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Human pegivirus (HPgV) is transmitted through sexual or parenteral exposure and is common among patients receiving blood products. HPgV is associated with lower levels of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA and better survival among HIV-infected patients. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of HPgV and determine its subtypes in HIV-infected individuals living in Istanbul, which has the highest rate of HIV infection in Türkiye. Total RNA extraction from plasma, cDNA synthesis, and nested PCR were performed for HPgV on plasma samples taken from 351 HIV-1-infected patients. The HPgV viral load was quantified on HPgV-positive samples. HPgV genotyping was performed by sequencing the corresponding amplicons. In the present study, the overall prevalence of HPgV RNA in HIV-infected patients was 27.3%. HPgV subtypes 1, 2a, and 2b were found, with subtype 2a being the most frequent (91.6%). Statistical analysis of HIV-1 viral load on HPgV viral load showed an opposing correlation between HIV-1 and HPgV loads. In conclusion, these data show that HPgV infection is common among HIV-positive individuals in Istanbul, Türkiye. Further comprehensive studies are needed to clarify both the cellular and molecular pathways of these two infections and to provide more information on the effect of HPgV on the course of the disease in HIV-infected individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS) is a condition seen in the early post-COVID-19 period and thought to develop with an impaired immune response. It has been usually reported in children but rarely in adults. Here we report the first adult MIS (MIS-A) case series from Turkiye. Material and Methods: Six patients who met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s MIS-A diagnostic criteria were included in the study. The demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological characteristics and therapy regimes and outcomes of the patients were recorded. Results: All of our cases had a history of mild COVID-19. They presented with fever, severe fatigue and hypotension. Abnormal echocardiography findings were detected in five patients. Only one patient had multiple mucocutaneous findings. Common laboratory features were lymphopenia, markedly increased C-Reaktive Protein, procalcitonin, pro-brain natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP), D-dimer, and ferritin. All patients had positive SARSCoV-2 antibody result. Corticosteroids and/or anakinra were used in five, and intravenous immunoglobulin was used in two patients. Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) was used for all cases. Empirically initiated antibiotic treatments were discontinued after cultures were negative. After anti-inflammatory treatment, the hypotension of the patients resolved, they did not need intensive care follow-up and no mortality was seen in our cases. Conclusions: MIS-A is a severe and mortal condition that causes various clinical pictures and can be confused with sepsis. Anakinra, a recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist, is a significant agent that can be used in the treatment of MIS-A since it blocks the cytokine cascade at an early stage. The satisfactory responses will be obtained with early diagnosis and anti-inflammatory treatment. In this period when the pandemic is not over yet, it is necessary to increase the awareness of clinicians about MIS-A, which can be fatal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Co-receptors involved in cell entry of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and mutations in genes encoding their ligands may play a role in the susceptibility to infection and resistance to the progression of the infection. The best studied mutations that can exist in these genes are the CCR5-Δ32, CCR2-64I and SDF1-3'A mutations. The frequency of these mutations vary from continent to continent and even from region to region. However, there is limited information on their distribution throughout the Turkish population. Istanbul is the city with the highest number of documented HIV-infected patients in Turkey, which can be attributed to the population size. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of three AIDS-related gene variants among HIV-infected and uninfected population in Istanbul, Turkey and to estimate the contribution of these variants to susceptibility or resistance to HIV. Methodology: A total of 242 healthy individuals and 200 HIV-positive patients were included in the study. CCR5 polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction. CCR2 and SDF1 polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results: The allelic frequencies for CCR5-Δ32, CCR2-64I and SDF1-3'A were 4.07%, 19.8% and 28.7%, respectively. No individual was found to carry the homozygous CCR5-Δ32 mutation in either cohort. No polymorphism was found to be significantly elevated in the HIVinfected cohort compared to the healthy group. Conclusions: The distribution of CCR5-Δ32, CCR2-64I, and SDF1-3'A variants does not differ between HIV-infected and uninfected patients. CCR2-64I and SDF1-3'A frequencies are relatively high where as the frequency of CCR5-Δ32 is low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]