HIV/AIDS selective infectivity–report of two peculiar cases

We report two peculiar cases that were observed in two communities of Anambra State, South East Nigeria. The first case was a woman of 44 with a history of blood transfusion from a donor of questionable HIV status. A pint of blood was transfused in a private Hospital on the 15 th January, 2000. She has had no form of antiviral therapy until 22nd April, 2008 when she came to the hospital for routine medical check up. Her HIV result came out confirmed positive while that of her husband came out negative. She has had active sexual life with her husband in the previous eight years as they have had some difficulties in getting their desired extra two children having earlier gotten a boy and a girl. The second case involves a family of six. A couple with four children of ages about 6 months, 2 years, 3 years and 5 years. The youngest, a female presented with fever and multiple lymphadenopathy. She tested HIV positive and so was her mother and her second sibling. But her father and two other siblings remained negative at post three and six months intervals from their very first test date with us. These reported cases appear to go contrary to earlier formed opinion on HIV transmission. We support the opinion on a naturally, occurring substance, APOBEC3G which possibly confers permanent immunity against the HIV virus. We recommend clinical trials of the characterized APOBEC3G as a vaccine for non HIV infected persons of all ages and to people living with as a therapeutic drug.     

The associations of parity and maternal age with small-for-gestational-age,preterm, and neonatal and infant mortality: a meta-analysis

Background

Previous studies have reported on adverse neonatal outcomes associated with parity and maternal age. Many of these studies have relied on cross-sectional data, from which drawing causal inference is complex. We explore the associations between parity/maternal age and adverse neonatal outcomes using data from cohort studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Methods

Data from 14 cohort studies were included. Parity (nulliparous, parity 1-2, parity ≥3) and maternal age (<18 years, 18-<35 years, ≥35 years) categories were matched with each other to create exposure categories, with those who are parity 1-2 and age 18-<35 years as the reference. Outcomes included small-for-gestational-age (SGA), preterm, neonatal and infant mortality. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were calculated per study and meta-analyzed.

Results

Nulliparous, age <18 year women, compared with women who were parity 1-2 and age 18-<35 years had the highest odds of SGA (pooled adjusted OR: 1.80), preterm (pooled aOR: 1.52), neonatal mortality (pooled aOR: 2.07), and infant mortality (pooled aOR: 1.49). Increased odds were also noted for SGA and neonatal mortality for nulliparous/age 18-<35 years, preterm, neonatal, and infant mortality for parity ≥3/age 18-<35 years, and preterm and neonatal mortality for parity ≥3/≥35 years.

Conclusions

Nulliparous women <18 years of age have the highest odds of adverse neonatal outcomes. Family planning has traditionally been the least successful in addressing young age as a risk factor; a renewed focus must be placed on finding effective interventions that delay age at first birth. Higher odds of adverse outcomes are also seen among parity ≥3 / age ≥35 mothers, suggesting that reproductive health interventions need to address the entirety of a woman’s reproductive period.

Funding

Funding was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (810-2054) by a grant to the US Fund for UNICEF to support the activities of the Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group.

     

Oral fungal and bacterial infections in HIV-infected individuals: an overview in Africa

Oral opportunistic infections developing secondary to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been reported from the early days of the epidemic and have been classified by both the EC-Clearinghouse and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Among the fungal infections, oral candidiasis, presenting in African HIV-infected patients has been sporadically documented. We review the literature with respect to candidal carriage, oral candidiasis prevalence and the predictive value of oral candidiasis for a diagnosis of underlying HIV disease in African HIV-infected patients. The use of oral candidiasis as a marker of disease progression, the species of yeasts isolated from the oral cavity in Africa and the resistance of the yeasts to antifungal agents and treatment regimens are discussed. Orofacial lesions as manifestations of the systemic mycoses are rarely seen in isolation and few cases are reported in the literature from Africa. In spite of the high incidence of noma, tuberculosis, chronic osteomyelitis and syphilis in Africa, surprisingly there have been very few reported cases of the oral manifestations of these diseases in HIV-positive individuals. Orofacial disease in HIV-infected patients is associated with marked morbidity, which is compounded by malnutrition. The authors indicate specific research areas, initially directed at the most effective management strategies, which would complete data in this important area.     

De novo 16p13.11 microdeletion identified by high-resolution array CGH in a fetus with increased nuchal translucency

Objective  We investigated the application of high-resolution microarray-based comparative genomic hybridisation (array CGH) on a fetus showing increased nuchal translucency (NT).
Design  Case study.
Setting  Tertiary referral obstetrics unit.
Sample  Pregnant woman attended the antenatal clinic.
Methods  Conventional karyotyping and genetic test was carried out for the alpha-globin gene. High-resolution array CGH using the high-density 244K Agilent microarray was performed on fetal blood sample by cordocentesis to investigate the possibility of any genomic imbalance.
Main outcome measures  Detection of chromosomal abnormality.
Results  Karyotyping analysis showed 46,XY. Molecular genetic diagnosis confirms the fetus has Hb-H constant spring disease but cannot explain the increased NT to 3.2 mm. Array CGH analysis discovered a 1.32-Mb microdeletion on chromosome 16p13.11. Deletion at 16p13.11 has been implicated to predispose to autism and/or mental retardation. Baby was delivered at 40 weeks of gestation, and follow up was carried out at 3 months of age without sign of mental retardation/developmental delay.
Conclusions  This case study demonstrated that array CGH can accurately calibrate the size and identify de novo interstitial chromosome imbalances. However, the presence of chromosome copy variants with unknown clinical significance currently limits its wider scale application in prenatal diagnosis and needs further investigations.     

Does Elbow Position Affect Strength and Reproducibility of Power Grip Measurements?

Effects of elbow positioning on grip strength and its between-day reliability of measurement were tested bilaterally in 30 healthy adults. Grip strength was measured twice with a Jamar dynamometer at 0°, 30°, 60°, 90° and 120° of elbow flexion one week apart. Intraclass correlation coefficient model_(1,1) was > 0.987 for each test, and limits of agreement reveal narrow ranges of the 95% confidence intervals for each test, which reflect good between-day reliability for these measurements in both absolute and relative terms. Grip strength at 120° was significantly lower than all other positions on both sides (p < 0.001), whereas the grip strength at 90° was highest among all positions tested. The grip strengths at 0°, 30° and 60° were, in general, 0.5-3% lower than the measurements taken at 90° of elbow flexion, but the differences were not statistically significant. These findings suggest that between-day comparison of grip strength is valid and reproducible in the same testing position, and 120° of elbow flexion is not a desirable position for grip strengthening exercise. The differences in grip strength can be explained by the length-tension relationship and the clinical implications for these findings are discussed.     

Ageing appearance in China: biophysical profile of facial skin and its relationship to perceived age

Background Perceived age is important to women and is a primary driver for topical product use and facial cosmetic surgery. Changes in facial features and biophysical skin parameters with chronological age and their associations with perceived age have not been described in Asian populations. Objective To investigate the relationship between biophysical properties of the skin, visual features of skin ageing and perceived facial age in Chinese women. Methods Facial photographs were collected of 250 Chinese women, aged 25–70 years in Shanghai, China. The perceived facial age was determined and related to the chronological age for each participant and to a range of visual assessments of skin appearance and objective biophysical measurements of the skin. The profile of changes in these parameters with age was investigated together with the differences in those parameters for women judged to look younger than their chronological age and those judged to look older than their chronological age. Results Large discrepancies in perceived age (up to 29 years) were found in women of the same chronological age. Each objective skin measure and visual assessment parameter had a stronger correlation with perceived age than with chronological age. The strongest relationships to perceived age were for wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. Skin colour, hydration and trans‐epidermal water loss (TEWL) had weaker associations with perceived age. Women judged to look older than their chronological age had significantly higher scores than those judged to look younger for coarse wrinkles and hyperpigmentation across all age groups. The appearance differences between these groups were evident in composite facial images of the same average chronological age. Conclusions We have identified the skin attributes which differ with perceived age in Chinese women. Perceived age is a better measure of the biological age of facial skin than is chronological age in this population.     

术前口服依他昔布对妇科手术后病人自控镇痛的影响

目的:观察妇科开腹手术患者术前给予依他昔布120mg对术后自控镇痛(PCA)吗啡用量的影响及其副作用。方法:随机选取全麻下接受妇科开腹全子宫(双附件)切除患者40例,术前分别给予安慰剂或依他昔布120mg口服。在手术后观察24h患者PCA吗啡用量,同时记录患者的疼痛评分和满意度评分,并观察不良反应。结果:术后PCA吗啡24h消耗量在依他昔布组为9.4±7.6mg,显著低于安慰剂组15.7±8.9mg。两组患者24h内对PCA的按压次数依他昔布组也低于安慰剂组(P<0.05)。其中术后3、6、8和12hPCA吗啡消耗量在两组间无显著差异。两组患者术后24h疼痛评分和对镇痛治疗的满意度也无差异。两组患者不良反应的发生率亦无差别。结论:在妇科开腹手术患者术前应用依他昔布120mg可使患者术后PCA吗啡消耗量降低,且在术后12h后下降明显。未发现与依他昔布应用相关的副作用。     

Implementation and evaluation of a nurse-centered computerized potassium regulation protocol in the intensive care unit - a before and after analysis

Background  

Potassium disorders can cause major complications and must be avoided in critically ill patients. Regulation of potassium in the intensive care unit (ICU) requires potassium administration with frequent blood potassium measurements and subsequent adjustments of the amount of potassium administrated. The use of a potassium replacement protocol can improve potassium regulation. For safety and efficiency, computerized protocols appear to be superior over paper protocols. The aim of this study was to evaluate if a computerized potassium regulation protocol in the ICU improved potassium regulation.     

How much now to tell? Patients' attitudes to an information sheet prior to angiography and angioplasty

A prospectively controlled pilot study of 100 patients undergoing an invasive radiological procedure was undertaken to test patients' acceptance of risk disclosure and whether this increases anxiety and rate of procedure cancellation. Two sheets with differing amounts of information on adverse outcome were randomly allocated and patients provided a graded response to statements following the procedure. Eighty-one completed questionnaires were received (brief sheet n= 40; long sheet n= 41). There were 19 non-compliers with main causes either due to lack of interest or problems such as language difficulties, visual impairment and dementia. There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to subjective anxiety caused by the information or risk of procedure cancellation. This preliminary work has shown that information sheets are well accepted and provide a simple, standardized format for risk disclosure.