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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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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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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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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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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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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.
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This special issue contains 9 articles that discuss various aspects related to equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The articles cover topics such as the international legal status of the human right to medicines, the role of civil society in advocating for fair access to essential medicines, the interpretation of the right to science in relation to COVID-19 vaccines, and the need for stronger pharmaceutical accountability. The articles also analyse the discourse among World Trade Organisation (WTO) members, civil society organisations, and pharmaceutical industry stakeholders, and provide critiques of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. Furthermore, this special issue examines New Zealand's unique response to COVID-19 and provides a student essay on centring human rights to achieve global vaccine equity.
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Objective: This report describes emergency department (ED) visits made by adults with selected chronic conditions associated with severe COVID-19 illness. Methods-Estimates in this report are based on data collected in the 2017-2019 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Sample data were weighted to produce annual national estimates. Patient characteristics, including age, sex, expected source of payment, medication prescriptions, and hospital admission status, are presented by number of chronic conditions. Selected chronic conditions associated with severe COVID-19 illness include Alzheimer disease or dementia, asthma, cancer, cerebrovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, diabetes, heart disease, HIV, hypertension, obesity, pulmonary embolism, and substance use disorders. Results-For 2017-2019, 59.5% of ED visits made by adults were among those with one or more chronic conditions. The percentage of ED visits made by adults with three or more chronic conditions was highest among those aged 45-64. Medicare was the most frequently observed expected source of payment among adults with three or more chronic conditions. The percentage of ED visits that resulted in a hospital admission increased with the number of chronic conditions. Overall, hypertension was the most frequently observed chronic condition (33.8% of ED visits by adults) and hypertension and diabetes was the most frequently observed dyad, or pair (33.2% of ED visits by adults with at least two chronic conditions). Conclusion-Patients with at least one chronic condition made up 59.5% of adult ED visits. These data provide national estimates of ED visits by the number and type of chronic conditions in the adult population pre-COVID-19. Given that the presence of chronic conditions increases the risk of hospital admission among patients with COVID-19, these data may represent a useful baseline to quantify prevalence and association of chronic conditions associated with COVID-19 with hospitalization experience and outcomes.
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This article discusses the global report on leishmaniasis surveillance, highlighting its significance as a major health problem in four eco-epidemiological regions of the world. The report provides an update on the GHO leishmaniasis indicators reported by 45 member states to WHO up to 2021 and describes specific indicators such as gender and age distribution, relapses, the AmBisomeR donation programme selected outbreaks, case fatality rates for visceral leishmaniasis, rates of co-infection with HIV and visceral leishmaniasis (VL), and the burden of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis. It also discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on leishmaniasis surveillance efforts and the Kala-azar Elimination Programme in South-East Asia, as well as highlights adverse events after the administration of antileishmanial drugs and the need for continued surveillance efforts to control and eliminate leishmaniasis globally.
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The infections by viruses are a great threat to our immunity but an array of powerful vaccines have successfully protected mankind from the attack of many of them. HIV is a tough enemy of the human body as it eludes the immune system by various mechanisms. It attacks immune cells causing a disease that gradually progresses to AIDS in some infections. Despite the success of ART, which has converted its infection into a manageable chronic condition, it is a major global health problem as 37.7 million people worldwide are HIV infected. ART is a lifelong treatment where a variety of drug options are designed to replace its resistant forms. Vaccines can protect from the stigmatized disease of HIV and control it in the absence of ART. In stark contrast with the speed with which the Covid-19 vaccines were developed in two years of the pandemic, an effective vaccine for HIV is still a challenge after decades of ongoing research. Coincidentally, both HIV and SARS-CoV-2 are pandemic causing mRNA viruses, which have spilled from animal sources. They mutate and attach to their host cells with their surface spikes. The paper is a review of the status of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the unique challenges of the complex structure of the virus for the development of vaccines and a hope from the novel game-changing mRNA vaccine. After the recent success of the mRNA vaccine for Covid-19, it may become a promising tool to defeat HIV also by providing RNA-based HIV immunogens to trigger the body's immune response.
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This paper expounds on how COVID-19 has affected some of the other disease patterns in Africa. The paper highlights the effect of COVID-19 on HIV, AIDS and TB as well as the access to vaccines in controlling the pandemic.
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In 2020, 75% of all locally acquired HIV diagnoses will be among gay, bisexual, and other males who have sex with men, indicating that they will continue to be the group in New Zealand most at risk for contracting the virus. Since the peak in 2016 (n=97), the number of MSM reported to have contracted HIV in New Zealand has been declining, with the number in 2020 (n=49) being the lowest since 2011. This is probably because pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and more testing choices are being pushed and made available to this group as combination preventive treatments. Less transmission as a result of COVID-19 physical distancing measures and more restricted testing access will also have contributed to the drop in 2020. It will be crucial to keep an eye on these figures to see if the lower trend persists, as well as to keep up the preventative efforts of routine HIV testing and linking to care and treatment, investigating potential sexually transmitted diseases. In New Zealand in 2020, little over half (54%) of people with heterosexually acquired HIV had a CD4 count at the time of diagnosis that was less than 350 cells/mm3, which was a sign of a delayed diagnosis of their HIV. In addition, six of the 14 patients who received an AIDS diagnosis in 2020 were heterosexually acquired;four of them also received an HIV diagnosis at the same time. Therefore, even if there do not seem to be any obvious risk factors, doctors should test for HIV in patients with similar clinical symptoms. Through antenatal screening in 2020, three women who had recently been diagnosed with HIV were given the opportunity to choose their own medication and care, lowering the chance of mother-to-child transmission. The significance of the antenatal HIV screening program in preventing vertical and secondary transmission is further highlighted by this.