Etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma in West Africa, a case-control study.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer in West Africa where HBV infection is endemic. However, limited information is available on other risk factors such as alcohol use, HCV and HIV infection. A case-control study was conducted in referral hospitals of Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire), Bamako (Mali) and Lome (Togo).

Incidence of Severe Neutropenia in HIV-Infected People Starting Antiretroviral Therapy in West Africa.

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, antiretroviral therapy (ART) including drugs with potential toxicity such as Zidovudine (ZDV) are routinely prescribed. This study aimed at estimating the incidence of severe neutropenia and associated factors after ART initiation in five West African countries.

Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted within the international epidemiologic database to evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) collaboration in West Africa.

Molecular characteristics of Hepatitis B and chronic liver disease in a cohort of HB carriers from Bamako, Mali.

Background: Hepatitis B (HB) infection is common in Mali. However, there is little information on molecular and biochemical characteristics of HB carriers.

Methods: A group of 1466 adult volunteers was recruited in the district of Bamako.

Disease patterns and causes of death of hospitalized HIV-positive adults in West Africa: a multicountry survey in the antiretroviral treatment era.

Objective: We aimed to describe the morbidity and mortality patterns in HIV-positive adults hospitalized in West Africa.

Method: We conducted a six-month prospective multicentre survey within the IeDEA West Africa collaboration in six adult medical wards of teaching hospitals in Abidjan, Ouagadougou, Cotonou, Dakar and Bamako. From April to October 2010, all newly hospitalized HIV-positive patients were eligible.

Characterization of HIV-1 antiretroviral drug resistance after second-line treatment failure in Mali, a limited-resources setting.

Objectives: We describe the outcomes of second-line drug resistance profiles and predict the efficacy of drugs for third-line therapy in patients monitored without the benefit of plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load (VL) or resistance testing.

Methods: We recruited 106 HIV-1-infected patients after second-line treatment failure in Mali. VL was determined by the Abbott RealTime system and the resistance by the ViroSeq HIV-1 genotyping system.

Connection domain mutations during antiretroviral treatment failure in Mali: frequencies and impact on reverse transcriptase inhibitor activity.

Mutations in the connection domain (CD) of reverse transcriptase have been implicated in reverse transcriptase inhibitor (RTI) resistance, but this is controversial and little is known in non-B subtype HIV-1. We determined CD mutations prevalence in a population infected predominantly with CRF02_AG and investigated associations with phenotypic RTI resistance. Detected CD mutations were G335D (82.

Effect of seasonality and ecological factors on the prevalence of the four malaria parasite species in northern mali.

Background. We performed 2 cross-sectional studies in Ménaka in the Northeastern Mali across 9 sites in different ecological settings: 4 sites have permanent ponds, 4 without ponds, and one (City of Ménaka) has a semipermanent pond. We enrolled 1328 subjects in May 2004 (hot dry season) and 1422 in February 2005 (cold dry season) after the rainy season.

Low retention of HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy in 11 clinical centres in West Africa.

Objective: To study factors associated with the probability of retention in antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes in West Africa.

Methods: The International epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) in West Africa is a prospective, operational, observational cohort study based on collaboration between 11 cohorts of HIV-infected adult patients in Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Mali and Senegal. All patients aged 16 and older at ART initiation, with documented gender and date of ART initiation, were included.

Alcohol use and non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients in West Africa.

Aim: To investigate the association between alcohol use and adherence to highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients in sub-Saharan Africa.

Design And Setting: Cross-sectional survey conducted in eight adult HIV treatment centres from Benin, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali. Participants and measurements During a 4-week period, health workers administered the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test to HAART-treated patients and assessed treatment adherence using the AIDS Clinical Trials Group follow-up questionnaire.

First-year lymphocyte T CD4+ response to antiretroviral therapy according to the HIV type in the IeDEA West Africa collaboration.

Objective: To compare the lymphocyte T CD4+ (CD4) response to combinations of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV-1, HIV-2 and dually positive patients in West Africa.

Design And Setting: Collaboration of 12 prospective cohorts of HIV-infected adults followed in Senegal (2), Gambia (1), Mali (2), Benin (1) and Côte d'Ivoire (6).

Subjects: Nine thousand, four hundred and eighty-two patients infected by HIV-1 only, 270 by HIV-2 only and 321 dually positive, who initiated an ART.

Low prevalence of detectable HIV plasma viremia in patients treated with antiretroviral therapy in Burkina Faso and Mali.

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa has seen dramatic increases in the numbers of people treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART). Although standard ART regimens are now universally applied, viral load measurement is not currently part of standard monitoring protocols in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: We describe the prevalence of inadequate virological response (IVR) to ART (viral load >or= 500 copies/mL) and identify factors associated with this outcome in 606 HIV-positive patients treated for at least 6 months.

Meningococcal meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa: the case for mass and routine vaccination with available polysaccharide vaccines.

Endemic and epidemic group A meningococcal meningitis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, despite the availability of the safe and inexpensive group A meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine, which is protective at all ages when administered as directed. Despite optimal therapy, meningococcal meningitis has a 10% fatality rate and at least 15% central nervous system damage. WHO's policy of epidemic containment prevents, at best, about 50% of cases and ignores endemic meningitis, which is estimated at 50,000 cases per year.

[Case-control study of hepatitis C HBs Ag and antivirus antibodies in chronic hepatopathies].

The aim of this study is to establish the prevalence of hepatitis C HBs Ag and of anti-virus antibodies in chronic hepatopathies. The prospective case-control study was carried out on 91 patients who needed to be treated for chronic hepatopathies and 92 occasional blood donors. The search for hepatitis C HBs Ag and anti-virus antibodies was done using third generation ELISA screening.