Daily adjunctive therapy with vitamin D3 and phenylbutyrate supports clinical recovery from pulmonary tuberculosis: a randomized controlled trial in Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: Immunotherapy using vitamin D (vitD3 ) and phenylbutyrate (PBA) may support standard drug regimens used to treat infectious diseases. We investigated if vitD3 + PBA enhanced clinical recovery from pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Patients with smear-positive or smear-negative TB received daily oral supplementation with 5000 IU vitD3 and 2 × 500 mg PBA or placebo for 16 weeks, together with 6-month chemotherapy. Primary end-point: reduction of a clinical composite TB score at week 8 compared with baseline using modified intention-to-treat (mITT, n = 348) and per-protocol (n = 296) analyses. Secondary end-points: primary and modified TB scores (week 0, 4, 8, 16, 24), sputum conversion, radiological findings and plasma 25(OH)D3 concentrations. RESULTS: Most subjects had low baseline plasma 25(OH)D3 levels that increased gradually in the vitD3 + PBA group compared with placebo (P < 0.0001) from week 0 to 16 (mean 34.7 vs. 127.4 nmol L-1 ). In the adjusted mITT analysis, the primary TB score was significantly reduced in the intervention group at week 8 (-0.52, 95% CI -0.93, -0.10; P = 0.015) while the modified TB score was reduced at week 8 (-0.58, 95% CI -1.02, -0.14; P = 0.01) and 16 (-0.34, 95% CI -0.64, -0.03; P = 0.03). VitD3 + PBA had no effect on longitudinal sputum-smear conversion (P = 0.98). Clinical adverse events were more common in the placebo group (24.3%) compared with the vitD3 + PBA group (12.6%). CONCLUSION: Daily supplementation with vitD3 + PBA may ameliorate clinical TB symptoms and disease-specific complications, while the intervention had no effect on bacterial clearance in sputum.

Pharmacogenetic and pharmacokinetic aspects of CYP3A induction by efavirenz in HIV patients.

We investigated the effects of pharmacogenetic variations and efavirenz pharmacokinetics on inter-individual differences in the extent of CYP3A induction by efavirenz using 4ß-hydroxycholesterol/cholesterol (4ß-OHC/Chol) as a marker for CYP3A induction. Plasma 4ß-hydroxycholesterol and cholesterol concentrations were determined at baseline, and at the 4th, 16th and 48th week of efavirenz-based highly active antiretroviral therapy in antiretroviral therapy-naive HIV patients (n=77). Efavirenz plasma concentrations were quantified at weeks 4 and 16. CYP2B6, CYP3A5, ABCB1, UGT2B7 genotyping were done. Compared with baseline, the median plasma 4ß-OHC/Chol ratio increased at the 4th (257%), 16th (291%) and 48th (165%) week (P<0.0001). CYP2B6*6 genotype significantly influenced 4ß-OHC/Chol ratio at weeks 16 (P=0.02) and 48 (P=0.04) being highest in CYP2B6*6/*6>*1/*6>*1/*1. There were positive correlations between plasma efavirenz and 4ß-OHC/Chol ratios (week 4: P=0.02, week 16: P=0.001). CYP3A enzyme induction by efavirenz is pronounced in CYP2B6 slow metabolizers who have high efavirenz plasma exposure.

High plasma efavirenz level and CYP2B6*6 are associated with efavirenz-based HAART-induced liver injury in the treatment of naïve HIV patients from Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study.

The objective of this study was to assess the incidence, timing and identify pharmacogenetic, efavirenz (EFV) pharmacokinetic and biochemical predictors of EFV-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) drug-induced liver injury (DILI). ART-naïve HIV patients (n = 285) were prospectively enrolled. Pretreatment laboratory evaluations included hepatitis B surface antigen and C antibody, CD4 count and viral load. Liver tests were done at baseline, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 8th, 12th, 24th and 48th weeks during ART. Plasma EFV and 8-hydroxyefvairenz concentration was determined at week 4 using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. CYP2B6, CYP3A5, ABCB1 3435C/T and UGT2B7*2 genotyping was done using Taqman genotyping assay. Data were analyzed using survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards model. The incidence of DILI was 15.7% or 27.9 per 100 person-years and that of severe injury was 3.4% or 6.13 per 100 person-years. The median time for the development of DILI and severe injury was 2 and 4 weeks after initiation of ART, respectively. There was significant association of DILI with lower baseline platelet, albumin, log plasma viral load and CD4 count (P = 0.031, 0.037, 0.06 and 0.019, respectively). Elevated baseline alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, plasma EFV level and CYP2B6*6 were good predictors for the development of DILI (P = 0.03, 0.01, 0.016, 0.017 and 0.04, respectively). We report for the first time CYP2B6*6 as a putative genetic marker and high plasma EFV concentration as intermediate biomarker for vulnerability to EFV-induced liver injury in HIV patients. CYP2B6 genotyping and/or regular monitoring of EFV and lever enzymes level during early therapy is advised for early diagnosis and management of DILI.

Pattern of skin disease in Ethiopian HIV-infected patients on combination antiretroviral therapy: A cross-sectional study in a dermatology referral hospital.

Background: More than 90% of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients will develop at least one type of skin disorder during the course of the disease. The prevalence and severity of skin disease commonly seen in HIV-infected patients has decreased in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Few studies in Ethiopia have shown the magnitude of skin problems among adult patients on cART. The aim of this study is to describe the pattern of skin disease among adult patients who are on cART. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study at ALERT Hospital from April 2018 to November 2018. Patterns of clinically diagnosed skin diseases were summarized descriptively. Result: A total of 572 patients were evaluated. In total, 412 (72%) were female and the mean age of study participants was 40 (SD = 10.4). The median CD4 count at the time of diagnosis and start of cART were 178 (R 5-2000) and 168 cells/µl (R 5-1327), respectively. The mean duration of cART was 8 (SD = 3) years. 89.3% of patients were on first line and 7% on second line of cART regimen. Noninfectious inflammatory skin disorders (40.9%) were the most common concomitant diagnosis followed by infectious diseases (34.9%), infestation (7.7%), pigmentary disorders (6.3%) and cutaneous drug eruption (0.7%), respectively. Among the inflammatory skin disorders, 56.5% presented with eczema. One patient had Kaposi sarcoma. Conclusion: Noninfectious inflammatory skin disorders are the most common concomitant skin disease in HIV-infected patients, with eczema being most prevalent. Infectious skin diseases were also common presentations. In our study, AIDS-defining skin conditions were rare.

A clinical isolate of Leishmania donovani with ITS1 sequence polymorphism as a cause of para-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis in an Ethiopian human immunodeficiency virus-positive patient on highly active antiretroviral therapy.

The diagnosis of para-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL/VL), either as an immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS)-associated syndrome or as a complication of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) during human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection in patients with or without highly active antiretroviral therapy, represents a challenge for prompt treatment. The aim of this study was to identify the causative Leishmania species and to clarify whether the post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL)-like lesions appeared as a result of IRIS or not. A 31-year-old Ethiopian male patient, with stage IV HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), was clinically diagnosed with PKDL/VL. He had developed a generalized maculopapular rash on his face after initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy. The Leishmania isolate obtained from the skin lesions was analysed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and sequencing of the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and partial coding sequences of the heat shock protein 70 gene (hsp70). Restriction analysis of the ITS1 PCR product gave a unique RFLP pattern not seen before for any Leishmania isolate. Sequencing of both the ITS1 and hsp70 PCR products identified the causative species as Leishmania donovani, and further revealed the existence of five different sequence variants of the ITS1 among the 10 clones sequenced. The results indicate that PKDL/VL resulted from an infection by L. donovani. The sequence variants of ITS1 might be due to the presence of multiple strains/clones or the existence of intragenomic variations in the multicopy ITS1, or a combination of both.