Publications by authors named "Helmut Albrecht"
Article Synopsis
- Universal "opt-out" testing for HIV and HCV involves offering tests to individuals unless they choose to decline, but the reasons behind those declines are not well understood.
- A study reviewed medical records of adults in South Carolina who were offered these tests between May and July 2019, finding that about one-third chose not to get tested.
- The results indicated that Black males were significantly more likely to decline testing compared to Black females, highlighting potential disparities in awareness and access to care.
Article Synopsis
- Telehealth became a key part of HIV care during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there hasn't been much research on it yet.
- A study was conducted that combined qualitative interviews and ranking exercises with HIV care providers and people living with HIV to understand their views on telehealth features.
- The findings showed that different stakeholders have varied preferences regarding the important features of telehealth in HIV care.
Article Synopsis
- Telehealth was used during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue HIV care, but its adoption varied significantly among different groups.
- A study analyzed data from 2,375 individuals living with HIV in South Carolina, finding that only 4.8% utilized telehealth services, with older individuals and non-Hispanic Black patients having notably lower usage rates.
- The research concluded that telehealth use did not correlate with improved viral suppression or testing, highlighting the need for targeted approaches to increase telehealth accessibility for underrepresented groups.
Article Synopsis
- Telehealth has become essential for HIV care during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its use has not been equitable among different populations.
- A study interviewed 18 people living with HIV and 10 care providers in South Carolina to assess their willingness to use telehealth and their perceptions about its future role.
- Most participants were open to using telehealth services moving forward, especially for routine care, but suggested that improvements are needed to address issues related to technology, the virtual format, and the diverse needs of people living with HIV.
Article Synopsis
- A new electronic patient reported outcome diary was created to measure chest-related symptoms in kids and adolescents during upper respiratory infections, and this research aimed to validate its effectiveness across different age groups.
- The study included 195 participants of varying ages (6-8, 9-11, 12-17, and 18+ years) who filled out the diary twice daily for 10 days while sick, analyzing the data for reliability and validity.
- Results showed that the diary had high completion quality, consistent symptom scores across age groups, and strong reliability and validity, indicating it effectively captures the chest-related symptoms experienced by patients.
Article Synopsis
- Advances in HIV testing struggle with early infection detection, particularly for the viral capsid protein p24, an important biomarker for HIV-1.* -
- A new method called the click chemistry amplified nanopore (CAN) assay has been developed, achieving an impressive sensitivity of 20.8 fM for detecting HIV-1 p24 in human serum, outperforming existing immunological tests.* -
- Clinical validation indicates that the CAN assay can accurately measure p24 at low concentrations and correlate with key health indicators, potentially enhancing early HIV detection and monitoring, and it could be adapted for other infectious diseases.*
Article Synopsis
- The article discusses qualitative interviews with children (6-11 years), adolescents (12-17 years), and adults with colds, as well as their parents, to enhance and validate patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures regarding chest congestion for pediatric clinical trials.
- The study involved two rounds of interviews, including concept elicitation to gather experiences of chest congestion and cognitive debriefing to assess the understanding of draft PRO items, which participants tested twice daily on a handheld device.
- Ultimately, the findings revealed eight symptoms reported by children, leading to improvements in the PRO items, with the most effective metrics selected for future use.
Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection Is Common Among ART-Treated People With HIV.
Edgar T Overton Isabelle R Weir Markella V Zanni Stephanie Fischinger Rodger D MacArthur Helmut Albrecht
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr
August 2022
Article Synopsis
- Limited data exists on asymptomatic COVID-19 infections in people with HIV (PWH), but findings from a major global clinical trial reveal that 60% of SARS-CoV-2 infections in PWH are asymptomatic.
- The study involved 2,464 participants, where 13% were found to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, with 40% of those showing symptoms and the majority being asymptomatic.
- PWH with asymptomatic infections tended to be older, from low-income regions, and of Black or African American race, highlighting the importance of ongoing COVID-19 testing in this population.
The pandemic of COVID-19 has caused >5 million deaths in the world. One of the leading causes of the severe form of COVID-19 is the production of massive amounts of proinflammatory cytokines. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as histone/DNA methylation, miRNA, and long noncoding RNA, are known to play important roles in the regulation of inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: We sought to determine whether SARS-CoV-2 infections are associated with anosmia and if this virus infects other neuronal cells. We utilized male and female olfactory neuronal cell lines and other olfactory cell lines to determine the viral targets.
Methods: We used four undifferentiated and two partially differentiated human developing neuronal cell lines.
The current spreading coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is highly infectious and pathogenic. In this study, we screened the gene expression of three host receptors (ACE2, DC-SIGN and L-SIGN) of SARS coronaviruses and dendritic cells (DCs) status in bulk and single cell transcriptomic datasets of upper airway, lung or blood of COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. In COVID-19 patients, DC-SIGN gene expression was interestingly decreased in lung DCs but increased in blood DCs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) plays a crucial role in mediating viral entry into host cells. However, whether it contributes to pulmonary hyperinflammation in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 is not well known. In this study, we developed a spike protein-pseudotyped (Spp) lentivirus with the proper tropism of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein on the surface and determined the distribution of the Spp lentivirus in wild-type C57BL/6J male mice that received an intravenous injection of the virus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, highlights the importance of early diagnosis and quarantine, with RT-qPCR being the standard method, though it can miss some cases.
- - Serologic assays that detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 can help diagnose undetected cases, but existing methods like ELISA are complex, and point-of-care tests often lack accuracy.
- - A new DNA-assisted nanopore sensing technology has been developed to accurately quantify IgM and IgG antibodies in human serum, outperforming traditional ELISA and current point-of-care approaches in specificity and automation potential.
Article Synopsis
- COVID-19 leads to severe lung injuries and organ dysfunction, with the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 being vital for the virus's entry into host cells, but its role in causing lung inflammation is not fully understood.
- Researchers created a Spike protein-pseudotyped virus and found that it caused a significantly higher viral load in the lungs of mice compared to other organs and to a control virus, leading to acute pneumonia within a day.
- The Spike protein triggers inflammatory responses by activating macrophages and upregulating key inflammatory factors, demonstrating its potential to cause cellular damage in the lungs.
Cholesterol: A new game player accelerating vasculopathy caused by SARS-CoV-2?
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab
July 2020
Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant public health threat and can cause functional impairments across various organs, especially in patients with pre-existing conditions like hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.
- Coagulation disorders and vasculopathy have emerged as key factors contributing to the severity and mortality of COVID-19, with new evidence suggesting that low levels of LDL cholesterol are linked to worse outcomes in affected patients.
- The review highlights the relationship between metabolic conditions, endothelial cell dysfunction, and the impact of LDL cholesterol on severe COVID-19 symptoms, emphasizing a need for greater awareness in the medical community regarding these interactions.
Article Synopsis
- A study was conducted to assess the safety of an extended-release formulation of guaifenesin, used for treating productive cough with mucus in Indian patients, since safety data was previously limited.
- 552 adults suffering from acute upper respiratory tract infections were monitored after taking 1200 mg of the medication every 12 hours for a week, with adverse events (AEs) documented.
- Results showed 29 mild AEs in 28 patients, mostly gastrointestinal and nervous system-related, with no serious AEs or deaths, and many patients reported satisfaction with their treatment outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- A multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study tested the effectiveness and safety of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride 30-mg tablets in children aged 6 to 11 for relieving nasal congestion caused by the common cold.
- Results showed that pseudoephedrine significantly reduced nasal congestion severity compared to a placebo within the first 8 hours after the first dose with a statistical significance (P = .029).
- While pseudoephedrine was generally safe, it was associated with higher instances of sleepiness (71.9% vs 63.9% for placebo), but insomnia and nervousness rates were similar between both groups.
Article Synopsis
- The study compares the long-term efficacy, safety, and tolerability of a single-tablet HIV treatment (bictegravir, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide) against a dual regimen (dolutegravir with emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide) over 96 weeks.
- Conducted as a randomized, double-blind trial across 126 centers in 10 countries, the study involved treatment-naive adults with HIV-1 and followed a strict inclusion criteria, ensuring participants had specific health parameters.
- Results showed that both treatment groups yielded similar rates of achieving undetectable HIV levels, demonstrating the new single-tablet regimen's effectiveness over the monitored timeframe.
Article Synopsis
- *A study analyzed data from 2010-2015 using statistical methods to confirm that prescriptions correlate negatively with the proportion of multidrug-resistant E. coli isolates.
- *Future research should focus on understanding the seasonal variation of different E. coli serotypes to improve community health outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the impact of early HIV diagnosis on long-term healthcare costs by examining data from South Carolina, where early diagnosis, access to care, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) are expected to improve health outcomes and lower costs.
- Using data from 2013 to 2015, the research finds that late HIV diagnosis (CD4 count ≤200) significantly increases lifetime care costs and leads to poorer health outcomes, such as losing more quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and higher rates of HIV transmission.
- The results indicate that individuals diagnosed late have a discounted lifetime cost of care over $262,000 versus over $416,000 for those diagnosed early, stressing
Article Synopsis
- Appropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy significantly enhances outcomes for patients with Gram-negative bloodstream infections (BSIs), highlighting the need for evidence-based management guidelines.
- A study conducted on hospitalized adults revealed that healthcare-associated and hospital-acquired infections were linked to higher risks for these BSIs, emphasizing the importance of antimicrobial susceptibility rates based on infection acquisition sites.
- The research supports the inclusion of local susceptibility data and illness severity in guidelines, creating a structured approach for improving empirical treatment of Gram-negative BSIs, which can be adapted by other healthcare institutions.
Role of guaifenesin in the management of chronic bronchitis and upper respiratory tract infections.
Multidiscip Respir Med
December 2017
Article Synopsis
- Guaifenesin is a mucoactive drug that helps loosen mucus in the airways, making coughs more productive and is primarily used for relieving wet cough and chest congestion due to the common cold.
- It is the only legal expectorant available over-the-counter in the US and is also indicated for stable chronic bronchitis, showing effectiveness in conditions with excess mucus production, such as acute upper respiratory infections.
- Guaifenesin is generally safe for both adults and children, with flexible dosing options, including extended-release tablets for convenience, and ongoing research aims to improve its clinical effectiveness for acute respiratory infections.
Article Synopsis
- A retrospective study assessed the effectiveness of empirical combination antimicrobial therapy versus beta-lactam monotherapy in hospitalized adults with Gram-negative bloodstream infections (BSI) between January 2010 and December 2013.
- The study involved 380 patients, matched by age, sex, and mortality risk score, comparing 28-day mortality rates which turned out to be 13% for combination therapy and 15% for monotherapy, showing no significant difference (P = 0.51).
- The conclusions suggested that there is no survival advantage of empirical combination therapy over monotherapy for patients with Gram-negative BSI, regardless of their initial mortality risk.