Involutional lower eyelid entropion: results of a combined approach

CONTEXT: There is urgent need to strengthen the area of pediatric HIV/AIDS care in developing countries. Clinical research in this area is also scarce. METHODOLOGY: A literature review and a postal survey were used to obtain updated information on mortality, morbidity and current standards of care of children born to HIV-infected mothers in developing countries. A 2-day workshop was organized to review the available data and to identify the key areas where clinical research should be conducted. MAIN FINDINGS: Rates of mortality and morbidity were very different from one study to another but generally higher than in industrialized countries. Prognostic studies for HIV-1-infected children in developing countries were not available. Based on the report of 14 teams from 11 countries, specific protocols for HIV-infected children with persistent diarrhea or severe malnutrition were documented in fewer than one-half of the cases. Secondary antimicrobial prophylaxis after interstitial pneumonia or recurrent infections was still infrequent, as primary prophylaxis of opportunistic infections. The following list of clinical research priorities was identified by the workshop participants: primary prophylaxis of opportunistic and bacterial infections; case management of persistent diarrhea; reassessment of the performance of p24 antigen for diagnostic and prognosis use; studies on the etiology of pulmonary infections; long term observational pediatric cohorts; current weaning practices and duration of breast-feeding; counseling and HIV testing of children and families; prevention of HIV sexual transmission in children and adolescents.     

Erythema nodosum in children: a study of 27 patients

Erythema nodosum (EN) seems to occur in children more rarely than in adults. It still remains the most frequent acute panniculitis, for which the diagnosis is almost always clinical. In a retrospective study of 27 pediatric patients, we have attempted to clarify the clinical spectrum and prognosis of this disease and discuss the differential diagnosis of nodular eruptions on the lower limbs of children. In almost half the patients of our series, the cause of EN remained undetermined. Streptococcal infections (usually of the pharynx) were the most common cause of EN in children (22% of patients in our series), followed by Yersinia infection in about 15% of patients. Tuberculosis, an important cause in the past, was never found, but must always be excluded. A benign course was noted in all patients. Erythema nodosum is easily recognized clinically, but other subcutaneous lesions, especially nodular vasculitis and Sch?nlein-Henoch purpura, have to be excluded by pathologic study, in cases of atypical presentation or long duration.     

Balanitis

Since 1982, the advance of HIV/AIDS infection has radically altered the management of STDs around the world. Prevention, especially in developing countries is paramount. A scientific basis for treatment coupled with epidemiology and case management is required. Discussion to the merits of different forms of treatment, classical clinical, etiological and syndromic management, and their evaluation, is described.     

HIV in children

Because children acquire HIV infection differently than adults, this article begins with a discussion of the epidemiology of AIDS in children. This is followed by a discussion of factors related to progression of the disease and survival in pediatric AIDS. A discussion of the pulmonary manifestations in children is followed by a suggested approach to the HIV-infected child with respiratory symptoms.     

Radiolabelled monoclonal antibodies (McAb): an alternate approach to the conventional methods for the assessment of cardiomyocyte damage in an experimental brain-death pig model

BACKGROUND: According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare AIDS Surveillance Committee's report on vertically transmitted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, there have been eight children with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and 18 children with HIV infection in Japan, totalling 26 in all as of February 1997. A search of the literature fails to reveal any report that deals with many cases of vertically transmitted HIV infection in Japan. METHODS: A primary questionnaire survey was taken of the main medical institutions across the country, followed by a secondary questionnaire survey of physicians and pediatricians who treated the disease. A clinical review was made of 19 children with vertically transmitted HIV infection (including eight AIDS children) according to the 1994 Revised Classification System for HIV Infection in Children. RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis was 14.5 months and the diagnosis was made at less than 18 months of life in approximately 70% of infected children. In the mean observation period of 16 months, six of eight AIDS children (75%), and one child of group B died. The mean period of observation for the seven dead children was 7 months, and six of seven children died by 36 months of life. The survival period after the diagnosis of AIDS was 15 months. The diagnosis of HIV infection was made based on the clinical symptoms of all children with AIDS. Of 11 children, six (45%) presented with symptoms of HIV infection by 6 months of life, and 10 of 11 children (91%) presented with symptoms by 26 months of life. The noteworthy clinical findings included hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, recurrent respiratory tract infection, lymph node swelling, oral candidiasis, hepatitis, wasting syndrome, HIV encephalopathy and severe pneumonia. The favored age for the start of complications and the magnitude of decrease in the HIV helper cell count varied with each case of complications of HIV infection (wasting syndrome, HIV encephalopathy) or opportunistic infections (cytomegalovirus infection, Mycobacterium avium complex infection). Anti-HIV drugs (mainly zidovudine) had been used in five of eight children with AIDS and were effective in two long survivors alone. CONCLUSIONS: Children who are diagnosed with HIV infection, based on their clinical symptoms, carry a poor prognosis. In this respect, early diagnosis and progress in anti-HIV therapy are necessary.     

Preventing HIV infection and AIDS in children and adolescents: Behavioral research and intervention strategies.

This article focuses on pediatric and adolescent AIDS. Literature is reviewed on the incidence of AIDS in various age groups, highlighting differences in demographic patterns among pediatric, adolescent, and adult AIDS cases. Behaviors that increase the likelihood that a child or adolescent will contract AIDS, as well as prevention strategies that target the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, are discussed. Finally, recommendations are made for social science research directed toward altering behavior associated with HIV. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in AIDS: radiographic, CT, and pathologic findings

PURPOSE: To review the radiographic and computed tomographic (CT) manifestations of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and to correlate the imaging and pathologic findings in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chest radiographs, CT scans, and pathologic specimens were reviewed retrospectively in 10 AIDS patients with proved invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. RESULTS: The most common radiographic finding was the presence of thick-walled cavitary lesions. Less common findings included nodules, consolidation, and pleural effusion. CT depicted more nodules and cavities than did radiography. The predominant pathologic abnormalities consisted of tissue invasion and abscess formation and angioinvasion with or without infarction. All patients had infection with Aspergillus fumigatus as well as other pathogens, the most common being cytomegalovirus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. CONCLUSION: Thick-walled cavitary lesions are the most common radiologic manifestation of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in AIDS. The findings are more numerous and better defined on CT scans. The radiologic findings reflect a spectrum of pathologic abnormalities.     

Pediatric AIDS prognosis using somatic growth velocity

OBJECTIVE: To describe the natural history of somatic growth in HIV infection by constructing age-specific growth velocity norms and to assess specific prognostic information available using these norms. DESIGN: Observations on 1338 HIV-infected children aged 3 months to 15 years who participated in one of four US clinical trials of pediatric anti-HIV therapies were pooled; baseline growth velocity data were obtained using the first 6 months of observation for each child. METHODS: Distributions of physical growth velocities in HIV-infected children in the Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group were computed. Statistical smoothing of growth histories was employed to derive velocity estimates, and quantile regression analysis of growth velocities was performed to allow comparisons of growth rates in age- and gender-heterogeneous cohorts in the context of HIV infection. The quantile regressions provide corrected z-scores for growth velocity that appropriately compare HIV-infected children with one another for the purpose of distinguishing more from less favorable prognoses. RESULTS: Consistent deficits in growth velocity amongst HIV-infected children were revealed when compared with the Fels Institute velocity standards. Approximately 33% of height (and 20% of weight) age- and sex-corrected velocity measurements obtained in the first 6 months of clinical trial participation lay beneath the corresponding third percentiles of the Fels reference distributions, which are commonly regarded as critical indicators of growth failure. Proportional hazards regression tests indicated that both weight and height velocity contributed significant information on the risk of death among children with AIDS after adjusting for antiretroviral therapy received, CD4 cell counts, and age at trial enrollment. Comparing subjects who differ in initial weight velocity by one age- and sex-corrected SD, the relative hazard of death was 0.63 (95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.72; P < or = 0.0001) in favor of the child with greater weight velocity, controlling for antiretroviral therapy received, age and CD4 cell count at baseline. The analogous hazard ratio for height velocity was 0.68 (95% confidence interval, 0.57-0.79; P < or = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Suitably normalized growth velocities are informative and inexpensive criteria for pediatric AIDS prognosis; the growth velocity distributions presented will be useful for comparing growth effects of new therapeutic strategies to those of single and combination antiretrovirals employed for maintenance of pediatric HIV infection in the mid-1990s.     

Role of macrophages in the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection

There are a number of machanisms by which HIV-infected macrophages contribute to the pathogenesis of the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Macrophage-tropic strains of HIV are present at the time of infection, and persist throughout the course of infection, despite the emergence of T cell tropic quasispecies. As HIV causes chronic infection of macrophages with only minimal cytopathology, these cells can provide an important viral reservoir in HIV-infected persons. Macrophages are more susceptible to HIV infection than freshly isolated monocytes. HIV-infected macrophages can contribute to CD4 T lymphocyte depletion through a gp120-CD4 dependent fusion process with uninfected CD4-expressing T cells. Increasing data support the role of HIV-infected macrophages and microglia in the pathogenesis of HIV-related encephalopathy and AIDS-related dementia through the production of neurotoxins. HIV infection of macrophages in vitro results in impairment of many aspects of their function. Reduced phagocytic capacity for certain opportunistic pathogens, including Toxoplasma gondii and Candida albicans, may be responsible for reactivation of these pathogens in persons with advanced HIV infection, although the mechanisms underlying reactivation of infections and susceptibility to disease from new infections are likely to be multifactorial. Our studies showing defective phagocytosis and killing provide additional information that contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis of AIDS. Studies of in vitro efficacy of potential antiretroviral therapies should be performed in both primary lymphocyte and monocyte cultures, given the importance of both of these cell populations to HIV pathogenesis and their differing biology.     

Fatigue in cancer and HIV/AIDS

Fatigue is a common and troubling symptom in patients with cancer or HIV/AIDS, resulting in significant disability and adverse effects on quality of life. Its etiology remains complex and is most likely multifactorial. Despite its impact and prevalence, fatigue is often overlooked and undertreated in these patient populations. The general perceptions of fatigue are that its etiology cannot be determined, it is an inevitable manifestation that must be endured, and few interventions are available. Efforts are ongoing to better understand the etiology, characteristics, and consequences of fatigue in patients with cancer or HIV/AIDS. New practical methods of assessing it in cancer patients are now available. In order to improve the quality of life in these patients, physicians need to reassess their perceptions of fatigue and their approach to its diagnosis and management. There are recognizable causes and correlates for which interventions can be beneficial. These include anemia, pain, infection/fever, hormonal or nutritional deficiencies, depression/anxiety, sleep disturbances, and excessive inactivity or rest. Physicians should fully evaluate patients to identify the factors amenable to management. Fatigue is also seldom discussed by patients and their physicians. Improved communication with and counseling of patients and their caregivers can play an important role in the effective assessment and management of fatigue in patients with cancer or HIV/AIDS. Many patients may benefit from wider implementation of recent advances in the understanding and treatment of fatigue in these oncologic and infectious conditions.     

Biocompatibility of two apatite cements

The incidence of HIV-associated tuberculosis has been increasing worldwide since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and is expected to increase even further during the foreseeable future, especially in developing countries. There is no doubt now that, in the presence of HIV infection, new-onset tuberculous infection progresses rapidly to clinically significant disease and the likelihood that latent tuberculous infection progresses rapidly to clinically significant disease and the likelihood that latent tuberculous infection will reactivate is enormously increased. The accelerating and amplifying influence of HIV infection is contributing to the increasing incidence of disease caused by multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Neither clinical features nor radiographic abnormalities reliably distinguish the majority of patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis from those without HIV infection. Some persons with HIV infection, however, present with atypical manifestations of tuberculosis and these patients may be difficult to diagnose. Six months of daily or thrice weekly chemotherapy with the usual regimen of 4 then 2 antituberculosis drugs cures most patients, but many die during or after treatment of other AIDS-related complications.     

Human immunodeficiency virus infection, Part I

Initially recognized in 1982, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been the leading cause of death among young adults in the United States for much of this decade, and it has had a devastating impact on people in the developing world. It is estimated that 42 million people worldwide have been infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, and that almost 12 million people have died from AIDS-related diseases through 1997. Among these 12 million are 3 million children. Two thirds of the more than 30 million people with HIV or AIDS reside in sub-Saharan Africa. In the United States, 641,086 patients have been diagnosed with AIDS through 1997, and at least 385,000 have died. However, for the first time, new highly active antiretroviral therapies that include multiple drugs that attack the virus at several sites have slowed the progression from HIV to AIDS and from AIDS to death for those infected with HIV. The cumulative effect of these changes has been a reduction in both AIDS incident cases and AIDS deaths. Recent epidemiologic trends indicate that the proportion of AIDS incident cases and new HIV infections are increasing among women, African-Americans, and Hispanics, and the infections are more likely to be acquired through heterosexual transmission. The clinical management of HIV infection and AIDS has become increasingly complex in recent years. In addition to complete medical and social histories and physical examinations, hematologic, biochemical, serologic, and immunologic laboratory tests are required to predict the likelihood that patients will develop opportunistic infections and other complications related to HIV infection. Among the most important laboratory tests are measurements of HIV in plasma (viral load) in conjunction with peripheral blood CD4+ helper T lymphocyte counts. These tests are potent predictors of disease progression and their results have become markers for clinical response to therapy. The development of highly active antiretroviral therapy has had a profound impact on the epidemiology of AIDS and on the lives of individual patients. Through combinations of antiretroviral drugs, especially protease inhibitors, viral suppression can be achieved. However, adherence to these complex medical regimens and drug interactions have been problems for many patients. In addition, numerous questions remain unanswered, most importantly those regarding the timing of the initiation of treatment, the durability of viral suppression and clinical response, and the optimal "salvage" regimens for patients failing therapy either clinically or virologically.     

Isolated cervical tuberculosis in patients with HIV infection

OBJECTIVE: Tuberculosis isolated to the head and neck region is common in patients with HIV infection. However, the management of isolated head and neck tuberculosis has not been reported in the literature. This study was done to describe the characteristics of tuberculosis isolated to the head and neck region in patients infected with HIV and to detect differences in presentation and diagnostic management based on the status of HIV infection at presentation. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed including 38 patients infected with HIV who were seen with tuberculosis isolated to the head and neck region at two tertiary care centers during a 10-year period. These patients were divided into two groups on the basis of the HIV status at presentation, which indirectly reflects the level of immunosuppression. Group 1 included 11 patients (29%) with AIDS at presentation. Group 2 included 27 patients (71%) with HIV infection but not AIDS. RESULTS: The cervical lymphatics were the most common site for isolated head and neck tuberculosis (89%), with the supraclavicular nodes most often involved (53%). Extralymphatic involvement was less common (11%), but involved a variety of anatomic locations (skin, spinal cord, larynx, parotid). The presenting history and physical examination had a low sensitivity for tuberculosis in patients with HIV infection, mainly because of the presence of multiple confounding factors. Purified protein derivative testing was highly sensitive for tuberculosis in patients with HIV infection alone (61 %); however, its usefulness was diminished in patients with AIDS (14%; p=0.03). Fine-needle aspiration biopsy was 94% sensitive for diagnosing tuberculosis and was not affected by the status of HIV infection. Surgical biopsy was the gold standard for diagnosing tuberculosis but was associated with chronically draining fistulas in a significant number of cases (14%). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that tuberculosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of all head and neck lesions in patients infected with HIV, even in the absence of pulmonary involvement. Purified protein derivative testing should be done liberally in these patients, with realization that the sensitivity of purified protein derivative testing is reduced in patients with AIDS. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy should be the key diagnostic test in this patient population, with open surgical biopsy reserved for highly suspicious cases in which other measures were not diagnostic.     

Idiopathic renal arteriovenous fistula: treatment with embolization

As the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic spreads to the pediatric population, a recommendation is made for more research on mother-to-infant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission, in light of current policies, and the scientific community is challenged to re-evaluate its attitude to the pathogenesis of HIV transmission by breast milk.     

Initiation and propagation of blood coagulation at artificial surfaces studied in a capillary flow reactor

BACKGROUND: There is a potential for interaction between malaria and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. HIV infection might reduce immunity to malaria resulting in more frequent and severe infections; conversely malaria might enhance the progression of HIV infection to AIDS. In this paper we have reviewed some of the studies that have addressed this topic. METHODS: Studies identified by a MEDLINE search were systematically reviewed and the measures of association between the two infections were either abstracted or recalculated from the reported data. Inferences drawn from these studies and the biological plausibility of an interaction are discussed. RESULTS: The prevalence ratio (PR) of peripheral parasitaemia among HIV seropositive (HIVSP) individuals compared to HIV seronegative (HIVSN) individuals ranged from 0.72 to 0.94 in children and from 3.3 to 0.69 in adults. However, only one study showed a statistically significant difference between HIVSP and HIVSN groups (PR 3.3, 95% CI: 2.7-4.2). The rate ratio of non-severe malaria among HIVSP children compared to HIVSN children was 1.4 (95% CI: 0.99-2.0). Data from a trial of chemoprophylaxis during pregnancy suggested that placental malaria may predispose to perinatal transmission of HIV. Studies that have investigated the immune response to P. falciparum among HIVSP subjects have given variable results. CONCLUSION: There is no convincing evidence for an interaction between malaria and HIV with the possible exception of an interaction between placental malaria and HIV infection. Several studies, however, had potentials for bias and/or an inadequate sample size. There is a need for carefully designed studies to resolve whether mortality from severe malaria, in particular cerebral malaria, is increased in HIVSP subjects, whether malaria infection of the placenta increases the risk of vertical transmission of HIV, and whether malaria infection increases the progression of HIV infection to AIDS.     

Low dose intranasal nafarelin for the treatment of endometriosis

Oral manifestations are a common feature of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. They may present as neoplasms, opportunistic infections, or other lesions. The dermatologist may be the first health care provider to suspect HIV infection when recognizing some of the oral lesions described in this article. Some of these lesions may be of prognostic significance for the subsequent development of AIDS. Management of the oral lesions can significantly reduce morbidity and improve quality of life.     

Enhanced production of IL4 but not of IFN gamma and IL 10 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from atopic children in response to CD2 plus CD28 stimulation

Because individuals with mental retardation have recently been identified as a group at-risk for developing HIV infection, HIV/AIDS training programs for service providers working with this population are critical. In this study an HIV/AIDS education program for family-based foster care providers was described and evaluated. The results indicate that although these service providers had some prior knowledge about HIV and AIDS, there were significant improvements in knowledge following the training. Implications of these findings for individuals with mental retardation were discussed.     

Case managed residential care for homeless addicted veterans. Results of a true experiment

There is an interesting relationship between the HIV virus, the health of the gastrointestinal tract, and AIDS wasting syndrome, involving Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF alpha), specific and non-specific immunity in the gut, gut permeability, and oxidative stress. It is hypothesized that the progression of HIV to full-blown AIDS may be impacted by maintaining a healthy gut. A therapeutic protocol which decreases oxidative stress, inhibits TNF alpha, enhances phase I and II liver detoxification, and improves specific and non-specific immunity in the gut should be part of a therapeutic protocol for HIV-infected individuals. Through a better understanding of the pathophysiology of HIV advancing to AIDS, the practitioner can develop a treatment strategy of nutritional and lifestyle changes which could theoretically prevent an HIV infection from advancing to full-blown AIDS.     

Association of Epstein-Barr virus with pediatric Hodgkin's disease

A bimodal age incidence curve has been shown for Hodgkin's disease (HD). In developing countries, the first age incidence peak occurs in childhood; however, this peak is delayed until young adulthood in developed countries. This difference may reflect differences in the age of exposure to infectious agents involved in the development of HD or may suggest different etiological agents. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a proportion of HD cases. In this study, EBV association was investigated in a series of 55 pediatric HD cases from three geographical locations (United Kingdom, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia) and the relationship between country, age, sex, histological subtype, and EBV positivity was evaluated. EBV was detected in 38 cases using RNA in situ hybridization, Southern blot, or immunohistochemical analysis. No significant difference in EBV positivity by country, age, or sex was observed; however, children under 10 years of age were particularly likely to be EBV-associated. The difference in EBV association in the pediatric group compared with that observed previously for young adult HD was highly statistically significant (P < 0.0001). These results are consistent with the hypothesis that pediatric and young adult HD have different etiologies and suggest that EBV is likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of pediatric HD.     

Early HIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes and disease progression in children born to HIV-infected mothers

The activities of HIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) were evaluated in 10 HIV-infected children, born to infected mothers who did not receive AZT during pregnancy. CTL activities were present as early as 4 months of age. The five children that progressed to AIDS before 1 year of age had reduced in vivo and in vitro CTL activities, when compared with children who remained AIDS free after 1 year of age. The latter children had weak in vivo activated CTL responses but strong memory CTLs. No relation was found between viral load, lymphocyte populations, and CTL responses between birth and 6 months of age. Between 7 and 12 months old, children with broader in vitro activated CTLs had higher absolute numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes and lower plasma viral load. These data support a beneficial role of CTLs in pediatric HIV infection.