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A Dushimimana

Publications and source records attributed to A Dushimimana.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Perinatal human immunodeficiency virus-1 transmission and intrauterine growth: a cohort study in Butare, Rwanda.

OBJECTIVE: To study the association of perinatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 transmission with birth outcomes, including birth weight, gestational age, ponderal index, head circumference, and weight/head ratio. METHODS: Data from a prospective cohort study of 627 pregnant women and their infants in Butare, Rwanda, from October 1989 until April 1994 were analyzed. A total of 318 HIV-1-infected and 309 seronegative women were enrolled during pregnancy and gave birth to 590 live singletons. Multiple linear regression modeling was used to assess the association of mother-child HIV status with several birth outcome measures. RESULTS: Unadjusted mean birth weight of HIV- infected infants was 235 g (95% confidence interval [CI] = 94 to 376 g) less than that of HIV-uninfected infants born to HIV-positive mothers (the reference group). After adjustment for gestational age, socioeconomic factors, maternal age, parity, hematocrit, and anthropomorphic measures, mean birth weight of HIV-infected infants was 154 g (95% CI = 38 to 271 g) lower than that of the reference group. When infants born to HIV-seronegative mothers were compared with the reference group, mean birth weights did not differ. Adjusted models resulted in estimates of mean head circumference 0.6 cm smaller (95% CI = 0.2 to 1.1 cm), ponderal index 0.14 lower (95% CI = 0.05 to 0.23), weight/head ratio 3.5 lower (95% CI = 0.5 to 6.4), and gestational age 0.5 weeks shorter (95% CI = 0.1 to 0.9 weeks) for HIV-infected infants than for the reference group. CONCLUSIONS: After adjustment for potential confounding variables, this study showed statistically significant differences in birth weight, gestational age, ponderal index, and weight/head ratio when HIV-infected infants were compared with noninfected infants born to HIV-positive mothers. HIV-1, mother-to-child transmission, Africa, intrauterine growth, birth weight, gestational age, ponderal index.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Vitamin A deficiency and T-cell subpopulations in children with meningococcal disease.

Although group A meningococcal disease is a major cause of child morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about vitamin A status and T-cell subpopulations in affected children. A prospective study of vitamin A levels and T-cell subpopulations was conducted in 41 children hospitalized for meningococcal meningitis in Butare, Rwanda, during an epidemic from September through November, 1992. The mean age of cases was 3.6 +/- 2.7 years (range 0.5-16 years). The case-fatality rate was 20 per cent; 73 per cent of the children had serum vitamin A levels consistent with subclinical deficiency (< 0.7 mumol/l), and 27 per cent had levels consistent with severe deficiency (< 0.35 mumol/l). Mean CD4 per cent was higher and CD8 per cent was lower among children with meningitis compared with known reference populations. These results suggest that meningococcal disease is characterized by T-cell subpopulation alterations and vitamin A deficiency.

Adolescent↗

Diagnostic utility of immune-complex-dissociated p24 antigen detection in perinatally acquired HIV-1 infection in Rwanda.

We evaluated the diagnostic utility and prognostic value of immune-complex-dissociated (ICD) HIV-1 p24 antigen detection in a prospective cohort study of perinatally acquired HIV-1 infection in Butare, Rwanda. HIV-1 p24 antigen was measured after acid dissociation in plasma samples collected at 6 weeks and 3 months of age from 36 HIV-1 infected and 80 uninfected children born to HIV-1 infected women. Among children with persistent HIV-1 antibody after 12 months of age, 26.7% of samples tested ICD HIV-1 p24 antigen positive. Among children who died between 3 and 12 months of age but were classified as HIV-1 infected, 17.6% tested p24 antigen positive at 6 weeks of age and 33.3% at 3 months of age. Female infants were more likely to test p24 antigen positive than male infants (p = 0.046). The specificity of the assay was 96.8%. Cumulative probabilities of child survival to 36 months of age were computed by HIV-1 status of the child and early p24 antigenemia. The mean survival time was 7 months for HIV-1 infected children with a high (> 50 pg/ml) p24 antigen concentration versus 20 months for children with p24 antigen concentrations between 10 and 50 pg/ml (p = 0.02). Cumulative probabilities of survival to 36 months of age were 0% among HIV-1 infected children with at least one positive p24 antigen test, 44% among confirmed HIV-1 infected children who were p24 antigen-negative at both 6 weeks and 3 months of age, and 95% among seroreverting children (p < 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗

Risk factors associated with prevalent HIV-1 infection among pregnant women in Rwanda. National University of Rwanda-Johns Hopkins University AIDS Research Team.

This study evaluated risk factors associated with prevalent HIV-1 infection among pregnant women in a semi-rural but densely populated area surrounding the town of Butare in Rwanda. Overall seroprevalence was 9.3% in 5690 pregnant women who sought antenatal care at one of five health centres. Factors associated with higher seroprevalence of HIV-1 included history of multiple sexual partners, history of at least one sexually transmitted disease (STD), relatively high socioeconomic status (SES), being unmarried, young age at first pregnancy, and low gravidity. Women who had used oral contraceptives, smoked more than one cigarette per day, whose partners were circumcised, and had had sex to support themselves were also at higher risk of being infected. A history of blood transfusion in the past 5 years was not associated with HIV-1 infection. History of multiple sexual partners, history of STD, high household income, partner circumcision, and past oral contraceptive use remained strongly associated with HIV-1 infection even when simultaneously controlling for other covariates. Among legally married women who lacked sexual behaviour risk factors, history of STD, high SES, young age at first pregnancy, and low gravidity were significantly associated with HIV-1 seroprevalence.

Adolescent↗

Incident HIV-1 infection in a cohort of young women in Butare, Rwanda.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of HIV-1 infection and associated risk factors among young, seronegative, and sexually active women in a mixed rural and urban population in southern Rwanda. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. METHODS: Between October 1991 and April 1993, we completed a 2-year follow-up survey among HIV-1-seronegative women aged < or = 30 years at the time of their initial HIV-1 screening during pregnancy. All women aged < or = 25 years and a randomly selected sample of 26-30-year olds were invited to participate from five prenatal clinics in the Butare region. The interview focused on potential risk factors for HIV-1 acquisition during the 2-year interval between blood collection. RESULTS: Out of 1524 women selected, 1150 (75%) participated in the follow-up survey. The 2-year incidence of HIV-1 infection was 2.7% [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.8-3.9]. Teenage women were at the highest risk (incidence, 10.5%; 95% CI, 5.2-19.4), with incidence leveling off with increasing age (P < 0.001). Women who began sexual activity recently were also at higher risk; the lowest risk category consisted of women aged 26-30 years with 5 or more years of sexual experience. The more urban the geographic residence of the woman, the more likely she was to have acquired HIV-1 infection (P < 0.001). In the urban and peri-urban zones, the poorest women were at significantly higher risk of incident HIV-1 infection than women reporting higher household income. In a multivariate analysis, young maternal age, marital status (being single, divorced or widowed), multiple sexual partners, and a history of sexually transmitted diseases remained strongly associated with incident HIV-1 infection. Geographic residence, hormonal contraception, and receipt of injections were no longer significantly associated with incident HIV-1 infection when these other factors were accounted for simultaneously. CONCLUSION: Among young Rwandan women, the early years of sexual activity are particularly dangerous for acquisition of HIV-1 infection. Interventions should focus on young teenagers before they become sexually active.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Maternal human immunodeficiency virus 1 infection and intrauterine growth: a prospective cohort study in Butare, Rwanda.

A prospective cohort study of 318 human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1)-infected and 309 seronegative pregnant women was carried out in Butare, Rwanda. Birth weight was significantly lower among singleton infants born alive to HIV-1-infected mothers compared with those born alive to seronegative mothers (2706 g vs. 2825 g; P = 0.002). Crown-to-heel length, head circumference, chest circumference and placental weight were also reduced. Maternal HIV-1 infection was significantly associated with intrauterine growth retardation but not with preterm birth. Differences in the body mass index and weight/head ratio suggest that the adverse impact on live born infants may have been most severe towards the end of pregnancy, resulting in a lean infant with a relatively large head. The higher frequency of intrauterine growth retardation could not be explained by potential confounding factors such as maternal cigarette smoking, history of sexually transmitted diseases or sociodemographic characteristics. The neonatal physical examination did not reveal any differences in clinical signs or symptoms within 48 hours of birth except for the presence of conjunctivitis which was more common among infants of HIV-1-infected mothers. The perinatal and neonatal mortality rates were not significantly affected by maternal HIV-1 status.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Multiple sexual partners and mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate risk factors for mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1, particularly sexual behavior before and during pregnancy. DESIGN AND METHODS: This study is part of a prospective cohort study in Butare, Rwanda, of 318 HIV-1-seropositive and 309 HIV-1-seronegative women enrolled during pregnancy and followed for a mean duration of 21 months (range, 8-34 months). Clinical follow-up of the mother-infant pairs was performed at 6-week intervals during the first year of life and at 4-month intervals thereafter. Detailed sexual history interviews were conducted during pregnancy and at the first postnatal visit. RESULTS: Of 184 singleton infants born to HIV-1-infected mothers who survived the neonatal period, 32 (17%) children were classified as HIV-1-infected, 130 (71%) as not infected, and 22 (12%) died with indeterminate HIV-1 infection status. The vertical transmission rate was estimated to be between 20 and 29%. Unprotected sexual intercourse with increased number of partners during the past 5 years was strongly associated with mother-to-child transmission (P < 0.001), even after adjustment for maternal CD4/CD8 ratio, parity, history of sexually transmitted diseases, and evidence of genital infection during pregnancy. In a multivariate analysis, excluding children with indeterminate HIV-1 status, odds ratios for vertical transmission were 2.6 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0-6.9] for maternal CD4/CD8 ratio < 0.5 and 3.6 (95% CI, 1.1-11.8) for more than three sexual partners versus a single partner. Women with more than one sexual partner during the first trimester of pregnancy were at particularly high risk of transmitting the virus. CONCLUSION: Unprotected sexual intercourse with multiple partners before and during pregnancy in a population with high HIV-1 seroprevalence may well increase the likelihood of HIV-1 transmission from an infected mother to her child.

CD4-CD8 Ratio↗

HIV-exposed twins.

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Diseases in Twins↗

[Sterility caused by protein deficiency: the role of prolactin].

The first piece of research was made on mice in order to try to determine the importance of the ration of protein in the food in the maintenance of pregnancy and the mechanism by which protein lack leads to sterility. Five groups of 100 couples were given diets which contained 23.5%, 12.48%, 10.50%, 7.01% and 0% of protein respectively over a period of 100 days. The drop in the percentage of protein was obtained by adding detoxicated cassava flour and the diet without any protein was made up of starch, maize oil, mineral salts and vitamins. The number of litterings per 100 couples was only lowered when the diet was down to 7.01% of protein and at the same time it was only with this diet that one found a significant reduction in the number of young per litter. When the diet had no protein in it at all no young were born at all. Pregnant rats were fed diets which contained 23.5%, 7.01% or no protein at all. In this last diet we watched to stop coprophagia. There was very little difference in the number of implantations and young born with a diet of 7.01% of protein but a very significant drop with the diet without protein. With this last diet was very little significant difference in the series whether one had watched to stop coprophagia or not. An injection of 10 I.U. of HCG from the 3rd to the 13th day of pregnancy in rats fed a protein-free died did not alter significantly the number of implantations and did lead to complete resorption of the embryos.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

[Blood prolactin during gestation in the rat on a normal or protein-deficient diet].

A proteinoprive diet decreases the number of implantation during gestation in the rat. This defect could be partially prevented by oestrogen and progesterone. Human chorionic gonadotropin and gonadotropin releasing hormone are ineffective. We have investigated the potential role of prolactine (PRL) in this situation. In rat fed with a normal diet a peak of PRL was observed in the 5th day of gestation (47 ng/ml vs 15 ng/ml). This peak did not occur in animal fed with proteinoprive diet. (4 ng/ml). It is suggested that impaired PRL secretion may participated to the decreased number of implantation during malnutrition.

Animals↗