of circumcisions done...

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) are a set of about 350 genetic disorders that affect the normal function of the immune system. Advances in genetic diagnosis have allowed the description of new defects in the immune system, broadening the clinical spectrum of PIDs' manifestations beyond susceptibility to infection. Although most PIDs present with recurrent or opportunistic infections, a subgroup of them may be recognized by the early development of auto-inflammatory events, tumors and, paradoxically, the coexistence of autoimmunity and immunodeficiency in the same patient...

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the effective mean of immune restoration in severe combined immunodefiency (SCID). Usually, HSCT without cytoreductive conditioning is attempted. Nevertheless, conditioning procedures are still preferred in a subset of patients. Herein, we describe the immunological outcome in a cohort of conditioned and unconditioned patients, from diagnosis, through transplantation, to follow-up. This retrospective study was conducted on 17 patients with SCID (10 conditioned, 7 unconditioned) who later underwent HSCT...

BACKGROUND: Immunodeficiency is an underrecognized risk factor for infections, such as community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). OBJECTIVE: We evaluated patients admitted with CAP for humoral immunodeficiency. DESIGN: Prospective Cohort Study. SETTING: Inpatients. PATIENTS, INTERVENTION, AND MEASUREMENTS: We enrolled 100 consecutive patients admitted with a diagnosis of CAP from February 2017 to April 2017...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major health problem for humans worldwide, and was responsible for 1.4 million human deaths in 2015 alone. Although there is treatment for TB, emerging multi-drug, extensively drug and totally drug resistant forms of this disease, as well as co-infection with human immunodefiency virus (HIV) continue to worsen the situation. South Africa is among countries with reported traditional use and published documentation of such knowledge concerning the use of plants against TB...

Primary immunodeficiencies consist of a group of genetically heterogeneous immune disorders affecting distinct elements of the innate and adaptive immune system. Patients with primary immunodeficiency are more prone to develop not only recurrent infections, but non-infectious complications, like inflammatory or granulomatous conditions, lymphoproliferative and solid malignancies, autoinflammatory disorders, and a broad spectrum of autoimmune diseases. The concomitant appearance of primary immunodeficiency and autoimmunity appears to be rather paradoxical, therefore making the diagnosis of immunodeficiency patients with autoimmune complications challenging...

BACKGROUND: Migrants are considered a key population at risk for sexually transmitted and blood-borne diseases in Europe. Prevalence data to support the design of infectious diseases screening protocols are scarce. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C, human immunodefiency virus (HIV) infection and syphilis in specific migrant groups in Finland and to assess risk factors for missed diagnosis. METHODS: A random sample of 3000 Kurdish, Russian, or Somali origin migrants in Finland was invited to a migrant population-based health interview and examination survey during 2010-2012...

BACKGROUND: The introduction of complex antiretroviral therapy has resulted in signifi cant decrease in the mortality rate of HIV positive patients, but it still remains unacceptably high, especially in some groups of patients. AIM: To investigate the death rate in patients with HIV/AIDS, lethality and mortality in co-infection, and the most common causes and predictors of fatal outcome, focused on early diagnosis and appropriate therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 53 deceased patients with HIV/AIDS, monitored at the Clinic of Infectious Diseases in St George University Hospital, Plovdiv between 01...

BACKGROUND: Death under care is a major challenge for tuberculosis (TB) treatment programs. We derived and validated a simple score to predict mortality during tuberculosis treatment in high endemicity areas. METHODS: We used data for patients aged ≥15 years, diagnosed and treated for tuberculosis at the Yaounde Jamot Hospital between January 2012 and December 2013. Baseline characteristics associated with mortality were investigated using logistic regressions...

The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) serves to collect data on organ transplants performed in the United States. Although the infectious diseases data are limited and include mostly pretransplant serologies and other nonspecific infection-related outcomes, this multicenter data collection allows for insightful national data and the ability to monitor trends over time. We reviewed the published concise reports for each organ type in SRTR reports containing data from 2005 to 2014, and summarized our findings with respect to cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus, posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), HIV, general infection, and prophylaxis...

Although human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection is the most important risk factor for a poor antituberculosis (anti-TB) treatment response, its effect on the pharmacokinetics of the first-line drugs in children is understudied. This study examined the pharmacokinetics of the four first-line anti-TB drugs in children with TB with and without HIV coinfection. Ghanaian children with TB on isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol for at least 4 weeks had blood samples collected predose and at 1, 2, 4, and 8 hours postdose...

BACKGROUND: The paper presents the intentional use of biological agents for industrial, diagnostic and research purposes in Polish enterprises. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The National Register of Biological Agents (Krajowy Rejestr Czynników Biologicznych - KRCB) is an online database that collects the data on the intentional use of biological agents at work in Poland. RESULTS: As of December 2013 there were 533 notifications in KRCB, mainly for diagnostic (73%), research (20%) and industrial purposes (7%)...

INTRODUCTION: Nigeria is a country saddled with a high tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) burden but the possible combination of these communicable diseases with diabetes mellitus (DM) has been overlooked. We undertook to determine the burden of HIV and DM in persons with TB by documenting the prevalence rates of these disorders. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional Study that was conducted within 54TB/DOT centers in Lagos State. A total of 3,376 persons with TB who were on antiTB drugs were screened for HIV and DM using standardized tests...

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis regimens that are shorter and simpler than the current 6-month daily regimen are needed. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with newly diagnosed, smear-positive, drug-sensitive tuberculosis to one of three regimens: a control regimen that included 2 months of ethambutol, isoniazid, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide administered daily followed by 4 months of daily isoniazid and rifampicin; a 4-month regimen in which the isoniazid in the control regimen was replaced by moxifloxacin administered daily for 2 months followed by moxifloxacin and 900 mg of rifapentine administered twice weekly for 2 months; or a 6-month regimen in which isoniazid was replaced by daily moxifloxacin for 2 months followed by one weekly dose of both moxifloxacin and 1200 mg of rifapentine for 4 months...