Early diagnosis and retention in care of HIV-infected patients through rapid salivary testing: a test-and-treat fast track pilot study.

Aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and the retention-in-care of individuals diagnosed during six years of salivary HIV testing (EASY-test project). Among those linked-to-care at the Infectious Diseases Department of San Raffaele Hospital (Milan, Italy), the proportion of patients engaged, retained in care and virologically suppressed after the antiretroviral treatment was 96%, 100% and 95.2%, respectively.

Early diagnosis and retention in care of HIV-infected patients through rapid salivary testing: a test-and-treat fast track pilot study.

Aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and the retention-in-care of individuals diagnosed during six years of salivary HIV testing (EASY-test project). Among those linked-to-care at the Infectious Diseases Department of San Raffaele Hospital (Milan, Italy), the proportion of patients engaged, retained in care and virologically suppressed after the antiretroviral treatment was 96%, 100% and 95.2%, respectively.

Point-of-care testing for HCV infection: recent advances and implications for alternative screening.

Over the last few years, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has emerged as one of the most significant causes of chronic liver disease worldwide, with an estimated prevalence ranging from 2.2 to 3.0%.

Cross-sectional study of community serostatus to highlight undiagnosed HIV infections with oral fluid HIV-1/2 rapid test in non-conventional settings.

The submerged portion of undiagnosed HIV infection in Italy is about 30% of subjects found seropositive. This fact represents one of the most important public health problems hindering the control of infection progression. This means we need to fight unawareness and social stigma and promote easy and friendly access to HIV test.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) isoform p2PSA significantly improves the prediction of prostate cancer at initial extended prostate biopsies in patients with total PSA between 2.0 and 10 ng/ml: results of a prospective study in a clinical setting.

Background: Total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA), ratio of free PSA (fPSA) to tPSA (%fPSA), and PSA density (PSAD) testing have a very low accuracy in the detection of prostate cancer (PCa). There is an urgent need for more accurate biomarkers.

Objective: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of PSA isoform p2PSA and its derivatives in determining the presence of PCa at initial biopsy with the accuracy of other predictors in patients with tPSA 2.

Liver function parameters in HIV/HCV co-infected patients treated with amprenavir and ritonavir and correlation with plasma levels.

Acute liver toxicity is a frequent adverse event that occurs during antiretroviral therapy and was observed in 6-30% of the patients on treatment, especially in presence of HCV coinfection (Cooper et al., 2002, Maida et al., 2006, Sulkowski et al.

Amprenavir and ritonavir plasma concentrations in HIV-infected patients treated with fosamprenavir/ritonavir with various degrees of liver impairment.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the steady-state pharmacokinetics of amprenavir and ritonavir in HIV-infected patients with different degrees of hepatic impairment.

Methods: HIV-positive patients receiving fosamprenavir/ritonavir (700/100 mg twice daily) were included. Patients were classified into three groups: (i) chronic hepatitis; (ii) liver cirrhosis; (iii) normal liver function.

Immunological basis for IgE hyper-production in enfuvirtide-treated HIV- positive patients.

We previously reported that enfuvirtide (ENF) treatment is accompanied by a selective increase of serum IgE. We asked whether ENF had intrinsic capability to direct B-lymphocytes to switch to IgE and/or if it could drive CD4 T cells to a Th2 phenotype. ENF was added in vitro: (a) to B-lymphocytes stimulated with IgE-switch inducing stimuli; (b) to peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

A simplified flow cytometry method of CD4 and CD8 cell counting based on thermoresistant reagents: implications for large scale monitoring of HIV-infected patients in resource-limited settings.

Objective: To validate a simplified flow cytometry assay for CD4 and CD8 T cell counting based on monoclonal antibodies which are made resistant to high temperatures (simplified thermoresistant assay (STRA)).

Method: The STRA employs FITC-conjugated anti-CD4 and anti-CD8 monoclonal antibodies, predispensed into test tubes and chemically treated to be resistant to high temperatures. Five correlation studies were performed in three different laboratories on a total of 560 blood samples from HIV-1 infected patients.

Higher plasma lopinavir concentrations are associated with a moderate rise in cholestasis markers in HIV-infected patients.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between liver function markers (necrosis and cholestasis) and plasma lopinavir levels in a cohort of HIV-infected patients treated with lopinavir and ritonavir.

Patients And Methods: The blood samples for determining steady-state C(trough) lopinavir levels and analysing liver function were drawn from fasting patients. Steady-state C(trough) lopinavir levels, liver function and immuno-virological markers were assessed on the same day.

Pertussis toxin B-oligomer inhibits HIV infection and replication in hu-PBL-SCID mice.

Bordetella pertussis toxin B-oligomer (PTX-B) has been shown to inhibit HIV infection and replication in vitro. The potential anti-viral effect of PTX-B was tested here in an in vivo surrogate model of HIV infection, i.e.

Nitric oxide production in HIV-1 infected patients receiving intermittent cycles of interleukin-2 and antiretrovirals.

Background: Interleukin-2 (IL-2) has been investigated as an adjunct to antiretroviral therapy (ART) because of its well-demonstrated capacity of stably increasing the number of peripheral CD4+ T cell lymphocytes. However, IL-2-related adverse events (AEs), including fever, tachycardia, hypotension, and respiratory failure, are typically dose- and schedule-dependent and can potentially limit the application of IL-2 therapy in an outpatient setting. Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent vasodilator potentially responsible for some of the AEs caused by IL-2.

Capillary zone electrophoresis for determination of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin in human serum.

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is the most specific marker for diagnosis of chronic excessive alcohol consumption and includes the serum transferrin (Tf) isoforms with two or less sialic acid residues (di-, mono-, and asialo-Tf). To monitor serum CDT, we developed a capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method based on the dynamic capillary coating with diethylenetriamine (DETA). The separation was performed in a bare fused-silica capillary (50 microm ID, 57 cm in length), applying a voltage of 25 kV and a temperature of 40 degrees C.