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Query: UMLS:C0019693 (HIV)
 170,526 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Because AIDS patients frequently present with minimal symptomatology, radionuclide imaging with its ability to survey the entire body, is especially valuable. Gallium-67 citrate, the most commonly performed radionuclide study for localizing infection in these patients, is most useful for detecting opportunistic infections, especially in the thorax. A negative gallium scan, particularly when the chest X-ray is unremarkable, rules strongly against pulmonary disease. A negative gallium scan in a patient with an abnormal chest X-ray and Kaposi's sarcoma, suggests that the patient's respiratory distress is related to the neoplasm. Diffuse pulmonary parenchymal uptake of gallium in the HIV (+) patient is most often associated with PCP. While there are other causes of diffuse pulmonary uptake, the more intense or heterogeneous the uptake, the more likely the patient is to have PCP. Focal pulmonary uptake is usually associated with bacterial pneumonia although PCP may occasionally present in this fashion. Lymph node uptake of gallium is usually associated with Mycobacterium avium complex, tuberculosis, or lymphoma. When corresponding abnormalities are present on thallium scintigraphy lymphoma is likely. Gallium positive, thallium negative, studies suggest mycobacterial disease. Labeled leukocyte imaging is not useful for detecting opportunistic infections probably because of the inflammatory response incited by these organisms. Leukocyte imaging is, however, more sensitive for detecting bacterial pneumonia. In the abdomen, gallium imaging is most useful for identifying lymphadenopathy, while labeled leukocyte imaging is superior for detecting AIDS-associated colitides. In summary, radionuclide studies are valuable diagnostic modalities in AIDS. Their success can be maximized by tailoring the study to the individual's needs.
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PMID:The role of gallium and labeled leukocyte scintigraphy in the AIDS patient. 755 45

We report four cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-seronegative patients. Two of them had been hospitalized for polymyositis treatment near AIDS patients, respectively 1 and 4 months before PCP. The two others suffered from localized cancer. Their evolution was complicated by respiratory distress and death in two of them. A telephone survey among 19 hospital units yielded nine cases of similar patients. They were only observed in wards caring for AIDS patients at the same time, thus raising the question of a possible nosocomial transmission of PCP between AIDS patients and immunocompromised HIV-seronegative patients. This adds to the growing concern for hospital-acquired infections, including resistant tuberculosis and other opportunistic pathogens. We propose some practical measures to limit this risk by simple means such as no-contact between at-risk populations, enhanced disinfection procedures of the rooms and masking of the coughing PCP patients.
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PMID:[Risk of nosocomial Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in immunosuppressed patients non-infected by human immunodeficiency viruses]. 805 28

Between September 1990 and July 1991, health workers and/or laboratory personnel at Siaya District Hospital in rural western Kenya (about 60 km northwest of Kisumu) gathered data on 799 patients who received 927 blood transfusions, including blood donation, grouping, and HIV screening. Most blood recipients were children (under 15 years old). Only 6% of all recipients were men. Just 30% of transfusions were performed the day of request. Blood donors recruited when it was most needed for survival. Their blood tended to be available 3 days after the request. The volunteer donated blood tended to be available for transfusion the day of request, however, because it had already been banked and screened. Patient-recruited donors were more likely to be HIV infected than volunteer donors (13.4% vs. 4.6%; relative risk = 2.91; p .001). 47% of the pediatric transfusions should not have taken place because 23% of these children did not suffer respiratory distress and their hemoglobin levels were greater than t gm/dl and because 27% received the transfusion 2 days after the day of request. 90% of all adult transfusions were inappropriate (i.e., transfusion of no more than 1 unit of blood or received the transfusion 2 days after the day of request). 30% of blood units that had been banked and screened at the time of request were not transfused until at least 2 days after request. These findings identified those areas which must be targeted to improve the appropriate and timely use of blood and reducing transfusion-induced HIV transmission: reduction of inappropriate transfusions, increased recruitment of volunteer donors, and improved laboratory services.
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PMID:Blood transfusion practices and blood-banking services in a Kenyan hospital. 835 59

The continued spread of penicillin-resistant pneumococci raises therapeutic concerns. Optimal therapy for resistant infections is unknown and it is not clear whether the efficacy of penicillin or equally active beta-lactam agents is compromised in non-meningeal-resistant infections. A prospective nonintervention study was undertaken to compare the clinical response in penicillin-resistant vs. penicillin-susceptible bacteremic pneumococcal infections, excluding meningitis. Of 108 children enrolled, 35 (32%) had penicillin-resistant (one highly resistant) isolates. Seventy-eight children had pneumonia, 21 had occult bacteremia (sepsis) and 9 had peritonitis. Children with resistant infections were more likely to have underlying disorders, especially human immunodeficiency virus infection, and to have received antimicrobial therapy in the previous month. After 48 hours of therapy 64% of penicillin-susceptible infections showed improvement vs. 60% of penicillin-resistant infections (odds ratio, 1.2; 95% confidence intervals, 0.5 to 3.0). In children with pneumonia treated with ampicillin or an equivalent beta-lactam agent, 93% with penicillin-susceptible infections had improved by Day 7 of therapy compared with 88% with resistant infections (odds ratio, 1.9; 95% confidence interval 0.3 to 15.9). The durations of respiratory distress, fever and oxygen requirement were similar in penicillin-susceptible and -resistant infections. These results suggest that intermediate penicillin resistance is of little significance in pneumococcal pneumonia or sepsis and that standard beta-lactam therapy is still highly effective. Further studies of highly penicillin-resistant infections are necessary.
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PMID:Comparison of the response to antimicrobial therapy of penicillin-resistant and penicillin-susceptible pneumococcal disease. 878 62

Human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) and cytokines play a critical role in host defences against invading microorganisms. In response to a variety of stimuli, PMN are a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are essential for bacterial killing and may induce oxidative stress in tissue environment. A precise regulation of the oxidase activity is therefore necessary. Cytokines such as TNF alpha, GM-CSF, IL-8, IL-6, IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta produced during the immune and inflammatory responses to pathogens have been reported to interact with PMN activities. However, contradictory results have been reported on their direct and priming effects on the PMN release of ROS (oxidative burst). We have used a flow cytometry method to study the effects of these cytokines on the oxidative burst of PMN in whole blood, in order to avoid PMN activation related to isolation procedures. None of the cytokines tested directly activated the PMN oxidative burst, but they did have differential priming effects on the oxidative burst in response to N-formyl peptides. TNF, GM-CSF and IL-8 strongly primed a subpopulation of PMN to produce H2O2 in response to fMLP, while IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-6 failed to do so. Furthermore, the addition of TNF, GM-CSF or IL-8 to whole blood increased the capacity of a subpopulation of PMN to bind N-formyl peptides, a phenomenon that could account for the strong H2O2 production in response to fMLP following priming by the cytokines. These results show that, among the various cytokines tested, TNF, GM-CSF and IL-8 strongly prime the PMN oxidative burst in response to bacterial peptides in whole blood and suggest that these cytokines may play a critical role in bacterial killing in vivo and also in the surrounding tissue injury secondary to pathological inflammatory reactions. In particular, TNF and IL-8 plasma levels as well as LPS-induced monocytic production of these cytokines ex vivo have been correlated with the production of ROS by stimulated PMN and with the lung injury score in patients with Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrom (ARDS). However, desensitization phenomena have also been described. In particular, in HIV infected patients we demonstrated a decrease of H2O2 production by PMN in whole blood after ex vivo priming by IL-8 and TNF followed by fMLP stimulation. This decrease increased with the progression of the disease and was inversely correlated with IL-8 plasma level. Different mechanisms could explain such desensitization phenomena at the receptor and post receptor level. In addition cytokines are involved in a complex network of regulation and anti inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-10, could act as a negative signal on the proinflammatory cytokines induced-priming of oxidative burst.
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PMID:[Modulation of the oxidative burst of human neutrophils by pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines]. 873 98

We report a 65-year-old Japanese woman with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). The eruption first occurred on the legs while she was admitted for treatment of poorly differentiated lung cancer. Approximately eight months after the evolution, cutaneous tumors rapidly spread to the forearms, trunk, and pharynx. At that time, the patient had received systemic corticosteroid (10-40 mg/day of prednisolone) for about three months to reduce pulmonary inflammation. The laboratory data showed anemia, lymphopenia, hypogammaglobulinemia, and a decreased T cell count, although the serological test for HIV infection was negative. The patient was treated with radiation (X-ray for KS of pharynx and electron beam for KS of lower legs) and local intralesional injection of vinblastine. Although both therapies were very effective and well tolerated, she died of bacterial pneumonia and sepsis. Autopsy revealed KS tumors, unknown before death, in both lungs, the esophagus, and the stomach. The left lung cancer had disseminated and metastasized to the right lung, pleura, mediastinum, and abdominal cavity. It is suspected that chronic respiratory distress and systemic use of corticosteroids might have induced the rapid extension of KS.
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PMID:Kaposi's sarcoma associated with lung cancer and immunosuppression. 885 91

A 42-year-old, African-American man presented with a 2-month history of weight loss and fever for 2 weeks. Presumptive diagnoses of human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome were made on the basis of a CD4 lymphocyte count of 23 lymphocytes/mL. Chest x-ray revealed right paratracheal adenopathy and a miliary pattern. The etiology of the patient's pulmonary infection was not known, but tuberculosis was an important consideration. Over 5 days, the pulmonary infection progressed and was complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), septic shock, and death, despite vigorous antibiotic and supportive therapy. Serologic tests for HIV infection were reported as positive after the patient's demise. The etiology of the patient's pulmonary infection, ARDS, and sepsis was not known until autopsy study revealed enumerable yeast-like cells of Blastomyces dermatitidis in the extensively consolidated lungs and in disseminated foci of infection in most other major organs. Diffuse alveolar damage was closely associated with the pulmonary blastomycosis. Electron microscopic study of the yeast-like cells of B. dermatitidis in the autopsy lung obtained and fixed 5 days after the patient's death revealed excellent preservation of viable organisms.
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PMID:Disseminated blastomycosis and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: a case report and ultrastructural study. 888 26

The case of a 25-year-old male agricultural laborer with HIV infection and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is described, whose radiological lesions simulated pulmonary tuberculosis. He presented with loss of weight and appetite of 6 months' duration, cough with expectoration and minimal hemoptysis for 2 months, chest pain, diarrhea with fever, and odonophasia for 1 month. He had received antitubercular treatment (rifampicin 450 mg and isoniazid 300 mg) 2 months prior to admission. He had been promiscuous, having had multiple sexual contacts with prostitutes. General examination demonstrated marked emaciation, pallor, dyspnea, and oral candidiasis. Auscultation indicated fine medium pitched crackles in both infraclavicular regions. Blood for ELISA and immunocomb test were positive for HIV-1 antibodies. Hemogram revealed Hb 6 gm%, and TLC with polymorphs 63%, lymphocytes 30%, eosinophils 5%, and basophils 2%. The total lymphocyte count was 2100/cu. mm. Chest roentgenography revealed bilateral diffuse homogenous infiltrative lesions involving both lungs, with evidence of multiple bilateral cavitation. Therapy included antitubercular treatment with ethambutol, isoniazid, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide, along with Gentian violet mouth paint and ketoconazole orally, 200 mg bid. The patient developed progressive respiratory distress and died on the 7th day after admission. Limited autopsy of both lungs showed foamy eosinophilic material filling the alveolar space, and Grocett's methenamine silver staining showed cyst walls of P. carinii as black. There was no evidence of pulmonary tuberculosis. In the present case, the diagnosis of PCP should have been kept in mind to increase median survival time (25.9 vs. 12.6 months without treatment) with the treatment of choice of trimethoprim plus sulphamethoxizole in doses of 20 and 100 mg/kg/day. Early diagnosis and treatment will improve the mean survival time in cases of PCP with HIV infection.
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PMID:Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia simulating as pulmonary tuberculosis in AIDS. 901 80

Progressive disseminated histoplasmosis (PDH), a recognized defining illness of AIDS, is an opportunistic fungal infection caused by Histoplasma capsulatum. The authors report a case of PDH in a HIV-infected African child from a Histoplasma capsulatum non-endemic area. An 8-year-old girl from Kwazulu/Natal, South Africa, was admitted to King Edward VIII hospital with pyrexia and respiratory distress. Pale with generalized lymphadenopathy, she had been sick with general malaise and fever for 3 weeks. A punched-out painless ulcer was present on the child's lower left leg and she had ulcerative lesions on the tip of her tongue and the angle of her mouth. There was a tender hepatomegaly and clinical signs of pneumonia, while a chest roentgenogram showed right upper lobe consolidation with early cavitation. The purified protein derivative tuberculin skin test was negative and no acid-fast bacilli were detected on three sputum samples taken on different days. A Western blot test conducted for antibodies to HIV was positive. Additional laboratory tests were conducted. The patient was treated with parenteral acyclovir for herpesvirus infection, ceftriaxone for severe community-acquired pneumonia, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole because Pneumocystis carinii infection was part of the clinical differential diagnosis. Bone marrow aspirate and trephine biopsy revealed yeast forms of H. capsulatum. The girl died on the second day of hospital admission, before antifungal therapy could be commenced.
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PMID:Disseminated histoplasmosis in a human immunodeficiency virus-infected African child. 910 50

The microsporidian Encephalitozoon hellem is being reported with increasing frequency in HIV-positive subjects, as an agent of disseminated microsporidiosis without involving the gastrointestinal tract. We describe a case of pulmonary microsporidiosis in a 27-year-old Italian man with AIDS who developed fever, cough, and dyspnea. A chest X-ray showed multiple bilateral pulmonary opacities and mediastinal lymph-node enlargement. Stained smears of bronchoalveolar lavage sediment showed oval structures consistent with microsporidian spores. Viral, bacterial and fungal cultures were repeatedly negative, whereas microsporidia were successfully cultured in human and bovine fibroblast cell lines. Analysis of electron micrographs indicated that the isolate belonged to the genus Encephalitozoon. Based on further immunological, biochemical and molecular studies it was characterized as E. hellem. Even though a temporary improvement with albendazole therapy was noticed, the patient deteriorated clinically and died of severe respiratory distress.
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PMID:Pulmonary microsporidiosis due to Encephalitozoon hellem in a patient with AIDS. 913 34


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