Human immunodeficiency virus infection in pregnant women, transmission and zidovudine therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of mother to child transmission of HIV infection in women treated with zidovudine (ZDV). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of 52 HIV-positive pregnant women who either received antenatal care or delivered at our institution. Forty-three women were known to be HIV positive before delivery. Forty were treated with ZDV, 36 intravenously. Twelve had no antenatal care and one refused antenatal treatment. All neonates were treated with ZDV. RESULTS: The HIV transmission rate in children born to mothers treated with ZDV was 6.6%. This compares with a transmission rate of 14% before we used ZDV. All three mothers who transmitted infection had low compliance, initiated therapy late in pregnancy or had advanced disease. CONCLUSION: Our experience supports the idea that ZDV treatment has reduced HIV transmission rate.

ASCUS: comparative follow-up results related to previous SIL diagnosis.

The clinical significance of ASCUS (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance) remains undetermined. In a variety of cases, it is possible to identify an underlying neoplastic squamous lesion. With the aim of establishing some rationale basis for management, we have evaluated the history and the follow-up of 137 woman diagnosed with ASCUS. These woman were distributed into two groups, with or without history of SIL (30 and 107 woman, respectively); 38 woman did not come to the control. In general, the rate was 30.3% for low grade SIL (squamous intraepithelial lesions) and 6.1% for high grade SIL. In both groups the rate of low and high grade SIL was similar. In our opinion, women that are diagnosed with ASCUS must be submitted to colposcopic exams independently of their history.