HIV-Indicator Condition Guided Testing in a Hospital Setting.

Late diagnosis is still a major issue in HIV infection management, leading to important consequences for both patients and community. In this perspective, HIV screening targeted on some clinical conditions (HIV indicator conditions-HIVICs) emerged as a useful strategy, also involving patients not considered at high behavioral risk. We organized an in-hospital HIVICs guided screening campaign named ICEBERG in Milan, Italy, between 2019 and 2021. Among the 520 subjects enrolled, mainly presenting with viral hepatitis or mononucleosis-like syndrome, 20 resulted HIV positive (3.8% prevalence). A significant proportion of them had multiple conditions and advanced immunosuppression, with 40% being AIDS-presenters. As adherence to the screening campaign was modest for non-ID specialists, educational interventions to raise clinicians' sensitivity are urgently needed. HIV-ICs guided testing was confirmed as a useful tool, but a combined approach with other screening strategies seems to be essential for early HIV diagnosis.

Sarilumab plus standard of care vs standard of care for the treatment of severe COVID-19: a phase 3, randomized, open-labeled, multi-center study (ESCAPE study).

Background: Among interleukin-6 inhibitors suggested for use in COVID-19, there are few robust evidences for the efficacy of sarilumab. Herein, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of sarilumab in severe COVID-19. Methods: In this phase 3, open-labeled, randomized clinical trial, conducted at 5 Italian hospitals, adults with severe COVID-19 pneumonia (excluding mechanically ventilated) were randomized 2:1 to receive intravenous sarilumab (400 mg, repeatable after 12 h) plus standard of care (SOC) (arm A) or to continue SOC (arm B). Randomization was web-based. As post-hoc analyses, the participants were stratified according to baseline inflammatory parameters. The primary endpoint was analysed on the modified Intention-To-Treat population, including all the randomized patients who received any study treatment (sarilumab or SOC). It was time to clinical improvement of 2 points on a 7-points ordinal scale, from baseline to day 30. We used Kaplan Meier method and log-rank test to compare the primary outcome between two arms, and Cox regression stratified by clinical center and adjusted for severity of illness, to estimate the hazard ratio (HR). The trial was registered with EudraCT (2020-001390-76). Findings: Between May 2020 and May 2021, 191 patients were assessed for eligibility, of whom, excluding nine dropouts, 176 were assigned to arm A (121) and B (55). At day 30, no significant differences in the primary endpoint were found (88% [95% CI 81-94] in arm A vs 85% [74-93], HR 1.07 [0.8-1.5] in arm B; log-rank p = 0.50). After stratifying for inflammatory parameters, arm A showed higher probability of improvement than B without statistical significance in the strata with C reactive protein (CRP) < 7 mg/dL (88% [77-96] vs 79% [63-91], HR 1.55 [0.9-2.6]; log-rank p = 0.049) and in the strata with lymphocytes <870/mmc (90% [79-96]) vs (73% [55-89], HR 1.53 [0.9-2.7]; log-rank p = 0.058). Overall, 39/121 (32%) AEs were reported in arm A and 14/55 (23%) in B (p = 0.195), while serious AEs were 22/121 (18%) and 7/55 (11%), respectively (p = 0.244). There were no treatment-related deaths. Interpretation: The efficacy of sarilumab in severe COVID-19 was not demonstrated both in the overall and in the stratified for severity analysis population. Exploratory analyses suggested that subsets of patients with lower CRP values or lower lymphocyte counts might have had benefit with sarilumab treatment, but this finding would require replication in other studies. The relatively low rate of concomitant corticosteroid use, could partially explain our results. Funding: This study was supported by INMI "Lazzaro Spallanzani" Ricerca Corrente Linea 1 on emerging and reemerging infections, funded by Italian Ministry of Health.

Real World Estimate of Vaccination Protection in Individuals Hospitalized for COVID-19.

Whether vaccination confers a protective effect against progression after hospital admission for COVID-19 remains to be elucidated. Observational study including all the patients admitted to San Paolo Hospital in Milan for COVID-19 in 2021. Previous vaccination was categorized as: none, one dose, full vaccination (two or three doses >14 days before symptoms onset). Data were collected at hospital admission, including demographic and clinical variables, age-unadjusted Charlson Comorbidity index (CCI). The highest intensity of ventilation during hospitalization was registered. The endpoints were in-hospital death (primary) and mechanical ventilation/death (secondary). Survival analysis was conducted by means of Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models. Effect measure modification by age was formally tested. We included 956 patients: 151 (16%) fully vaccinated (18 also third dose), 62 (7%) one dose vaccinated, 743 (78%) unvaccinated. People fully vaccinated were older and suffering from more comorbidities than unvaccinated. By 28 days, the risk of death was of 35.9% (95%CI: 30.1−41.7) in unvaccinated, 41.5% (24.5−58.5) in one dose and 28.4% (18.2−38.5) in fully vaccinated (p = 0.63). After controlling for age, ethnicity, CCI and month of admission, fully vaccinated participants showed a risk reduction of 50% for both in-hospital death, AHR 0.50 (95%CI: 0.30−0.84) and for mechanical ventilation or death, AHR 0.49 (95%CI: 0.35−0.69) compared to unvaccinated, regardless of age (interaction p > 0.56). Fully vaccinated individuals in whom vaccine failed to keep them out of hospital, appeared to be protected against critical disease or death when compared to non-vaccinated. These data support universal COVID-19 vaccination.

Declining Mortality Rate of Hospitalised Patients in the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Epidemics in Italy: Risk Factors and the Age-Specific Patterns.

BACKGROUND: Mortality rate from COVID-19 in Italy is among the world's highest. We aimed to ascertain whether there was any reduction of in-hospital mortality in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 in the second-wave period (October 2020-January 2021) compared to the first one (February-May 2020); further, we verified whether there were clusters of hospitalised patients who particularly benefitted from reduced mortality rate. METHODS: Data collected related to in-patients' demographics, clinical, laboratory, therapies and outcome. Primary end-point was time to in-hospital death. Factors associated were evaluated by uni- and multivariable analyses. A flow diagram was created to determine the rate of in-hospital death according to individual and disease characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 1561 patients were included. The 14-day cumulative incidence of in-hospital death by competing risk regression was of 24.8% (95% CI: 21.3-28.5) and 15.9% (95% CI: 13.7-18.2) in the first and second wave. We observed that the highest relative reduction of death from first to second wave (more than 47%) occurred mainly in the clusters of patients younger than 70 years. CONCLUSIONS: Progress in care and supporting therapies did affect population over 70 years to a lesser extent. Preventive and vaccination campaigns should focus on individuals whose risk of death from COVID-19 remains high.

Incidence, Risk Factors and Impact on Clinical Outcomes of Bloodstream Infections in Patients Hospitalised with COVID-19: A Prospective Cohort Study.

With the aim of describing the burden and epidemiology of community-acquired/healthcare-associated and hospital-acquired bloodstream infections (CA/HCA-BSIs and HA-BSIs) in patients hospitalised with COVID-19, and evaluating the risk factors for BSIs and their relative impact on mortality, an observational cohort study was performed on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 at San Paolo Hospital in Milan, Italy from 24 February to 30 November 2020. Among 1351 consecutive patients hospitalised with COVID-19, 18 (1.3%) had CA/HCA-BSI and 51 (3.8%) HA-BSI for a total of 82 episodes of BSI. The overall incidence of HA-BSI was 3.3/1000 patient-days (95% CI 2.4-4.2). Patients with HA-BSI had a longer hospital stay compared to CA/HCA-BSI and no-BSI groups (27 (IQR 21-35) vs. 12 (7-29) vs. 9 (5-17) median-days, p < 0.001) but a similar in-hospital mortality (31% vs. 33% vs. 25%, p = 0.421). BSI was not associated with an increased risk of mortality (CA/HCA-BSI vs. non-BSI aOR 1.27 95% CI 0.41-3.90, p = 0.681; HA-BSI vs. non-BSI aOR 1.29 95% CI 0.65-2.54, p = 0.463). Upon multivariate analysis, NIMV/CPAP (aOR 2.09, 95% CI 1.06-4.12, p = 0.034), IMV (aOR 5.13, 95% CI 2.08-12.65, p < 0.001) and corticosteroid treatment (aOR 2.11, 95% CI 1.06-4.19, p = 0.032) were confirmed as independent factors associated with HA-BSI. Development of HA-BSI did not significantly affect mortality. Patients treated with corticosteroid therapy had double the risk of developing BSI.

Long-term positive effect of an educational antimicrobial stewardship program implemented in an Internal Medicine Department: a prospective analysis and a point prevalence survey on long-term effect.

The study aims to evaluate antimicrobial consumption and appropriateness one year after the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) program in an Internal Medicine Department in Milan. AMS program structured in two phases: "AMS phase", 5 months AMS-program based on an "audit-and-feedback model"; the "follow-up phase", 5 months long point prevalence survey conducted one year later. Outcomes of the study: antimicrobial consumption and appropriateness of antimicrobial therapy. Secondary outcomes: in-hospital mortality and length of stay (LOS). During the "AMS phase", we obtained a mean decrease of -11.4% of total antibiotic consumption as compared to the previous year (67.9 defined daily dose (DDD)/100 bed-days (bd) vs. 79.4 DDD/100bd, p = 0.07). Antibiotic consumption remained stable during "follow-up phase" (66.3 DDD/100bd, p = 0.9). Rate of appropriateness during the project increased from 48% to 85% (p < 0.01). No difference in in-hospital mortality and in LOS were observed. The study documents a positive long-term effect of AMS program on consumption and appropriate use of antibiotics.

Impact of daily versus weekly service of infectious diseases consultation on hospital antimicrobial consumption: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: To verify whether a daily service of Infectious Diseases consultation (ID-cons) is more effective than a weekly service in reducing antibiotic (ATB) consumption without worsening of clinical outcomes. METHODS: Two-year observational analysis of the ID-cons provided in a hospital setting in Milan, Italy. ID-cons resulted in: start-of-ATB; no-ATB; confirmation; modification-of-ATB. The impact of a weekly (September 1, 2016 - August 31, 2017 versus a daily (September 1, 2017 - September 30, 2018) service of ID-cons was evaluated in terms of: time-from-admission-to-first-ID-cons, type of ATB-intervention and number-of-ID-cons per 100 bed-days (bd). Primary outcomes: reduction of hospital ATB consumption overall and by department and classes expressed as Defined Daily Dose (DDD)/100bd (by Wilcoxon test for paired data). SECONDARY OUTCOMES: overall and sepsis-related in-hospital annual mortality rates (as death/patient's admissions). RESULTS: Overall 2552 ID-cons in 1111 patients (mean, 2.3 ID-cons per patient) were performed (18.6% weekly vs 81.4% daily). No differences in patient characteristics were observed. In the daily-service, compared to the weekly-service, patients were seen by the ID-consultant earlier (time-from-admission-to-ID-cons: 6 days (IQR 2-13) vs 10 days (IQR 6-19), p < 0.001) and ATB was more often started by the ID-consultant (Start-of-ATB: 11.6% vs 8%, p = 0.02), rather than treating physicians. After switching to daily-service, the number-of-ID-cons increased from 0.4/100bd to 1.5/100bd (p = 0.01), with the greatest increase in the emergency department (1.5/100bd vs 6.7/100bd, p < 0.001). Total ATB consumption decreased from 64 to 60 DDD/100bd. As for the number-of-cons, the consumption of ATB decreased mainly in the emergency area. According to ATB classes, glycopeptides consumption was reduced from 3.1 to 2.1 DDD/100bd (p = 0.02) while carbapenem use decreased from 3.7 to 3.1 DDD/100bd (p = 0.07). No changes in overall mortality (5.2% vs 5.2%) and sepsis-related mortality (19.3% vs 20.9%; p = 0.7) were observed among the two time-period. CONCLUSIONS: Daily-ID-cons resulted in a more comprehensive management of the infected patient by the ID-consultant, especially in the emergency area where we also observed the highest rate of reduction of ATB-usage. No change in mortality was observed.

The importance of patients' case-mix for the correct interpretation of the hospital fatality rate in COVID-19 disease.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to document data on the epidemiology and factors associated with clinical course leading to death of patients hospitalised with COVID-19. METHODS: Prospective observational cohort study on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 disease in February-24th/May-17th 2020 in Milan, Italy. Uni-multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed. Death's percentage by two-weeks' intervals according to age and disease severity was analysed. RESULTS: A total of 174/539 (32.3%) patients died in hospital over 8228 person-day follow-up; the 14-day Kaplan-Meier probability of death was 29.5% (95%CI: 25.5-34.0). Older age, burden of comorbidities, COVID-19 disease severity, inflammatory markers at admission were independent predictors of increased risk, while several drug-combinations were predictors of reduced risk of in-hospital death. The highest fatality rate, 36.5%, occurred during the 2nd-3rd week of March, when 55.4% of patients presented with severe disease, while a second peak, by the end of April, was related to the admission of older patients (55% ≥80 years) with less severe disease, 30% coming from long-term care facilities. CONCLUSIONS: The unusual fatality rate in our setting is likely to be related to age and the clinical conditions of our patients. These findings may be useful to better allocate resources of the national healthcare system, in case of re-intensification of COVID-19 epidemics.

Comorbidities and HCV coinfection in the management of HIV+ patients: evidence from the Italian clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Since HIV+ treatment has become more effective, the average age of people living with HIV (PLWHIV) has increased, and consequently the incidence of developing comorbidities, making the clinical and economic management of HIV+ patients more complex. Limited literature exists regarding the management of comorbidities costs. This study is aimed at defining and comparing the total annual costs of comorbidities, in an Italian cohort of HIV and HIV/HCV patients, from the National Healthcare Service perspective. The authors hypothesised that there are higher costs, for patients with multiple comorbidities, and a greater consumption of resources for HIV/HCV co-infected patients versus HIV mono-infected patients. METHODS: An observational retrospective multi-centre health-economics study, enrolling HIV+ and HIV/HCV consecutive patients with at least one comorbidity, was conducted. The consecutive cases, provided by three Italian infectious diseases centres, were related to the year 2016. The enrolled patients were on a stable antiviral therapy for at least six months. Demographic and clinical information was recorded. Costs related to HIV and HCV therapies, other treatments, medical examinations, hospitalizations and outpatient visits were evaluated. Data from mono-infected and co-infected groups of patients were compared, and the statistical analysis was performed by t-tests, chi-square and ANOVA. A sub-analysis excluding HCV therapy costs, was also conducted. The hierarchical sequential linear regression model was used to explore the determinants of costs, considering the investigated comorbidities. All analyses were conducted with a significant level of 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 676 patients, 82% male, mean age 52, were identified and divided into groups (338 mono-infected HIV+ and 338 co-infected HIV/HCV patients), comparable in terms of age, gender, and demographic characteristics. A trend towards higher annual costs, for patients with multiple comorbidities was observed in HIV mono-infected patients (respectively € 8272.18 for patients without comorbidities and € 12,532.49 for patients with three or more comorbidities, p-value: 0.001). Excluding anti-HCV therapies costs, HIV/HCV co-infected patients generally required more resources, with statistically significant differences related to cardiovascular events (€10,116.58 vs €11,004.28, p-value: 0.001), and neurocognitive impairments events (€7706.43 vs €11,641.29 p- value: < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a differentiated and comprehensive analysis of the healthcare resources needed by HIV and HIV/HCV patients with comorbidities and may contribute to the decision process of resources allocation, in the clinical management of different HIV+ patient populations.

PrEP in Italy: The time may be ripe but who's paying the bill? A nationwide survey on physicians' attitudes towards using antiretrovirals to prevent HIV infection.

Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of the oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with tenofovir (with or without emtricitabine) on preventing HIV-negative partners of HIV infected patients to become infected through sexual contacts. PrEP is already available in the United States and now is approved by European Medicine Agency. In this setting we would like to gauge physicians' knowledge, acquaintance with and attitude to include PrEP in their clinical practice. A cross sectional survey was conducted among Italian physicians expert on antiretroviral therapy. Out of 146 physicians, 35% of participants declared to be familiar with PrEP but only 46% of them believed that, currently, there are not enough reasons to make it available in Italy. 51% of physicians have already been attracted to prescribe it and 63.4% have been openly asked about PrEP. The main concerns noticed were: the risk of acquire other sexual transmitted diseases (STDs) (70% of physicians feared that PrEP could favor STDs spread), the potential harmful of PrEP if not adequately implemented and, especially the risk of possible side effects if not properly used. Nevertheless, 55.9% of participants believed that Health Authorities face an ethical obligation to make PrEP available as part of the strategies to protect from HIV transmission and half of the respondents asked for further researches to better define the role for PrEP. Attitudes regarding PrEP impact on Italian National Health Organization were also very interesting: 57.5% of participants did not believe that investing in PrEP would be an appropriate use of healthcare resources, while 70.6% affirmed that PrEP's financial coverage should not be funded by the Italian National System of Health (SSN). This survey showed a high awareness of PrEP potential among Italian physicians coupled with a great deal of skepticism about how and if implementing it in clinical practice.

Cardiovascular disease in women with HIV-1 infection.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in women, nevertheless it is often underestimated in female patients without overt risk factors. The chronic infection by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is clearly associated, along with the use of certain antiretroviral drugs and traditional risk factors, with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this manuscript is to review the epidemiology, risk factors, pathogenesis, diagnostic approach, primary and secondary prevention strategies of cardiovascular disease in HIV-negative and HIV-positive female subjects. The ultimate goal is to promote knowledge and development of specific and appropriate clinical interventions and guidelines in this group of high-risk patients, mostly in view of the expected growth of ageing females with HIV.

Clinical and viro-immunological correlates of HIV associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) in a cohort of antiretroviral-naïve HIV-infected patients.

The multifactorial pathogenesis of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders may explain the inconsistent association between neurocognitive impairment and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) HIV RNA. Clinical and viro-immunological (CSF and plasma HIV RNA, CSF/plasma HIV RNA ratio, circulating T-cell phenotypes) parameters were investigated in 155 HIV-infected, antiretroviral-naïve, asymptomatic study participants undergoing a neuropsychological evaluation. HIV associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) was independently associated with AIDS events and a CSF/plasma ratio of at least one, after adjustment for CD4 nadir of less than 200 cells/mmc, suggesting a role for active central nervous system (CNS) viral replication in the pathogenesis of neurocognitive impairment.

HIV Clinical Pathway: A New Approach to Combine Guidelines and Sustainability of Anti-Retroviral Treatment in Italy.

The present article describes the case study of a "real world" HIV practice within the debate concerning the strategic role of Clinical Governance (CG) tools in the management of a National Healthcare System's sustainability. The study aimed at assessing the impact of a Clinical Pathway (CP) implementation, required by the Regional Healthcare Service, in terms of effectiveness (virological and immunological conditions) and efficiency (economic resources absorption), from the budget holder perspective. Data derived from a multi-centre cohort of patients treated in 6 Hospitals that provided care to approximately 42% of the total HIV+ patients, in Lombardy Region, Italy. Two phases were compared: Pre-CP (2009-2010) vs. Post-CP implementation (2011-2012). All HIV infected adults, observed in the participating hospitals during the study periods, were enrolled and stratified into the 3 categories defined by the Regional CP: first-line, switch for toxicity/other, and switch for failure. The study population was composed of 1,284 patients (Pre-CP phase) and 1,135 patients (Post-CP phase). The results showed that the same level of virological and immunological effectiveness was guaranteed to HIV+ patients: 81.2% of Pre-CP phase population and 83.2% of Post-CP phase population had undetectable HIV-RNA (defined as <50 copies/mL) at 12-month follow up. CD4+ cell counts increased by 28 ± 4 cells/mm3 in Pre-CP Phase and 39 ± 5 cells/mm3 in Post-CP Phase. From an economic point of view, the CP implementation led to a substantial advantage: the mean total costs related to the management of the HIV disease (ART, hospital admission and laboratory tests) decreased (-8.60%) in the Post-CP phase (p-value < 0.0001). Results confirmed that the CP provided appropriateness and quality of care, with a cost reduction for the budget holder.

Sexual Activity Without Condoms and Risk of HIV Transmission in Serodifferent Couples When the HIV-Positive Partner Is Using Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy.

IMPORTANCE: A key factor in assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) as a prevention strategy is the absolute risk of HIV transmission through condomless sex with suppressed HIV-1 RNA viral load for both anal and vaginal sex. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the rate of within-couple HIV transmission (heterosexual and men who have sex with men [MSM]) during periods of sex without condoms and when the HIV-positive partner had HIV-1 RNA load less than 200 copies/mL. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The prospective, observational PARTNER (Partners of People on ART-A New Evaluation of the Risks) study was conducted at 75 clinical sites in 14 European countries and enrolled 1166 HIV serodifferent couples (HIV-positive partner taking suppressive ART) who reported condomless sex (September 2010 to May 2014). Eligibility criteria for inclusion of couple-years of follow-up were condomless sex and HIV-1 RNA load less than 200 copies/mL. Anonymized phylogenetic analysis compared couples' HIV-1 polymerase and envelope sequences if an HIV-negative partner became infected to determine phylogenetically linked transmissions. EXPOSURES: Condomless sexual activity with an HIV-positive partner taking virally suppressive ART. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Risk of within-couple HIV transmission to the HIV-negative partner. RESULTS: Among 1166 enrolled couples, 888 (mean age, 42 years [IQR, 35-48]; 548 heterosexual [61.7%] and 340 MSM [38.3%]) provided 1238 eligible couple-years of follow-up (median follow-up, 1.3 years [IQR, 0.8-2.0]). At baseline, couples reported condomless sex for a median of 2 years (IQR, 0.5-6.3). Condomless sex with other partners was reported by 108 HIV-negative MSM (33%) and 21 heterosexuals (4%). During follow-up, couples reported condomless sex a median of 37 times per year (IQR, 15-71), with MSM couples reporting approximately 22,000 condomless sex acts and heterosexuals approximately 36,000. Although 11 HIV-negative partners became HIV-positive (10 MSM; 1 heterosexual; 8 reported condomless sex with other partners), no phylogenetically linked transmissions occurred over eligible couple-years of follow-up, giving a rate of within-couple HIV transmission of zero, with an upper 95% confidence limit of 0.30/100 couple-years of follow-up. The upper 95% confidence limit for condomless anal sex was 0.71 per 100 couple-years of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among serodifferent heterosexual and MSM couples in which the HIV-positive partner was using suppressive ART and who reported condomless sex, during median follow-up of 1.3 years per couple, there were no documented cases of within-couple HIV transmission (upper 95% confidence limit, 0.30/100 couple-years of follow-up). Additional longer-term follow-up is necessary to provide more precise estimates of risk.

Effectiveness, durability, and safety of darunavir/ritonavir in HIV-1-infected patients in routine clinical practice in Italy: a postauthorization noninterventional study.

Current antiretroviral (ARV) therapy for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1)-infected patients provides long-term control of viral load (VL). Darunavir (DRV) is a nonpeptidomimetic protease inhibitor approved for use with a ritonavir booster (DRV/r). This study evaluated the effectiveness of DRV/r in combination with other ARV agents in routine clinical practice in Italy. In this descriptive observational study, data on utilization of DRV/r, under the conditions described in the marketing authorization, were collected from June 2009 to December 2012. Effectiveness (VL <50 copies/mL), tolerability, and durability in four patient groups (two DRV/r-experienced, one ARV-experienced DRV/r-naïve, and one ARV-naïve) were analyzed. Secondary objectives included immunological response, safety, and persistence/discontinuation rates. In total, 875 of 883 enrolled patients were included in the analysis: of these, 662 (75.7%) completed the follow-up until the end of 2012 and 213 (24.3%) withdrew from the study earlier. Initial DRV dose was 600 mg twice daily (67.1%) or 800 mg once daily (32.9%). Only 16 patients (1.8%) withdrew from the study due to virological failure. Virological response proportions were higher in patients virologically suppressed at study entry versus patients with baseline VL ≥50 copies/mL in each ARV-experienced group, while there was no consistent difference across study groups and baseline VL strata according to baseline CD4(+) cell count. CD4(+) cell count increased from study entry to last study visit in all the four groups. DRV/r was well tolerated, with few discontinuations due to study-emergent nonfatal adverse events (3.0% overall, including 2.1% drug-related) or deaths (3.0% overall, all non-drug-related); 35.3% of patients reported ≥1 adverse events. These observational data show that DRV/r was effective and well tolerated in the whole patient population described here. The DRV/r-containing regimen provided viral suppression in a high percentage of patients in all groups, with low rates of discontinuation due to virological failure.

[A qualitative content analysis of HIV consultation: when conversation is about aother than disease]. / Quando nella visita si parla d'altro: un'analisi qualitativa tematica nelle consultazioni con pazienti HIV positivi.

INTRODUCTION: In recent decades the literature has paid growing attention to the communicative and relational aspects of the medical consultation, showing a consistent presence - besides contents related to the disease and the patient's agenda - of friendly conversations or "chitchat", i.e. interventions related to social, relational and personal aspects made by the physician or by the patient. The aim of the study is to analyze the content, frequency and who between the doctor and the patient introduce the "chitchat" during the check-up visits with HIV+ patients and assess the patient satisfaction at the end of the visit. METHODS: 52 visits at the clinic of Infectious Diseases in a hospital in Northern Italy were videotaped and transcribed. All patients filled out a satisfaction questionnaire at the end of the visit. The friendly conversations were extrapolated, and analyzed qualitatively with a content thematic analysis, and quantitatively using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The following thematic areas were identified: patient's medical issue not related to HIV; medical condition of a family member or others; labour issues of the patient; patient's relational/emotional issues; relational/working issues work of others; social conversations; physician's self-disclosure. "Chitchat" accounted for 26.5% of the time of the visit and in 63% of cases was introduced by doctors. The 91.4% of the patients was highly satisfied. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of friendly conversations during the doctor-patient exchanges in the field of HIV infection seems to have a role of consolidation of the therapeutic relationship and seems to reflect an authentic interest of the physician towards the patient as a person.

Illness Representations of HIV Positive Patients Are Associated with Virologic Success.

Introduction: It is important for HIV positive patients to be engaged in their care and be adherent to treatment in order to reduce disease progression and mortality. Studies found that illness representations influence adherence through the mediating role of coping behaviors. However, no study has ever tested if patient engagement to the visits mediate the relationship between illness perceptions and adherence. This study aimed to explore illness representations of HIV positive patients and test the hypothesis that illness representations predict adherence through the mediating role of a component of behavioral engagement. Methods: HIV-positive patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for at least one year and presenting to a check-up visit were eligible to participate in the study. Patients completed the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised. Behavioral engagement was measured based on the patients' clinical attendance to the check-up visits; adherence to HAART was measured by viral load. Undetectable viral load or HIV-RNA < 40 copies/ml were considered indexes of virologic success. Results: A total of 161 patients participated in the study. Most of them coherently attributed the experienced symptoms to HIV/HAART; perceived their condition as chronic, stable, coherent, judged the therapy as effective, and attributed their disease to the HIV virus and to their behavior or bad luck. The majority of patients (80.1%) regularly attended check-up visits and 88.5% of them reached virologic success. The mediation model did not show good fit indexes. However, a significant direct effect of two independent variables on virologic success was found. Specifically, the perception that the disease does not have serious consequences on patient's life and the prevalence of negative emotions toward HIV were associated with virologic success. On the contrary, the patient's perception that the disease has serious consequences on his/her life and the prevalence of positive emotions were associated with virologic failure. This model showed good fit indexes (CFI = 1; TLI = 1; RMSEA = 0.00; and WRMSR = 0.309). Discussion: Results do not support the mediating role of behavioral engagement in the relationship between illness representations and adherence. As perception of serious consequences coupled with positive emotions are directly associated with virologic failure, clinicians should take them into account to promote treatment adherence.

Viro-immunological characterization of naïve patients with high cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) HIV RNA.

BACKGROUND: HIV can spread into the central nervous system (CNS) early in the course of infection and this turns into intrathecal inflammation and neuronal damage. We aimed to investigate clinical and immunological parameters associated with elevated CSF VL in HIV-infected ART-naïve patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HIV+ ART-naïve patients underwent a comprehensive battery of neurocognitive (NC) tests and lumbar puncture (LP) for CSF HIV-RNA detection. Plasma HIV-RNA and peripheral T-cell immune-phenotypes (CD38/CD45RA/CD45R0/CD127 on CD4/CD8) were also assessed (flow cytometry). High-CSF HIV RNA was defined as≥10000cp/mL (H-CSF), while CSF HIV RNA<10000cp/mL characterized low VL patients (L-CSF). Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were used. Parameters independently associated with CSF VL were explored by multivariate regression. RESULTS: A total of 131 patients were retrospectively enrolled. Forty-two patients (32%) had CSF VL >10000 cp/mL. CONCLUSIONS: We hereby describe a 32% prevalence of H-CSF in a cohort of HIV+ ART-naïve patients. Subjects with high-CSF viral replication are mostly with higher systemic immune activation, in particular the percentage of naïve CD8 T-cell is positively associated with CSF VL, irrespective of plasma VL. In HIV+ ART-naïve patients, especially if featuring a hyperactivated T-cell immune-phenotype, lumbar puncture should be considered to further guide CNS-targeted cART.