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Biomedical subjects

M W Hilgartner

Publications and source records attributed to M W Hilgartner.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Serum HIV-1 RNA levels and time to development of AIDS in the Multicenter Hemophilia Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if the long-term incidence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is related to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA levels measured early in HIV-1 infection. DESIGN: Epidemiologic cohort study. SETTING: Five hemophilia treatment centers in the United States. SUBJECTS: A total of 165 subjects with hemophilia and HIV-1 infection (age at HIV-1 seroconversion, 1-66 years) followed from 1979 to 1995. METHODS: The HIV-1 RNA level was measured by polymerase chain reaction over a range of 200 to 1 million or more HIV-1 RNA copies/mL in archived serum specimens collected 12 to 36 months (median, 27 months) after the estimated date of HIV-1 seroconversion. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to examine the risk of AIDS and proportional hazards models were used to estimate relative hazards. RESULTS: The HIV-1 RNA values were similar in subjects younger than 17 years at seroconversion (median, 5214 copies/mL) and those 18 to 34 years old (median, 4693 copies/mL), but higher in those 35 years or older (median, 12069 copies/mL) (P = .02 compared with each younger group). At 10 years after seroconversion, the proportions of subjects with AIDS were 72% among subjects with 100,000 or more HIV-1 RNA copies/mL measured 12 to 36 months after HIV-1 seroconversion (n = 9), 52% among subjects with 10,000 to 99,999 copies/mL (n = 55), 22% among subjects with 1000 to 9,999 copies/mL (n = 82), and 0% among subjects with fewer than 1000 copies/mL (n = 19) (P < .001). The age-adjusted relative hazard for AIDS for subjects with 10,000 or more copies/mL was 14.3 (95% confidence interval, 1.9-105.6) compared with subjects with fewer than 1000 copies/mL. CONCLUSIONS: The HIV-1 RNA level during early chronic HIV-1 infection is a strong, age-independent predictor of clinical outcome; low levels define persons with a high probability of long-term AIDS-free survival.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Heteroduplex analysis in hemophilia B: detection of two novel factor IX gene mutations.

Heteroduplex analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified factor IX (FIX) sequences in eight hemophilia B pedigrees localized the causative hemophilia mutation to a single exon in each case. Subsequent PCR-based direct DNA sequence analysis identified two novel FIX mutations and six recurrent mutations. Three of the eight pedigrees represent sporadic hemophilia B, and direct mutation analysis facilitated hemophilia carrier diagnosis in each case.

DNA Mutational Analysis

AIDS-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphomas as primary and secondary AIDS diagnoses in hemophiliacs. Hemophilia Malignancy Study Group.

We studied the characteristics and temporal trends of AIDS- associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (AIDS-NHL) in individuals with hemophilia. Prospective data were collected on 33 HIV-positive hemophiliacs with AIDS-NHL enrolled in the Hemophilia Malignancy Study (HMS), of whom 21 had primary and 12 had secondary or subsequent AIDS-defining illnesses, and analyzed for frequency and temporal trends. As compared with primary AIDS- NHL, secondary AIDS-NHL occurred at an older mean age, 37 versus 29 years (p = 0.12); at a lower mean CD4 count, 46 versus 154 (p = 0.07); after a longer period of immunosuppression (CD4 < 200/microl), 41 versus 16 months (p = 0.03); and with shorter median survival, 2 versus 7 months (p = 0.09). The presence of EBV in tumor tissue was associated with shorter survival, 1 versus 7 months (p = 0.17). Between 1981 and 1988 and 1989 and 1994, the proportion of primary AIDS diagnoses that were AIDS-NHL changed minimally, 4.6 versus 6.1%, whereas there were significant decreases in Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP, p = 0.02) and wasting (p = 0.07), and an increase in Candida (p = 0.004). These findings confirm that an increasing proportion of AIDS-NHL in hemophiliacs are occurring as secondary or later AIDS diagnoses, and they are associated with prolonged duration of immunosuppression.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections

Blood transfusions and immunophenotypic alterations of lymphocyte subsets in sickle cell anemia. The Transfusion Safety Study Group.

Transfusions purportedly induce dysfunction of cell-mediated immunity in sickle cell anemia (SCA). We studied hematologic and lymphocytic indices in 173 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative subjects with SCA and 131 black controls. Children aged 1 to 7 years with SCA had leukocyte counts and percentages of granulocytes, monocytes, natural killer cells, and T-cell markers (CD2+CD11b+, CD4+CD26+, CD4+CD29+) that were significantly higher than those for control children. Percent total lymphocytes was decreased for this age group, but the total number of lymphocytes and T and B cell counts were similar to controls. Platelets were not increased. Adolescents (aged 8 to 17 years) and adults (aged > or = 18 years) with SCA had increased total leukocytes and monocytes and lymphocytes counts that remained level instead of decreasing, as did comparably aged controls. Lymphocyte subsets typically increased in count, but their percentage remained similar to children. The exception was CD56+ cell counts, which were increased in adolescents and adults. No lymphocytic subset change suggested impaired cellular immunity, and none could be related to transfusion. Prophylactically transfused patients had higher granulocyte counts, but these may arise from the complications of SCA itself.

Adolescent

Idiopathic CD4+ T-lymphocytopenia in HIV seronegative men with hemophilia and sex partners of HIV seropositive men. Multicenter Hemophilia Cohort Study.

Persons with hemophilia or other HIV-1 risk factors may be more likely to have idiopathic CD4+ T-lymphocytopenia (ICL). We determined the frequency of ICL in prospectively followed cohorts of HIV-1 seronegative hemophilic men and seronegative female sex partners of HIV-1 infected hemophilic men, and examined factors potentially associated with ICL. Seven of 304 (2.3%) seronegative hemophilic men and one of 160 (0.6%) female partners met the ICL definition, but the condition resolved for two of the men and for the sole female partner. All five men with persistent ICL had lymphocytopenia (< 1,200 total lymphocytes/microliters) and < 300 total CD4+ lymphocytes/microliters; only one had a low CD4+ percentage. On the most recent measurement, 14.5% of the 304 seronegative hemophilic men had lymphocytopenia. Compared with matched hemophilic controls, men with persistent ICL more often had a history of liver disease (3/5 cases, 0/21 controls, P = 0.007) or splenomegaly (3/5 cases, 4/21 controls; P = 0.04), but not severe hemophilia, greater clotting factor concentrate exposure, high alanine aminotransferase levels, hepatitis B virus antigenemia, or detectable hepatitis C virus RNA in plasma. All five cases and 20/21 controls had antibodies to hepatitis C virus present in their serum. In this cohort of hemophilic men, ICL was related to lymphocytopenia associated with liver disease rather than selective loss of CD4+ lymphocytes.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Low risk of viral infection after administration of vapor-heated factor VII concentrate or factor IX complex in first-time recipients of blood components. International Factor Safety Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Vapor-heated human factor VII concentrate and human factor IX complex are both obtained from prothrombin complex, undergo similar methods of manufacture, and are subjected to an identical two-step vapor-heating process for virus inactivation. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Intermediate-purity vapor-heated human factor VII concentrate and vapor-heated human factor IX complex were monitored for safety with regard to viral infection in the context of an International Factor Safety Study, a prospective study that follows the revised recommendations from the International Congress of Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ICTH). Because the rarity of the respective hereditary deficiencies would have made separate analyses unrealizable, the results were combined for the final analysis. Entry required that patients have no history of transfusion with any blood derivative. After the first infusion of the study drug, patients were monitored for 6 months for the development of non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANBH) and infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and for 15 months for infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). An event was defined as a positive result on any test for any infection. An alanine aminotransferase level more than 2.5 times the upper limit of normal on two consecutive occasions was defined as an event for NANBH. HBV infection was monitored with tests for three different HBV markers: the HBV surface antigen, antibody against the HBV surface antigen, and antibody against HBV core antigen. HCV and HIV infection were monitored with tests for HCV and HIV antibodies. RESULTS: The 25 patients who completed the study (1 has not completed the study and 1 dropped out) received a total of 434 infusions comprising 17 different production lots of the concentrates. Twenty patients were analyzable for NANBH and 25 for HCV and HIV infection. Since most patients had been given HBV vaccination, only 4 patients were analyzable for this end point. None of the patients showed evidence of having developed an event. These data satisfy ICTH criteria when the products are considered together, but vapor-heated factor VII concentrate does not qualify alone because there were only five patients in this group. CONCLUSION: Vapor-heated factor VII concentrate and vapor-heated factor IX complex are associated with a low risk of viral infection. Preliminary results are also presented, indicating that the concentrates are safe with regard to inhibitor development.

Adult

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 infection status and in vitro susceptibility to HIV infection among high-risk HIV-1-seronegative hemophiliacs.

Blood samples were obtained from 16 hemophiliacs who had a 50%-94% defined risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 infection on the basis of treatment history and from 14 controls not at risk for HIV infection. HIV-1 was not detected in any of 12 patient samples by cocultivation nor in 14 patient samples by the polymerase chain reaction. Peripheral blood cells from 7 seronegative hemophiliacs at highest risk of seroconversion (94%) were less susceptible to HIV-1 infection in vitro than were cells from healthy controls (P < .025, one-tailed Wilcoxon rank sum test). In contrast, the susceptibility to HIV-1 infection of lymphocytes from 6 seronegative hemophiliacs at moderate risk (50%-56%) of seroconversion did not differ from that of cells from controls or from high-risk hemophiliacs. Therefore, prolonged periods of seronegative HIV-1 infection are not common in this high-risk population. In addition, among hemophiliacs there may exist heterogeneity in susceptibility to HIV-1 infection in vitro and in vivo.

Adult

Initial presentations of pediatric hemophiliacs.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the manner of presentation and time elapsed before diagnosis in a current population of pediatric patients with coagulopathies compared with a historically similar group presented by Baehner and Strauss in 1966. DESIGN: Comparative retrospective patient series. SETTING: A large pediatric (hemophilia) referral center in New York, NY. POPULATION: Sixty-five male patients presented for evaluation of a presumed coagulopathy between 1974 and 1989. Nine patients were excluded for inadequate data or follow-up. Of the 56 patients included, 47 were were factor VIII deficient (32 severely affected, 15 not severely affected) and nine were factor IX deficient (six severely affected, three not severely affected). INTERVENTIONS: None. RESULTS: Severely affected neonates were diagnosed younger than 1 month significantly more often in this patient population compared with the 1966 population (68.4% vs < 10%, P < .001). Patients not severely affected were also diagnosed younger than 1 month significantly more often than in 1966 (50% vs 2.5%, P < .001). Workup in these groups was initiated because of either bleeding events or family history with similar frequency (48.6% vs 51.4%); historically, diagnosis had ensued primarily after bleeding events. By 1 year of age, all severely affected infants had been diagnosed in our population, a statistically significant improvement compared with the historical group (100% vs < 40%, P < .001); patients not severely affected were also diagnosed more frequently (72.2% vs 15%, P < .001). Eighty-five percent of diagnoses made after 1 month of age were based on bleeding events, despite a positive family history of 28.6%. Overall, 35.7% of diagnoses resulted after a positive family history was elicited. CONCLUSIONS: In this population, diagnoses were made earlier than in the comparison group. Attention to family history and early bleeding events continues to contribute to the early diagnosis of factor deficiencies.

Factor IX

Results from a phase I clinical trial of HBED.

In summary, it has been shown that orally administered HBED causes enhanced excretion of iron in all of the thalassemia major patients studied and that both urinary and stool iron are increased in the process. Increasing the dose from 40 to 80 mg/kg divided t.i.d. caused iron balance to increase from 38% to 50%. While this is significantly less than that expected based on our preclinical studies in animals, the potential usefulness of this chelator has been demonstrated. Efforts to increase its oral bioavailability are now in progress. Lending further support to the effort is the fact that no evidence of toxicity has been observed in the studies performed to date and that negative iron balance was achieved in the one thalassemia intermedia patient studied. The results also reinforce the conclusion that DFO causes the excretion of substantially more iron than would be predicted by an assessment of serum ferritin levels or past compliance with chelation therapy. In patients with thalassemia major, serum ferritin levels relate more to tissue damage than to body iron load. Effective chelation therapy can diminish the former much faster than it can remove storage iron. Hence, in cases of iron overload, aggressive chelation therapy should not be tapered off until a significant reduction in iron excretion can be demonstrated. Routine measurements of urinary iron excretion should now be considered essential in the management of beta-thalassemia. Finally, two more patients with thalassemia intermedia will be studied in an effort to substantiate that net negative iron balance can be achieved in this subgroup of patients. We also plan to study several transfused patients in whom the dose of HBED will be increased to 120 mg/kg divided t.i.d. While the chances of achieving net negative iron balance in these patients seems remote, we hope to further demonstrate the safety of this drug with an eye toward the development of an effective prodrug.

Adolescent

Delayed somatic growth and pubertal development in human immunodeficiency virus-infected hemophiliac boys: Hemophilia Growth and Development Study.

As part of the Hemophilia Growth and Development Study, we investigated the impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on statural growth, weight gain, and skeletal and sexual maturity in more than 300 boys with moderate to severe hemophilia, of whom 62% were infected with HIV. Age-adjusted height and weight were reduced in the HIV-infected subjects (p < 0.001). However, mean weight for height and triceps skin-fold thickness of the infected-boys closely resembled those of the uninfected group. In HIV-infected boys, height for age was positively related to the CD4+ lymphocyte count when the count was < 200 cells/mm3. Age-adjusted serum testosterone levels did not differ by HIV status, but in the infected participants the mean age-adjusted bone age was significantly reduced (p = 0.038) and the distribution of Tanner stages, adjusted for age, differed significantly (p = 0.003). The probability of advancing one or more Tanner stages in the first study year was significantly slowed in HIV-infected boys more than 14 years of age (p = 0.0003). We conclude that linear growth was significantly impaired in boys with hemophilia and HIV infection, but the wasting of malnutrition was not found. The delays in bone age and pubertal maturation strongly suggest that part of the growth failure seen in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome can be attributed to pubertal delay. We speculate that the lack of demonstrable difference in age-adjusted testosterone concentrations might reflect subtle differences in the pattern of secretion of testosterone or in the concentration of sex-hormone binding globulin.

Adolescent

Hepatitis A virus transmission by blood products in the United States. Transfusion Safety Study Group.

To address the question of HAV prevalence and seroconversion in relation to clotting factor concentrates, we assayed an early serum for 339 hemophiliacs followed every 6 months by the Transfusion Safety Study in the period from mid-1985 until mid-1992. We found 58.4% positive around entry, with an age-specific prevalence that did not vary with age. In comparison to rates for anti-HIV-negative blood donors, they were significantly higher. Based on testing of subsequent sera, 11 hemophiliacs (7.8% of 141 susceptibles) changed their anti-HAV status from negative to positive. In 9 instances, positivity immediately followed the first dose of intravenous immune globulin. A possible seroconversion followed treatment with blood components, and a possible seroconversion followed intermediate-purity, solvent/detergent(SD)-treated factor VIII concentrate. Neither of these 2 patients was anti-HAV IgM positive, so that passively transferred antibody is possible. The high prevalence among hemophiliacs at entry must be further investigated by determining the expected background rate in a US population similar to the hemophilia patients, and by comparing anti-HAV prevalence associated with SD-treated and heat-inactivated concentrates.

Adolescent

Purity of factor VIII concentrates and serial CD4 counts. The Transfusion Safety Study Group.

Whether expensive high-purity factor VIII concentrates are required to slow CD4 decline in HIV-infected haemophiliacs is controversial. We examined CD4 counts among such cases treated with intermediate-purity and high-purity factor VIII. 36 subjects treated with high-purity concentrate for 6 months or more had a smaller decline in CD4 than 72 matched controls on intermediate-purity concentrate (two-sided p = 0.08). In a more complex analysis with 226 subjects, CD4 counts declined 3% less per 6 months with high-purity material than with intermediate product (p = 0.04). Thus concentrate purity may affect rate of CD4 change.

CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes

Human immunodeficiency virus-related conditions in children and adults with hemophilia: rates, relationship to CD4 counts, and predictive value.

To further elucidate the natural history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, we studied intermediate HIV-related conditions occurring before acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in a prospectively observed multicenter cohort of 738 HIV-infected persons with hemophilia. We analyzed the frequency in adults and children of common HIV-related conditions and the relative risk of AIDS after occurrence of these conditions, controlling for age at seroconversion and the percentage of CD4+ lymphocytes. Thrombocytopenia was the most frequently observed condition with cumulative incidences of 43% +/- 7% in adults and 27% +/- 6% in children and adolescents by 10 years after seroconversion. Oral candidiasis, fever, weight loss, and non-AIDS pneumonia were two to four times more common in adults than children, whereas herpes zoster risk was similar in the two age groups. HIV-related conditions were infrequent during the first 4 years of infection, particularly in children. With the exception of thrombocytopenia, mean CD4 counts were less than 350 cells/microL at the onset of the conditions. The relative hazard of AIDS after oral candidiasis was 18 in children and 3.8 in adults. Relative hazard in adults was also increased after persistent fever (10), weight loss (3.2), and non-AIDS pneumonia (2.2). Herpes zoster and thrombocytopenia were not significantly associated with AIDS in either age group. We conclude that intermediate HIV-related conditions occur more frequently in adults than in children with hemophilia. Persistent fever is the strongest predictor of AIDS in adults, whereas oral candidiasis is the strongest predictor in children. These findings should facilitate the design and conduct of clinical trials as well as the management of HIV-infected children and adults.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Loss of high-responder inhibitors in patients with severe hemophilia A and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection: a report from the Multi-Center Hemophilia Cohort Study.

To evaluate the effects of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection on the loss of factor VIII alloantibodies, we identified 77 patients with a history of inhibitors from among a large cohort of HIV-1-infected participants enrolled in a natural history study of HIV-1 infection in hemophilia. Fifty-six patients were high responders with inhibitors titers greater than 5 Bethesda Units (BU) measured on at least one occasion. From May 1985 to December 1989, 13 of the high-responder patients were rechallenged with factor VIII concentrates after several years of treatment with other plasma products. All exhibited excellent hemostasis upon reinstitution of factor VIII. Seven of the 13 patients (11.3-46.3 years of age) were in the advanced stages of HIV-1 infection at the time of rechallenge. Inhibitor titers measured subsequent to the reinstitution of factor VIII were consistently less than 1 BU in five of these seven patients. The remaining six patients (6.1-57.5 years of age) had mild to moderate CD4+ lymphocyte depletion (absolute CD4+ cells: 262-935/mm3) at the time of factor VIII rechallenge. Follow-up inhibitor titers were negative 7-42 months after consistent factor VIII use in these six patients. The lack of anamnestic response to factor VIII in all 13 patients who were rechallenged indicates that HIV-1-infected patients who have a history of high-responder inhibitors frequently benefit from the reintroduction of factor VIII use for the control of bleeding, regardless of their stage of HIV-1 disease.

Adult