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Biomedical subjects

H D Gayle

Publications and source records attributed to H D Gayle.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Global impact of human immunodeficiency virus and AIDS.

This review provides information on the epidemiology, economic impact, and intervention strategies for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS pandemic in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) at the end of 1999, an estimated 34.3 million people were living with HIV/AIDS. Most of the people living with HIV, 95% of the global total, live in developing countries. Examples of the impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Newly Independent States provide insight into the demographics, modes of exposure, treatment and prevention options, and the economic effect of the epidemic on the global community. The epidemic in each region of the world is influenced by the specific risk factors that are associated with the spread of HIV/AIDS and the responses that have evolved to address it. These influences are important in developing HIV/AIDS policies and programs to effectively address the global pandemic.

Anti-HIV Agents↗

The Serostatus Approach to Fighting the HIV Epidemic: prevention strategies for infected individuals.

In the United States, HIV prevention programs have historically tailored activities for specific groups primarily on the basis of behavioral risk factors and demographic characteristics. Through the Serostatus Approach to Fighting the Epidemic (SAFE), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now expanding prevention programs, especially for individuals with HIV, to reduce the risk of transmission as a supplement to current programs that primarily focus on reducing the risk of acquisition of the virus. For individuals with HIV, SAFE comprises action steps that focus on diagnosing all HIV-infected persons, linking them to appropriate high-quality care and prevention services, helping them adhere to treatment regimens, and supporting them in adopting and sustaining HIV risk reduction behavior. SAFE couple a traditional infectious disease control focus on the infected person with behavioral interventions that have been standard for HIV prevention programs.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗

CDC's 5-year prevention plan: ambitious but feasible.

Cautiously citing the need for increased domestic spending, AIDS groups say they believe the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could achieve its ambitious goals presented in a 5-year plan announced in June.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗

HIV/AIDS among African Americans: progress or progression?

OBJECTIVES: To review data on the extent of HIV infection and associated risk behaviors, the occurrence of AIDS, and HIV-related mortality in African Americans and to suggest what can be done to reduce HIV exposure and infection in this population. DESIGN/METHODS: Review of epidemiologic, published, multisite data on HIV infection in, and related behaviors of, African Americans. RESULTS: On every epidemiologic measure in common use, African Americans, compared with the four other federally recognized racial/ethnic groups, have the most severe epidemic. The trend data show continuing growth in the African American epidemic despite the availability of effective behavioral interventions and biomedical treatments. Few published intervention studies with African American populations have been adequately evaluated; nor have they focused proportionately on men who have sex with men, a group in the African American community with continuing high rates of infection. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of HIV transmission and disease among African Americans are high, disproportionate, and are not declining as significantly in response to effective interventions as they are among whites. Attention is urgently needed to increase our understanding of risk behaviors, social networks, and specific factors in the African American community that can be altered to reduce HIV infection. Macroenvironmental factors--poverty, social class, racism--need to be studied to suggest possible intervention components to reduce rates of HIV transmission and to increase the use of therapies that are more effectively slowing disease progression and lowering death rates among whites.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

The impact of human immunodeficiency virus infection on pelvic inflammatory disease: a case-control study in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to assess the impact of human immunodeficiency virus infection on pelvic inflammatory disease. STUDY DESIGN: A case-control study was performed in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, women with pelvic inflammatory disease, 57 seropositive and 113 seronegative for the human immunodeficiency virus. Women underwent an interview, physical examination, pelvic ultrasonography, and laboratory testing. RESULTS: Seropositive women more often had an oral temperature > or = 38 degrees C (odds ratio 2.5, confidence interval 1.0 to 6.4), a genital ulcer (odds ratio 7.8, confidence interval 1.8 to 45.4), and a tuboovarian mass on ultrasonography (odds ratio 2.6, confidence interval 1.1 to 6.4) and were more likely to require surgery (odds ratio 6.5, confidence interval 1.1 to 67.5) and hospitalization (odds ratio 3.5, confidence interval 0.9 to 14.3). The mean clinical severity score was significantly higher among seropositive than among seronegative patients (17.4 vs 15.4 p = 0.01). Gonorrhea was detected in 50 (29.4%) and chlamydia in 16 (9.4%) of the 170 patients, and neither infection was significantly correlated with human immunodeficiency virus infection. After therapy similar proportions of seropositive and seronegative patients (95% and 93%) reported symptomatic improvement within 4 days, and none had persistent fever at day 4 or 14 of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Human immunodeficiency virus infection was associated with more severe clinical manifestations of pelvic inflammatory disease but did not affect microbial cause or response to therapy.

Adult↗

Impact of the HIV epidemic on trends in tuberculosis in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

SETTING: West African capital city with excellent, population-based notification of tuberculosis cases during a decade with a rapidly emerging HIV epidemic. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the HIV epidemic on tuberculosis in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. DESIGN: Review of data on all cases of tuberculosis registered in the city in alternate years from 1981 to 1991 and calculation of population-based rates using census data. Also, systematic study of HIV seroprevalence among tuberculosis patients in 1989 and 1991. RESULTS: In 1981, several years before any health consequences of HIV were discernible in Abidjan, the incidence of tuberculosis was 155 per 100,000. By 1991, the rate of tuberculosis among HIV-seronegative persons had decreased by 38% to 96 per 100,000; however, 43.6% of tuberculosis patients were HIV-infected, and the incidence of tuberculosis among HIV-infected persons was 1104 per 100,000 (relative risk 11.5, 95% CI 10.8-12.3), yielding an overall observed incidence of tuberculosis of 159 per 100,000 population. The population attributable risk of tuberculosis due to HIV infection increased from 36% to 40% between 1989 and 1991. CONCLUSIONS: The HIV epidemic has reversed the expected steep decline in tuberculosis in Abidjan over the past decade, and the impact of HIV infection on the incidence of tuberculosis may be accelerating.

Adolescent↗

HIV status of female sex partners of men reactive to HIV-1, HIV-2 or both viruses in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

OBJECTIVES: To compare rates of serologic concordance in the female sex partners of men with HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections, and to determine the serologic status of sex partners of men who reacted serologically to both viruses. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Infectious diseases service in a University Hospital in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (West Africa). PARTICIPANTS: Hospitalized men reactive on synthetic peptide-based tests to HIV-1, HIV-2 or both viruses (dually reactive), and their spouses visiting them in hospital. OUTCOME MEASURES: Serologic status of female spouses of seropositive men. RESULTS: The serologic status of 540 spouses of 490 HIV-1- and/or HIV-2-positive, hospitalized men was studied. Similar proportions of spouses of HIV-1-infected men (49%) and HIV-2-infected men (44%) were concordantly seropositive. The overall prevalence of infection in spouses of dually reactive men (72%) was significantly higher than in spouses of other men; 44% of these spouses were infected with HIV-1, 8% with HIV-2, and 20% were themselves dually reactive. Considering only the seropositive female spouses of men monotypically reactive to HIV-1 or HIV-2, and the male spouses of women monotypically infected, rates of serologic discordance were significantly greater in men (24%) than women (7%). CONCLUSIONS: Men were likely to have been infected earlier than women because of their HIV-associated illness; also, men more frequently had serologic profiles indicative of infection outside of the union. Rates of serologic concordance in spouses of men with advanced HIV-1 or HIV-2 infection were similar (44-49%). Dually reactive hospitalized men frequently (72%) had seropositive sex partners, most of whom were HIV-1-positive. Dual reactivity was also frequent in these spouses, suggesting transmission of both HIV-1 and HIV-2, or of a cross-reactive strain, and a minority of partners were infected with HIV-2 alone. Prospective studies of discordant couples using quantitative molecular diagnostic techniques are required for better understanding of dual reactivity and transmission of HIV-1 and HIV-2.

Adolescent↗

The public health implications of AIDS research in Africa.

The human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic has led to greatly increased international collaboration for medical research, mainly epidemiologic in nature, in Africa. Greater understanding of HIV/AIDS has resulted, and considerable training and technology transfer have occurred. However, analytic and descriptive research in countries heavily affected by AIDS has been slow to turn to assessment of interventions, and practical benefits to those countries' public health and policies have lagged behind scientific knowledge. This article considers the public health implications of selected HIV/AIDS research in sub-Saharan Africa and discusses opportunities for interventions and more applied research. Topics covered include HIV testing and its role, surveillance, control of sexually transmitted diseases, the vulnerability of youth and women, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS care, and the inadequacy of resources currently committed to HIV/AIDS prevention and control in resource-poor countries. Research on HIV/AIDS in Africa has yielded crucial information but now should prioritize interventions and their evaluation. Specific goals that might limit the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in resource-poor countries are achievable given vision, commitment, and resources.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗

Epidemiology and transmission of HIV-2. Why there is no HIV-2 pandemic.

Although human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV-2 share modes of transmission, their epidemiologic characteristics differ and international spread of HIV-2 has been very limited. Recently, the prevalence of infection with HIV-1 but not HIV-2 has increased rapidly in different West African countries, where HIV-2 was probably present earlier. Among 19,701 women of reproductive age tested in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, between 1988 and 1992, the prevalence of HIV-1 infection increased from 5.0% to 9.2%, while that of HIV-2 declined from 2.6% to 1.5%. Differences in viral load may be responsible: reported results of virus culture and polymerase chain reaction assays suggest that at high CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts viral load is lower in HIV-2-infected than in HIV-1-infected persons; the efficacy of heterosexual and perinatal transmission of HIV-2 is less efficient than that of HIV-1 at this stage. At low (< 0.20 x 10(9)/L [< 200/microL]) CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts, virus isolation is equally successful for both viruses, and the efficacy of heterosexual transmission is similar. Differences in HIV-1 and HIV-2 natural history are reflected in differences in viral load, that for HIV-2 being lower until immunodeficiency is severe. Differences in viral load throughout most of the natural history of infection appear to correlate with lower transmissibility of HIV-2 than HIV-1, and are the likeliest explanation for their markedly different global epidemiology.

Adolescent↗

Independent introduction of two major HIV-1 genotypes into distinct high-risk populations in Thailand.

To investigate the genetic heterogeneity and epidemiological distribution of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in Thailand, we determined proviral sequences for 63 HIV-1-infected patients in various risk groups from all over the country between April and July, 1991. Two distinct genotypes of HIV-1, A and B, were found to segregate by mode of transmission. Of 29 sexually infected patients, 25 (86%) had HIV-1 of genotype A and 4 (14%) had genotype B. Among 29 injecting drug users, probably parenterally infected, only 7 (24%) had genotype A and 22 (76%) had genotype B. This segregation is unlikely to have arisen by chance (p < 0.001). No patient was found to have dual infection. Nucleotide divergence averaged 3.4% among genotype-A-infected patients and 3.5% among genotype-B-infected patients, but 22.0% between the genotypes. 37 of 40 isolates (both genotypes) had the GPGQ tetrapeptide at the tip of the V3 loop, which is common in African HIV-1 strains but rare in North American and European strains, where the GPGR motif predominates. These findings suggest that the waves of HIV-1 infection in injecting drug users and in sexually infected patients in Thailand may not be epidemiologically linked. The nucleotide divergence data point to the separate introductions of the two genotypes in Thailand. Further studies in Thailand and neighbouring countries will be useful in the design and selection of candidate HIV vaccines.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

HIV-1 infection in young men in northern Thailand.

OBJECTIVES: To determine risk factors for HIV-1 infection in young men in northern Thailand. METHODS: At enrollment into a prospective study, data were collected from a self-administered questionnaire and serologic testing on a cohort of 1115 young men selected by lottery for conscription. RESULTS: The overall HIV-1 infection rate was 6.9%; however, the rate was 15.3% among the 387 (34.7%) men who had been living in the upper north subregion of Thailand compared with 2.5% for the remaining 728 men (P < 0.001). A history of sex with female prostitutes was reported by 74.7% of men and increased frequency of this type of sex was highly associated with HIV-1 infection and a history of sexually transmitted disease (STD) symptoms (chi 2 for trend, P < 0.001). In stratified and multivariate analyses, however, history of STD symptoms, reported by 42.5% of the cohort, was most strongly associated with HIV-1 infection. Only 42.8% of men who reported sex with prostitutes had used condoms more than half the time. CONCLUSIONS: Young men in the general population in northern Thailand are at high risk for HIV-1 infection via sex with female prostitutes; STD are highly associated with HIV-1 infection. Increasing condom use and controlling STD should be immediate goals of HIV control programs.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Risk factors for HIV infection among abandoned Romanian children.

OBJECTIVE: To determine risk factors for HIV infection among abandoned Romanian infants and children living in a public institution. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 1990 among 101 children between 0 and 4 years of age living in an orphanage. Orphanage and hospital records were reviewed and a blood specimen for hepatitis B and HIV serologic testing obtained from each child. A case-control study was conducted using data from the cross-sectional study. Cases were HIV-positive children; one HIV-negative control, matched by age, was selected for each case. RESULTS: Overall, 20 (20%) children were HIV-positive, 88 (87%) tested positive for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen, and 32 (32%) were hepatitis B surface antigen-positive. In the case-control study, HIV-positive children had received more therapeutic injections [mean, 280; median, 231] than age-matched HIV-negative children [mean; 142, median, 155; P = 0.02]. Cases were more likely than controls to have received over 200 lifetime injections (odds ratio, 5.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-32.7). Blood transfusions and mother-to-child transmission were excluded as routes of HIV transmission. By reviewing sterilization records and interviewing local health-care workers, we determined that needles and syringes were often re-used without proper disinfection in the orphanage. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide strong epidemiologic evidence that indiscriminate injections with contaminated needles and syringes were responsible for HIV transmission in this population.

Blood Transfusion↗

Clinical research, prophylaxis, therapy, and care for HIV disease in Africa.

By the end of the century, citizens of resource-poor countries will constitute 90% of the world's human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected people. Clinical management of such persons in developing countries has been neglected; most AIDS research has concentrated on epidemiology, and donor agencies have generally invested in the prevention of HIV infection. The heavy burden of HIV disease in Africa requires that care for AIDS be addressed, and prevention and care should be seen as interrelated. Prevention and treatment of tuberculosis, the commonest severe infection in persons with AIDS in Africa, illustrate this interrelationship. We outline priorities for applied research on the management of HIV disease in a resource-poor environment, and discuss prophylaxis, therapy for opportunistic diseases, terminal care, and use of antiretroviral therapy. Research should define the standard of care that can realistically be demanded for HIV disease in a resource-poor environment. Research and public health programs for AIDS in developing countries must address AIDS care and attempt to reduce the widening gap between interventions available for HIV-infected persons in different parts of the world.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection in children in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

We conducted a study of 1,003 well and hospitalized children, birth to 5 years old, in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, to determine the prevalence of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection, evaluate risk factors for infection, and describe associated clinical characteristics. The overall seroprevalence was significantly higher for children in the hospital (10.8%) than for those attending the clinic (3.6%). HIV-1 was the predominant virus in both populations, comprising 87% (hospital) and 77% (clinic) of the seroreactive blood specimens. Ninety-two percent of seroreactive children of all ages had a mother who was HIV positive; 77% of seroreactive children greater than or equal to 15 months old had an HIV-infected mother. The remaining seropositive children had a history of receiving blood transfusions. Hospitalized children who were HIV-1 positive or dually seroreactive were more likely to have HIV-related clinical signs and symptoms than HIV-negative children. These findings suggest that HIV infection is an important cause of morbidity for children in Abidjan and that maternal infection is the primary risk factor for both HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection in children. Further evaluation and attention should be given to transmission, clinical characteristics, and the impact of HIV infection in children in West Africa, where both HIV-1 and HIV-2 are present.

Child, Preschool↗