Effect of chocolate and mate tea on the lipid profile of individuals with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy: A clinical trial.

Objective: HIV/AIDS is generally associated with dyslipidemia and oxidative imbalance, which are caused by the infection itself and by antiretroviral therapy (ART). The flavonoids, found in cocoa and yerba mate, have antioxidant and hypolipidemic properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the consumption of dark chocolate and mate tea on the lipid profiles of individuals with HIV/AIDS who are undergoing ART.

Brazilian infectious diseases specialists: who and where are they?

Background: The infectious diseases specialist is a medical doctor dedicated to the management of infectious diseases in their individual and collective dimensions.

Objectives: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the current profile and distribution of infectious diseases specialists in Brazil.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using secondary data obtained from institutions that register medical specialists in Brazil.

Audiological manifestations in HIV-positive adults.

Objective: To characterize the findings of behavioral hearing assessment in HIV-positive individuals who received and did not receive antiretroviral treatment.

Methods: This research was a cross-sectional study. The participants were 45 HIV-positive individuals (18 not exposed and 27 exposed to antiretroviral treatment) and 30 control-group individuals.

Vitamin A and beta-carotene concentrations in adults with HIV/AIDS on highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Micronutrient deficiency is a common condition in HIV-infected individuals and may occur in all stages of the disease. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to compare the concentrations of vitamin A and beta-carotene, micronutrients related to immunity and oxidative stress, in 182 adults with HIV/AIDS, under different highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimens. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to their HAART regimen: combination of nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and non-NRTIs; combination of NRTIs, protease inhibitors, and ritonavir; combination of NRTIs and other classes.

Effects of fish oil on lipid profile and other metabolic outcomes in HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Although antiretroviral therapy has revolutionized the care of HIV-infected patients, it has been associated with metabolic abnormalities. Hence, this study was planned to investigate the effects of fish oil on lipid profile, insulin resistance, and body fat distribution in HIV-infected Brazilian patients on antiretroviral therapy, considering that marine omega-3 fatty acids seem to improve features of the metabolic syndrome. We conducted a randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled trial that assessed the effects of 3 g fish oil/day (540 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid plus 360 mg of docosahexaenoic acid) or 3 g soy oil/day (placebo) on 83 HIV-infected Brazilian men and non-pregnant women on antiretroviral therapy.

Malaria diagnosis from pooled blood samples: comparative analysis of real-time PCR, nested PCR and immunoassay as a platform for the molecular and serological diagnosis of malaria on a large-scale.

Malaria diagnoses has traditionally been made using thick blood smears, but more sensitive and faster techniques are required to process large numbers of samples in clinical and epidemiological studies and in blood donor screening. Here, we evaluated molecular and serological tools to build a screening platform for pooled samples aimed at reducing both the time and the cost of these diagnoses. Positive and negative samples were analysed in individual and pooled experiments using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nested PCR and an immunochromatographic test.

Screening anal dysplasia in HIV-infected patients: is there an agreement between anal pap smear and high-resolution anoscopy-guided biopsy?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the agreement between anal Pap smear and high-resolution anoscopy-guided biopsy in diagnosing anal dysplasia in HIV-infected patients.

Methods: We conducted cross-sectional analysis of HIV-infected patients receiving anal dysplasia screening as part of routine care. Agreement between measures was estimated by weighted kappa statistics, using a three-tiered cytologic and histologic grading system (normal, low-grade dysplasia, and high-grade dysplasia).

Depression in women living with HIV: clinical and psychosocial correlates.

The number of Brazilian women living with HIV has increased significantly in past years, rendering studies of their particular care demands including psychiatric issues. This study measures the prevalence of major depression, using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, in a sample of 120 women living with HIV in treatment at a reference centre in São Paulo. Socio-demographic variables, HIV-related clinical and laboratory data, including CD4+ cell counts and HIV plasma viral loads, as well as psychosocial features (intimate relationships, disclosure of HIV serostatus, partner's serostatus and patient's emotional and financial support) were investigated as factors potentially associated with depression.

Leisure time physical activity prevents accumulation of central fat in HIV/AIDS subjects on highly active antiretroviral therapy.

The aim of this study was to verify the relationship between habitual physical activity and body fat in HIV/AIDS subjects on highly active antiretroviral therapy. This was a cross-sectional study covering 169 men and 51 women. It was conducted at the AIDS Clinic of the School of Medicine, University of São Paulo.

Seroreactivity to Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (human herpesvirus 8) latent nuclear antigen in AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma patients depends on CD4+ T-cell count.

In AIDS/Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) patients, the sensitivity of immunofluorescence assays for detecting antibodies against latent nuclear antigen ranges from 52% to 93%. However, in classic and African KS, sensitivities above 90% have been reported systematically. This study evaluates whether CD4+ T-cell count affects seroreactivity to KSHV LANA and to lytic antigens in AIDS/KS patients.

Central obesity and dietary intake in HIV/AIDS patients.

Objective: To assess the association between dietary intake and central obesity among people living with HIV/AIDS and receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 223 adult individuals in the city of São Paulo city in 2002. The study population was classified according to central obesity, defined as waist-to-hip ratio >0.

[Disclosure of HIV infection from the perspective of adolescents living with HIV/AIDS and their parents and caregivers].

The purpose of this study was to identify relevant issues in the disclosure of HIV-positive status in children and adolescents, aiming to improve the quality of their healthcare. A qualitative study included adolescents living with HIV/ AIDS and their parents and caregivers at AIDS reference services in São Paulo and Santos, Brazil. In-depth interviews and focus group were used.

Validity and reliability of the Baecke questionnaire for the evaluation of habitual physical activity among people living with HIV/AIDS.

This study evaluates the validity and reliability of the Baecke questionnaire on habitual physical activity when applied to a population of HIV/AIDS subjects. Validity was determined by comparing measurements for 30 subjects of peak oxygen uptake, peak workload, and energy expenditure with scores for occupational physical activity (OPA), physical exercise in leisure (PEL), leisure and locomotion activities (LLA), and total score (TS). Reliability was determined by testing and retesting 29 subjects at intervals of 15-30 days.

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection in HIV/AIDS patients from Santos, Brazil: seroprevalence and associated factors.

Goal: The goal of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection among HIV-infected individuals from Brazil and the associated risk factors.

Study: A cross-sectional survey was carried out with 497 HIV/AIDS outpatients attending the local AIDS Reference Center in Santos (southeastern Brazil) between February 1997 and January 1998 had serum samples screened for anti-HHV-8 antibodies. Patients were considered seropositive whenever reactivity was observed in at least 1 of 3 tests (immunofluorescence assays for latent nuclear and lytic antigens and orf65 recombinant antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay).

[Validation of methods for estimating HIV/AIDS patients' body fat].

Objective: To validate different methods for estimating HIV/Aids patients' body fat: total body skinfold thickness, central (trunk) skinfold thickness, peripheral (limb) skinfold thickness, waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and computed tomography of the abdomen (CTA) were used as the gold standard.

Methods: An analysis was done on 15 adult HIV/Aids patients (10 men and 5 women) who were being treated at an Aids clinic at a public university hospital, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Establishment of HTLV-I-infected cell lines from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of Brazilian patients.

To investigate epidemiological and pathogenetic features of HTLV-I infection, a cohort of carriers has been followed at the USP Teaching Hospital since 1991. This study describes the establishment of cell lines from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of infected subjects. Ex vivo PBMC were cultured with those from a seronegative donor and morphologic evidence of cell transformation was obtained after 90 days with detection of multinucleated cells exhibiting cerebriform nuclei.

Identification of human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) subtypes using restricted fragment length polymorphism in a cohort of asymptomatic carriers and patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis from São Paulo, Brazil.

Although human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) exhibits high genetic stability, as compared to other RNA viruses and particularly to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), genotypic subtypes of this human retrovirus have been characterized in isolates from diverse geographical areas. These are currently believed not to be associated with different pathogenetic outcomes of infection. The present study aimed at characterizing genotypic subtypes of viral isolates from 70 HTLV-I-infected individuals from São Paulo, Brazil, including 42 asymptomatic carriers and 28 patients with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), using restricted fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of long terminal repeat (LTR) HTLV-I proviral DNA sequences.