Peg-interferon alfa-2a and highly active antiretroviral drug therapy on hepatitis C patients with AIDS / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical effect and side-effect of peg-interferon alfa-2a (PEG-IFN alfa-2a) and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-two patients with HCV/HIV co-infection received highly active antiretroviral therapy initially; after their CD4 lymphocyte counts rose to over 0.20x10(9)/L, they were separated into two groups: one group with CD4 lymphocytes over 0.35x10(9)/L (high group) and one group with CD4 lymphocytes below 0.35x10(9)/L (low group). Both groups were given 180 microg of PEG-IFN alfa-2a every week intramuscularly. HCV RNA and HIV RNA loads, blood cell and CD4 lymphocyte counts, and liver functions were routinely examined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 12, 24 and 48 weeks of PEG-IFN alfa-2a therapy, mean HCV RNA loads reduced 2.0650 log10 copies/ml (t=3.8733), 2.9146 log10 copies/ml (t=7.6741) and 2.4315 log10 copies/ml (t=5.8202) from the baseline at week 0 in the 13 patients in the high group, and reduced 1.1522 log10 copies/ml (t = 2.8937), 1.4189 log10 copies/ml (t=2.4422) and 1.1167 log10 (t=1.1261) in the 8 patients of the low group. However, there was no significant difference between the early viral response rate (EVR) and the end of treatment viral response rate (ETVR) of the two groups. In the high group, the white blood cell count was lower at 24 weeks than the base line (t=2.4700), and the blood platelet count was lower both at 24 and 48 weeks than the base line (t=2.3273 and t=3.6149).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>PEG-IFN alfa-2a can effectively reduce HCV RNA loads in patients with HCV-/HIV co-infection, and the inhibition rate in patients with higher CD4 lymphocyte counts is better. The EVR and ETVR of the two groups of patients show similar results after the treatment. PEG-IFN alfa-2a can reduce the white blood cell counts and the blood platelet counts in the peripheral blood.</p>

Study on clinical features and prognostic factors in acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients with opportunistic infections in Shanghai / 中华传染病杂志

Objective To investigate clinical features and prognostic factors in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients with opportunistic infections.Methods Forty-two cases of AIDS patients with opportunistic infections were enrolled in this study.Clinical data and major factors affecting the prognosis were analyzed using Logistic regression.Results Bacterial infection was the first etiological factor(57.1%) of opportunistic infections in AIDS patients.Eighty-three point three percent of patients infected with more than two kind of etiological agents.Fifty-seven point one per- cent of cases were infected in multiple sites.CD4~+ T cells count was associated with the opportunistic infections.Conclusions The CD4~- T lymphocytes count is the key factor affecting the prognosis of AIDS patients with opportunistic infections.The average of CD4~+ T lymphocytes count is significant- ly related with the major opportunistic infections in AIDS paitents.