Associations between the gut microbiome, inflammation and cardiovascular profiles in people with HIV.

Background: Inflammation and innate immune activation are associated with chronic HIV infection, despite effective treatment. Although gut microbiota alterations are linked to systemic inflammation, the relationships between the gut microbiome, inflammation and HIV remain unclear.

Methods: The UPBEAT-CAD sub-study, examining cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in HIV, enrolled participants matched on HIV status and traditional CVD risk factors.

Obesity Is Associated With Higher Levels of Circulating Cytokines Involved in the Development of Cardiovascular Disease in People Living With HIV.

Background: Obesity is increasingly described in people living with HIV (PLWH), but its impact on immune activation and inflammation in HIV is still poorly characterized. We aimed to analyze the difference in circulating cytokines involved in pathways associated with comorbidities in PLWH according to the presence or absence of obesity.

Methods: Age- and sex-matched PLWH with and without obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 ) from a multicenter, prospective cohort were recruited with a 1:2 ratio.

Distinct Inflammatory Phenotypes Are Associated With Subclinical and Clinical Cardiovascular Disease in People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Despite inflammation being implicated in cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH), considerable heterogeneity within populations of PWH exists. Stratifying CVD risk based on inflammatory phenotype could play an important role. Using principal component analyses and unsupervised hierarchical clustering, we examined 38 biomarkers to identify inflammatory phenotypes in 2 independent cohorts of PWH.

Emergence of Congenital Chagas Disease in Ireland.

Chagas disease (CD) is an under-diagnosed tropical disease that is increasingly being observed outside of Latin America. We describe the first 2 infants with congenital Chagas Disease (cCD) in Ireland. Clinicians in nonendemic countries need to be aware of the potential for cCD due to the migration of women from countries of high prevalence.

Biomarkers to predict cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV.

Purpose Of Review: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is one of the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in antiretroviral treated people living with HIV (PWH) with risk score algorithms based on traditional risk factors being shown to be consistently unreliable in estimating risk in this population. This review aims to examine recent data published in last 18-24 months exploring biomarkers that may be useful in identifying PWH at risk of developing CVD.

Recent Findings: Ongoing research explores the association of inflammatory biomarkers with subclinical CVD with few studies examining their clinical utility in improving CVD risk prediction.

Dynamic Change and Clinical Relevance of Postinfectious SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses.

Background: Although reports suggest that most individuals with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) develop detectable antibodies postinfection, the kinetics, durability, and relative differences between immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses beyond the first few weeks after symptom onset remain poorly understood.

Methods: Within a large, well-phenotyped, diverse, prospective cohort of subjects with and without severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed infection and historical controls derived from cohorts with high prevalence of viral coinfections and samples taken during prior flu seasons, we measured SARS-CoV-2 serological responses (both IgG and IgM) using commercially available assays. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, and relationship with disease severity and mapped the kinetics of antibody responses over time using generalized additive models.

Irish National Diabetic RetinaScreen Programme: report on five rounds of retinopathy screening and screen-positive referrals. (INDEAR study report no. 1).

Objective: To study the uptake of annual diabetic retinopathy screening and study the 5-year trends in the detection of screen-positive diabetic retinopathy and non-diabetes-related eye disease in a cohort of annually screened individuals.

Design: Retrospective retinopathy screening attendance and retinopathy grading analysis.

Setting: Community-based retinopathy screening centres for the Diabetic RetinaScreen Programme.

Cardiovascular disease in HIV patients: recent advances in predicting and managing risk.

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of mortality in virally suppressed people living with HIV (PLWH) and with an aging population, is likely to become one of the leading challenges in maintaining good health outcomes in HIV infection. However, factors driving the risk of CVD in PLWH are multiple and may be different from those of the general population, raising challenges to predicting and managing CVD risk in this population.

Areas Covered: In this review, we examine the relevant data regarding CVD in HIV infection including CVD prevalence, pathogenesis, and other contributing factors.

Ageing with HIV.

The population of people living with HIV (PLWH) is growing older with an estimated 4 million over the age of 50 years, a figure which has doubled since the introduction of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) and which is increasing globally. Despite effective ART, PLWH still experience excess morbidity and mortality compared to the general population with increased prevalence of age-related, non-AIDS illnesses (NAI) such as cardiovascular disease, malignancies, cognitive impairment and reduced bone mineral density, which impact disability and everyday functioning. This review will discuss the challenges presented by comorbidities in ageing PLWH and discuss the aetiology and management of age-related illnesses in this vulnerable population.

The HIV Care Cascade and sub-analysis of those linked to but not retained in care: the experience from a tertiary HIV referral service in Dublin Ireland.

Background: The HIV Care Cascade model can be used to measure how clinical services align with United Nations' (UN) HIV treatment targets. Previous models have highlighted sequential losses at each step of the Cascade with a significant proportion being not retained in care (NRIC).

Objective: We aimed to assess the feasibility of meeting the UN targets and assess factors associated with, and calculate the true proportion of those, NRIC.

Syphilis serology in pregnancy: an eight-year study (2005-2012) in a large teaching maternity hospital in Dublin, Ireland.

All cases of positive syphilis serology detected in antenatal and peripartum screening in a large teaching maternity hospital in inner city Dublin, Ireland over an eight-year period (2005-2012 inclusive) were reviewed and included in our study. Demographic, antenatal registration, laboratory (including co-infections), partner serology, treatment and delivery data were recorded in our database. Infant follow-up, treatment and outcome data were also collected.

Patients presenting to an Ophthalmic Emergency Department after 5pm.

We analysed the attendance after 5pm at the Ophthalmic Accident and Emergency department of Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, Dublin over a period of 34 days. 345 patients attended, 203 (73%) were considered non urgent by the duty ophthalmologist. 12 (3.

Construction-related eye injuries in Irish nationals and non-nationals: attitudes and strategies for prevention.

Background: Construction-related ocular injuries are an important cause of vision loss but few studies on the incidence, epidemiology and nature of these injuries exist.

Aims: Due to the perceived increase in occupation-related eye injuries in non-nationals we aimed to investigate the nature of such injuries presenting to a single eye unit over a two-month period.

Methods: One hundred and fifty-five patients presenting to the accident and emergency department with construction related ocular injury were examined.

Use of collaborative audit to assist local implementation of the SIGN guideline for prevention of visual impairment in diabetes.

Objectives: To use audit to inform the local implementation of a national clinical guideline for the prevention of visual impairment in diabetes.

Design: Computer and patient record search in hospital and general practice to determine levels of morbidity and follow-up. Questionnaire to each practice to determine models and techniques of eye screening.

Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis and pinealitis induced by interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein and S-antigen: induction of intraretinal and subretinal neovascularization.

Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) and pinealitis were induced in Lewis rats following hind foot pad injection of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) or S-antigen. A comparison is made in this study of the in vivo and histological changes in uveoretinitis and pinealitis induced by administering similar doses of highly-purified IRBP and S-antigen emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). The time of onset of ocular inflammation after inoculation was slightly later in S-antigen (14-18 days) as compared with IRBP-inoculated animals (10-14 days), while the severity of the inflammation was lower in the latter group.

A familial syndrome with coats' reaction retinal angiomas, hair and nail defects and intracranial calcification.

We describe two sisters who have bilateral Coats reaction of the retina, intracranial calcification, sparse hair and dysplastic nails. The younger sibling has in addition distinct retinal angiomas in one eye. This combination of clinical findings has not been reported previously and is probably due to an autosomal recessive gene defect.

Bilateral Coats' disease in an infant (a clinical, angiographic, light and electron microscopic study).

The clinical, angiographic, ultrastructural and immunohistochemical features of a bilateral and asymmetrical case of Coats' disease in a three year old girl are described. The left eye showed advanced disease and was enucleated. Pathological examination revealed an exudative vasculopathy with ultrastructural evidence of interendothelial cell separation and formation of fenestrations.

Oral acyclovir (Zovirax) in herpes simplex dendritic corneal ulceration.

Sixty patients with simple dendritic corneal ulceration were randomly assigned to double blind treatment with either acyclovir tablets (400 mg) or acyclovir ophthalmic ointment administered five times daily. There was no significant difference in the proportions of patients healed in either treatment group (88.9% on oral acyclovir and 96.

Oral acyclovir in herpetic keratitis.

A double blind comparative study of oral acyclovir and acyclovir ophthalmic ointment was carried out on 29 patients with simple herpetic dendritic corneal ulceration. Patients were randomly allocated to the study. Healing was achieved in all fourteen patients treated with acyclovir ointment, and in fourteen out of fifteen patients treated with oral acyclovir.