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The demographic characteristics and the associated diagnostic and antiretroviral treatment (ART) efforts between the predominantly former plasma donation (FPD) and intravenous drug use (IDU) provinces are evaluated. The findings states that the national pediatric survey in China has pointed that the age and time needed for diagnosis are greater in HIV-infected children from FPD provinces compared with those from IDU provinces.

The HIV-1 p24 assay to dried blood spot (DBS) plasma antigen test was adapted to considerably reduce the known high background in DBS samples by introducing a peroxidase quenching step. It was found that DBS-p24 and plasma-p24 concentrations correlated well, independent of the ethnic background of the subjects or the HIV-1 subtype.

A study was conducted to determine the probable route of transmission of HIV to children aged 12 years or younger in a rural area of Uganda from 1999 through 2000 and to examine associations between HIV infection and health care-related variables. The findings suggest that a large number of injections were a consequence of AIDS-related illness rather then the cause of infection in vertically infected children.

The impact of malaria parasitemia on the absolute number of peripheral CD4 cells in both HIV-1-positive and HIV-negative adults who were treated for uncomplicated confirmed malaria is discussed. Interpretation of absolute CD4 count might be biased during or just after a clinical malaria episode.

A study was conducted to identify treatable and preventable infectious causes of morbidity and mortality in children affected by HIV during their first fifteen months of life and the role of bacterial sepsis in the natural history of AIDS in Haitian children. It was found that bacteremia, Staphylococcus aureus was partially responsible for excess illness and mortality in children born to HIV-infected mothers.

The association between [CD4.sup.4] depletion and immune activation in HIV-1 infected children on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is analyzed. Results reveal that elevated immune activation is responsible for [CD4.sup.} depletion rather than HIV replication because immunologic status is associated directly to immune activation and not to viral load levels in HIV-infected children on HAART.

Changes in the healthcare use among perinatally HIV-infected children are examined and new estimates of expected lifetime treatment costs are developed. Results revealed that hospitalizations among perinatally HIV-infected children decreased significantly from 1995 to 2001.

A cohort of 26 perinatally HIV-infected children who discontinued the protease inhibitors (PI) component of their highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) because of difficulties with adherence, toxicity, or virologic breakthrough is presented. Therapy simplification by partial treatment interruption may provide a practical option in patients intolerant of or failing PI-based highly active antiretroviral therapy.

A program to provide maternal and newborn doses of nevirapine to pregnant women in rural Uganda is conducted to assess the effectiveness of maternal self-administration of nevirapine for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. Women provided blood for HIV testing and were offered voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) during annual community HIV surveys.

The study was aimed to analyze and determine genotypic and pharmacologic predictive factors of virologic success. A prospective genotypic resistance analysis was also performed in patients who experienced virologic failure.

A number of debates exist in Africa, due to the HIV epidemics, on whether institutionalized compared with community-based care provide optimum management of infected children. Patterns of morbidity and mortality among HIV-1-infected children residing at an orphanage in Nairobi are characterized.