Altered white matter microstructure and neurocognitive function of HIV-infected patients with low nadir CD4.

Altered white matter microstructure has been reported repeatedly using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. However, the associations between neurocognitive deficits and impaired white matter remains obscure due to frequent physical and psychiatric comorbidities in the patients. Severe immune suppression, reflected by low nadir CD4 T-cell counts, is reported to be associated with the neurocognitive deficits in the patients. In the present study, we examined white matter integrity using DTI and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), and neurocognitive functions using a battery of tests, in 15 HIV-infected patients with low nadir CD4, 16 HIV-infected patients with high nadir CD4, and 33 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. As DTI measures, we analyzed fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). In addition, we investigated the correlation between white matter impairments and neurocognitive deficits. Among the three participant groups, the patients with low nadir CD4 showed significantly lower performance in processing speed and motor skills, and had significantly increased MD in widespread regions of white matter in both hemispheres. In the patients with low nadir CD4, there was a significant negative correlation between motor skills and MD in the right motor tracts, as well as in the corpus callosum. In summary, this study may provide white matter correlates of neurocognitive deficits in HIV-infected patients with past severe immune suppression as legacy effects.

Neurocognitive impairment and gray matter volume reduction in HIV-infected patients.

Although neuropsychological studies of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients have demonstrated heterogeneity in neurocognitive impairment and neuroimaging studies have reported diverse brain regions affected by HIV, it remains unclear whether individual differences in neurocognitive impairment are underpinned by their neural bases. Here, we investigated spatial distribution patterns of correlation between neurocognitive function and regional gray matter (GM) volume across patients with HIV. Thirty-one combination antiretroviral therapy-treated HIV-infected Japanese male patients and 33 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included in the analysis after strict exclusion criteria, especially for substance use. Fifteen neurocognitive tests were used, and volumetric magnetic resonance imaging was performed. We used voxel-based morphometry to compare GM volume between groups and identify regional GM volumes that correlated with neurocognitive tests across patients. Using the Frascati criteria, 10 patients were diagnosed with asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment, while the others were not diagnosed with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. Patients showed a significantly lower performance in five neurocognitive tests as well as significantly reduced GM volume relative to controls, with volume-reduced regions spread diffusely across the whole brain. Different aspects of neurocognitive impairment (i.e., figural copy, finger tapping, and Pegboard) were associated with different GM regions. Our findings suggest a biological background constituting heterogeneity of neurocognitive impairment in HIV infection and support the clinical importance of considering individual differences for tailor-made medicine for people living with HIV.

Implementation of mental health service has an impact on retention in HIV care: a nested case-control study in a japanese HIV care facility.

BACKGROUND: Poor retention in the care of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is associated with adverse patient outcomes such as antiretroviral therapy failure and death. Therefore, appropriate case management is required for better patient retention; however, which intervention in case management is important has not been fully investigated. Meanwhile, in Japan, each local government is required to organize mental health services for patients with HIV so that a case manager at an HIV care facility can utilize them, but little is known about the association between implementation of the services and loss to follow-up. Therefore, we investigated that by a nested case-control study. METHODS: The target population consisted of all patients with HIV who visited Osaka National Hospital, the largest HIV care facility in western Japan, between 2000 and 2010. Loss to follow-up was defined as not returning for follow-up care more than 1 year after the last visit. Independent variables included patient demographics, characteristics of the disease and treatment, and whether the patients have received mental health services. For each case, three controls were randomly selected and matched. RESULTS: Of the 1620 eligible patients, 88 loss to follow-up cases were identified and 264 controls were matched. Multivariate-adjusted conditional logistic regression revealed that loss to follow-up was less frequent among patients who had received mental health services implemented by their case managers (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 0.35 [0.16-0.76]). Loss to follow-up also occurred more frequently in patients who did not receive antiretroviral therapy (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 7.51 [3.34-16.9]), who were under 30 years old (2.74 [1.36-5.50]), or who were without jobs (3.38 [1.58-7.23]). CONCLUSION: Mental health service implementation by case managers has a significant impact on patient retention.

Problems in three Japanese drug users with Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection.

Numbers of individuals infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are increasing in Japan. The majority of them are Men who have sex with men and a part of them take drugs as 'Sex drug' at their sexual intercourse. Especially, Amyl nitrite, Methamphetamine, 5-methoxy-N, N-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT; Foxy), and 3, 4-methylenedioxy- methamphetamine (MDMA; Ecstasy) are used, and they sometimes cause the physical and mental disorders. However, the actual drug inducing troubles among Japanese HIV-infected drug users had not yet been discussed enough. In this report, we describe three cases with HIV infection; a case developed severe neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) after taking 5-MeO-DIPT, a case with persistent convulsion due to multiple drug intake and a case with rhabdomyolysis due to the non-subjective methamphetamine intake. Through these cases, we raise and discuss several underlying problems associated with drug use among HIV-infected individuals.