Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019693 (HIV)
 170,526 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Twenty-four asymptomatic, HIV-1-seropositive subjects with CD4 cell counts of > or = 400/microliters participated in a Phase I/II, dose escalation trial of intravenous L-2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (OTC: Procysteine). Four groups of six subjects each were consecutively assigned to receive OTC at an initial dose of 3, 10, 30, or 100 mg/kg, followed by the same dose given twice weekly for 6 weeks. Increases in whole-blood glutathione were observed in the highest dosage group after 6 weeks of therapy. No effects on changes in CD4 cell counts, viral load, or proviral DNA frequency were observed among the four dosage groups, although a decline in beta 2-microglobulin levels was apparent in the highest dosage group. One subject withdrew due to headaches; other probable adverse events including rash, flushing, pruritus, lightheadedness, and diminished concentration were self-limited.
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PMID:A phase I/II trial of intravenous L-2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (procysteine) in asymptomatic HIV-infected subjects. 790 62

In 1986, community outreach workers began distributing small bleach bottles to injection drug users (IDUs) in San Francisco as a simple means for them to reduce their risk of infection with HIV and other pathogens by quickly flushing their syringes with bleach. At inception, the intervention was based on four assumptions: (a) sole reliance on expanded drug treatment capacity could not achieve HIV prevention goals, (b) legal barriers made syringe distribution or exchange schemes unfeasible, (c) IDUs would act in their own interest if the measures offered were acceptable to them, and (d) using bleach would diminish the risk of HIV transmission from reusing injection equipment. Following successful implementation of this program in San Francisco, similar programs were developed in many locations. These programs serve as the principal means of preventing needle-borne HIV infection among IDUs not enrolled in drug abuse treatment in the United States. Needed are definitive laboratory studies to determine the effectiveness of bleach decontamination as presently used by IDUs.
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PMID:Historical perspective on the use of bleach in HIV/AIDS prevention. 820 57

Previous research has suggested that frequent vaginal douching modifies vaginal flora and increases the risk of cervical infections -- a probable risk factor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). To assess the association between HIV infection and vaginal douching, 397 women attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic in Bangui, Central African Republic, during 1994-95 were interviewed regarding their sexual behavior and vaginal douching practices in the preceding 3 years. The overall HIV prevalence rate was 34%. Douching, primarily for hygiene or treatment of a vaginal discharge, was reported by 195 women (49%); its mean weekly frequency was 7 times. A commercial antiseptic was used by 140 women (72%); 48 (25%) used a noncommercial preparation (largely herbs) and 7 (3%) used water. The analysis was restricted to women who used commercial or noncommercial preparations at least once a week (104 and 32 women, respectively). 25 (21.7%) of the 115 HIV-positive women reported use of commercial antiseptics compared with 79 (35.4%) of seronegative women (odds ratio, 0.6; 95% confidence interval, 0.4-0.9 after adjustment for condom use, lifetime number of sexual partners, and marital status). Use of noncommercial preparations was reported by 17 (14.8%) seropositive and 15 (6.7%) seronegative women (adjusted odds ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, l.0-3.0). Although these findings should be considered preliminary, it is speculated that the antifungal and bacteriostatic properties of commercial antiseptics used after sexual intercourse may reduce the inoculum of HIV through a flushing mechanism or reduce the frequency of sexually transmitted diseases that serve as co-factors for HIV infection. Moreover, the agents used in noncommercial preparations may irritate vaginal mucosa, enhancing HIV transmission.
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PMID:HIV infection and vaginal douching in central Africa. 911 82

Hospital-acquired infection attributed to inadequate decontamination of gastrointestinal endoscopes prompted an in use evaluation of recommended procedures. Specimens were obtained from the internal channels of 123 endoscopes before, during and after decontamination by flushing with saline and brushing with a sterile brush, and examined for vegetative bacteria by broth and plate culture. Four endoscopy units were tested; the chemical disinfectants used were: 2% glutaraldehyde in Centres 1 and 2 (automated) and Centre 3 (manual); peracetic acid in Centre 4 (automated). Samples from patients in Centre 1 with known chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection were also examined for viral nucleic acid by ultracentrifugation, nucleic acid extraction, reverse transcription (for RNA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). No persistent vegetative bacteria were found following standard manual cleaning and disinfection for 20 min in 2% glutaraldehyde in Centres 2 and 3 (N = 37). At Centre 1, while plate culture yielded no growth, 34% of samples (10/29) grew vegetative bacteria in broth culture after cleaning and disinfection for 20 min in 2% glutaraldehyde. Investigation revealed an error in manual cleaning; no bacteria were detected in 37 samples taken after this was corrected. At Centre 4, despite the use of peracetic acid as a sterilant, three out of 20 (15%) of post decontamination samples grew bacteria; one contained persistent bacteria. HBV and HCV PCR analysis detected viral nucleic acid in three out of four and four out of six samples from viraemic patients undergoing endoscopy in Centre 1 during the period of improper manual washing. After proper cleaning was instituted, samples from nine out of nine HCV viraemic patients were negative. HIV RNA was detected in five of 14 samples taken from endoscopes after use on HIV positive patients but all post decontamination samples were negative. Detection of bacteria in washes from endoscope channels is a useful warning of a breakdown in decontamination practice. Inadequate brushing of internal channels may result in persistent HCV and HBV viral nucleic acid, the significance of which is not clear. These results reinforce the importance of adequate manual cleaning of endoscopes before chemical disinfection.
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PMID:Detection of persistent vegetative bacteria and amplified viral nucleic acid from in-use testing of gastrointestinal endoscopes. 1036 18

A pilot study of a combination of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and cytokines in early HIV-1 infection has been undertaken to test the hypothesis that HIV-1 remission can be reached with this strategy by flushing latently infected viral reservoirs. Ten previously antiretroviral naive patients have received a combination of zidovudine, lamivudine, didanosine, saquinavir, and ritonavir for 72 weeks. Between weeks 12 and 48, three courses of interleukin (IL)-2 (7.5 millions of international units [MUI] twice a day for 5 consecutive days) and 2 courses of gamma-interferon (IFN) (100 microg every other day during 2 weeks) were administered subcutaneously. All patients reached plasma HIV-1 RNA levels < 20 copies/ml within 12 +/- 4 weeks. Transient increases in plasma levels (< 120 copies/ml) were observed during administration of IL-2, but less frequently during gamma-IFN administration. HIV-1 RNA decreased in lymph node cells by approximately 4 log, then remained stable after week 24. A mean drop of -0.8 log in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proviral DNA was observed during the trial. Isolation of potentially infectious HIV-1 was successful in each case by coculture of CD4+ T cells taken at week 72. The 2 patients who stopped therapy at the end of the trial showed rebounding plasma HIV-1 RNA levels within a few weeks. No additional mutations were selected in comparison with those present at baseline in 8 patients. In addition, 2 patients developed new mutations in the reverse transcriptase or protease gene and in 1 case, resistance selection was found in lymphoid tissue HIV-1 RNA but not in latently infected cells. In all cases, a rapid increase in both naive and memory CD4+ T cells was observed, with a reduction in activation markers and preservation of the CD8+CD28+ subset. Consequently, an aggressive regimen of HAART and cytokines administered in early stage disease is associated with a positive effect in terms of proviral load reduction and immune reconstitution but is unable to induce HIV-1 remission, allowing low levels of viral replication to persist in lymphoid reservoirs.
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PMID:Pilot study of a combination of highly active antiretroviral therapy and cytokines to induce HIV-1 remission. 1117 68

Recent attempts to cure HIV usually consist of two phases. The first phase uses antiviral drugs to suppress viral activity as much as possible. The second phase attempts to stimulate the immune system by flushing out latent HIV using Interleukin-2 (IL-2) or other chemicals. A study at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was recently published, and some media reports concluded that IL-2 was effective in curing HIV. Researchers studied two groups of HIV-infected subjects on HAART, one group taking IL-2 in addition to HAART. Because technicians were unable to culture HIV from the blood of a small number of subjects from the IL-2 group, it was thought that HIV had been eradicated in these subjects. Issues concerning the study and effects of IL-2 use are discussed. NIH researchers have clearly stated that viral eradication did not occur in the trial patients.
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PMID:IL-2 study results in confusion. 1136 29

The advent of the human immunodeficiency virus infection and the increasing prevalence of compromised individuals in the community due to modern therapeutic advances have resulted in a resurgence of opportunistic infections, including oral candidoses. One form of the latter presents classically as a white lesion of "thrush" and is usually easily diagnosed and cured. Nonetheless, a minority of these lesions appears in new guises such as erythematous candidosis, thereby confounding the unwary clinician and complicating its management. Despite the availability of several effective antimycotics for the treatment of oral candidoses, failure of therapy is not uncommon due to the unique environment of the oral cavity, where the flushing effect of saliva and the cleansing action of the oral musculature tend to reduce the drug concentration to sub-therapeutic levels. This problem has been partly circumvented by the introduction of the triazole agents, which initially appeared to be highly effective. However, an alarming increase of organisms resistant to the triazoles has been reported recently. In this review, an overview of clinical manifestations of oral candidoses and recent advances in antimycotic therapy is given, together with newer concepts, such as the post-antifungal effect (PAFE) and its possible therapeutic implications.
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PMID:Oral candidal infections and antimycotics. 1200 14

Oral candidiasis is the most common opportunistic infection in individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Though Candida albicans is the major aetiological agent, non-albicans species such Candida tropicalis are now emerging as important agents of such infection. The Candida cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) is considered a critical factor contributing to its colonization potential and virulence. It is also known that brief exposure to sub-cidal concentrations of antifungal agents is a likely scenario in the oral environment where the administered drugs are diluted continuously due to the flushing action of saliva. Hence the objective of the present study was to compare the CSH of 10 isolates each of C. albicans and C. tropicalis from HIV-infected individuals following brief exposure (1 hour) of isolates to sub-therapeutic concentrations of nystatin, amphotericin B, ketoconazole, fluconazole and 5-flurocytosine. The CSH was assessed by a previously described biphasic aqueous-hydrocarbon assay. The mean percentage reduction of CSH of C. albicans following brief exposure to nystatin, amphotericin B, ketoconazole, fluconazole and 5-flurocytosine was 27.33 (p < 0.001), 21.34 (p < 0.05), 11.74 (p > 0.05), 18.4 (p > 0.05) and 14.64 (p > 0.05) respectively. The mean percentage reduction of CSH of C. tropicalis following brief exposure to nystatin, amphotericin B, ketoconazole, fluconazole and 5-flurocytosine was 33.81 (p < 0.01), 28.88 (p < 0.01), 12.6 (p > 0.05), 21.53 (p > 0.05) and 17.68 (p > 0.05) respectively. A significant interspecies variation in CSH was observed for nystatin and amphoterecin B. Overall the results reveal that the CSH of C. albicans is affected to a significantly lesser degree compared with C. tropicalis when exposed to the antifungals. These data further illustrate another mode of action of antifungals on Candida leading to a reduction in the CSH and thereby the yeast adherence to host tissues.
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PMID:The impact of polyene, azole, and DNA analogue antimycotics on the cell surface hydrophobicity of Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis in HIV infection. 1201 77

The introduction of potent drug combinations comprising reverse transcriptase and protease inhibitors has dramatically altered the natural history of HIV disease, at least in the short term. Unfortunately, poor penetrability into different anatomic compartments, toxicity and drug resistance, are some of the problems related to their prolonged use. HIV's ability to mutate and become resistant along with the ongoing viral replication during HAART, which may lead to the emergence of independently evolving viral strains in different anatomic compartments and establishment of latent viral reservoirs also remain critical for the success and failure of antiretroviral therapy. Current drug therapies do not eliminate these viral reservoirs, nor do they discourage their formation. New strategies are needed for flushing hidden pockets of HIV in vivo. This review will focus mainly on novel strategies in the pipeline, along with the recent developments in the field.
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PMID:Viral reservoirs an impediment to HAART: new strategies to eliminate HIV-1. 1276 94

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare debilitating disease characterized by an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and progressive right ventricular failure. PAH may be primary or associated with other conditions such as collagen vascular disease, portal hypertension, and HIV. Intravenous epoprostenol improves the survival, exercise tolerance, hemodynamics, and quality of life in patients with PAH and is believed to work through multiple pathways including vasodilation, opposition of smooth-muscle hypertrophy, and inhibition of platelet aggregation. Common dose-limiting side effects are flushing, jaw pain, arthralgias, myalgias, and headache, which are attributed to the vasodilatory effects of epoprostenol. In clinical practice, patients often develop persistent rash that is distinct from the flushing associated with epoprostenol. The specific findings both on physical examination and on dermatopathology have not, however, been well described. This report describes the cutaneous and dermatopathologic findings of 12 patients who developed persistent rash while receiving long-term prostacyclin for PAH.
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PMID:Cutaneous findings in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension receiving long-term epoprostenol therapy. 1524 33


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