0000000000337491
AUTHOR
G Rezza
Pre-ART HIV-1 DNA in CD4+ T cells correlates with baseline viro-immunological status and outcome in patients under first-line ART
Objectives We evaluated the association between pre-ART HIV DNA and HIV-infected participant characteristics at baseline as well as with their response to first-line ART. Methods Four hundred and thirty-three patients from the ICONA cohort, starting first-line ART after the year 2000, were analysed. Pre-ART HIV DNA was quantified with the modified COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Test and normalized by CD4+ T cells. Linear correlation between pre-ART HIV DNA and other continuous markers (HIV RNA, CD4 count, markers of inflammation and coagulation) at baseline was evaluated by means of Pearson correlation coefficient and a linear regression model. Survival analyses and Cox regression models were used to s…
Incidence and risk factors for liver enzyme elevation among naive HIV-1-infected patients receiving ART in the ICONA cohort
AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate the incidence and risk factors for liver enzyme elevations (LEE) in patients initiating first-line ART in the ICONA prospective observational cohort, between June 2009 and December 2017.Patients and methodsIn total, 6575 ART-naive patients were selected, initiating two NRTIs with the third drug being a boosted PI (n=2436; 37.0%), an NNRTI (n=2384; 36.3%) or an integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) (n=1755; 26.7%). HBV surface antigen and HCV RNA were detected in 3.9% and 5.8% of the study population. Inverse probability weighted Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the HRs, according to first-line regimen, for LEE, defined as ALT or AST increases…
Transmission of hemagglutinin D222G mutant strain of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus.
A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus strain carrying the D222G mutation was identified in a severely ill man and was transmitted to a household contact. Only mild illness developed in the contact, despite his obesity and diabetes. The isolated virus reacted fully with an antiserum against the pandemic vaccine strain.
Molecular surveillance of pandemic influenza A(H1N1) viruses circulating in Italy from May 2009 to February 2010: association between haemagglutinin mutations and clinical outcome
Haemagglutinin sequences of pandemic influenza A(H1N1) viruses circulating in Italy were examined, focusing on amino acid changes at position 222 because of its suggested pathogenic relevance. Among 169 patients, the D222G substitution was detected in three of 52 (5.8%) severe cases and in one of 117 (0.9%) mild cases, whereas the D222E mutation was more frequent and evenly distributed in mild (31.6%) and severe cases (38.4%). A cluster of D222E viruses among school children confirms reported human-to-human transmission of viruses mutated at amino acid position 222.