[Smoking policy in mental health care]. / Rookbeleid in de ggz; documentonderzoek en enquête.

BACKGROUND: People with mental illnesses tend to smoke more often and more heavily than other members of the public and their addiction to tobacco also has harmful effects on their physical health. So far, however, limited priority was given to smoking cessation in mental health care settings. AIM: To provide insight into the formal and informal smoking policies of Dutch mental health care organisations and into the nature and extent of the smoking cessation support they offer, and, additionally, to look at the opportunities for improvement in clinical settings. METHOD: Document research on formal policies of 61 mental health care facilities, interviews with workers directly involved (n = 10), and a survey on policy implementation among staff members of treatment facilities (n = 600). RESULTS: One-third of the facilities did not have a formalised smoking policy document, and there was a marked difference between the smoking policies at the rest of the facilities. Treatment provision was limited, strongly dependent on the individual staff member, and was often not the most effective form of care (like medication). CONCLUSION: Many mental health patients really do want to give up smoking and often respond well to treatment. Psychiatrists play a key role in integrating and implementing an anti-smoking policy which will benefit their patients.

Motivational interviewing and interaction skills training for parents of young adults with recent-onset schizophrenia and co-occurring cannabis use: 15-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND: There is a clear need for effective interventions to reduce cannabis use in patients with first-episode psychosis. This follow-up of a randomized trial examined whether an intervention for parents, based on motivational interviewing and interaction skills (Family Motivational Intervention, FMI), was more effective than routine family support (RFS) in reducing cannabis use in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia. METHOD: In a single-blind trial with 75 patients in treatment for recent-onset schizophrenia, 97 parents were randomly assigned to either FMI or RFS. Assessments were conducted at baseline and at 3 and 15 months after the interventions had been ended. Analyses were performed on an intention-to-treat basis using mixed-effect regression models. RESULTS: From baseline to the 15-month follow-up, there was a significantly greater reduction in FMI compared to RFS in patients' quantity (p = 0.01) and frequency (p < 0.01) of cannabis use. Patients' craving for cannabis use was also significantly lower in FMI at 15 months follow-up (p < 0.01). Both groups improved in parental distress and sense of burden; however, only FMI parents' appraisal of patients' symptoms showed further improvement at the 15-month follow-up (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results support the sustained effectiveness of FMI in reducing cannabis use in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia at 15 months follow-up. Findings were not consistent with regard to the long-term superiority of FMI over RFS in reducing parents' distress and sense of burden.

Motivational interviewing and interaction skills training for parents to change cannabis use in young adults with recent-onset schizophrenia: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis use by people with schizophrenia has been found to be associated with family distress and poor clinical outcomes. Interventions to reduce drug use in this patient group have had limited efficacy. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a novel intervention for parents of young adults with recent-onset schizophrenia consisting of family-based motivational interviewing and interaction skills (Family Motivational Intervention, FMI) in comparison with routine family support (RFS). METHOD: In a trial with 75 patients who used cannabis and received treatment for recent-onset schizophrenia, 97 parents were randomly assigned to either FMI (n=53) or RFS (n=44). Assessments were conducted at baseline and 3 months after completion of the family intervention by an investigator who remained blind throughout the study about the assignment of the parents. RESULTS: At follow-up, patients' frequency and quantity of cannabis use was significantly more reduced in FMI than in RFS (p<0.05 and p<0.04 respectively). Patients' craving for cannabis was also significantly reduced in FMI whereas there was a small increase in RFS (p=0.01). There was no difference between FMI and RFS with regard to patients' other substance use and general level of functioning. Both groups showed significant improvements in parental distress and sense of burden. CONCLUSIONS: Training parents in motivational interviewing and interaction skills is feasible and effective in reducing cannabis use among young adults with recent-onset schizophrenia. However, FMI was not more effective than RFS in increasing patients' general level of functioning and in reducing parents' stress and sense of burden.

Infectious cellular load in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals and susceptibility of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from their exposed partners to non-syncytium-inducing HIV-1 as major determinants for HIV-1 transmission in homosexual couples.

To study risk factors for homosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), we compared 10 monogamous homosexual couples between whom transmission of HIV-1 had occurred with 10 monogamous homosexual couples between whom HIV-1 transmission had not occurred despite high-risk sexual behavior. In the group of individuals who did not transmit virus, peripheral cellular infectious load was lower and the CD4+ T-cell counts were higher than in the group of transmitters. HIV-1 RNA levels in serum did not differ between transmitters and nontransmitters. Compared with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from normal healthy blood donors, 8 of 10 nonrecipients and only 3 of 8 recipients had PBMC with reduced susceptibility to in vitro infection with non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) HIV-1 variants isolated from either their respective partners or an unrelated individual. No difference in susceptibility was observed for infection with a syncytium-inducing variant. Among the individuals who had PBMC with reduced susceptibility, five nonrecipients and one recipient had PBMC that were equally or even less susceptible to NSI variants than PBMC that had low susceptibility and that were derived from healthy blood donors that were heterozygous for a 32-bp deletion in the CCR5 gene (CCR5 delta32). Three of these individuals (all nonrecipients) had a CCR5 delta32 heterozygous genotype themselves, confirming an association between low susceptibility to NSI variants and CCR5 delta32 heterozygosity. All three recipients with less susceptible PBMC had partners with a high infectious cellular load; inversely, both nonrecipients with normally susceptible PBMC had partners with a very low infectious cellular load. These results suggest that a combination of susceptibility of target cells and inoculum size upon homosexual exposure largely determines whether HIV-1 infection is established.

Summary of track C: epidemiology and public health.

AIM: To review Track C on epidemiology and public health. DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY: Recent trends in the descriptive epidemiology are reported, for example, the rapid spread of HIV in certain Asian countries and the more precise insights in the spread thanks to subtyping of HIV-1 (and HIV-2). TRANSMISSION: There is now ample evidence that sexually transmitted diseases enhance the rate of transmission. Viral load in the plasma of the mother is highly predictive for perinatal transmission. PROGRESSION: Natural history studies have shown that true non-progressors are probably rare. Preliminary evidence indicates that the progression rate to AIDS and death does not differ by HIV-1 subtype. Some genetic factors are associated with the rate of disease progression and a few with susceptibility to HIV infection. INTERVENTIONS AND PREVENTION: Needle-exchange programmes as an intervention measure for injecting drug users were hotly debated and so were HIV (home) testing and counselling. Successes in prevention were reported from Thailand and Uganda, and also from small scale programmes.

PIP: More than 1500 abstracts were submitted in the Epidemiology and Public Health Track of the XI International Conference on Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Summarized, in this article, are papers on recent trends in the descriptive epidemiology of AIDS, the interaction between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), determinants of perinatal transmission, aspects of the natural history of HIV (including non-progression), and intervention issues related to intravenous drug users. The data confirm that persons with STDs transmit HIV more easily through heterosexual contact than those without STDs; however, STD treatment lowers the viral load and reduces the risk of HIV transmission. The recommendation that HIV-infected women in developing countries continue to breast feed may be retracted in light of evidence that significantly more breast-fed infants become infected than bottle-fed infants.

Selective in vitro expansion of HLA class I-restricted HIV-1 Gag-specific CD8+ T cells: cytotoxic T-lymphocyte epitopes and precursor frequencies.

OBJECTIVE: To identify HIV-1 Gag cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes and HLA restriction of their recognition, and to define precursor frequencies of HIV-1 Gag-specific CTL in the blood of seropositive individuals. METHODS: B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-LCL) infected with recombinant vaccinia viruses (rVV) containing a gene coding for HIV-1 Gag (rVV-Gag) were fixed with paraformaldehyde (PFA) and used as antigen-presenting cells (APC) to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from asymptomatic HIV-seropositive individuals. Specific CTL activity was determined in 51Cr-release assays using B-LCL as targets after infection with rVV-Gag or after pulsing with partially overlapping peptides spanning the Gag sequence. RESULTS: In vitro stimulation resulted in an increased number of CD8+ T cells and CD45R0+ and HLA-DR+ cells. Gag-specific cytotoxicity, mediated predominantly by HLA class I-restricted CD8+ CTL, was observed in all seven individuals studied. Multiple HLA-restricted CTL epitopes were identified with a single culture from one of the individuals. Gag-expressing APC were successfully used as stimulator cells in limiting dilution analysis to determine CTL precursor (CTLp) frequencies. CONCLUSION: PFA-fixed rVV-Gag-infected autologous B-LCL can be used as stimulator cells in bulk PBMC cultures to identify CTL epitopes and to determine CTLp frequencies. This method will facilitate the analysis of HIV-1-specific CTL responses in HIV-infected and vaccinated individuals.

Biphasic rate of CD4+ cell count decline during progression to AIDS correlates with HIV-1 phenotype.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the kinetics of decline of CD4+ lymphocytes in HIV-1-infected asymptomatic homosexual men. METHODS: CD4+ lymphocytes were enumerated in a cohort of 187 HIV-1-infected initially asymptomatic homosexual men seen at 3-month intervals over 5 years. During follow-up, 45 men progressed to AIDS (excluding cases presenting with Kaposi's sarcoma). Correlation between rate of CD4+ cell decline and presence of a particular HIV-1 biological phenotype was analysed in 43 participants. RESULTS: CD4+ cell counts declined slowly and continuously in HIV-1-seropositive men who remained asymptomatic during follow-up. A biphasic CD4+ cell count decline was observed in the group who developed AIDS: the decline was slow and steady (5.6 x 10(6)/l per month, similar to that observed in the asymptomatic group) until 18 months before AIDS diagnosis, but became three to five times faster thereafter. Rapid CD4+ cell decline was significantly related to syncytium-inducing, fast-replicating HIV-1 isolates; during the period of slow and steady CD4+ cell count decline, non-syncytium-inducing isolates were predominant. CONCLUSIONS: At an average of 18 months preceding AIDS diagnosis, a three to fivefold increase in the rate of loss of CD4+ lymphocytes occurs, and may be related to the appearance of a more virulent HIV-1 phenotype.

Programmed death of T cells in HIV-1 infection.

In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, functional defects and deletion of antigen-reactive T cells are more frequent than can be explained by direct viral infection. On culturing, both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from asymptomatic HIV-infected individuals died as a result of programmed cell death (apoptosis). Apoptosis was enhanced by activation with CD3 antibodies. Programmed cell death, associated with impaired T cell reactivity, may thus be responsible for the deletion of reactive T cells that contributes to HIV-induced immunodeficiency.

HIV-1 biological phenotype in long-term infected individuals evaluated with an MT-2 cocultivation assay.

OBJECTIVE: We have previously demonstrated that detection of syncytium-inducing (SI) HIV-1 in asymptomatic seropositive individuals is associated with rapid progression to AIDS. In the present study, we sought to develop and evaluate an HIV-1 phenotyping assay for the screening of large numbers of individuals. METHODS: Efficiency of HIV-1 isolation from patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was studied with donor PBMC or seven different CD4+ T-cell lines as target cells. The biological phenotype of sequential isolates from 20 long-term asymptomatic HIV-1-seropositive individuals was determined by two different assays. RESULTS: Non-SI isolates, efficiently recovered by cocultivation with donor PBMC, were never isolated with T-cell lines as target cells. Direct cocultivation with MT-2 cells, but not with six other CD4+ T-cells, resulted in the efficient recovery of SI isolates. HIV-1 MT-2 tropism and SI capacity were shown to be coupled properties at the clonal level. SI isolates emerged in 10 out of 20 longitudinally-studied individuals. In these long-term infected individuals, appearance of SI isolates was associated with progression to AIDS. CONCLUSIONS: Direct cocultivation of patient PBMC with the MT-2 cell line is a sensitive, specific and convenient method to detect SI isolates. The availability of an assay suitable for the screening of large groups allows further study of the value of HIV-1 biological phenotyping as a prognostic marker.

Low number of functionally active B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of HIV-1-seropositive individuals with low p24-specific serum antibody titers.

The in vitro synthesis of HIV-1, p24-, reverse transcriptase (RT)- and gp120-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G by unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 38 asymptomatic and 10 symptomatic HIV-1-seropositive individuals was analysed. In the majority of these individuals, spontaneous production of HIV-1- and gp120-specific IgG from PBMC cultures was demonstrated. In addition, in the majority of the PBMC cultures from individuals with high serum antibody titers to p24, spontaneous production of p24-specific IgG was shown. In contrast, no p24-specific IgG production was detected in PBMC cultures from seropositive individuals with low or no serum antibody titers to p24. A similar relationship between low or absent RT-specific serum antibody titers and the absence of in vitro RT-specific IgG synthesis was not demonstrated. Furthermore, it was shown that the number of p24-specific B lymphocytes in circulation, as calculated by a spot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, were significantly lower in individuals with low serum antibody titers to p24. These results suggest that the decline in p24-specific serum antibodies observed during progression towards AIDS is not merely a reflection of the clearance via immune complexes, but may also be attributable, at least in part, to a reduction of p24-specific antibody-producing active B lymphocytes.