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This journal issue includes s of papers presented at the conference. Topics discusses are: stillbirth during a pandemic;analysis of the female genital tract (FGT) metabolome;effectiveness of REGEN-COV antibody combination to reduce risk of hospitalization;patterns of nucleic acid amplification testing;delta variant neutralizing antibody response following maternal COVID19 vaccination;integrated prenatal and hepatitis c virus care increases linkage;extended interval gentamicin dosing in obstetrics;maternal and infant cytomegalovirus detection among women living with HIV.
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This special issue contains 13 articles that discuss public health articles such as public perception, knowledge and factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine acceptability, determinants of enrolment in health insurance scheme among HIV patients, hypertension and associated factors among patients attending HIV clinic, determinants of visit-to-visit systolic blood pressure variability among Ghanaians with hypertension and diabetes mellitus, short-term outcomes among patients with subclinical hypothyroidism, association of erectile dysfunction with coronary artery disease, psychological correlates of COVID safety protocol adherence, ophthalmic services utilisation and associated factors, safe duration of silicon catheter replacement in urological patients, and leadership in health and medical education.
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These proceedings comprise 85 articles spanning diverse fields such as bacteriology, molecular biology, biotechnology, dermatology, infectious and parasitic diseases, epidemiology, physiotherapy, immunology, mycology, parasitology, pathology, collective health, and virology. The articles delve into a wide range of research topics, from repurposing drugs for Mycobacterium abscessus complex infections to utilising artificial intelligence for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. In bacteriology, investigations explore the correlation between smoking and Helicobacter pylori infection in gastric adenocarcinoma patients, as well as the resistance profiles of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in tracheostomised children. Molecular biology studies focus on gene polymorphisms related to diseases like paracoccidioidomycosis. Biotechnology research emphasises bioactive molecules in species like Croton urucurana and the development of computational models for cytotoxicity prediction. Dermatology articles address stability characterisation in vegetable oil-based nanoemulsions. The section on infectious and parasitic diseases encompasses studies on COVID-19 vaccine response in pregnant women and the impact of infection prevention measures in rehabilitation hospitals. Epidemiology investigations analyse trends in premature mortality, tuberculosis in diabetic patients, and public adherence to non-pharmacological COVID-19 measures. Physiotherapy research covers topics such as telerehabilitation through a developed game and the prevalence of congenital anomalies. Immunology studies explore immune responses in HIV and Leishmaniasis, whilst mycology investigates the biotechnological potential of fungi from the cerrado biome. Parasitology research evaluates treatment efficacy against vectors parasites such as Aedes aegypti and Toxoplasma gondii. Pathology articles discuss intentional intoxication in cattle and the influence of curcumin on acute kidney injury therapy. Collective health studies focus on intervention plan development in healthcare settings and pesticide use in horticulture. Lastly, virology research investigates parvovirus occurrence in hospitalised children during the COVID-19 pandemic, hidden hepatitis B virus infection in inmates, and the prevalence of HPV and HTLV-1/2 infections in specific populations.
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This journal issue includes 15 articles that discuss continent-wide evolutionary trends of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants;use of convalescent plasma therapy in hospitalised adult patients with non-critical COVID-19;evidence for preserved insulin responsiveness in the aging rat brain;SARS-CoV-2 infection in HIV-infected patients;different patterns of excess all-cause mortality by age and sex in Hungary during the 2nd and 3rd waves of the COVID-19 pandemic;mutational landscape of the newly emerging Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant and comparison of mutations with VOCs and VOIs.
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Background: Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for HIV has changed a highly fatal disease to a chronic manageable condition. National technical guidelines by NACO say that adherence of >95%(optimal) is required for optimal viral load suppression which is a challenge both for the patient and the health system.Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the reasons for missed and lost to follow-up (LFU) cases and to assess the impact of the COVID pandemic on ART adherence.Settings and Design: Cross-sectional study conducted at ART center, Jhansi.Methods and Material: 357 patients were administered a self-designed questionnaire after taking informed consent to enquire about the reasons for missing doses and LFU and whether they missed treatment during the lockdown.Statistical analysis used: the results were expressed in frequencies and percentages and appropriate statistical tests were applied.Results: 72% HIV patients had optimal adherence and 6.7% were on second-line treatment. Out of 357 patients, 56 had missed treatment and 10 were LFU. The main reasons for the missing were run out of pills, busy with other things and being away from home. The number of episodes of missed and LFU increased during the pandemic. The main problems faced were lack of transport (24), fear of catching the disease (7), no money to hire a vehicle (5).Conclusions: Constant monitoring and handholding of those with suboptimal adherence is required. Travel allowance to such patients and regular counseling will help to ensure adherence. Long-term solutions include vocational rehabilitation and awareness programs to reduce stigma and discrimination.
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In 2021, 6.5 million cases of tuberculosis (TB) were reported globally;however, the WHO estimates that 10.6 million people (134/ 100,000) developed the condition. As many as 1.6 million people (20/100,000) died of TB. The increase in TB mortality to the 2017 level may be explained by worse access to the diagnosis and treatment of TB due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Europe, TB primarily affects vulnerable populations such as migrants, homeless people, prisoners or HIV-positive persons. The WHO estimates the incidence of TB in Ukraine to be 71/ 100,000. Approximately a third of cases are multidrug-resistant and one in five patients is HIV-positive. The Czech Republic is among countries With the lowest TB rates globally. In 2021, 357 cases (34/100,000) were reported to the national TB registry. Data for 2022 are not available as yet but the total number of TB cases is expected to rise in the Czech Republic, resulting from more reported cases of TB in Ukrainians due to the war in Ukraine. Fortunately, TB rates in Ukrainian refugees are considerably lower than those estimated When the war started.
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The article is devoted to the global problems of modern medicine - HIV infection and the COVID-19 pandemic. The review of the literature highlights current ideas about the pathogenesis and course of COVID-19 in patients with HIV infection, and also touches upon the problems of concomitant pathology and mental health of patients with HIV in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been shown that HIV-positive patients are a risk group for the severe course of COVID-19, in particular, individuals with severe immunodeficiency (CD4+ T lymphocytes 200 cells/l) due to the development of synergetic lung damage by SARS-CoV-2 and secondary infectious agents such as cytomegalovirus and Pneumocystis carinii. It has been proven that one of the targets of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is CD4+ T cells, which in COVID-19 leads to a more rapid progression of immunodeficiency in patients with HIV infection and, thus, significantly increases the risk of secondary diseases and death. Particular attention should be paid to middle-aged and elderly people living with HIV, who, compared with HIV-negative patients, are more likely to have concomitant pathology - arterial hypertension, cardiomyopathy and diabetes mellitus, which are the risk factors for severe COVID-19. The results of studies on the effect of antiretroviral drugs on the course of COVID-19 showed that HIV-infected patients receiving tenofovir + emtricitabine have a lower risk of severe COVID-19 and associated hospitalization than patients receiving other HIV treatment regimens. Clinical and preclinical data support the potential use of tenofovir in the treatment of novel coronavirus infection.
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The emergence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the 1980s brought ethical conflicts that meant a bioethics challenge. Among others, issues of confidentiality, stigmatization, justice, duty of care and investigation arose. Bioethical reflection had been focused on conflicts involving respect for individual autonomy, nevertheless HIV highlighted the needs of the community. Almost four decades later, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the ethical conflicts typical of public health back to the bioethical scene. Quarantines, various restrictions on mobility, the obligation of masks, poorly protected health care, rationing of scarce resources, rushed research, the vaccines allocation, stigmatization and discrimination, the immune passport, or the moralization of infectious disease have highlighted the need for an ethical framework that helps to reflect and justify public health decisions. In this article we review and analyze the ethical conflicts that arose with HIV and how they have reappeared and been reinterpreted with the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 or known as COVID-19 is a disease caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Comorbidities that are risk factors for COVID-19 death include hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, COPD, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), kidney failure, and cancer. This study aims to estimate the magnitude of the risk of death in COVID-19 patients with comorbid HIV, with a meta-analysis of the primary studies conducted by the previous authors. Subjects and Method: This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis with the following PICO, population: COVID-19 patients. Intervention: HIV comorbidity. Comparison: without co-morbid HIV. Outcome: Mortality. The articles used in this study were obtained from four databases, namely PubMed, Google Scholar, Springerlink, and Science direct, using the search keys "HIV/AIDS" AND "Mortality" OR "death" AND "COVID-19 OR SARS-CoV-2. The included article is a full-text English language with a cohort study design from 2020 to 2021 and reports the adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) in a multivariate analysis. Article selection is done by using PRISMA flow diagram. Articles were analyzed using the Review Manager 5.3 application. Results: A total of 9 cohort studies involving 3,397,186 COVID-19 patients from America, Europe, and Africa were selected for a systematic review and meta-analysis. The data collected showed that COVID-19 patients with HIV comorbidities had a mortality risk of 3.30 times compared to COVID-19 patients without HIV comorbidities (aOR = 3.30;95% CI = 2.87 to 3.81;p<0.001). Conclusion: HIV increases mortality risk in COVID-19 patients.
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Objective: To understand the awareness level towards coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) prevention and the willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine among people living with HIV/AIDS, and to discuss the related factors. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among people living with HIV/AIDS who visited the HIV clinic in the PLA General Hospital from June to December 2021.A general descriptive analysis, univariate and binary logistic regression analysis were performed to analyze data. Results: A total of 169 questionnaires were analyzed. Among them, 93.5%(158/169) would like to know more about COVID-19 related knowledge, 88.2%(149/169) were reminded to inject vaccine, 98.8%(167/169) would be far away from medium and high risk areas, 97.0%(164/169) would persuade others to follow the disease preventive requirements, 14.2%(24/169) thought that the propaganda was exaggerated, 30.8%(52/169) were worried about the safety of the vaccine, 80.5%(136/169) thought that they would feel relieved after the vaccination, and 98.2%(166/169) agreed that vaccination was the most effective way to fight against COVID-19. However, only 60.4%(102/169) were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccine. The major factors affecting vaccination intention were age and feeling safe after vaccination. Conclusions: People living with HIV/AIDS are more cautious about COVID-19 vaccination, therefore the coverage rate is relatively low.It is necessary for health providers to understand the specific situation of people living with HIV, and to enhance the heath education on the safety of COVID-19 vaccine especially among people with HIV/AIDS in order to improve the willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine.
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INTRODUCTION: At the Muniz Hospital, the Febrile Unit (UF) was established, a device that operates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its implementation has demonstrated the importance of public policies in the health system, in addition to the possible development of epidemiological surveillance and monitoring strategies that provide health contributions. An analysis of the first two years of the pandemic at UF-Muniz was carried out. The objective of this unit is to determine which patients have poor prognostic criteria and define hospitalization. One of the most important characteristics of this UF is the care of a population with infectious diseases because this is a Hospital dedicated to this type of pathology. METHODS: A retrospective, cross-sectional observational study was carried out with the objective of evaluating the hospitalizations made at UF-Muniz during the period between January 2020 and December 2021. RESULTS: 153 546 consultations were received, 2872 patients were admitted. In 2020, 1001 COVID-19 positive patients (76%) were admitted, 87 with tuberculosis (TB) (6.6%) and 102 with HIV (7.7%). In 2021, 991 positive COVID-19 patients (66%) were admitted, 151 with TB (10%) and 157 with HIV (10.5%) Conclusions: Only 1.9% of the consultations led to hospitalization, and the majority corresponded to COVID-19 positives, followed by HIV and TB cases in a smaller proportion. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obesity were the comorbidities that most frequently required hospitalization in COVID-19 patients.
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In 2017, the French National Health Authority (HAS) reassessed its human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening strategy and in 2018, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) set the goal of screening 95% of people living with HIV by 2030. The HAS recommends an approach based on target population and gives the general practitioner (GP) a key role in its implementation. It is therefore important to facilitate HIV testing by GPs and to reduce missed opportunities. To this end, a pilot study was conducted on a panel of 2,000 GPs over a 10-month period in 2020 in order to evaluate the impact of a pop-up displayed within prescription assistance software reminding about the frequency of targeted screening recommended by the HAS. The pop-up was displayed for patients with a history of sexually transmitted infection and/or hepatitis C and/or tuberculosis in the previous 12 months and without a known HIV serology or diagnosis. The impact was measured by comparing the prospective follow-up of consultations made during the "pilot" in 2020 with the retrospective follow-up of consultations made during the "pre-pilot" period in 2019. The results showed a significant increase in HIV serology prescriptions during the pilot study, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Difficulties in objectively identifying target patient profiles and in organizing regular follow-ups to HIV testing were also revealed. This pop-up tool represents an additional means of facilitating the prescription of HIV testing by GPs.
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The severity of COVID-19 disease varies substantially between individuals, with some infections being asymptomatic while others are fatal. Several risk factors have been identified that affect the progression of SARS-CoV-2 to severe COVID-19. They include age, smoking and presence of underlying comorbidities such as respiratory illness, HIV, anemia and obesity. Given that respiratory illness is one such comorbidity and is affected by hand hygiene, it is plausible that improving access to hand washing could lower the risk of severe COVID-19 among a population. In this paper, we estimate the potential impact of improved access to hand washing on the risk of respiratory illness and its knock-on impact on the risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease across Zimbabwe. We use a geospatial model that allows us to estimate differential clinical risk at the district level. Results show that the current risk of severe disease is heterogeneous across the country, due to differences in individual characteristics and household conditions. This study demonstrates how household level improved access to handwashing could lead to reductions in the risk of severe COVID-19 of up to 16% from the estimated current levels across all districts. Taken alongside the likely impact on transmission of SARS-CoV-2 itself, as well as countless other pathogens, this result adds further support for the expansion of access to hand washing across the country. It also highlights the spatial differences in risk of severe COVID-19, and thus the opportunity for better planning to focus limited resources in high risk areas in order to potentially reduce the number of severe cases.
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The article discusses several published infectious diseases studies. It includes a study on the antibody invasion properties of the BQ and XBB subvariants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and two studies that provide information about the mechanisms of HIV silencing, prolonged survival of provirus carrying CD4 cells, and the escape of the cells from immune surveillance.
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Background: Psoriasis is a chronic and inflammatory skin disease. Many triggering factors can cause exacerbation of psoriasis, such as infection, trauma, and drugs. Several vaccines are known to cause new lesions or exacerbation of psoriasis, including Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), influenza, tetanus-diphtheria, and pneumococcal polysaccharide. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVID-19 vaccine is known to cause the appearance of new lesions or exacerbation of psoriasis. Case presentation: A woman, 31 years old, came to the clinic with itchy reddish patches with white scales on her face, chest, stomach, back, arms, and both legs, and increased since 2 weeks ago. Previously, the patient got the first COVID-19 vaccine (Sinovac), and three days later, red patches appeared with white scales on the chest, stomach, and back. The patient had been diagnosed with psoriasis 3 years ago. Dermatology examination showed reddish patches with white scales on the face, chest, stomach, back, arms, and both legs. Auspitz sign and Kaarvetsvlek phenomen were positive. PASI score was 9,2. Dermoscopy examination showed red dot distribution on light pink background and white scales. She was treated with desoximetasone cream 0,05% twice a day and cetirizine tablet 10 mg once a day. After 2 months of therapy, reddish patches were decreased, and the PASI score was 6,9. Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccine can cause exacerbations in psoriasis patients, but this vaccine can still be given to psoriasis patients. It is based on the documented efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine in the prevention of severe COVID-19 infection and fatality. Psoriasis patients should be consulted before getting vaccinated for COVID-19, and prompt clinical visits should be available if exacerbation develops.
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The concept of "syndemics" is getting more and more popularity in scientific journals, especially since the end of the first decade of the current century. It relates to the dynamic interaction of synchronous or sequential diseases (whether communicable or not, also including mental diseases), with social and environmental factors, resulting at the end in a worse global outcome. A first article in the same Journal (1) was devoted to infectious diseases, especially COVID-19 and HIV infections. In this second article, we highlight the fact that the concept is also applicable on diseases which are not transmitted by infectious pathogens. The importance of considering action within the field of social determinants of care will be illustrated by a limited selection of examples.
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Vaccination is effective in preventing the increase of disease, especially emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), and it is particularly important for people in close contact with infected sources and susceptible populations who are at increased risk of getting infectious diseases due to behavior, occupation or health. Despite targeted vaccination guidelines, inadequate vaccination of the key populations fails to receive widespread attention, resulting in a high-risk transition of disease from key populations to general populations. Strengthening the vaccination of the susceptible groups can effectively block the spread of pathogens to general populations, and reduce the consumption of medical resources in universal vaccination, which has significant economic value. In this review, we describe the prevalence of EIDs, analyze the experience and lessons of infectious disease vaccination in key populations through several cases, and further explore the causes for the decline in vaccination rates of key populations. According to the trends of EIDs, a plan to strengthen the vaccination of key populations is proposed to effectively prevent the transition of EIDs from key populations to general populations.
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The Covid-19 pandemic that has hit the world of health in the last 2-3 years has been given more significant impact on people living with HIV/AIDS globally. Because for those who live side by side with HIV, the Covid-19 pandemic became a significant threat Because of the hurry transmission of the coronavirus between humans. In this thing, many researchers have conducted research related to HIV/AIDS both in terms of the world of health, social, or laboratory test results. The goals of this study are to perform an analysis of the publication database scientifically with the keywords HIV, Policy, and Strategy by applying the keywords One press on the column search and search simultaneously on the Scopus Site as follows: (TITLE -ABS-KEY (HIV)) AND (policy) AND (strategy) AND (LIMIT-TO (OA, "all")) AND (LIMIT-TO (SUBJAREA, "SOCI") with the area of Social Science. In it, researchers find publication scientific as many as 6,417 documents, with the research sample used, is as many as 2,000 publication documents scientific, the latest retrieved through the Scopus database. The analysis results show that the keyword Female, Male, Adult, AIDS, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection are the 5 most popular keywords among researchers. Based on p that, the researcher furthermore identifies policy strategies based on the results of previous studies relevant to the keywords as has been determined to produce based strategy recommendations situation latest.
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In this paper, we explore the strategies utilized by civil society organizations to improve access to medicines during the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 health crises. In particular, we seek to illuminate why some of the successful approaches for increasing access to antiretrovirals for HIV/AIDS in the early 2000s failed in creating equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines. While civil society has historically mobilized human rights to facilitate greater access to essential medicines, we argue that earlier strategies were not always sustainable and that civil society is now mobilizing human rights in radically different ways than previously. Instead of focusing chiefly on securing an intellectual property waiver to the TRIPS Agreement, civil society organizations are now challenging vaccine injustice, rejecting the "charity discourse" that fuels Global South dependency on Global North actors in favor of scaling up manufacture in low- and middle-income countries, and moving to embed the right to access medicines in a new World Health Organization pandemic treaty with civil society organization participation and meaningful representation from low- and middle-income countries. Such approaches, we contend, will lead to more sustainable solutions in order to avert further health care disasters, like those seen with two distinct but related struggles-the fights for equitable access to essential medicines for HIV/AIDS and for COVID-19.