HIV infection and COVID-19: risk factors for severe disease.

: We performed an observational prospective monocentric study in patients living with HIV (PLWH) diagnosed with COVID-19. Fifty-four PLWH developed COVID-19 with 14 severe (25.9%) and five critical cases (9.3%), respectively. By multivariate analysis, age, male sex, ethnic origin from sub-Saharan Africa and metabolic disorder were associated with severe or critical forms of COVID-19. Prior CD4 T cell counts did not differ between groups. No protective effect of a particular antiretroviral class was observed.

Clinical recurrences of COVID-19 symptoms after recovery: Viral relapse, reinfection or inflammatory rebound?

For the first 3 months of COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 was expected to be an immunizing non-relapsing disease. We report a national case series of 11 virologically-confirmed COVID-19 patients having experienced a second clinically- and virologically-confirmed acute COVID-19 episode. According to the clinical history, we discuss either re-infection or reactivation hypothesis. Larger studies including further virological, immunological and epidemiologic data are needed to understand the mechanisms of these recurrences.

Real-World Efficacy of Daclatasvir and Sofosbuvir, With and Without Ribavirin, in HIV/HCV Coinfected Patients With Advanced Liver Disease in a French Early Access Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Efficacious, well-tolerated, direct antiviral agents have drastically changed the prognosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) disease, but real-world data for oral treatments are limited in key populations such as HIV/HCV coinfection with advanced liver disease. Daclatasvir (DCV) efficacy and safety was assessed in the French "Autorisation Temporaire d'Utilisation" (ATU) program, providing DCV ahead of market authorization to patients with advanced HCV disease without other treatment options. METHODS: This was a subanalysis of HIV/HCV coinfected ATU patients treated with DCV plus sofosbuvir (SOF). Recommended duration was 24 weeks; addition of ribavirin (RBV) and/or shorter treatment was at the physician's discretion. The primary efficacy analysis was sustained virologic response at posttreatment week 12 (SVR12; modified intention-to-treat). Safety was assessed by spontaneous adverse event reporting. RESULTS: The efficacy population (N = 407) was mostly cirrhotic (72%, of whom 18% were decompensated), HCV treatment-experienced (82%), and infected with genotypes 1 (69%), 3 (12%), or 4 (19%). Median CD4 was 555 cells/mm; 95% had HIV RNA <50 copies/mL. Most (74%) were treated for 24 weeks; 14% received RBV. SVR12 was 92% overall (95% confidence interval: 88.6% to 94.0%); 90% (86.4% to 93.2%) in patients with cirrhosis; 95% (88.9% to 97.5%) in patients without cirrhosis. SVR12 was consistent across HCV genotypes and antiretroviral regimens. Among 617 patients with safety data, 7 discontinued for an adverse event and 10 died. CONCLUSIONS: DCV+SOF±RBV achieved high SVR12 and was well tolerated in this large real-world cohort of HIV/HCV coinfected patients with advanced liver disease.

Facial skin pores: a multiethnic study.

Skin pores (SP), as they are called by laymen, are common and benign features mostly located on the face (nose, cheeks, etc) that generate many aesthetic concerns or complaints. Despite the prevalence of skin pores, related literature is scarce. With the aim of describing the prevalence of skin pores and anatomic features among ethnic groups, a dermatoscopic instrument, using polarized lighting, coupled to a digital camera recorded the major features of skin pores (size, density, coverage) on the cheeks of 2,585 women in different countries and continents. A detection threshold of 250 µm, correlated to clinical scorings by experts, was input into a specific software to further allow for automatic counting of the SP density (N/cm(2)) and determination of their respective sizes in mm(2). Integrating both criteria also led to establishing the relative part of the skin surface (as a percentage) that is actually covered by SP on cheeks. The results showed that the values of respective sizes, densities, and skin coverage: 1) were recorded in all studied subjects; 2) varied greatly with ethnicity; 3) plateaued with age in most cases; and 4) globally refected self-assessment by subjects, in particular those who self-declare having "enlarged pores" like Brazilian women. Inversely, Chinese women were clearly distinct from other ethnicities in having very low density and sizes. Analyzing the present results suggests that facial skin pore's morphology as perceived by human eye less result from functional criteria of associated appendages such as sebaceous glands. To what extent skin pores may be viewed as additional criteria of a photo-altered skin is an issue to be further addressed.

Telaprevir for HIV/hepatitis C virus-coinfected patients failing treatment with pegylated interferon/ribavirin (ANRS HC26 TelapreVIH): an open-label, single-arm, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: Retreatment with pegylated interferon (peg-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) results in poor sustained virological response (SVR) rates in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected patients. There are limited data regarding the use of telaprevir plus peg-IFN/RBV in this population. METHODS: HIV type 1-infected patients who previously failed ≥12 weeks of peg-IFN/RBV for HCV genotype 1 coinfection were enrolled in a single-arm, phase 2 trial. Patients with cirrhosis and previous null response were excluded. Authorized antiretrovirals were tenofovir, emtricitabine, efavirenz, atazanavir, and raltegravir. All patients received peg-IFN alfa-2a (180 µg/week) plus RBV (1000-1200 mg/day) for 4 weeks, followed by telaprevir (750 mg or 1125 mg every 8 hours with efavirenz) plus peg-IFN/RBV for 12 weeks and peg-IFN/RBV for 32-56 weeks according to virological response at week 8. The primary endpoint was the SVR rate at 24 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR24). RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients started treatment; SVR24 was achieved in 55 (80% [95% confidence interval, 68%-88%). SVR24 was not influenced by baseline fibrosis stage, IL28B genotype, antiretroviral regimen, HCV subtype, CD4 cell count, previous response to HCV treatment, HCV RNA level, or HCV RNA decline at week 4. HCV treatment was discontinued for adverse events (AEs) in 20% of patients, including cutaneous (4%), psychiatric (4%), hematological (6%), and other AEs (6%). Peg-IFN or RBV dose reduction was required in 23% and 43% of patients, respectively. Seventy percent of patients required erythropoietin, blood transfusions, or RBV dose reduction for anemia. Two patients died during the study. No HIV breakthrough was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a high discontinuation rate related to toxicity, a substantial proportion of treatment-experienced HIV-coinfected patients achieved SVR24 with a telaprevir-based regimen. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT01332955.

Comparison of liver fibrosis blood tests developed for HCV with new specific tests in HIV/HCV co-infection.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We compared 5 non-specific and 2 specific blood tests for liver fibrosis in HCV/HIV co-infection. METHODS: Four hundred and sixty-seven patients were included into derivation (n=183) or validation (n=284) populations. Within these populations, the diagnostic target, significant fibrosis (Metavir F > or = 2), was found in 66% and 72% of the patients, respectively. Two new fibrosis tests, FibroMeter HICV and HICV test, were constructed in the derivation population. RESULTS: Unadjusted AUROCs in the derivation population were: APRI: 0.716, Fib-4: 0.722, Fibrotest: 0.778, Hepascore: 0.779, FibroMeter: 0.783, HICV test: 0.822, FibroMeter HICV: 0.828. AUROCs adjusted on classification and distribution of fibrosis stages in a reference population showed similar values in both populations. FibroMeter, FibroMeter HICV and HICV test had the highest correct classification rates in F0/1 and F3/4 (which account for high predictive values): 77-79% vs. 70-72% in the other tests (p=0.002). Reliable individual diagnosis based on predictive values > or = 90% distinguished three test categories: poorly reliable: Fib-4 (2.4% of patients), APRI (8.9%); moderately reliable: Fibrotest (25.4%), FibroMeter (26.6%), Hepascore (30.2%); acceptably reliable: HICV test (40.2%), FibroMeter HICV (45.6%) (p<10(-3) between tests). FibroMeter HICV classified all patients into four reliable diagnosis intervals (< or =F1, F1+/-1, > or =F1, > or =F2) with an overall accuracy of 93% vs. 79% (p<10(-3)) for a binary diagnosis of significant fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Tests designed for HCV infections are less effective in HIV/HCV infections. A specific test, like FibroMeter HICV, was the most interesting test for diagnostic accuracy, correct classification profile, and a reliable diagnosis. With reliable diagnosis intervals, liver biopsy can therefore be avoided in all patients.

High frequency of integrase Q148R minority variants in HIV-infected patients naive of integrase inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Integrase positions 148 and 155 represent main determinants of resistance to integrase inhibitors. We assessed the prevalence of minority variants harboring such mutations in integrase-naive HIV-infected patients. METHODS: Two groups of patients were studied: 40 heavily antiretroviral-experienced patients, initiating a raltegravir-based therapy and 51 antiretroviral-naive patients. Allele-specific real-time PCR (AS-PCR) systems, developed for Q148H, Q148R and N155H mutations, were performed at baseline for antiretroviral-experienced patients. Samples from antiretroviral-naive patients were tested with the Q148R AS-PCR assay. RESULTS: The limits of detection of AS-PCR systems were 0.10, 0.10 and 0.05% for Q148H, Q148R and N155H mutations, respectively. AS-PCR systems were successful in 79 of 91 samples. In antiretroviral-experienced patients, Q148R minority variants were frequently detected (26/32 patients, 81%) at low-level frequency (median = 0.40%), whereas no minority variants exhibiting Q148H or N155H mutation were found. Twenty-four of 26 patients exhibiting Q148R variants were virological responders but four of them displayed a delayed virological response occurring between W18 and W36. Two patients exhibited virological failure under raltegravir, both harboring Q148R minority variants at baseline. However, we did not find any association between the presence of Q148R minority variants and an increased risk of virological failure. Q148R minority variants were also found in 86% of antiretroviral-naive patients, a prevalence significantly higher than that of K103N minority variants (26%). CONCLUSION: Q148R variants were frequently detected, always at low-level, in antiretroviral-experienced and naive patients. Although their presence was not consistently associated with virological failure, their impact on long-term viral suppression needs to be further investigated.

Alteration of cytochrome oxidase subunit I labeling is associated with severe mitochondriopathy in NRTI-related hepatotoxicity in HIV patients.

Liver mitochondrial toxicity induced by nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients has been associated with a wide range of liver involvement ranging from low-grade hepatotoxicity, asymptomatic lactacidemia to severe liver insufficiency, with massive steatosis and life-threatening lactic acidosis. Considerable efforts have been made in the last few years to establish clinical guidelines to avoid life-threatening NRTI-associated lactic acidosis. However, the important issue of low-grade NRTI-associated hepatotoxicity still needs to be unravelled since its natural history is largely unknown. We have recently reported a series of 13 monoinfected HIV patients with low-grade NRTI-associated toxicity. Our results outlined the heterogeneity of NRTI-induced hepatotoxicity and raised the question of its diagnosis. The present study evaluates the expression of cytochrome oxidase (COX) subunits I and IV, encoded by mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, respectively, in NRTI hepatotoxicity. The aim of our study was to compare the detection rate of mitochondrial abnormalities of immunohistochemistry for COX subunit I with electron microscopy. COX subunit I and IV labeling was performed together with light microscopy and ultrastructural analysis in a series of 55 liver biopsies from HIV monoinfected and HIV-hepatitis C virus coinfected patients. Clinical data were also recorded. Our major findings were: (i) decreased COX subunit I labeling is associated with severe ultrastructural mitochondrial alterations and may represent overt NRTI-induced mitochondrial cytopathy; (ii) mild ultrastructural damage associated with normal COX subunit I labeling is of unknown clinical significance. The results of the study suggest that COX subunit I labeling may be a valuable tool for the diagnosis of mitochondrial liver disease in HIV patients.

Capacitance imaging of the skin surface.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: A new device allowing recording capacitance images of the skin surface was recently presented. Parameters, extracted from the gray-level histogram of the images, are tested for a new approach of skin surface hydration measurement in comparison with the classical capacitance method. Illustration of the interest of having both images and parameters for studying the homogeneity and the level of skin surface hydration are presented. METHODS: Software for selecting a region of interest from an image and measuring the parameters derived from its gray-level histogram was used to characterize skin hydration. RESULTS: There is a very close correlation between a Corneometer and the parameters extracted from the SkinChip measurements. The importance of having capacitance images of skin is demonstrated in case of non-homogeneity of the skin hydration, either because of photoaging or following an inflammation process. CONCLUSION: Capacitance imaging is a necessary tool for both completely describing and quantifying skin surface hydration.

Sexually transmitted acute infection with a clustered genotype 4 hepatitis C virus in HIV-1-infected men and inefficacy of early antiviral therapy.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested an increased risk of acute hepatitis C (HCV) infection in homosexual HIV-infected men and that early treatment with standard or pegylated interferon-alfa, alone or associated with ribavirin, significantly reduces the risk of chronic evolution in HIV-infected patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 12 HIV-infected patients who were consecutively diagnosed as developing acute HCV infection, defined by both seroconversion of anti-HCV antibodies and detection of serum HCV RNA in those with previous negative results. Ten of these patients received early antiviral treatment with standard or pegylated interferon-alfa, alone or associated with ribavirin. RESULTS: The only risk factor in these patients was unprotected sexual intercourse with men. Acute HCV infection was asymptomatic in 10 patients, and the HCV genotype was 4d in 10 patients. The 10 genotype 4d viruses formed a monophylogenetic group and clustered separately from other local sequences of HCV genotype 4d, suggesting a common source of infection. None of the 10 patients who were treated early with antiviral therapy had a sustained virological response, as defined by undetectable HCV RNA 6 months after therapy. CONCLUSIONS: There is a risk of sexual transmission of HCV in HIV-infected men who have sex with men; the cluster of HCV genotype 4d suggested a common source of infection and a failure in prevention counselling. Early treatment with standard interferon-alfa failed to prevent chronic evolution of HCV infection in this particular group of HIV-infected patients who had acquired this peculiar cluster of genotype 4 strains.

[Mitochondrial hepatic toxicity associated with antiretroviral treatment]. / Toxicité mitochondriale hépatique associée au traitement par les antirétroviraux.

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has become the gold standard treatment of HIV/AIDS infection. NRTI-related mitochondrial toxicity has been recognized as a serious adverse effect of HAART. The mechanisms underlying NRTI-induced mitochondriopathy involve the inhibition of the human DNA polymerase gamma mtDNA mutations and oxidative stress. The clinical spectrum of NRTI-related toxicity ranges from a subclinical disease e.g. mild hepatic abnormalities, to a rare life-threatening condition with lactic acidosis and hepatic insufficiency. In the latter, liver histology shows massive steatosis. Ultrastructural assessment of mitochondrial abnormalities may be of help to address the NRTI toxicity in poorly symptomatic patients. Efforts have been recently made to assess the clinical relevance of non-invasive tests including the evaluation of mtDNA or mitochondrial functions in peripheral blood mononuclear cells for the diagnosis of NRTI-associated toxicity.

Sustained exacerbation of cryoglobulinaemia-related vasculitis following treatment of hepatitis C with peginterferon alfa.

Peginterferon is now the gold standard of therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Extrahepatic manifestations of HCV are usually treated with interferon alfa. Here we report on a patient with HCV-related cirrhosis and cryoglobulinaemia who presented with an acute and long-lasting exacerbation of vasculitis during treatment with peginterferon. To our knowledge this is the first report of an acute exacerbation of cryoglobulinaemia-related vasculitis involving skin, peripheral nerve and kidney in a patient treated with peginterferon for HCV-related cirrhosis. The long half-life of peginterferon might explain the long-lasting symptoms of vasculitis. Clinicians should be aware of possible sustained flare of cryoglobulinaemia-associated vasculitis in patients receiving peginterferon.

Toxic effects of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors on the liver. Value of electron microscopy analysis for the diagnosis of mitochondrial cytopathy.

Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) induce mitochondrial toxic effects resulting in multiple organ disorders. Liver involvement has been associated mainly with severe lactic acidosis and massive steatosis. However, patients with HIV infection who are receiving antiretroviral treatment frequently have mildly abnormal liver test results that, to date, have not been linked unambiguously to the toxic effects of NRTIs. Thirteen patients with HIV infection treated with NRTI-based regimens had low-grade abnormal liver test results associated with digestive and nonspecific general symptoms. Histologic examination of liver samples showed diffuse steatosis in only 6 cases and mild steatosis in the remaining cases, associated with megamitochondria, mild lobular inflammation and necrosis, Mallory bodies, and perisinusoidal fibrosis. In all cases, ultrastructural study disclosed mitochondrial abnormalities. Our work demonstrates that NRTI-induced toxic effects in the liver may occur as indolent nonspecific disease with variable histologic features and emphasizes the diagnostic value of electron microscopy, particularly when diffuse steatosis is absent.

Influence of age on the wrinkling capacities of skin.

BACKGROUND: Comparisons of clinical assessment with measurement of physical parameters are rare. OBJECTIVE: To standardize the horizontal wrinkling of the skin in order to define a reference chart of the different wrinkling grades and to propose an interpretation of the clinical pattern in terms of skin layers thickness and mechanical parameters. METHODS: A device allowing reproducible wrinkling of the skin was made. The skin folds created in this way were clinically assessed on women of different ages. Measurements of the mechanical properties of the skin were carried out by using a Torquemeter. Skin layers' thicknesses were measured by using in vivo Confocal Microscopy (CM) and Ultrasound Imaging (B mode). RESULTS: Skin wrinkling grades increase versus age. Skin elasticity, extensibility and echogenicity decrease also versus age and the wrinkling grade. Wrinkling appears to be related to skin rigidification (for both stratum corneum and dermis) coupled to a certain weakening of the upper dermis (loss of echogenicity). CONCLUSION: This study points out the key role of the age-related alterations of the upper dermis in skin wrinkling capacities.

A computational skin model: fold and wrinkle formation.

This paper presents a computational model for studying the mechanical properties of skin with aging. In particular, attention is given to the folding capacity of skin, which may be manifested as wrinkles. The simulation provides visual results demonstrating the form and density of folds under the various conditions. This can help in the consideration of proper measures for a cosmetic product for the skin.