The changing characteristics of a cohort of children and adolescents living with HIV at antiretroviral therapy initiation in Asia.

Despite improvements in HIV testing and earlier antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation in children living with HIV through the years, a considerable proportion start treatment with advanced disease. We studied characteristics of children and adolescents living with HIV and their level of immunodeficiency at ART initiation using data from a multi-country Asian cohort. We included children and adolescents who were ART-naïve and <18 years of age at ART initiation from 2011 to 2020 at 17 HIV clinics in six countries.

Virological failure among people living with HIV receiving second-line antiretroviral therapy in Pune, India.

Background: The number of people receiving second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased as global access to ART has expanded. Data on the burden and factors associated with second-line ART virologic failure (VF) from India remain limited.

Methods: We conducted cross-sectional viral load (VL) testing among adults (≥ 18 years) who were registered at a publicly funded ART center in western India between 2014 and 2015 and had received second-line ART for at least 6 months.

Real-world evidence of the effectiveness and safety of generic tofacitinib in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a retrospective, single-centre analysis from Western India.

Generic tofacitinib has been available in India for more than a year and is widely used in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy. There is scarce real-world data on its effectiveness and safety from India, especially given infection endemicity. We retrospectively analysed records (demographic and clinical information, haematology and biochemistry, adverse events) of patients prescribed generic tofacitinib from a single centre in Mumbai, India.

Comparative study of electrophysiological changes in snake bites.

Aims: To study and compare the electrophysiological changes in neuroparalytic or vasculotoxic snakebites.

Materials And Methods: 40 patients who had a definite history of snakebite, either vasculotoxic or neuroparalytic, were selected. They were grouped as Group A, 20 patients having a neuroparalytic snakebite with definite envenomation at the time of admission, and Group B, 20 patients having a vasculotoxic snakebite with definite envenomation at the time of admission.

Predictors of virologic and clinical response to nevirapine versus lopinavir/ritonavir-based antiretroviral therapy in young children with and without prior nevirapine exposure for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission.

Background: In a randomized trial comparing nevirapine (NVP)-based versus lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV-infected children [primary endpoint discontinuation of study treatment for any reason or virologic failure by week 24] aged 2 months to 3 years, we assessed whether clinical, virologic, immunologic and safety outcomes varied by prior single-dose NVP exposure (PrNVP) for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission and other covariates.

Methods: Efficacy was assessed by time to ART discontinuation or virologic failure, virologic failure/death and death; safety by time to ART discontinuation because of a protocol-defined toxicity and first ≥ grade 3 adverse event; immunology and growth by changes in CD4%, weight/height World Health Organization z-scores from entry to week 48. Cox proportional hazards and linear regression models were used to test whether treatment differences depended on PrNVP exposure and other covariates.

Multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) due to a multi-drug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter is one of the most dreadful complications, which occurs in the critical care setting.

Aims And Objectives: To find out the incidence of Acinetobacter infection in VAP cases, to determine various risk factors responsible for acquisition of Acinetobacter infection and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Acinetobacter.

Materials And Methods: A total of 60 endotracheal aspirate specimens from intubated patients diagnosed clinically and microscopically as VAP were studied bacteriologically.

Vasculitis with digital gangrene in a patient with HIV infection.

A case of polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) like systemic necrotizing vasculitis in an HIV infected individual, who presented with digital ischaemia is reported. The pathogenesis of PAN in HIV infected patients is not well understood and whether HIV or other agents are directly involved in the vascular injury remains to be established.