Durability and outcome of initial antiretroviral treatments received during 2000--2005 by patients in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study.

Background: Little is known about time trends, predictors, and consequences of changes made to antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens early after patients initially start treatment.

Methods: We compared the incidence of, reasons for, and predictors of treatment change within 1 year after starting combination ART (cART), as well as virological and immunological outcomes at 1 year, among 1866 patients from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study who initiated cART during 2000--2001, 2002--2003, or 2004--2005.

Results: The durability of initial regimens did not improve over time (P = .

Sexually transmitted infections in female sex workers in five border provinces of Vietnam.

Background: Although high prevalences of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been reported among female sex workers (FSWs) in some countries of Asia, there is little data about this issue in Vietnam.

Goal: The goal of this study was to determine 1) the prevalence of selected STIs and correlates of chlamydia or gonococcal infection, and 2) contraceptive practices, STI-related symptoms, and healthcare-seeking behavior in FSWs in border provinces of Vietnam.

Methods: Nine hundred eleven FSWs in five border provinces of Vietnam (Lai Chau, Quang Tri, Dong Thap, An Giang, and Kien Giang) were enrolled in a cross-sectional study between December 2002 and January 2003.