Increased prevalence of endocervical Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma colonization in infertile women with tubal factor.

Objective: Most women suffering from tubal factor infertility do not have a history of pelvic inflammatory disease, but rather have asymptomatic upper genital tract infection. Investigating the impacts of such infections, even in the absence of clinically confirmed pelvic inflammatory disease, is critical to understanding the tubal factor of infertility. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the presence of endocervical bacteria is associated with tubal factors in women screened for infertility.

Evolution of HVR-1 quasispecies after 1-year treatment in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients according to the pattern of response to highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) variability is mainly attributed to the ability of the virus to respond to host immune pressure, acting as a driving force for the evolution of quasispecies. This study was aimed at studying the changes in HVR-1 heterogeneity and the evolution of HCV quasispecies in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients according to the pattern of response to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Sixteen HIV/HCV-coinfected patients harbouring HCV genotype 1 and who had been on HAART for at least 1 year, 8 showing increasing CD4+ T-cell counts (immunological responders) and 8 showing a stable or decreasing CD4+ T-cell counts (immunological nonresponders), were selected from a prospective cohort study.

Variability in the interpretation of transmitted genotypic HIV-1 drug resistance and prediction of virological outcomes of the initial HAART by distinct systems.

High level HIV-1 drug resistance in recently infected treatment-naive individuals correlates with sub-optimal virological responses to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). To determine whether genotypic HIV-1 drug resistance in chronic naive patients, as interpreted by various systems, could predict the virological outcomes of HAART, isolates from patients enrolled in a prospective observational cohort (ICoNA) prior to treatment start were genotyped. Genotypic susceptibility scores (GSS) assigned to the initial HAART regimens using the interpretations of pre-therapy resistance mutations by 13 systems were related to virological outcomes.

Behavioral correlates of adherence to antiretroviral therapy.

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationships between adherence to treatment and sexual and drug-taking behaviors among persons with HIV, who started combination antiretroviral therapy as their first regimen. The authors analyzed data from 366 patients enrolled in a multicenter observational cohort study conducted in infectious disease hospital units in Italy. Adherence measurement was based on responses to a self-administered questionnaire regarding following HIV physician advice on taking medications and missed appointments.