Characteristics of Drug-Susceptible and Drug-Resistant Pneumonia in Patients with HIV.

Objectives: To examine predictors and outcomes of Pneumonia (SAP) in people with HIV compared with Pneumonia (SPP), and to compare Methicillin-Resistant (MRSA) with Methicillin-Sensitive (MSSA) pneumonias in this population.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-control study of HIV-infected patients admitted to a single center with culture-proven or pneumonia. We identified patients through a computerized database, conducted structured chart reviews, and performed bivariate and multivariate analyses using logistic regression.

Oral and airway microbiota in HIV-infected pneumonia patients.

Despite the increased frequency of recurrent pneumonia in HIV-infected patients and recent studies linking the airway bacterial community (microbiota) to acute and chronic respiratory infection, little is known of the oral and airway microbiota that exist in these individuals and their propensity to harbor pathogens despite antimicrobial treatment for acute pneumonia. This pilot study compared paired samples of the oral and airway microbiota from 15 hospitalized HIV-infected patients receiving antimicrobial treatment for acute pneumonia. Total DNA was extracted, bacterial burden was assessed by quantitative PCR, and amplified 16S rRNA was profiled for microbiome composition using a phylogenetic microarray (16S rRNA PhyloChip).

Respiratory emergencies in HIV-infected persons.

Respiratory complaints are a common reason for patients with HIV infection to present to an emergency department (ED). "HIV and shortness of breath" is one of the most frequent chief complaints on ED triage sheets, and the differential diagnosis is broad. Pulmonary etiologies include infectious and noninfectious causes that are related and unrelated to underlying HIV infection and range from the minor to the life threatening.

Severity and outcomes of Pneumocystis pneumonia in patients newly diagnosed with HIV infection: an observational cohort study.

It is unclear whether patients who are unaware of their HIV infection have different severity or outcomes of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) compared to patients who have been previously diagnosed with HIV. In this retrospective observational cohort study of consecutive HIV-infected patients with microscopically diagnosed PCP at San Francisco General Hospital between 1997 and 2006, 121 of 522 patients (23%) were unaware of their HIV infection prior to their diagnosis of PCP. The proportion of patients with concurrently diagnosed HIV and PCP each year remained unchanged during the study period.

Respiratory infection complicating HIV infection.

Purpose Of Review: Respiratory infections remain a major cause of morbidity among HIV-infected persons. Thus, knowledge of recent advances regarding HIV-associated opportunistic pneumonias is crucial for optimal care of HIV-infected persons.

Recent Findings: Bacterial pneumonia is the most common HIV-associated opportunistic pneumonia in the USA and its incidence remains appreciable.

Processing of the major pancreatic zymogen granule membrane protein, GP2.

Introduction: The pancreatic exocrine secretory granule, the zymogen granule, releases digestive enzymes into the intestine. GP2 is the most abundant zymogen granule membrane protein. Coincident with exocrine secretion, GP2 is released from the membrane and secreted into the pancreatic duct.