[HIV infection in Saint Petersburg: the changing face of the epidemic]. / VICh-infektsiia v Sankt-Peterburge: meniaiushcheesia litso épidemii.

The specific features of the epidemiological situation in St. Petersburg at the first stage (1987-1995) and the second stage (1986-1999) of the development of HIV infection are described. During this period morbidity in HIV infection, starting from the insignificant rate of growth, sharply increased. For the first time injecting drug users were noted to come out to the foreground in the structure of the contingent of persons affected by HIV infection (57.5% and 72.6% in 1998 and 1999 respectively). Such change on the epidemic situation requires corrections in the strategy and tactics of preventive measures and medical assistance. To control HIV infection among drug users, only the combination of medical assistance given by narcologists with the realization of all elements of the program "Harm Reduction" can be effective.

[The dynamics of the course of HIV infection in patients with concomitant sexually transmitted disease morbidity and viral hepatitides detected in Saint Petersburg in 1997-1998]. / Dinamika techeniia VICh-infektsii u patsientov s soputstvuiushchimi ZPPP i virusnymi gepatitami, vyiavlennye v Sankt-Peterburge v 1997--1998 gg.

During the recent 2 years growth in the number of cases of HIV infection, exceeding 1.2-fold the number of cases detected during the preceding 9 years, was registered in St. Petersburg. In the structure of patients with detected HIV infection injecting drug users prevailed. Among 124 patients with detected HIV infection 28.2% and 46.8% had, respectively, concomitant sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and virus hepatitides (VH). Due to preventive and antiepidemic measures the STD and VH morbidity decreased in all groups of HIV-infected patients under study.

[The use of a method for the quantitative determination of HIV-1 RNA for assessing the severity and prognosis of the development of the disease]. / Ispol'zovanie metoda kolichestvennogo opredeleniia RNK VICh-1 dlia otsenki tiazhesti i prognoza razvitiia zabolevaniia.

The informatory role of a new marker of HIV infection, characterizing the content of HIV-1 RNA in the biological fluids of the patient's body, is evaluated. The quantitative determination of HIV-1 RNA, carried out in a single assay, was made in the blood of 25 HIV-infected patients. These studies confirmed that the determination of the level of RNA in the plasma (viral load) was a reliable criterion indicating the severity and progress of the disease. The viral load of more than 100,000 copies/ml was a sign prognosticating the future pronounced progress of the disease in spite of moderate clinical manifestations and relatively high values of CD4 cells in the patient's blood at the moment of testing.