Treatment outcomes in a cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus co-infection in Mumbai, India.

Treatment experiences with patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) in resource-limited settings remain poorly documented. This study aimed to evaluate the treatment outcomes in a cohort of HIV/HBV co-infected individuals receiving tenofovir/lamivudine (TDF/3TC)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a programmatic setting in Mumbai, India. Additionally, a cross-sectional laboratory study was carried out measuring serologic and virologic parameters.

Treatment failure and mortality factors in patients receiving second-line HIV therapy in resource-limited countries.

Context: Long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART) use in resource-limited countries leads to increasing numbers of patients with HIV taking second-line therapy. Limited access to further therapeutic options makes essential the evaluation of second-line regimen efficacy in these settings.

Objectives: To investigate failure rates in patients receiving second-line therapy and factors associated with failure and death.

Baseline characteristics, response to and outcome of antiretroviral therapy among patients with HIV-1, HIV-2 and dual infection in Burkina Faso.

In an urban district hospital in Burkina Faso we investigated the relative proportions of HIV-1, HIV-2 and HIV-1/2 among those tested, the baseline sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and the response to and outcome of antiretroviral therapy (ART). A total of 7368 individuals (male=32%; median age=34 years) were included in the analysis over a 6 year period (2002-2008). The proportions of HIV-1, HIV-2 and dual infection were 94%, 2.

An algorithm to optimize viral load testing in HIV-positive patients with suspected first-line antiretroviral therapy failure in Cambodia.

Objective: To develop an algorithm for optimal use of viral load testing in patients with suspected first-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) failure.

Methods: Data from a cohort of patients on first-line ART in Cambodia were analyzed in a cross-sectional way to detect markers for treatment failure. Markers with an adjusted likelihood ratio <0.

Very early mortality in patients starting antiretroviral treatment at primary health centres in rural Malawi.

Objectives: To report on the cumulative proportion of deaths occurring within 3 months of starting antiretroviral treatment (ART) and to identify factors associated with such deaths, among adults at primary health centres in a rural district of Malawi.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study: from June 2006 to April 2008, deaths occurring over a 3-month period were determined and risk factors examined.

Results: A total of 2316 adults (706 men and 1610 women; median age 35 years) were included in the analysis and followed up for a total of 1588 person-years (PY); 277 (12%) people died, of whom 206 (74%) people died within 3 months of initiating ART (cumulative incidence: 13.

Evaluation of a systematic substitution of zidovudine for stavudine-based HAART in a program setting in rural Cambodia.

Objective: To evaluate a treatment strategy of substituting zidovudine (ZDV) for stavudine (d4T)-based highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), aimed at preventing d4T-associated toxicity, in a programmatic setting in rural Cambodia.

Methods: Survival probability, CD4 gain, anemia incidence, and factors associated with severe anemia were analyzed in a cohort of adult patients switched from d4T- to ZDV-containing regimens from March 2006 to March 2007.

Results: Among 527 patients systematically switched to ZDV after d4T-based HAART for a median of 18 months, 4 (0.

Treatment outcomes stratified by baseline immunological status among young children receiving nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor-based antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings.

A study of 568 children aged <5 years who commenced nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor-based antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings revealed good early outcomes. After 12 months of antiretroviral therapy, survival probability was 0.89 (95% confidence interval, 0.

Risk factors for high early mortality in patients on antiretroviral treatment in a rural district of Malawi.

Objectives: Among adults started on antiretroviral treatment (ART) in a rural district hospital (a) to determine the cumulative proportion of deaths that occur within 3 and 6 months of starting ART, and (b) to identify risk factors that may be associated with such mortality.

Design And Setting: A cross-sectional analytical study set in Thyolo district, Malawi.

Methods: Over a 2-year period (April 2003 to April 2005) mortality within the first 3 and 6 months of starting ART was determined and risk factors were examined.

Telemedicine for HIV/AIDS Care in Low Resource Settings.

Telemedicine is a way to support health care delivery in remote areas. With our telemedicine project the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium, intended to facilitate the introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for patients affected by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in developing countries, providing training, distance support and education to healthcare providers working in those settings.