[Tuberculosis: plasma levels of vitamin D and its relation with infection and disease].

Background And Objective: Vitamin D (vitD) is involved in the phosphor-calcium metabolism and bone pathology, but also in inflammatory and infectious processes such as tuberculosis. The present study evaluates the clinical and epidemiological aspects of active tuberculosis cases and latently infected contacts in whom plasma concentrations of vitD were obtained to determine whether the deficiency of vitD is a risk factor to develop active tuberculosis, especially the more severe forms.

Method: Observational, retrospective study that included 86 tuberculosis patients and 80 contacts with latent infection in a 2-year period.

Group A streptococcal infections in injection drug users in Barcelona, Spain: epidemiologic, clinical, and microbiologic analysis of 3 clusters of cases from 2000 to 2003.

An unexplained resurgence of Group A streptococci (GAS) infections has been observed since the mid-1980s in the United States and Europe, particularly among intravenous drug users (IDUs). Several risk factors have been identified. Mutations in the capsule synthesis regulator genes (csrRS) have been associated with an increase in virulence.

Medical assessment in drug addicts: reliability and validity of the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (Substance Abuse version).

Objective: To adapt the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for its use in substance abuse patients (CIRS-SA) and to assess the reliability, internal consistency, and validity of the instrument.

Method: One-hundred outpatients of both sexes, 62 men and 38 women, with a mean (SD) age of 32.4 (7.

Simplified therapy with zidovudine, lamivudine, and abacavir for very nonadherent, treatment-failing patients.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a simplified therapy for very nonadherent patients who had previously failed with HAART.

Method: We performed a prospective open-label study of antiretroviral-experienced patients. Dosing schedule comprised (co-formulated) zidovudine, lamivudine, and abacavir bid.

[Cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy].

Background And Objective: Our goal was to assess the main characteristics of cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

Patients And Method: Retrospective analysis of the clinico-epidemiological characteristics of 16 HIV-infected patients treated with HAART who had suffered a cardiovascular event from a 1,459 patients' cohort.

Results: Clinical presentation of cardiovascular disease was an acute coronary syndrome in 12 cases, ischemic stroke in 2 and peripheral vascular disease in 2.