Infective Endocarditis in Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a common and serious complication in patients receiving chronic hemodialysis (HD).

Objectives: This study sought to investigate whether there are significant differences in complications, cardiac surgery, relapses, and mortality between IE cases in HD and non-HD patients.

Methods: Prospective cohort study (International Collaboration on Endocarditis databases, encompassing 7,715 IE episodes from 2000 to 2006 and from 2008 to 2012).

Real-world experience with daclatasvir plus sofosbuvir ± ribavirin for post-liver transplant HCV recurrence and severe liver disease.

Optimizing therapy of post-transplant HCV recurrence remains important, especially in advanced liver disease. We evaluated daclatasvir (DCV) plus sofosbuvir (SOF), with or without ribavirin (RBV), in patients with post-liver transplant recurrence in a real-world European cohort at high risk of decompensation or death within 12 months. Recommended treatment was DCV 60 mg plus SOF 400 mg once daily for 24 weeks; RBV use/shorter treatment duration was at physicians' discretion.

Daclatasvir plus sofosbuvir, with or without ribavirin, in real-world patients with HIV-HCV coinfection and advanced liver disease.

Background: HIV-HCV-coinfected patients respond just as well to modern direct-acting antiviral HCV therapy as HCV-monoinfected patients. However, clinical data for all-oral HCV treatments are sparse in HIV-HCV-coinfected patients with an advanced stage of liver cirrhosis.

Methods: A subanalysis of efficacy and safety for a daclatasvir (DCV) and sofosbuvir (SOF) regimen, with or without ribavirin (RBV), was undertaken in HIV-HCV-coinfected patients with advanced liver disease and no other treatment options enrolled into a European DCV compassionate use programme.

Daclatasvir plus sofosbuvir, with or without ribavirin, achieved high sustained virological response rates in patients with HCV infection and advanced liver disease in a real-world cohort.

Objective: We assessed the effectiveness and safety of daclatasvir (DCV) plus sofosbuvir (SOF), with or without ribavirin (RBV), in a large real-world cohort, including patients with advanced liver disease.

Design: Adults with chronic HCV infection at high risk of decompensation or death within 12 months and with no available treatment options were treated in a European compassionate use programme. The recommended regimen was DCV 60 mg plus SOF 400 mg for 24 weeks; RBV addition or shorter duration was allowed at physicians' discretion.

Long-Term Efficacy, Tolerability, and Renal Safety of Atazanavir/Ritonavir-based Antiretroviral Therapy in a Cohort of Treatment-Naïve Patients with HIV-1 Infection: the REMAIN Study.

Background: Boosted protease inhibitors (PIs), including ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (ATV/r), are a recommended option for the initial treatment of HIV-1 infection based upon clinical trial data; however, long-term real-life clinical data are limited.

Objective: We evaluated the long-term use of ATV/r as a component of antiretroviral combination therapy in the real-life setting in the REMAIN study.

Methods: This was an observational cohort study conducted at sites across Germany, Portugal, and Spain.

Daclatasvir, sofosbuvir, and ribavirin for hepatitis C virus genotype 3 and advanced liver disease: A randomized phase III study (ALLY-3+).

Unlabelled: Patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 3 infection, especially those with advanced liver disease, are a challenging population in urgent need of optimally effective therapies. The combination of daclatasvir (DCV; pangenotypic nonstructural protein 5A inhibitor) and sofosbuvir (SOF; nucleotide nonstructural protein 5B inhibitor) for 12 weeks previously showed high efficacy (96%) in noncirrhotic genotype 3 infection. The phase III ALLY-3+ study (N = 50) evaluated DCV-SOF with ribavirin (RBV) in treatment-naïve (n = 13) or treatment-experienced (n = 37) genotype 3-infected patients with advanced fibrosis (n = 14) or compensated cirrhosis (n = 36).

Changes in biomarkers in HIV-1-infected treatment-naive patients treated with tenofovir DF/emtricitabine plus atazanavir/ritonavir or lopinavir/ritonavir for 96 weeks: the CASTLE biomarker substudy.

Background: The impact of boosted protease inhibitor therapy on inflammatory and cardiovascular biomarker levels in treatment-naive HIV-infected patients remains unclear and may differ between agents. Unconjugated bilirubin elevation, which favourably affects vascular biomarkers and cardiovascular disease risk in Gilbert's syndrome, occurs with atazanavir.

Methods: CASTLE was a 96-week study comparing efficacy and safety in treatment-naive HIV-1-infected patients randomized to atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r) versus lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r), each in combination with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine.

Long-term gender-based outcomes for atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r)- containing regimens in treatment-experienced patients with HIV.

Clinical data on antiretroviral effectiveness in women are limited, especially long-term data, because women are usually underrepresented in clinical trials. This sub-analysis of a large European non-comparative, retrospective, observational cohort study evaluated gender differences in long-term outcomes in antiretroviral-experienced adult patients with HIV-1 infection switched to an ATV/r-based regimen between October 2004 and March 2007. Data were extracted from 3 European HIV databases every 6 months (maximum follow-up 5 years).

Long-term efficacy and safety of atazanavir/ritonavir treatment in a real-life cohort of treatment-experienced patients with HIV type 1 infection.

Atazanavir-based regimens have established efficacy and safety in both antiretroviral (ARV)-naive and -experienced patients. However, data evaluating effectiveness beyond 2 years is sparse. Therefore, we assessed the long-term outcomes of ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (ATV/r)-containing regimens in ARV-experienced patients in a clinical setting in a noncomparative, retrospective, observational study collecting data from three European HIV databases on ARV-experienced adults with HIV-1 infection starting an ATV/r-based regimen.

Liver toxicity of initial antiretroviral drug regimens including two nucleoside analogs plus one non-nucleoside analog or one ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients.

Objective: To evaluate the incidence and risk factors for grade 3 or 4 ALT or AST elevations (TE) and grade 4 total bilirubin elevations (TBE) among HIV/HCV- coinfected treatment-naïve patients with an initial regimen including 2 nucleoside analogs plus efavirenz (EFV), nevirapine (NVP), or a ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor (PI/r).

Patients And Methods: This was a retrospective multicenter observational cohort study that recruited 745 HIV-infected drug-naïve patients with detectable plasma HCV RNA who started a regimen including EFV, NVP, or PI/r.

Results: EFV was prescribed in 323 (43%), NVP in 126 (17%), and a PI/r in 296 (40%) patients.

Hepatic safety of efavirenz in HIV/hepatitis C virus-coinfected patients with advanced liver fibrosis.

Objective: To assess the frequency of severe liver toxicity in HIV/hepatitis C (HCV)-coinfected patients with advanced liver fibrosis receiving efavirenz (EFV)-based antiretroviral combinations.

Methods: One hundred and eighty-nine previously antiretroviral naïve, HIV/HCV-coinfected patients, who started a regimen including two nucleoside analogues plus EFV, and in whom the presence or absence of advanced liver fibrosis could be established, were retrospectively analyzed. Liver fibrosis was evaluated according to a stepwise algorithm including liver biopsy, transient elastography and FIB-4 index.

[Mortality and morbidity in HIV-infected patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery: a case control study].

The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in patients with HIV infection has improved survival. This improvement combined with the metabolic effects of treatment has increased cardiovascular risk and the need for cardiac surgery in these patients. We compared morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected patients (cases, n=7) and non-HIV-infected patients (controls, n=21) who underwent isolated coronary artery surgery between 1997 and 2004.

[Micronutrients in HIV-infection and the relationship with the inflammatory response].

Background: Our aim was to measure the plasma concentrations of various vitamins and micronutrients involved in the immune response and antioxidant systems of an HIV+ population and to determine how they are related to the inflammatory response.

Patients And Method: We studied 86 subjects with known HIV-infection who were divided into three groups (asymptomatic HIV+; AIDS without opportunistic infection; and AIDS with active opportunistic infection) which were compared with a control group. Serum concentrations of vitamin A, vitamin E, copper and zinc were measured, as well as several inflammatory parameters.