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The author discusses the care continuum among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in the U.S. He relates the article "Updated data on linkage to HIV care and antiretroviral treatment among men who have sex with men - 20 cities, United States," by B. E. Hoots and colleagues. He discusses the prevalence of linkage to care and antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage among HIV-infected persons in the country.

The article focuses on the potent antiretroviral drugs in the United States. The drugs haved save many lives and will continue to save lives in many years to come. One of the uses of the drug is that it prevents the transfer of HIV virus from mothers to infants. The first antiretroviral drug to be approved is the zidovudine. There is a great importance in the detection of the HIV disease.

Presents a study which developed a molecular viability assay for human form of Pneumocystis carinii that is applicable to both clinical specimens and environmental samples. Materials and methods; Results; Significance of the assay.

Studies the impact of sexually transmitted viruses on the cytokine profile in genital tract secretions from female adolescents. Cytokine concentration distribution by category; Prediction model and influence of coinfection on cytokine concentration; Prediction of interleukin-10 concentrations with an ordinal logistic regression model.

Background. Unsafe practices during illegal plasma donation in the late 1980s and early 1990s spread blood-borne infections in central China. Methods. A cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 538 adult residents of 12 villages in rural Shanxi Province, where there had been an illegal commercial plasma-collection center, was conducted in 2003. Structured questionnaires were administered, and blood samples were tested for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies. Results. HCV seroprevalence rates were 8.2% in all subjects, 27.7% in former commercial plasma/blood donors, and 2.6% in nondonors. Selling blood or plasma was the strongest independent predictor of HCV seropositivity (odds ratio [OR], 14.4 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 7.1-31.6]). A history of blood transfusion was also independently associated with HCV seropositivity (OR, 8.3 [95% CI, 2.1-32.0]). Plasma donors had a higher risk of being HCV seropositive than did whole-blood donors (OR, 7.6 [95% CI, 2.9-20.9]), and female donors had a lower risk than did male donors (OR, 0.32 [95% CI, 0.12-0.80]). The strength of the association between selling blood and HCV seropositivity was weaker when plasma donors were excluded (OR, 8.0 vs. 14.4). Conclusions. Unsafe practices during illegal plasma donation led to a high risk of HCV seropositivity for donors during the 1980s and 1990s. Failure to screen for HCV increased the risk of seropositivity for transfusion recipients during this same period. China has taken steps to halt illegal plasma collection and to improve blood-banking methods. However, there will be an ongoing challenge to care for patients with HCV infection, even as its incidence decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Infection with intestinal helminths may stimulate dysfunctional immune responses in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons. Studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the impact of antihelminthic treatment on plasma concentrations of HIV-1 RNA. Methods. We conducted a prospective study of 54 HIV-1- and helminth-coinfected and 57 HIV-1-infected, helminth-uninfected asymptomatic adults living in Lusaka, Zambia, to assess the impact of antihelminthic treatment on plasma concentrations of HIV-1 RNA. Results. Median baseline viral load was 0.33 log10 copies/mL lower in the helminth-infected group than in the uninfected group. Mean viral load between pretreatment and posttreatment visits increased in the helminthinfected (mean, 4.23 vs. 4.29 log10 copies/mL; ) and helminth-uninfected (mean, 4.39 vs. 4.52 log10 copies/ P =.2 ) groups. Helminth-infected participants with high pretreatment viral loads had a mean 0.25-log10 copies/mL decrease after treatment ( P = .3), and helminth-uninfected participants had a mean 0.02-log10 copies/mL decrease (P = .8 ). Conclusions. We did not find an overall association between treatment of intestinal helminth infections and reduction in viral load in coinfected adults. Future studies may need to focus on adults with intense helminth infections who live in rural areas or on adults or children who harbor higher helminth burdens and plasma concentrations of HIV-1 RNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human gene for CC chemokine receptor 5, a coreceptor for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), affects susceptibility to infection. Most studies of predominantly male cohorts found that individuals carrying a homozygous deleted form of the gene, Delta 32, were protected against transmission, but protection did not extend to Delta 32 heterozygotes. The role played by this mutation in HIV-1 transmission to women was studied in 2605 participants in the Women's Interagency HIV Study. The Delta 32 gene frequency was 0.026 for HIV-1-seropositive women and 0.040 for HIV-1-seronegative women, and statistical analyses showed that Delta 32 heterozygotes were significantly less likely to be infected (odds ratio, 0.63 [95% confidence interval, 0.44-0.90]). The CCR5 Delta 32 heterozygous genotype may confer partial protection against HIV-1 infection in women. Because Delta 32 is rare in Africans and Asians, it seems plausible that differential genetic susceptibility, in addition to social and behavioral factors, may contribute to the rapid heterosexual spread of HIV-1 in Africa and Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seventeen women who were persistently uninfected by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), despite repeated sexual exposure, and 12 of their HIV-positive male partners were studied for antiviral correlates of non-transmission. Thirteen women had > or = 1 immune response in the form of CD8 cell noncytotoxic HIV-1 suppressive activity, proliferative CD4 cell response to HIV antigens, CD8 cell production of macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta, or ELISPOT assay for HIV-1-specific interferon-gamma secretion. The male HIV-positive partners without AIDS had extremely high CD8 cell counts. All 8 male partners evaluated showed CD8 cell-related cytotoxic HIV suppressive activity. Reduced CD4 cell susceptibility to infection, neutralizing antibody, single-cell cytokine production, and local antibody in the women played no apparent protective role. These observations suggest that the primary protective factor is CD8 cell activity in both the HIV-positive donor and the HIV-negative partner. These findings have substantial implications for vaccine development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which examined human immunodeficiency virus infection associated with ectopy among adolescent girls. Background on ectopy; Characteristics of subjects; Methods; Results.