Ocular syphilis and HIV infection.

Syphilitic ocular involvement is thought to be rare in HIV infected patients. During a 5-year study in 509 HIV-positive patients, syphilis was diagnosed in 3.9%, and the eye was involved in one-fifth of these.

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C in HIV-infected patients: from clinical trials to field practice.

In a prospective cohort of 87 HIV coinfected patients with chronic hepatitis C, 63% had been treated for HCV, with global success rate (47%, 95% CI 34-61) close to or higher than that reported in therapeutic trials. These results argue for earlier, more frequent and improved HCV treatment in HIV-infected patients.

Concentration of circulating oxidized LDL in HIV-infected patients treated with antiretroviral agents: relation to HIV-related lipodystrophy.

Background: Circulating oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) is associated with clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis. The aim of the study was to investigate the concentrations of ox-LDL in HIV-infected patients under antiretroviral therapy with (HIV-LD) or without (HIV-nLD) HIV-related lipodystrophy.

Method: A total of 44 HIV-infected men were enrolled in the study.

Low trough plasma concentrations of nevirapine associated with virologic rebounds in HIV-infected patients who switched from protease inhibitors.

Background: The substitution of a nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) for protease inhibitors (PIs) has demonstrated its suitability to maintain virologic response. However, the switch from PIs to an NNRTI could fail for a number of reasons, including NNRTI-associated toxicity and emergence of NNRTI-resistant variants.

Objective: To describe the virologic failures among 74 HIV-infected patients who switched from PIs to nevirapine.

Usefulness of therapeutic drug monitoring of antiretrovirals in routine clinical practice.

Background: Clinical trials have shown that therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of antiretrovirals (ARV) improves patient care. However, little is known about the usefulness of TDM in routine practice.

Method: We reviewed all the trough concentrations of protease inhibitors and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors that were performed for therapeutic failure, suspected drug toxicity, or routine purposes.

Clinical, immunological and virological evolution in patients with CD4 T-cell count above 500/mm3: is there a benefit to treat with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)?

To assess the clinical, immunological and virological evolution in HIV-1 infected patients with CD4 T-cell count above 500/mm3, a historical cohort of 202 untreated and 96 patients treated with HAART was longitudinally studied (median follow-up 36 months). Fourteen untreated and 2 treated patients experienced clinical progression (p = 0.09).

[New strategies for angina case management in France].

Old French recommendations were to treat all pharyngitis cases to prevent acute rheumatic fever. 85 to 90% of cases were treated (8 to 9 millions/year), of which 3/4 unnecessary. Furthermore, penicillin V the drug of first choice was prescribed only to 5 to 10% of patients.

Acute liver enzyme elevations in HIV-1-infected patients.

Background: Acute liver enzyme elevations (ALEE) have been associated with a first-line highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and/or viral hepatitis coinfections in HIV-infected patients. By comparison, the frequency and the risk factors of ALEE in untreated patients and in patients treated with several antiretroviral regimens need to be assessed.

Purpose: To describe the long-term frequency and the characteristics of ALEE in antiretroviral treated and untreated patients and to define risk factors for ALEE in a retrospective cohort of HIV-1-infected patients.

[Acute Gemella haemolysans spondylodiscitis in an immunocompetent patient].

Introduction: Gemella is a commensal bacterium of the upper respiratory tract responsible for rare infections such as acute endocarditis and meningitis. We report the case of an acute Gemella haemolysans spondylodiscitis.

Observation: A 72 year-old woman was hospitalised for an etiological control and treatment of acute L4-L5 spondylodiscitis with epiduritis, confirmed on MRI.

The evolution of hepatitis B virus serological patterns and the clinical relevance of isolated antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen in HIV infected patients.

Background/aims: The evolution of hepatitis B virus (HBV) serological patterns and the clinical relevance of isolated anti-HBc pattern are not well established in HIV infected patients.

Methods: A cohort of 240 patients was followed for 6.9+/-3.

Role of long-term nucleoside-analogue therapy in lipodystrophy and metabolic disorders in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients.

The role of nucleoside analogues (NAs) in lipodystrophy (LD) syndrome in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients remains controversial. We studied the prevalence of LD in previously untreated patients randomized to receive different NA combinations (in the ALBI-ANRS 070 trial) for 6 months. At month 30 of follow-up, 37 (31%) of 120 patients had >/=1 morphologic change, and 21 (57%) of 37 had isolated peripheral lipoatrophy; corresponding values for the patients who received only NAs throughout follow-up were 20 (30%) of 66 and 14 (67%) of 21, respectively.