Publications by authors named "Garcia-Alcalde M Luisa"
Background: Reliable non-invasive methods for the evaluation of liver fibrosis are desirable, and the risk factors associated with fibrosis are not fully identified.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of a cohort of 805 HIV-HCV-coinfected patients with active HCV replication, most (95.2%) of whom were intravenous drug users, was conducted.
Article Synopsis
- Spontaneous bacterial meningitis (SBM) is significantly more common among HIV-1-infected individuals, with an incidence rate of 62 cases per 100,000 compared to just 3.2 cases per 100,000 in uninfected persons.
- The study found that predictors for developing SBM in HIV-1 patients included having a CD4 count lower than 200/mm and the presence of extrameningeal infections like pneumonia and bacteremia.
- HIV-1-infected patients with SBM faced worse outcomes, including higher rates of neurologic complications and a greater case fatality rate, underscoring the severe impact of SBM in this population.
Effectiveness and safety of didanosine, lamivudine and efavirenz versus zidovudine, lamivudine and efavirenz for the initial treatment of HIV-infected patients from the Spanish VACH cohort.
J Antimicrob Chemother
January 2009
Background: Preliminary data suggest that a once-daily combination of lamivudine, didanosine and efavirenz is an effective alternative regimen for antiretroviral-naive HIV-1-infected patients. However, data from randomized trials comparing this combination versus standard first-line regimens are not available yet. In an observational study, we analyse the efficacy and tolerability of didanosine plus lamivudine and efavirenz versus zidovudine plus lamivudine and efavirenz in a cohort of therapy naive patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is increasing evidence that metabolic adverse effects associated with antiretroviral therapy may translate into an increased cardiovascular risk in HIV-1-infected patients.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among HIV-1-infected persons, and to investigate any association between them, stage of HIV-1 disease, and use of antiretroviral therapies.
Methods: Multicentric, cross-sectional analysis of CVD risk factors of treated patients in the VACH cohort.
First-line antiretroviral therapy with efavirenz or lopinavir/ritonavir plus two nucleoside analogues: the SUSKA study, a non-randomized comparison from the VACH cohort.
J Antimicrob Chemother
June 2008
Background: Efavirenz and lopinavir/ritonavir are both recommended antiretroviral agents for combination first-line therapy, although information on direct comparisons between them is scarce. A retrospective longitudinal study from the VACH cohort comparing both regimens was performed.
Methods: Efficacy was examined comparing time to virological failure, CD4 recovery and clinical progression.
Objective: To study the prevalence of delayed diagnosis of HIV infection and associated factors.
Methods: A cross sectional study of patients included in the Spanish VACH cohort who had been diagnosed with HIV infection between 1997 and 2002 was performed. Delayed diagnosis was defined as patients diagnosed with HIV infection and AIDS simultaneously or within the first month after the first positive serologic test, or those with a first CD4+ cell count below 200/ml.
[Nocardiosis].
Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin
December 2005
Background: Studying the changing trends of HIV epidemics is a useful means of evaluating the results of current preventive plans as well as of defining future needs and objectives.
Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of the newly-diagnosed cases of HIV infection included in the Spanish VACH cohort. New HIV cases were defined as those diagnosed between January 2001 and December 2002.