Systematic review on HIV situation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: HIV prevalence in the Addis Ababa is still higher in key and priority populations. Therefore, this systematic review was carried out aiming in determining the prevalence of HIV and predisposing risk factors, identification of hotspot areas, key and priority populations, availability and utilization of services, and challenges and gaps to be addressed for prevention and control of HIV epidemic in Addis Ababa. METHODS: The documents relevant to address the objectives were collected from online databases Google scholar and PubMed for published works. In addition, unpublished survey and surveillance reports, performance reports and project assessment findings, and mapping results were collected from partner organizations working on HIV/AIDS prevention and control. RESULTS: It appears that the HIV prevalence stabilizes, but varies along areas and socio-demographic groups. The most common hot spots in Addis Ababa are areas where bars, groceries, pensions, guest houses, hotels, brothels, massage houses, khat houses, shisha houses, night clubs, drinking establishments and tourist frequented settings are concentrated. The recognized key population (KP) is the female sex workers (FSWs). There is sexual mixing of key and priority populations (KPPs) with the general population. There are various behavioural, biological and socio-economic predisposing risk factors that drive HIV epidemic, and respective behavioural, biomedical and structural intervention measures are identified in the presence of gaps and challenges to address the problem. CONCLUSIONS: HIV prevalence in Addis Ababa seems stabilized. However, it varies along different groups of the population. There are many behavioural, biological and socio-economic factors that predisposed to HIV/AIDS. Weak monitoring of the quality of interventions, limited linkage of positive clients, lost to follow up, financial shortage, limited man-power and coordination, data quality and gaps in use of program data or research findings are some of the gaps and challenges. Therefore, prevention and control measures using behavioural, structural and biomedical interventions through filling of gaps and tackle challenges should be strengthened in order to prevent and control HIV transmission.

Associations of gender and serum total cholesterol with CD4+ T cell count and HIV RNA load in antiretroviral-naïve individuals in Addis Ababa.

BACKGROUND: Males are more susceptible than females to infections due to the differences in endocrine-immune interactions. Furthermore, it is reported that lowering cell cholesterol impairs viral replication and infection in vitro. However, the production of oxysterols in vivo by oxidation of cholesterol may result in inhibition of HIV replication. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the associations of gender and serum total cholesterol with CD4+ T cell counts and/or WHO clinical stages, and HIV ribonucleic acid (RNA) load in antiretroviral therapy (ART) naive study population with known sero-positive time of stay in Addis Ababa.  METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to August 2013 on 594 HIV-1 infected ART-naïve adult study participants in four hospitals Addis Ababa. CD4+ T-cell count, HIV RNA load, hemoglobin and fasting serum total cholesterol were determined. Socio-demographic characteristics, WHO clinical stages, and height and weight were collected from patients' chart and triangulated by structured questionnaire. Pearson chi-square test, Spearman rank correlation and univariate and multivariate linear/logistic regression analyses were carried out to determine associations. RESULTS: Mean HIV RNA load was found to be lower in women than in men (p < 0.05). CD4+ T cell count and serum total cholesterol were found to be significantly correlated with HIV RNA load (p < 0.01). Women were at lower risk of having higher HIV RNA load in comparison to men. In addition, having lower concentrations of serum total cholesterol was found to be independent predictor of higher HIV RNA load in comparison to those with higher concentrations of cholesterol in serum (p < 0.05). The multivariate binomial logistic regression also showed that the immune status was better in women than men, and in the presence of higher serum total cholesterol (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Gender and serum total cholesterol were found to be associated and independent predictors of HIV RNA load, and CD4+ cell count and/or WHO clinical stages. There is a significant lower HIV RNA load and better CD4+ T cell count in women and those study participants with higher serum total cholesterol.

Analysis of autophosphorylation sites in the recombinant catalytic subunit alpha of cAMP-dependent kinase by nano-UPLC-ESI-MS/MS.

The catalytic subunit of recombinant wild-type cyclic adenosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) has been analyzed by a combination of 1D gel electrophoresis, in-gel digestion by trypsin, chymotrypsin, or endoproteinase AspN, and nano-ultraperformance liquid chromatography--MS/MS. The MS/MS spectra were annotated by MASCOT and the annotations were manually controlled. Using Ga(III)-immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC), in addition to the four established autophosphorylation sites of the catalytic subunit of recombinant PKA, pSer10, pSer139, pThr197, and pSer338, six new phosphorylated residues have been characterized--pSer14, pThr48, pSer53, pSer212, pSer259, and pSer325. The established phosphorylation sites all are part of a PKA consensus motif and were found to be almost completely modified. In contrast, the newly detected sites were only partially phosphorylated. For estimation of their degree of phosphorylation, a method based on signal intensity measurements was used. For this purpose, signal intensities of all phospho- and non-phosphopeptides containing a particular site were added for estimation of site-specific phosphorylation degrees. This addition was performed over all peptides observed in the different digestion experiments, including their different charge states. pThr48 and pSer259 are located within PKA consensus motifs and were observed to be phosphorylated at 20% and 24%, respectively. pSer14 and pSer53 are located within inverted PKA consensus motifs and were found to be phosphorylated around 10% and 15%, respectively. The sequence environments of pSer212 and pSer325 have no similarity to the PKA consensus motif at all and were observed to be phosphorylated at about 5% or lower. All newly observed phosphorylation sites are located at the surface of the native protein structure of the PKA catalytic subunit. The results add new information on the theme of site-specific (auto)phosphorylation by PKA.

Malnutrition and lipid abnormalities in antiretroviral naïve HIV-infected adults in Addis Ababa: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Both under- and over-nutrition may occur among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals and impact on the course of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and its management due to the close interaction between immunity and nutrition. We investigated occurrence of undernutrition, excess weight and lipid abnormalities among antiretroviral naïve HIV-infected adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study on 594 antiretroviral therapy (ART) naïve HIV-infected adults was conducted in four hospitals in Addis Ababa from February to September 2013. Hematological parameters (CD4+ T cell count and hemoglobin concentration), fasting serum glucose, total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) were determined. Information on socio-demographic, anthropometric and World Health Organization (WHO) clinical stages was collected from patient clinical records, and triangulated by structured questionnaire. Height and weight measurements were taken and body mass index (BMI), undernutrition (BMI <18.5 kg/m2) and excess weight (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) determined. Statistical comparisons were made to identify significant factors associated with nutritional status and lipid profiles. RESULTS: The prevalence of undernutrition was 15.1%, and the prevalence of excess weight was 22.1%, including 5.4% who were obese. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia was 16.6% and it was higher in women (18.9%) than in men (11.0%) (p<0.05). However, the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was 29.8%. There was significant positive Spearman correlation between CD4+ T cell count and serum TC (r = 0.210, p<0.001), but no correlation was observed between CD4+ T cell count and TG (r = -0.007, p>0.05). Age categories 30-39 and 40-79, and WHO clinical stages III/IV for undernutrition; age categories 30-39 and 40-79, WHO clinical stages III/IV and TC ≥200 mg/dL for excess weight; and being female, age categories 30-39 and 40-79, and hypertriglyceridemia for hypercholesterolemia were found to be independent predictors by binomial logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: Undernutrition, excess weight, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia were variably prevalent in ART naïve HIV-infected populations. This emphasizes the need for targeted nutritional programs as an integral part of HIV/AIDS care. Lipid levels need to be monitored regularly in patients whether on or off ART. In addition, improvement on household income and positive change in lifestyle and/or nutritional treatment to reduce morbidity and mortality are necessary interventions in HIV/AIDs patient management.

Evidence of genetic variability of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in plasma and cervicovaginal lavage in ethiopian women seeking care for sexually transmitted infections.

Most human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmission in developing countries occurs through heterosexual intercourse or during birth from mother to child. It is critical to characterize the virus of the genital tract variants as a target for the development of an HIV-1 vaccine and microbicidal therapies. We compared the C2V3 env domain genetic diversity of HIV-1 in female genital secretions and in plasma from Ethiopian women seeking care for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Sequences within an individual differed between the plasma and cervicovaginal lavage (CLV) compartments with nucleotide and amino acid median difference values of 8.3 and 4.8%, respectively. Sequence diversity in CVL was greater than in plasma. And the V3 loop positive charge was often more elevated in CVL. These are markers of the differential evolution of the viruses in CVL and peripheral blood indicating that limited evolution at the site of contact is not the limiting factor determining the preferential transmission of macrophage tropic viruses.

Antibiogram of E. coli serotypes isolated from children aged under five with acute diarrhea in Bahir Dar town.

BACKGROUND: Diarrheal disease and its complications remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children. The prevalence and antibiogram of E. coli as causative agents of diarrhea vary from region to region, and even within countries in the same geographical area. OBJECTIVES: To determine the serotype and antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli in children under-five years of age. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 children with diarrhea from December 2011 to February 2012. Identification of E. coli and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were done following standard procedures. RESULTS: The overall isolation rate of E. coli was 48.3%. Poly 2 sero-groups, poly 3 sero-groups, poly 4 sero-groups and E. coli O157:H7 accounted for 80 (39.2%), 40 (19.6%), 25 (12.3%), and 59 (28.9%) of the isolates, respectively. Poly 2 sero-groups, constituting isolates belonging to enteropathogenic E. coli were the most commonly isolated serotypes. E. coli exhibited high levels of antimicrobial resistance to ampicillin (86.8%), tetracycline (76%) and cotrimoxazole (76%). Low levels of resistance to ciprofloxacin (6.9%) and norfloxacin (9.3%) were documented. CONCLUSION: High prevalence of diarrheagenic E. coli compounded by alarming antimicrobial resistances is a serious public health problem. Regular determination of antibiogram and public education are recommended.

Prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections among individuals living with HIV/AIDS at Felegehiwot Referral Hospital, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: HIV infection continues to pose a serious challenge to global health by predisposing patients to opportunistic infections. A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2012 to February 2013 to assess the enteric protozoan infection status among individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Felegehiwot Referral Hospital, Bahir Dar, northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: Stool specimens from 399 HIV-positive individuals were examined for the presence of trophozoites, cysts, and oocysts using direct wet mount, formol-ether sedimentation and modified Ziehl-Neelsen techniques. In addition, CD4+ T-cell counts were measured to evaluate the immune status of the study subjects. RESULTS: An overall prevalence of 30.6% enteric protozoan infections was recorded. Pre-ART (antiretroviral treatment) individuals were more infected than patients on ART, although this was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The highest prevalence of enteric protozoan infection was due to Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar (19.3%), followed by Cryptosporidium spp (5.8%), Giardia lamblia (4.3%), and Isospora belli (1.3%). A CD4+ T-cell count of <200 cells/µl and status of being diarrhoeic were significantly associated with the overall prevalence of enteric protozoan infection. CONCLUSIONS: A relatively high prevalence of enteric protozoan infection was observed among individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Routine stool and CD4+ T-cell examinations should be conducted to monitor the status of HIV/AIDS patients.