Background: A severity staging system predictive of mortality for perinatally HIV-infected children is needed for clinical and research purposes.
Methods: A pediatric AIDS severity score (PASS) was developed using baseline sociodemographic, clinical, immunologic, and functional measures obtained from 786 perinatally HIV-infected children enrolled into a prospective cohort study (PACTG 219) in the pre-highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era (pre-1996). PASS was then validated among 392 perinatally HIV-infected children randomly sampled from the original source population (n = 1178). Survival estimates and hazard ratios (HRs) were obtained using the Kaplan-Meier method and proportional hazards models, respectively. The most predictive models were determined using Harrell's "C" statistic.
Results: Overall survival was 95% and 90% at 1 and 2 years of follow-up, respectively. The most comprehensive model for predicting mortality, termed the "Full" PASS, included CD4% <15 (HR = 3.9), CDC category C (HR = 2.6), BMI <10% (HR = 2.4), a low (<70) neuropsychological score (HR = 2.6), a general health rating <5 (HR = 2.4), and an elevated symptoms score (HR = 1.9). These determinants were highly predictive of mortality (C statistic = 0.841).
Conclusions: PASS will be helpful in assessing the effectiveness of ART among children with HIV infection, particularly when randomized clinical trials are not possible due to ethical and feasibility concerns.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.qai.0000242453.20521.4f | DOI Listing |
Drug Chem Toxicol
January 2025
Immunology Unit, Department of Laboratory, Diagnostic and Investigative Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Aflatoxin B (AFB1) and fumonisin B (FB1) are toxic secondary products of fungi that frequently contaminate staple crops in resource-limited settings. Antenatal AFB1 and FB1 exposure may cause adverse birth outcomes. We conducted a retrospective substudy nested in a case-control cohort of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women ≥20 weeks gestation from Harare, Zimbabwe.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLOS Glob Public Health
December 2024
Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Healthcare (Basel)
December 2024
Fondazione per la Ricerca Farmacologica Gianni Benzi Onlus, 70124 Bari, Italy.
EPIICAL (Early treated Perinatally HIV-Infected individuals: Improving Children's Actual Life) is a consortium of European and non-European research-driven organizations inter-connected with the aim of establishing a clinical and experimental platform for the early identification of novel therapeutic strategies for the pediatric Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Within the EPIICAL project, several pediatric clinical studies were conducted, requiring the collection and transfer of biological samples and associated data across boundaries within and outside Europe. To ensure compliance with the applicable rules on pediatric data and sample transfer and to support the efforts of academic partners, which may not always have the necessary expertise and resources in place for designing, managing and conducting multi-national studies, the consortium established a dedicated expert Working Group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care
December 2024
Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda.
Our objective was to assess human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) knowledge and sexual behaviors in 294 perinatally HIV-infected youth aged 18 to 25 years from a psychosocial support group in Kampala using a self-administered survey. Seventy-nine percent reported an undetectable viral load, 9.5% detectable, and 12% did not know.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Public Health
December 2024
Department of Global Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
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