Therapeutic drug monitoring of the HIV/AIDS drugs abacavir, zidovudine, efavirenz, nevirapine, indinavir, lopinavir, and nelfinavir.

Combination therapy with antiretroviral drugs is used for the treatment of patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. To achieve optimal drug concentrations for viral suppression and avoidance of drug toxicity, monitoring of drug levels has been considered essential. We set up an analytical procedure for monitoring the plasma concentrations of a total of seven drugs: abacavir, zidovudine, efavirenz, nevirapine, indinavir, lopinavir, and nelfinavir.

Quantitation and genotyping of hepatitis C virus RNA in sera of hemodialysis and AIDS patients.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is highly prevalent in hemodialysis and AIDS patients. Little information exists about the viral load in those patients.

Objective: To characterize HCV infection in hemodialysis and AIDS patients, the viral load in the sera was measured.

Detection of hepatitis C viral sequences in serum by 'nested' polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a commercial single-round PCR assay.

Background: Demonstration of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome is usually done with combined reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) employing nested primer sets. Recently, a commercial PCR assay (Amplicor PCR assay), based on a simplified sample preparation procedure, a single, combined reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and a microwell plate capture and detection, has been developed.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the new Amplicor assay with an 'in-house' PCR.

[Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in giant stones in the common bile duct--a case report].

A huge common bile duct stone of 6 to 3 cm in diameter in a 64 year old lady was approached by ESWL, after endoscopic therapy such as mechanical lithotripsy and removal with the Dormia basket had failed because of the extraordinary size of this stone. A surgical therapy was not possible because of pronounced vascular and cardiopulmonary risk, so ESWL was applied to this patient. The stone was fragmented in two sessions of ESWL under sonographic targeting and the fragments were removed endoscopically.