HBV co-infection is associated with persistently elevated liver stiffness measurement in HIV-positive adults: A 6-year single-centre cohort study in Nigeria.

Background: In Nigeria, the effect of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) on long-term liver outcomes in persons with HIV (PLH) has not been described. We determined changes in liver stiffness measure (LSM) using transient elastography over 6 years in HIV mono-infected and HIV-HBV co-infected Nigerians initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) and factors associated with LSM decline.

Methods: This single centre, cohort study enrolled ART-naïve HIV mono- and HIV-HBV co-infected adults (≥18 years) at the APIN Public Health Initiatives-supported HIV Care and Treatment Centre at Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, from 7/2011 to 2/2012.

Retention in Differentiated Care: Multiple Measures Analysis for a Decentralized HIV Care and Treatment Program in North Central Nigeria.

Objective: Differentiated care refers collectively to flexible service models designed to meet the differing needs of HIV-infected persons in resource-scarce settings. Decentralization is one such service model. Retention is a key indicator for monitoring the success of HIV treatment and care programs.

Treatment Outcomes Among Older Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Adults in Nigeria.

Background: Older age at initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has been associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Our objectives were to compare outcomes between older and younger patients in our clinical cohort in Jos, Nigeria.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated patients enrolled on cART at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria between 2004 and 2012.

Factors associated with early menopause among women in Nigeria.

Objectives: Effective antiretroviral therapy has prolonged the survival of patients with HIV. Accordingly, studies of the consequences of ageing are increasingly important. We determined the prevalence of early menopause (EM) and its associated factors in a cohort of HIV-infected and HIV-negative controls in Jos, Nigeria.

Prevalence and predictors of severe menopause symptoms among HIV-positive and -negative Nigerian women.

We compared the prevalence of menopause symptoms between women living with HIV to their HIV-negative peers and determined predictors of severe menopause symptoms in Jos, Nigeria. This descriptive cross-sectional study included 714 women aged 40-80 years. We compared prevalence and severity of menopause symptoms using the menopause rating scale (MRS).

Sexual dysfunction and its determinants among women infected with HIV.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) and its determinants among women with HIV infection enrolled for care and treatment in an ambulatory care setting.

Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among women attending the HIV clinic of Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, between March 2013 and February 2014. The self-administered Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used to assess FSD; a score of less than 26.

Pattern of drug therapy problems and interventions in ambulatory patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in Nigeria.

Objectives: We describe the frequency and types of drug therapy problems (DTPs), and interventions carried out to resolve them, among a cohort of HIV-infected patients on ART in Jos, Nigeria.

Methods: A prospective pharmacists' intervention study was conducted between January and August 2012 at the outpatient HIV clinic of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). Pharmacists identified DTPs and made recommendations to resolve them.

Clinical Utility of Pharmacy-Based Adherence Measurement in Predicting Virologic Outcomes in an Adult HIV-Infected Cohort in Jos, North Central Nigeria.

Objectives: We examined the association between adherence to drug-refill visits and virologic outcomes in a cohort of HIV-infected adults on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in North Central Nigeria.

Methods: Retrospectively, 588 HIV-infected, cART-naive adults (aged ≥15 years), initiated on first-line ART between 2009 and 2010 at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, were evaluated. Association between adherence to drug-refill visits, virologic (viral load>1000 copies/mL), and immunologic failure was assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

Short communication: Transmitted HIV drug resistance in antiretroviral-naive pregnant women in north central Nigeria.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends periodic surveillance of transmitted drug resistance (TDR) in communities in which antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been scaled-up for greater than 3 years. We conducted a survey of TDR mutations among newly detected HIV-infected antiretroviral (ARV)-naive pregnant women. From May 2010 to March 2012, 38 ARV-naive pregnant women were recruited in three hospitals in Jos, Plateau state, north central Nigeria.

Patient factors impacting antiretroviral drug adherence in a Nigerian tertiary hospital.

Objective: To study the adherence levels and explore factors impacting them in out-patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria antiretroviral clinic of the Jos University Teaching Hospital.

Materials And Methods: We administered a structured questionnaire to 461 patients presenting to the clinic. Adherence was measured using the patient self-report.

Presentation and survival of patients with AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma in Jos, Nigeria.

AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (AIDS-KS) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. We describe the pattern of presentation and survival in Jos, Nigeria. We identified 48 HIV-positive patients with AIDS-KS and matched them for age and sex with an equal number of HIV-positive patients without AIDS-KS.

Drug resistance profile of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Jos, Nigeria.

The drug resistance profile of 100 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cases in Jos, Nigeria, was investigated between August 2006 and September 2007. Drug susceptibility testing for 50 new, 11 follow-up and 39 unclassified cases of PTB was performed on Löwenstein-Jensen medium by the proportion method, using isoniazid (0.2 microg/ml), rifampicin (40 microg/ml), ethambutol (2 microg/ml) and streptomycin (4 microg/ml).

Direct observation therapy-highly active antiretroviral therapy in a resource-limited setting: the use of community treatment support can be effective.

This study examines the use of various direct observation therapy-HAART treatment support modalities in Jos, Nigeria. A 12-month observational study enrolling 175 antiretroviral naïve patients into four arms of direct observation therapy-HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy); daily observed therapy (DOT), twice weekly observed therapy (TWOT), weekly observed therapy (WOT) and self-administered therapy (SAT), examined community treatment support using family and community members. Treatment outcomes were much better in the treatment-supported groups compared with the control self-therapy group.

Does immunological status affect the prevalence of Hepatitis C virus infection among HIV/AIDS patients?

Background: Even though HIV-HCV co-infection rates vary widely according to western reports, not so much has been documented about the situation in our environment. We determined the prevalence of HCV among our HIV cohort as well as described the relationship between the immune and virological status of the patients in this report.

Methods: Data of 1044 consenting HIV infected patients (confirmed by Western blot assay) receiving treatment at our centre between Sep 2002 and Feb 2005 were analyzed using EpiInfo 2004 retrospectively.