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Frontiers in Immunology 2017The global burden of fungal diseases has been increasing, as a result of the expanding number of susceptible individuals including people living with human... (Review)
Review
The global burden of fungal diseases has been increasing, as a result of the expanding number of susceptible individuals including people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hematopoietic stem cell or organ transplant recipients, patients with malignancies or immunological conditions receiving immunosuppressive treatment, premature neonates, and the elderly. Opportunistic fungal pathogens such as , and are distributed worldwide and constitute the majority of invasive fungal infections (IFIs). Dimorphic fungi such as spp., spp., spp. are geographically restricted to their respective habitats and cause endemic mycoses. Disseminated histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, and infection are recognized as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining conditions, while the rest also cause high rate of morbidities and mortalities in patients with HIV infection and other immunocompromised conditions. In the past decade, a growing number of monogenic immunodeficiency disorders causing increased susceptibility to fungal infections have been discovered. In particular, defects of the IL-12/IFN-γ pathway and T-helper 17-mediated response are associated with increased susceptibility to endemic mycoses. In this review, we put together the various forms of endemic mycoses on the map and take a journey around the world to examine how cellular and molecular defects of the immune system predispose to invasive endemic fungal infections, including primary immunodeficiencies, individuals with autoantibodies against interferon-γ, and those receiving biologic response modifiers. Though rare, these conditions provide importance insights to host defense mechanisms against endemic fungi, which can only be appreciated in unique climatic and geographical regions.
PubMed: 28702025
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00735 -
Cureus Sep 2022Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) primarily affects the immune systems, which, if progressed, will lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Currently, there... (Review)
Review
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) primarily affects the immune systems, which, if progressed, will lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Currently, there is no effective cure for the disease, and patients are affected lifelong, but there are antiretroviral medications that can control the disease's symptoms and progression. In addition, taking precautions during sexual contact, especially in the male homosexual population, while handling the patient's bodily fluids such as blood and saliva, and during childbirth by an infected mother is necessary to prevent the transmission of the virus. We used 15 studies, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses, observation studies, randomized clinical trials, and comprehensive reviews, to determine how HIV interferes with heart disease, increasing morbidity and mortality. We have used specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, focusing on specified age groups within a particular timeline. Some of the included studies found that many side effects from antiretroviral drugs can impact heart conditions, along with HIV, while others did not show a strong correlation between HIV and some heart diseases. In conclusion, after reviewing the literature, the results are inconclusive. More extensive trials focusing on the impact HIV has on heart disease are required to establish a strong correlation between HIV and heart disease to prevent morbidity and mortality.
PubMed: 36237744
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.28960 -
BMC Pediatrics May 2019Children and adolescents with HIV/AIDS are more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems than the general population. This can result in a continuing negative...
Emotional and behavioral problems and associated factors among children and adolescents on highly active anti-retroviral therapy in public hospitals of West Gojjam zone, Amhara regional state of Ethiopia, 2018: a cross-sectional study.
BACKGROUND
Children and adolescents with HIV/AIDS are more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems than the general population. This can result in a continuing negative influence on the quality of life, school performance, immunity and co-morbidity of children and adolescents with HIV/AIDS.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence and associated factors of Emotional and Behavioral Problems among children and adolescents on Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy in the public hospitals of West Gojjam Zone, Amhara regional state of Ethiopia.
METHODS
An institutional based cross sectional study was conducted by screening 411 children and adolescents for emotional and behavioral problems using Pediatric Symptomatology Check List (PSCL). Systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 23. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were fitted to identify factors associated with Emotional and Behavioral Problems. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed to determine the level of significance.
RESULT
Out of the total 411 participants, 43.6% were screened positive for Emotional and Behavioral Problems. Lower age (AOR = 5.33, 95%CI: 2.56-11.04), having non-kin care giver (AOR = 4.64, 95%CI: 1.20-17.90), parental loss (AOR = 2.15, 95%CI: 1.03-4.49), non self -disclosure of HIV sero status (AOR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.16-3.41) and having distressed care giver (AOR = 1.64, 95%CI: 1.04-2.57) had statistically significant association with EBPs.
CONCLUSION
The prevalence of Emotional and Behavioral Problems is high among children and adolescents on HAART. Lower age, care giver's mental distress, non-self disclosure status, having non-kin care giver and parental loss were variables significantly associated with EBPs. This demonstrates a need for the integration of Mental Health and Psycho Social Support (MHPSS) service with HIV/AIDS care.
Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Age Distribution; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; Child; Child Behavior; Cross-Sectional Studies; Developing Countries; Ethiopia; Female; HIV Infections; Hospitals, Public; Humans; Male; Mood Disorders; Problem Behavior; Quality of Life; Risk Assessment; Sex Distribution; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 31053112
DOI: 10.1186/s12887-019-1453-3 -
Clinical Trials (London, England) Aug 2020We describe enrollment and accrual challenges in the "Promoting Maternal and Infant Survival Everywhere" (PROMISE) trial conducted in resource-limited countries, as well...
Enrollment and transition challenges in the International Maternal Pediatric and Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT) network's PROMISE trial for resource-limited regions.
BACKGROUND
We describe enrollment and accrual challenges in the "Promoting Maternal and Infant Survival Everywhere" (PROMISE) trial conducted in resource-limited countries, as well as the challenges in transitioning participants from the antepartum to the postpartum components of the study.
METHODS
PROMISE was a large multi-national randomized controlled trial of the safety and efficacy of interventions to reduce perinatal transmission of HIV-1 (HIV) during pregnancy and breastfeeding and of interventions to preserve maternal health after cessation of perinatal transmission risk. The PROMISE study included two protocols for HIV-infected pregnant women in resource-limited countries who intended to either breastfeed or formula-feed their infants and did not meet country criteria for antiretroviral treatment. The PROMISE breastfeeding protocol (1077BF) used a sequential randomization design with up to three randomizations (Antepartum, Postpartum, and Maternal Health). The PROMISE formula-feeding protocol (1077FF) had two randomizations (Antepartum and Maternal Health). Women presenting to the clinic during early or active labor or in the immediate postpartum period were registered as Late Presenters and screened to determine whether eligible to participate in the Postpartum randomization.
RESULTS
The study was conducted at 14 sites in seven countries and opened to enrollment in April 2011. A total of 3259 pregnant women intending to breastfeed and an additional 284 pregnant women intending to formula feed were randomized in the Antepartum component. A total of 204 Late Presenters were registered during labor or after delivery. Enrollment was high among breastfeeding women (representing 96% of the target of 3400 women) but was lower than expected among women intending to formula feed (28% of 1000 expected) and late-presenting women (8% of 2500 expected). The successful overall enrollment and final primary study analyses results were attributed to substantial preparation before the study opened, collaboration among all stakeholders, close study monitoring during implementation and the flexibility to change and streamline the protocol.
CONCLUSIONS
Experiences from the PROMISE study illustrate the challenges of enrolling in longer term studies in the setting of rapidly evolving prevention and treatment standards priorities. The lessons learned will help the community, site investigators, and study coordinators in the design and implementation of future clinical trials.
Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Adolescent; Anti-HIV Agents; Anti-Retroviral Agents; Breast Feeding; Child; Female; HIV Infections; Health Resources; Humans; Infant; Infant Formula; Infant, Newborn; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; Male; Mothers; Patient Selection; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Research Design
PubMed: 32191142
DOI: 10.1177/1740774520912428 -
Journal of Microbiology, Immunology,... Dec 2019Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PJP) is a severe and lethal opportunistic infection in the immunocompromised patients. As the increasing usage of immunosuppressants,... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
BACKGROUND
Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PJP) is a severe and lethal opportunistic infection in the immunocompromised patients. As the increasing usage of immunosuppressants, the incidence of non-HIV related PJP has increased in recent years. Still, there is little research regarding children with PJP. The aim of this study is to understand PJP more among pediatric population.
METHODS
We reviewed the medical records of the patients with PJP in National Taiwan University Hospital from 2014 to 2017. Diagnosis was made if the patient met all of the criteria: presence of relevant pulmonary symptoms and signs, pulmonary infiltrates on images, detection of Pneumocystis jiroveci from respiratory specimens via polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and received antibiotics for PJP.
RESULTS
Twenty children and 132 adults were enrolled in this study. The most common underlying diseases among children included malignancy (40%), post-transplantation (30%), and primary immunodeficiency (20%). The major underlying diseases in adults included malignancy (36%), HIV with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (31%), and autoimmune diseases (24%). There is no significant difference in the clinical manifestations, mortality, and complication between children and adults, but children tended to have less chance of using alternative antibiotics, methylprednisolone and inhaled nitric oxide (NO). The chance of concomitant cytomegalovirus disease was also significantly lower in pediatric patients.
CONCLUSION
No significant difference was found in the clinical manifestations, mortality, and complication between children and adults, but children tended to have lesser chance of using alternative antibiotics, methylprednisolone and inhaled NO. The chance of associated cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease was also significantly lower in children.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Infant; Male; Medical Records; Middle Aged; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Retrospective Studies; Sputum; Taiwan; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult
PubMed: 31164278
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmii.2019.05.003 -
Journal of Evidence-based Medicine Aug 2020Disruption of innate immunity leading to systemic inflammation and multi-organ dysfunction is the basilar footprint of autoinflammatory disorders (AIDs), ranging from... (Review)
Review
Disruption of innate immunity leading to systemic inflammation and multi-organ dysfunction is the basilar footprint of autoinflammatory disorders (AIDs), ranging from rare hereditary monogenic diseases to a large number of common chronic inflammatory conditions in which there is a simultaneous participation of multiple genetic components and environmental factors, sometimes combined with autoimmune phenomena and immunodeficiency. Whatever their molecular mechanism, hereditary AIDs are caused by mutations in regulatory molecules or sensors proteins leading to dysregulated production of proinflammatory cytokines or cytokine-inducing transcription factors, fever, elevation of acute phase reactants, and a portfolio of manifold inflammatory signs which might occur in a stereotyped manner, mostly with overactivity or misactivation of different inflammasomes. Symptoms might overlap in the pediatric patient, obscuring the final diagnosis of AIDs and delaying the most appropriate treatment. Actually, the fast-paced evolution of scientific knowledge has led to recognize or reclassify an overgrowing number of multifactorial diseases, which share the basic pathogenetic mechanisms with AIDs. The wide framework of classic hereditary periodic fevers, AIDs with prominent skin involvement, disorders of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, defects of actin cytoskeleton dynamics, and also idiopathic nonhereditary febrile syndromes occurring in children is herein presented. Interleukin-1 dependence of these diseases or involvement of other predominating molecules is also discussed.
Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Autoimmune Diseases; Child; Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes; Familial Mediterranean Fever; Hereditary Autoinflammatory Diseases; Humans; Inflammation; Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency; Phenotype; Skin
PubMed: 32627322
DOI: 10.1111/jebm.12406 -
Cureus Mar 2023Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a viral infection which progressively leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the absence of treatment. This happens... (Review)
Review
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a viral infection which progressively leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the absence of treatment. This happens through the destruction of crucial cells in the immune system, such as the helper T cells, dendritic cells, and macrophages. Since the first case was isolated in the 20th century, the disease has spread rapidly among humans, with significant renal, cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological complications. It is predominantly sexually transmitted but non-sexual transmission. A relationship between HIV and renal diseases has been suggested for a long time, but only a few systematic studies have centered on this association. This systematic review aims to analyze the possible association between HIV and renal diseases as well as the range and pathogenesis of these renal diseases. HIV remains a critical infectious disease globally, inciting substantial morbidity and mortality. Studies have shown that people living with HIV (PLWH) are at increased risk of acute and chronic kidney disease. This review is based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases were searched exhaustively using the inclusion criteria of free full-text English papers that have exclusively studied humans in the last 20 years. Sixteen articles were selected including a systematic review, observational studies, and comprehensive narrative reviews on the role of HIV in the etiology of renal diseases, and were systemically reviewed and analyzed to elicit the wide range of possible renal complications resulting from HIV infection.
PubMed: 37123789
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.36755 -
The Journal of Clinical Investigation Mar 2024CD4+ T cells survey and maintain immune homeostasis in the brain, yet their differentiation states and functional capabilities remain unclear. Our approach, combining...
CD4+ T cells survey and maintain immune homeostasis in the brain, yet their differentiation states and functional capabilities remain unclear. Our approach, combining single-cell transcriptomic analysis, ATAC-Seq, spatial transcriptomics, and flow cytometry, revealed a distinct subset of CCR7+ CD4+ T cells resembling lymph node central memory (TCM) cells. We observed chromatin accessibility at the CCR7, CD28, and BCL-6 loci, defining molecular features of TCM. Brain CCR7+ CD4+ T cells exhibited recall proliferation and interleukin-2 production ex vivo, showcasing their functional competence. We identified the skull bone marrow as a local niche for these cells alongside CNS border tissues. Sequestering TCM cells in lymph nodes using FTY720 led to reduced CCR7+ CD4+ T cell frequencies in the cerebrospinal fluid, accompanied by increased monocyte levels and soluble markers indicating immune activation. In macaques chronically infected with SIVCL757 and experiencing viral rebound due to cessation of antiretroviral therapy, a decrease in brain CCR7+ CD4+ T cells was observed, along with increased microglial activation and initiation of neurodegenerative pathways. Our findings highlight a role for CCR7+ CD4+ T cells in CNS immune surveillance, and their decline during chronic SIV highlights their responsiveness to neuroinflammation.
Topics: Animals; Macaca mulatta; Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Simian Immunodeficiency Virus; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Receptors, CCR7; Brain; Neuroinflammatory Diseases; Immunologic Surveillance
PubMed: 38470479
DOI: 10.1172/JCI175332 -
Paediatric Drugs Apr 2017Successful management of pediatric HIV disease requires high therapeutic efficacy and adherence, which can be achieved by providing affordable, easy to store, and...
Successful management of pediatric HIV disease requires high therapeutic efficacy and adherence, which can be achieved by providing affordable, easy to store, and palatable antiretrovirals. Current challenges in pediatric antiretroviral drug development include poor palatability, large pill size, limited oral liquid formulations, and few incentives for development by drug manufacturers as the number of children with HIV continues to decline due to successful worldwide preventive interventions and improved access to antiretrovirals. This article summarizes the various challenges and opportunities with current pediatric antiretrovirals, recent and ongoing trials, new formulations, and suggestions that may expedite and provide incentives for the development of suitable pediatric formulations.
Topics: Anti-HIV Agents; Child; HIV Infections; Humans; Pediatrics
PubMed: 28074348
DOI: 10.1007/s40272-016-0210-4 -
PloS One 2022HIV-focused organizations, care providers and research programs often hire Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) in their efforts to reach...
BACKGROUND
HIV-focused organizations, care providers and research programs often hire Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) in their efforts to reach highly affected communities. Due to their unique social position within and outside of organizations, Black GBMSM are ideally situated to contribute to HIV care and prevention programming targeting their own communities, but may also be at risk for stress and burnout in these settings. Despite this critical role for Black GBMSM in efforts to end the epidemic, little is known about subjective experiences of Black GBMSM who work in the HIV field.
METHODS
We conducted qualitative interviews with 19 Black GBMSM who were identified as key informants. All were working in community-based organizations, clinical or academic settings in the area of HIV prevention and treatment in Atlanta, Georgia. We used a thematic analysis approach to identify salient themes with respect to the workplace experiences of Black GBMSM as well as the role of their identities in their work in the field.
RESULTS
Participants discussed: (1) Shared experiences and growth; (2) Work-related stressors; (3) Worker burnout; and (4) Commitment to continue working in the HIV field. On the whole, Black GBMSM derived meaning from their work, and found their intersectional identities to be a strength in fulfilling job duties. At the same time, Black GBMSM described multiple stresses faced as they balanced their personal and professional connections to this work, while also dealing with their own challenges related to discrimination, socioeconomic status, and health. Participants repeatedly described sacrificing their own well-being for the greater good of their communities, highlighting contributors to burnout within and outside of the workplace.
CONCLUSIONS
Our participants derived meaning from their work in the HIV field and were affirmed by professional interactions with other Black GBMSM. At the same time, they also faced work-related and other psychosocial stressors that predisposed them to frustration and burnout. To promote workplace equity and wellness for Black GBMSM, we share recommendations for HIV-focused organizations that employ and serve men in this demographic.
Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Bisexuality; Burnout, Psychological; HIV Infections; Homosexuality, Male; Humans; Male; Qualitative Research; Sexual Behavior; Sexual and Gender Minorities
PubMed: 35947604
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264680