Medical personnel knowledge and stigmatic attitude toward HIV patients in a high-income country.

Negative attitudes of health care workers (HCW) toward people living with HIV (PLWH) impact patients' care, quality-of-life, therapy adherence, and retention in care. Few publications address stigma and discrimination among HCWs in high income countries. This study aims to provide a better understanding of HCW knowledge and attitudes toward caring for PLWH, how this relates to discriminatory tendencies and professional contacts, and proposes effective strategies to reduce negative attitudes and stigmas among health care providers in a tertiary hospital in Israel.

Quantitative ultrasonometry: An alternative and easy method to evaluate bone quality in people living with human immunodeficiency virus.

Background: HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) are associated with bone mineral loss. DXA is the gold standard method to evaluate the status of bone mineral density (BMD). However, it is not always readily available.

[Outcome of treatment with peg-interferon and ribavirin in HIV-HCV co-infected patients: "real life" single center experience].

Background And Aim: Recently, with the emergence of highly effective antiretroviral treatment (ART), chronic liver disease has become the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in co-infected HIV-HCV (Human immunodeficiency virus-Hepatitis C virus) patients. The overall SVR rate in this population remains unsatisfactory. The aim of this study was to evaluate the response to therapy in HIV-HCV co-infected patients in a single center.

Absence of APOL1 risk variants protects against HIV-associated nephropathy in the Ethiopian population.

Background: Susceptibility to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) among HIV-infected Americans of African ancestral heritage has been attributed to APOL1 genetic variation. We determined the frequency of the APOL1 G1 and G2 risk variants together with the prevalence of HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) among individuals of Ethiopian ancestry to determine whether the kidney disease genetic risk is PanAfrican or restricted to West Africa, and can explain the previously reported low risk of HIVAN among Ethiopians.

Methods: We studied a cohort of 338 HIV-infected individuals of Ethiopian ancestry treated in one Israeli and one Ethiopian center.

The autologous serum skin test in a cohort of chronic idiopathic urticaria patients compared to respiratory allergy patients and healthy individuals.

Background: A positive autologous serum skin test (ASST) is considered to reflect the presence of anti-FceRI and/or anti-IgE autoantibodies that are capable of activating mast and basophil cell degranulation. The ASST is regarded as a reliable in vivo test in chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) patients, with diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic implications. However, positive ASST results have also occasionally been demonstrated in patients with other diseases and in healthy subjects.

Absence of HIV-associated nephropathy in Ethiopians.

Background: Population-based epidemiological surveys in several countries have shown approximately 10- to 15-fold increased susceptibility to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) for populations of recent African ancestry. Accordingly, we sought to determine whether a similar or different pattern of susceptibility was evident among Ethiopians followed up in an HIV clinic in Israel.

Methods: One hundred seventy-six consecutive patients (126 Ethiopians, 50 non-Ethiopian Israelis) followed up at the HIV clinic of Rambam Medical Center in northern Israel were examined for the presence of proteinuria and/or decreased glomerular filtration rate.