High Prevalence of Asymptomatic Sexually Transmitted Infections among Men Who Have Sex with Men.

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infection. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to prospectively detect the prevalence of chlamydia trachomatis (CT), neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), mycoplasma genitalium (MG), and high risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV), and syphilis in a population of asymptomatic sexually active MSM.

Methods: Rectal, pharyngeal, and urine samples for CT, NG, MG, and HR-HPV were analyzed in 116 MSM patients attending the clinic for their routine follow-up during the period the study was conducted: 99 patients were issued from the clinic routine follow-up for their HIV infection, and 17 attended the clinic because they were sexual partners of an HIV infected male.

Population pharmacokinetics of atazanavir in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients.

The aim of this study was to determine the population pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of atazanavir in adult human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients to build up a Bayesian strategy for dosage regimen individualization. This was an observational study of patients treated with the once-daily regimen atazanavir associated with 100 mg of ritonavir. Blood samples were drawn at steady state at various times ranging from 1 to 26 hours postdose.

Minimal effect of MDR1 and CYP3A5 genetic polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetics of indinavir in HIV-infected patients.

Aims: The protease inhibitor indinavir is characterized by an important interindividual pharmacokinetic variability, which results from the actions of the metabolizing enzymes cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A and the multidrug efflux pump P-glycoprotein (P-gp), encoded by MDR1. Using a population pharmacokinetic approach, we investigated the effect of several MDR1 and CYP3A5 polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetic parameters of indinavir in HIV-infected patients.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients receiving indinavir alone or together with ritonavir were included.

Reference values for Leishmania infantum parasitemia in different clinical presentations: quantitative polymerase chain reaction for therapeutic monitoring and patient follow-up.

Quantification of Leishmania infantum DNA in blood samples by an ultrasensitive quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) detected parasitemias in different clinical presentations. We observed a large range of parasitemias, more than 9 log values, and could determine the threshold between asymptomatic carriage and disease in the Mediterranean area (approximately one parasite/mL of blood). Based on kinetoplast DNA amplification, this assay had a sensitivity of 0.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of lopinavir/ritonavir given alone or with a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor.

Aims: To evaluate the interindividual variability in the plasma concentrations of lopinavir in the context of routine monitoring with or without treatment with a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor and to assess the interaction between the coformulation of lopinavir/ritonavir and efavirenz or nevirapine.

Methods: Plasma trough and peak concentrations (C(trough), C(max)) of lopinavir from 182 HIV-1-infected patients were analysed by high-performace liquid chromatography. Three lopinavir/ritonavir regimens were assessed, namely (A) 400 mg lopinavir/100 mg ritonavir twice daily given alone (n = 125), (B) 400/100 mg twice daily together with a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (n = 25), and (C) 533/133 mg twice daily together with a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (n = 32).