RESUMO
The effects of race and ethnicity on immunological function have not been fully studied in patients infected with HIV-1. To study such differences, 54 patients on virally suppressive highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with CD4 counts >200 cells/microL had their peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) evaluated for response to recall antigen. Significant differences were found in the maximum responses for PBL from black individuals compared with those from white individuals, and the differences were highly significant when responses for African-Americans were compared with those for white-Hispanics. These findings support work delineating ethnicity and race as significant variables to be taken into account when looking at vaccination strategies and responsiveness to therapeutic pharmacological interventions.
Assuntos
Negro ou Afro-Americano/genética , Predisposição Genética para Doença , Infecções por HIV/genética , Hispânico ou Latino/genética , Grupos Raciais/genética , População Branca/genética , Adulto , Terapia Antirretroviral de Alta Atividade/métodos , Estudos de Coortes , Feminino , Infecções por HIV/epidemiologia , Infecções por HIV/imunologia , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-IdadeRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the methodology and cumulative evidence presented in systematic reviews of clinical trials comparing low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) with unfractionated heparin (UFH) for the treatment of venous thromboembolism. METHODS: We reviewed all systematic reviews of clinical trials published until March 2002. Fourteen systematic literature reviews were published between 1994 and 2000. Deficiencies in methodological quality were common, particularly in the description of search strategies, assessment of clinical trial quality, and methods used to combine results. RESULTS: Results of reviews indicate that LMWH is superior to UFH for the treatment of venous thromboembolism, particularly in reducing mortality. Patients with isolated deep venous thrombosis or deep venous thrombosis with concomitant pulmonary embolism seemed to have similar benefit. However, the benefits of LMWH over UFH were smaller in magnitude in reviews that included more recent clinical trials.
