High acceptability and viral suppression rate for first-Line patients on a dolutegravir-based regimen: An early adopter study in Nigeria.

Nigeria adopted dolutegravir (DTG) as part of first line (1L) antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2017. However, there is limited documented experience using DTG in sub-Saharan Africa. Our study assessed DTG acceptability from the patient's perspective as well as treatment outcomes at 3 high-volume facilities in Nigeria. This is a mixed method prospective cohort study with 12 months of follow-up between July 2017 and January 2019. Patients who had intolerance or contraindications to non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors were included. Patient acceptability was assessed through one-on-one interviews at 2, 6, and 12 months following DTG initiation. ART-experienced participants were asked about side effects and regimen preference compared to their previous regimen. Viral load (VL) and CD4+ cell count tests were assessed according to the national schedule. Data were analysed in MS Excel and SAS 9.4. A total of 271 participants were enrolled on the study, the median age of participants was 45 years, 62% were female. 229 (206 ART-experienced, 23 ART-naive) of enrolled participants were interviewed at 12 months. 99.5% of ART-experienced study participants preferred DTG to their previous regimen. 32% of particpants reported at least one side effect. "Increase in appetite" was most frequently reported (15%), followed by insomnia (10%) and bad dreams (10%). Average adherence as measured by drug pick-up was 99% and 3% reported a missed dose in the 3 days preceding their interview. Among participants with VL results (n = 199), 99% were virally suppressed (<1000 copies/ml), and 94% had VL <50 copies/ml at 12 months. This study is among the first to document self-reported patient experiences with DTG in sub-Saharan Africa and demonstrated high acceptability of DTG-based regimens among patients. The viral suppression rate was higher than the national average of 82%. Our findings support the recommendation of DTG-based regimen as the preferred 1L ART.

The hard part we often forget: providing care to children and adolescents with advanced HIV disease.

INTRODUCTION: Many children and adolescents living with HIV still present with severe immunosuppression with morbidity and mortality remaining high in those starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) when hospitalized. DISCUSSION: The major causes of morbidity and mortality in children living with HIV are pneumonia, tuberculosis, bloodstream infections, diarrhoeal disease and severe acute malnutrition. In contrast to adults, cryptococcal meningitis is rare in children under 5 years of age but increases in adolescence. In 2021, the World Health Organizations (WHO) consolidated guidelines for managing HIV disease and rapid ART included recommendations for children and adolescents. In addition, a WHO technical brief released in 2020 highlighted the various interventions that are specifically related to children and adolescents with advanced HIV disease (AHD). We discuss the common clinical presentations of children and adolescents with AHD with a focus on diagnosis, prevention and treatment, highlight some of the challenges in the implementation of the existing package of care, and emphasize the importance of additional research to address the needs of children and adolescents with AHD. CONCLUSIONS: There are limited data informing these recommendations and an urgent need for further research on how to implement optimal strategies to ensure tailored approaches to prevent and treat AHD in children and adolescents. Holistic care that goes beyond a simple choice of ART regimen should be provided to all children and adolescents with AHD.

Association of in utero antibiotic exposure on childhood ear infection trajectories: Results from a national birth cohort study.

AIM: Most prescribed medicines during pregnancy are antibiotics, with unknown effects on a fetus and on the infant's acquired microbiome. This study investigates associations between in utero antibiotic exposure and ear infection trajectories over the first decade of life, hypothesising effects on early or persistent, rather than later-developing, ear infections. METHODS: Design and participants: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children birth cohort recruited a nationally-representative sample of 5107 infants in 2004. MEASURES: Mothers reported antibiotic use in pregnancy when a child was 3-21 months old (wave 1), and ongoing problems with ear infection every 2 years spanning ages 0-1 to 10-11 years (waves 1-6). ANALYSIS: Latent class models identified ear infection trajectories, and univariable and multivariable multinomial logistic regression determined odds of adverse trajectories by antibiotic exposure. RESULTS: A total of 4500 (88.1% of original sample) children contributed (mean baseline age 0.7 years; 51.3% boys); 10.4% of mothers reported antibiotic use in pregnancy. Four probability trajectories for ear infection emerged: 'consistently low' (86.2%), 'moderate to low' (5.6%), 'low to moderate' (6.7%) and 'consistently high' (1.4%). Antibiotic use in pregnancy was associated with children following 'consistently high' (adjusted odds ratio 2.04, 95% confidence interval 1.08-3.88, P = 0.03) and 'moderate to low' (adjusted odds ratio 1.78, 95% confidence interval 1.25-2.53, P = 0.001) trajectories. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic use in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of persistent and early childhood ear infections. This highlights the wisdom of cautious antibiotic use during pregnancy, and the need for the study of potential mechanisms underlying these associations.

High acceptability and viral suppression of patients on Dolutegravir-based first-line regimens in pilot sites in Uganda: A mixed-methods prospective cohort study.

Uganda adopted the integrase inhibitor dolutegravir (DTG) as part its preferred first-line HIV treatment regimen in 2018. Prior to the national rollout, the Uganda Ministry of Health and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) launched a pilot study in July 2017 aimed at better understanding patients' and prescribers' experience and acceptability of DTG. Patients were enrolled in the study if they were newly initiating treatment or switched from an NNRTI regimen due to intolerance. Patients were followed up for 6 months after initiation onto DTG and acceptability and experiences were assessed through questionnaires at one-month and six-month follow-up visits. In addition to acceptability side effects of patients on DTG regimens were assessed. Analysis was conducted using MS Excel and SAS 9.4 and confidence intervals were adjusted for facility level clustering. A total of 365 patients from 6 study sites were enrolled in the study, of whom 50% were treatment-experienced and 50% treatment naïve. 325 patients completed the 6 months of follow-up. Survey results showed a high level of acceptability (more than 90%) of DTG-containing regimens for both categories of patients during the from one-month and six-months interviews. The rate of self-reported side effects amongst patients was 33% overall and higher for experienced (37%) than naïve (29%) patients at 6 months. Although frequencies declined between month-1 and month-6, the changes were not statistically significant. Almost all patients (94%) were virally suppressed at 6 months. Overall, the study findings showed a very high level of acceptability of Dolutegravir-based regimens across both experienced and naïve patients. The overall viral suppression rate in this cohort was 94% at six months of taking DTG-based regimen.

Advanced HIV: diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Substantial progress has been made this century in bringing millions of people living with HIV into care, but progress for early HIV diagnosis has stalled. Individuals first diagnosed with advanced HIV have higher rates of mortality than those diagnosed at an earlier stage even after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART), resulting in substantial costs to health systems. Diagnosis of these individuals is hindered because many patients are asymptomatic, despite being severely immunosuppressed. Baseline CD4 counts and screening for opportunistic infections, such as tuberculosis and cryptococcus, is crucial because of the high mortality associated with these co-infections. Individuals with advanced HIV should have rapid ART initiation (except when found to have symptoms, signs, or a diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis) and those in treatment failure should switch treatment. Overcoming barriers to testing and adherence through the development of differentiated care models and providing psychosocial support will be key in reaching populations at high risk of presenting with advanced HIV.

The impact of the national action plan on the epidemiology of antibiotic resistance among 352,238 isolates in a teaching hospital in China from 2015 to 2018.

Background: We sought to understand the epidemiology and characteristics of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the impact of the National Action Plan (NAP) on AMR. This information will be critical to develop interventions and strengthen antibiotic stewardship in hospital settings in China. Methods: Cross-sectional data collection from the hospital information management system from 1 January 2015 to 30 August 2018. Variables included patient age, sex, diagnosis, hospital department and antibiotic sensitivity test. T-test for two samples method was applied to compare the results before and after NAP implementation. Multivariate analysis with binary logistic regression was conducted to examine the associations of risk factors for antimicrobial resistance. Results: In total there were 352,238 isolates in the final analysis after excluding contamination strains and isolates with incomplete information. More than 50% of patients were > 66 years old. 62% were male. 40% of the total samples were sputum. Among the total sample, the total resistance rate was 42% among all isolates. The rate of resistance to all antibiotics declined by 5.3% (95% CI 4.96-5.64%, p < 0.0001) and culture positivity rate declined by 9.8% (95% CI 9.22-10.34%, p < 0.0001) after NAP. Logistical regression showed that the NAP had effect with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.76 (95% CI 0.71-0.81, p = 0.002). Being male, age > 65 years, ICU department, diagnosed with certain diseases were more likely to be associated with antimicrobial resistance. Conclusions: Antibiotic resistance rates were high in this teaching hospital. However, the introduction of the China NAP since 2016 followed by hospital policy emphasis was associated with a declining AMR trend. Policies will need to incorporate antimicrobial stewardship with a focus on certain departments, with infection control practices and with increases in vaccination coverage among elderly.

Intimate partner violence and utilization of maternal health care services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Despite its prominence, intimate partner violence (IPV) against women has received little attention in Ethiopia. And as many of sub-Saharan African countries, maternal health care services utilization remains poor. Full access and utilization of maternal health care services is a key to significant reduction in maternal and child mortality, and eliminate new HIV infection in infants. Identifying the factors that contribute to the poor access and utilization should aid the design of appropriate policy and intervention strategies. Thus the objective of this study was to examine the association between IPV and use of maternal health care services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross sectional study on couples (N = 210; male/female pairs) with an infant less than 6 months of age was conducted. The dependent variable was use of maternal health care services and the main independent variable was IPV. Data was collected using face-to-face self-reported questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. RESULTS: The mean age of the women was 28.7 years (SD = 5.4), on average women were 7.4 years (SD = 7.4) younger than their partners. Although most of the women (95.2%) had at least one antenatal care (ANC), only 35 (2%) had ≥4 ANC visits and about half (49.0%) had their first ANC visit within the first trimester. Women who experienced emotional IPV in their relationship were less likely to have their 1st ANC within three months of pregnancy (AOR = 0.69; 95%CI = 0.49-0.96). Women who reported physical IPV in their relationship were less likely to use ≥4 ANC (AOR = 0.48; 95%CI = 0.21-0.71), be tested for HIV (AOR = 0.26; 95%CI = 0.09-0.79), have skilled delivery attendant (AOR = 0.31; 95%CI = 0.12-0.98), and deliver in a health facility (AOR = 0.35; 95%CI = 0.14-0.88). Likewise, women experienced sexual IPV or partner control in their relationship were less likely to use ANC ≥4 times (AORsexual-IPV = 0.91; 95%CI = 0.84-0.98 and AORpartner-control = 0.38; 95%CI = 0.17-0.85 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: IPV is prevalent among couples in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where three out of four women reported having experienced one or more type of IPV in their current relationship. And all types of IPV showed significant association with poor utilization of one or more maternal health care services. Thus efforts to sustain the recent success in maternal health and further improvement should give due consideration to IPV.

Interventions to reduce childhood antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory infections: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are overprescribed for children with upper respiratory infections (URIs), leading to unnecessary expenditures, adverse events and antibiotic resistance. This study assesses whether interventions antibiotic prescription rates (APR) for childhood URIs can be reduced and what factors impact intervention effectiveness. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Global Health, WHO website, United States CDC website and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched by December 2015. Cluster or individual-patient randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs that examined interventions to change APR for children with URIs were selected for meta-analysis. Educational interventions for clinicians and/or parents were compared with usual care. RESULTS: Of 6074 studies identified, 13 were included. All were conducted in high-income countries. Interventions were associated with lower APR versus usual care (OR 0.63 (95% CI 0.50 to 0.81, p<0.001). A patient-clinician communication approach was the most effective type of intervention, with a pooled OR 0.41 (95% CI 0.20 to 0.83; p<0.001) for clinicians and 0.26 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.91; p=0.04) for parents. Interventions that targeted clinicians and parents were significant, with a pooled OR of 0.52 (95% CI 0.35 to 0.78; p=0.002). Insignificant effects were observed for targeting clinicians and parents alone, with a pooled OR of 0.88 (95% CI 0.67 to 1.16; p=0.37) and 0.50 (95% CI 0.10 to 2.51, p=0.40), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Educational interventions are effective in reducing antibiotic prescribing for childhood URIs. Interventions targeting clinicians and parents are more effective than those for either group alone. The most effective interventions address patient-clinician communication. Studies in low-income to middle-income countries are needed.

Assessment of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission HIV Services in the Bantey Meanchey Province in Cambodia.

BACKGROUND: Elimination of pediatric HIV requires a robust program for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). The goal of this study was to assess the implementation of these services in Cambodia. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted in Bantey Meanchey at 2 sites. Staff reviewed daily clinic and laboratory registration logs to gather data on PMTCT service access among antenatal women. RESULTS: A total of 12 140 pregnant women received antenatal care. Only 4034 (33.2%) received pre-HIV test counseling. Of which 3407 (84.5%) received an HIV test. Eighteen (94.7%) of 19 women testing HIV-seropositive received triple-combination antiretroviral (ARV) medication. Fifteen HIV-exposed infants were delivered during the study. One infant tested HIV positive and is on ARV medication. CONCLUSION: Acceptance for HIV testing was high among women who received pretest counseling. An increase in the number of counselors may improve the rates of HIV testing. Follow-up mechanisms targeting mother-baby pairs should focus on increasing timely service uptake in the public sector.

Expansion of HIV care and treatment in Yunnan Province, China: treatment outcomes with scale up of combination antiretroviral therapy.

Effective health care models to scale up combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) are needed in rural southwestern China. We aimed to evaluate the ART treatment outcomes and their associations with patients' demographic characteristics and pre-treatment clinical features in a scaled-up provincial ART program serving eight heavily HIV-affected prefectures in Yunnan Province. We abstracted information from a computerized database for adults initiating ART between July 2007 and September 2008. Survival functions of mortality and treatment failure were calculated by age group, gender, transmission mode, and baseline CD4 count. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were conducted to find independent associations of various demographic and baseline clinical features with outcome variables. Of the 1967 patients in the mortality analysis, there were 110 deaths, of which 16 were coded as accidents or suicides. Adjusted hazard ratios (AHR) associated with mortality were greater for patients with baseline CD4 counts <100 cells/µl vs. patients with CD4 counts ≥200 cells/µl, for male vs. female, for single vs. married, and for those acquired HIV through injection drug use (IDU) vs. other modes of transmission. Successful treatment was 81.3% at six months after treatment started. Immunologic treatment failure was associated with baseline CD4 counts but not with demographic characteristics. Overall loss to follow-up rate was 2.1%. Collaboration between clinics and community networks are distinctive features of Yunnan's model for scaling up ART across a diverse, poor, and rural population. This study finds that the strategy can succeed even if 40% of the patients have a history of IDU.

Prediction of treatment failure using 2010 World Health Organization Guidelines is associated with high misclassification rates and drug resistance among HIV-infected Cambodian children.

BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited settings (RLSs) is monitored clinically and immunologically, according to World Health Organization (WHO) or national guidelines. Revised WHO pediatric guidelines were published in 2010, but their ability to accurately identify virological failure is unclear. METHODS: We evaluated performance of WHO 2010 guidelines and compared them with WHO 2006 and Cambodia 2011 guidelines among children on ≥6 months of first-line ART at Angkor Hospital for Children between January 2005 and September 2010. We determined sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy using bootstrap resampling to account for multiple tests per child. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) resistance was compared between those correctly and incorrectly identified by each guideline. RESULTS: Among 457 children with 1079 viral loads (VLs), 20% had >400 copies/mL. For children with WHO stage 1/2 HIV, misclassification as failure (met CD4 failure criteria, but VL undetectable) was 64% for WHO 2006 guidelines, 33% for WHO 2010 guidelines, and 81% for Cambodia 2011 guidelines; misclassification as success (did not meet CD4 failure, but VL detectable) was 11%, 12%, and 12%, respectively. For children with WHO stage 3/4 HIV, misclassification as failure was 35% for WHO 2006 guidelines, 40% for WHO 2010 guidelines, and 43% for Cambodia 2011 guidelines; misclassification as success was 13%, 24%, and 21%, respectively. Compared with WHO 2006 guidelines, WHO 2010 guidelines significantly increased the risk of misclassification as success in stage 3/4 HIV (P < .05). The WHO 2010 guidelines failed to identify 98% of children with extensive reverse-transcriptase resistance. CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort, lack of virological monitoring would result in unacceptable treatment failure misclassification, leading to premature ART switch and resistance accumulation. Affordable virological monitoring suitable for use in RLSs is desperately needed.

Clinical presentation and treatment of transfusion-associated babesiosis in premature infants.

We review here 7 cases of neonatal transfusion-associated babesiosis at a NICU in the northeast United States. Transfusion from 2 infected units of blood resulted in the 7 cases described. The clinical presentation was highly variable in this cohort; the extremely low birth weight neonates were the most severely affected. Antibiotic therapy was effective in neonates with mild and asymptomatic infection; however, double-volume exchange blood transfusion with prolonged multidrug treatment was required for the 2 most severe cases. The risk of Babesia microti infection is not eliminated through current blood-bank practices. Neonatologists in endemic areas should have a high index of suspicion for babesiosis in premature infants exposed to blood transfusions.

Drug resistance profiles among HIV-1-infected children experiencing delayed switch and 12-month efficacy after using second-line antiretroviral therapy: an observational cohort study in rural China.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the genotypic resistance profiles of HIV-infected children from rural China who were experiencing virologic failure to first-line antiretroviral therapy regimens and to evaluate 1-year regimen efficacy after switching to second-line therapy. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was performed. Seventy-six children from the first rural pilot program with HIV viral load >1000 copies per milliliter on 2 consecutive occasions were studied. We analyzed genotype results and observed second-line therapy efficacy to 12 months. RESULTS: After 33.1 (23.3, 41.1) months on first-line treatment after enrollment into national program, 98.7% of genotyped patients developed high-level resistance to nevirapine and 81.6% of patients had high-level resistance to efavirenz. High-level resistance to lamivudine was observed in 82.9%, followed by 57.9% for stavudine and 52.6% for zidovudine. In the nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor class, the most common mutations were K103N/S at 50% and Y181C/I at 48.7%. M184V/I was the most common nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor resistance mutation at 77.6%, the mutation rate for ≥3 thymidine analogue mutations, Q151M, and K65R were 33%, 12%, and 9%, respectively. After 12 months of boosted protease inhibitor-based second-line therapy, CD4 counts had on average increased 256 cells per cubic millimeter compared with switch baseline and 83.1% of patients had undetectable viral loads (<50 copies/mL). CONCLUSIONS: HIV-1-infected children who continued their first-line regimen regardless of virologic failure harbored multiple resistance mutations. Although the extent of resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor class drugs would be expected to limit subsequent treatment options, the current second-line regimen remained effective during a 1-year observational period.

Comparing Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid to Cytology in Detection of Precancerous Lesions of the Cervix in HIV-Infected Cambodian Women.

PURPOSE: To compare Papanicolaou (Pap) smear readings to visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) findings among HIV-infected women in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. METHODS: A total of 304 HIV-infected women presenting to the women's clinic at the Community Resource Center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, were screened for cervical cancer by both Pap smear and VIA. The results of the 2 tests were compared. RESULTS: Complete data were available on 293 women. In all, 55 (19%) women screened positive on VIA; 25 (8.5%) women screened positive by Pap. Visual inspection with acetic acid detected 18 of the 25 patients with abnormal cytology and was normal in 7 women with abnormal cytology. A total of 37 (67%) women with positive VIA were negative by cytology. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows a reasonable correlation between VIA and Pap smear, with VIA detecting more abnormalities than cytology. In the absence of Pap smear availability, VIA may be a reasonable cervical cancer screening method for HIV-infected women in Cambodia.

Growth of infants born to HIV-infected women in South Africa according to maternal and infant characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate growth parameters assessed by weight and length in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected infants born to HIV-infected mothers in South Africa from birth to 6 months of age. METHODS: We calculated z-scores for weight-for-age (WAZ), length-for-age (LAZ) and weight-for-length (WLZ) among a cohort of 840 mother-infant dyads. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models with time-varying covariates were used to estimate the risk of falling <-2 z-scores for WAZ, LAZ, and WLZ as a function of infant and maternal characteristics. RESULTS: By 6 months after birth, a fifth of infants had WAZ <-2, 19% had an LAZ <-2, and 29% had a WLZ <-2. WLZ and WAZ were significantly lower in HIV-infected infants than in uninfected infants by 3 months of age and LAZ by 6 months of age (P<0.001). The risk of WAZ falling <-2 was associated with decreasing maternal CD4 cell count (adj. HR for CD4 cell count <200 cells/µl: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.10-2.43), premature birth (adj. HR: 2.82; 95% CI: 2.06-3.86) and formula feeding (adj. HR: 3.35; 95% CI: 1.64-6.85). The risk of LAZ falling <-2 was associated with increasingly lower maternal age (adj. HR for<20 years: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.31-0.96), lower maternal CD4 cell count (adj. HR for CD4 cell count <200 cells/µl: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.14-2.59), premature birth (adj. HR: 2.37; 95% CI: 1.70-3.30) and formula feeding (adj. HR: 4.22; 95% CI: 1.85-9.62). The risk of WLZ falling <-2 was significantly associated with infant HIV infection (adj. HR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.16-2.32) and formula feeding (adj. HR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.11-2.83). The risk of WAZ and LAZ falling <-2 was more than two times greater for HIV-infected infants than for uninfected infants with gastrointestinal infections. CONCLUSIONS: HIV-infected infants were more likely to be stunted and wasted than uninfected infants, which often occurred within 3 months after birth. Infants who were born to mothers with advanced HIV disease, formula-fed and co-infected with HIV and gastrointestinal infections were at greater risk for growth disturbances. Further interventions are needed to promptly initiate both HIV-infected mothers and infants on appropriate antiretroviral therapy and nutritional supplementation.

Virologic and immunologic outcomes in HIV-infected Cambodian children after 18 months of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

This observational cohort study was conducted among HIV-infected, antiretroviral therapy (ART) naive children in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) delivered using a modified directly observed therapy (MDOT) protocol. From August 2004 to March 2006, 26 children were enrolled and started on a first-line HAART regimen, which was continued for 18 months. The study included a directly observed therapy phase (months 1-3) and a medication self-administration phase (months 4-18). CD4 percentage (CD4%) and HIV-1 RNA plasma viral load (PVL) were measured at baseline and at months 6, 12, and 18. At baseline, the median age was 5.5 years (range: 13 months-12 years), the median CD4% was 4, and the median PVL was 7.5x10(5) copies/ml. At 18 months, 23 (88%) children were alive and participating in the study. Of these children, 20 (87%) had a PVL <400 copies/ml and 12 (52%) had PVL < 50 copies/ml. The median CD4% increased to 23, while the median change in height-for-weight z-score was 0.64. Genotypic resistance typing in 2 children with PVL > 400 copies/ml at 18 months demonstrated mutations associated with resistance to lamivudine (M184V) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (Y181C and G190A). The virologic and immunologic outcomes achieved in this study compare favorably with those reported by other pediatric HIV treatment programs worldwide. The study results suggest that MDOT may be effective for HAART administration in limited-resource settings like Cambodia.

Drug rash, eosinophilia, and systemic symptoms syndrome: Two pediatric cases demonstrating the range of severity in presentation--A case of vancomycin-induced drug hypersensitivity mimicking toxic shock syndrome and a milder case induced by minocycline.

BACKGROUND: Drug rash, eosinophilia, and systemic symptoms syndrome is a type of drug hypersensitivity reaction characterized by the clinical triad of skin eruption, fever, and internal organ involvement. Drug rash, eosinophilia, and systemic symptoms syndrome has rarely been reported in association with vancomycin or in the pediatric population. There have only been four pediatric case reports of drug rash, eosinophilia, and systemic symptoms syndrome and three cases of drug rash, eosinophilia, and systemic symptoms syndrome involving vancomycin published in the English literature to date. CASE REPORTS: We describe two pediatric cases of drug rash, eosinophilia, and systemic symptoms syndrome to illustrate the range in severity of presentation. The first case illustrates drug rash, eosinophilia, and systemic symptoms syndrome associated with vancomycin exposure in a 14-yr-old boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy after posterior spinal fusion, whose clinical presentation was indistinguishable from toxic shock syndrome. The second case illustrates a milder and more typical presentation of drug rash, eosinophilia, and systemic symptoms syndrome in a 14-yr-old boy being treated with minocycline for acne. We also present a review of the literature relevant to this syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: : Drug rash, eosinophilia, and systemic symptoms syndrome is relatively unknown among general pediatricians and pediatric intensivists and may potentially become more common with the increasing use of long-term medications in the pediatric population. Our cases demonstrate the importance of an awareness of drug rash, eosinophilia, and systemic symptoms syndrome among general pediatricians and pediatric intensivists because drug rash, eosinophilia, and systemic symptoms syndrome may present in any range of severity, from indolent illness to frank and refractory shock.

Patterns of sexual behaviour of male patients before testing HIV-positive in a Cambodian hospital, Phnom Penh.

BACKGROUND: Sexual behaviours among HIV-positive male patients in Cambodia have not been fully evaluated. OBJECTIVES: The patterns of sexual behaviours and social factors were compared between married and single men. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional survey of 174 male HIV patients was undertaken during March 1999-June 2000 in Phnom Penh. RESULTS: Many participants (61%) reported that they were unaware that their sexual behaviours may have put them at risk of HIV infection. Sexual behaviours included having sex with a sex worker (90%), multiple sexual partners (41%), and both of these behaviours (37%). Two-thirds (69%) reported using a condom when having sex with a sex worker. Condom use with multiple sexual partners was low (24%). A history of condom use with a sex worker was less likely to be reported among married men than single men (P = 0.008). Always using condoms with a sex worker did not differ between married men and single men. Social factors that influenced visiting a sex worker included invitation by a friend (88%), alcohol consumption (74%), and having extra spending money (72%). Multivariate analysis suggests that alcohol consumption (P = 0.008) and having extra spending money (P = 0.02) were strongly associated with visiting a sex worker. CONCLUSIONS: In Cambodia, HIV-infected men frequently reported a history of using sex workers. Having multiple sex partners or using a sex worker and multiple sexual partners were not rare. Interventions should target men in settings where alcohol is consumed and to encourage married men to use condoms.