Article
Immunology
Kristine M. Erlandson, Christoph C. Carter, Kathleen Melbourne, Todd T. Brown, Cal Cohen, Moupali Das, Stefan Esser, Hailin Huang, John R. Koethe, Hal Martin, Grace A. McComsey, Chloe Orkin, Frank A. Post, Juergen K. Rockstroh, Paul E. Sax, Hans-Juergen Stellbrink, Laura Waters, Xuelian Wei, Jordan E. Lake
Summary: A pooled analysis of 12 prospective clinical trials found that moderate weight gain was common after ART switch in people living with HIV, with participants who switched off of efavirenz and tenofovir having the greatest weight gain. Further study is needed to understand the biological mechanisms behind these differential effects and their clinical implications.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tugume Peterson Gordon, Muhwezi Talbert, Maud Kamatenesi Mugisha, Ainamani Elvis Herbert
Summary: This study aimed to investigate HIV viral suppression levels among adolescents in Kabale district and the associated clinical, adherence, and psychosocial factors. The findings showed that factors such as good nutrition status, absence of severe opportunistic infections, no treatment interruptions, participation in support groups, and support from family members were significantly associated with viral load suppression.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nolwenn Conan, Erica Simons, Menard L. Chihana, Liesbet Ohler, Ellie FordKamara, Mduduzi Mbatha, Gilles VanCutsem, Helena Huerga
Summary: The viral suppression among people living with HIV in Eshowe/Mbongolwane, South Africa has significantly improved from 2013 to 2018, but young men have a lower suppression rate and women and older adults have a higher rate of unsuppressed viral load. Specific strategies are needed to increase viral suppression in these groups.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mhairi Maskew, Kieran Sharpey-Schafer, Lucien De Voux, Thomas Crompton, Jacob Bor, Marcus Rennick, Admire Chirowodza, Jacqui Miot, Seithati Molefi, Chuka Onaga, Pappie Majuba, Ian Sanne, Pedro Pisa
Summary: This study applied predictive machine learning algorithms to HIV programmatic data from South Africa and developed models to predict patient attendance and viral load suppression. Important predictors included previous visit history, viral load testing frequency, visit time, age, and treatment duration. The results showed that machine learning can effectively identify HIV patients at risk of disengagement and unsuppressed viral load.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Mathebe Kopo, Thabo Ishmael Lejone, Nadine Tschumi, Tracy Renee Glass, Mpho Kao, Jennifer Anne Brown, Olivia Seiler, Josephine Muhairwe, Ntoli Moletsane, Niklaus Daniel Labhardt, Alain Amstutz
Summary: Southern and Eastern Africa has a large number of young people living with HIV, and this population group has poor outcomes in HIV care. A research team developed the PEBRA care model, which provides peer education-based services for HIV-positive young people. A cluster-randomized trial was conducted in Lesotho to compare the PEBRA model with standard clinic care, and the results did not show conclusive evidence for an effect on viral suppression.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Jennifer Anne Brown, Alain Amstutz, Bienvenu Lengo Nsakala, Ulrike Seeburg, Fiona Vanobberghen, Josephine Muhairwe, Thomas Klimkait, Niklaus Daniel Labhardt
Summary: The SESOTHO trial found that switching to second-line ART is beneficial for patients with persistent viraemia below the WHO threshold of 1000 copies/mL. The majority of participants in the study had resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) while on first-line ART, suggesting the need for treatment modification based on RAMs.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Jasantha Odayar, Siti Kabanda, Thokozile R. Malaba, Maia Lesosky, Landon Myer
Summary: Research suggests that among HIV-infected women who initiated ART during pregnancy and had a VL <400 copies/mL before delivery, antenatal VL <100 copies/mL can accurately predict peripartum viremia.
JAIDS-JOURNAL OF ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROMES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Birgit Schramm, Elvis Temfack, Diane Descamps, Sarala Nicholas, Gilles Peytavin, Joseph E. Bitilinyu-Bangoh, Alexandre Storto, Minh P. Le, Basma Abdi, Janet Ousley, Thokozani Kalua, Vincent Calvez, Andreas Jahn, Anne-Genevieve Marcelin, Elisabeth Szumilin
Summary: This study assessed viral load and HIV drug resistance in adult patients transitioning to TLD treatment without previous viral load testing. The results showed high viral load suppression rates with TLD treatment after 1 year, but some patients had suboptimal adherence and potential drug resistance issues.
Article
Immunology
Josephine A. Muhairwe, Jennifer A. Brown, Lipontso Motaboli, Bienvenu L. Nsakala, Malebanye Lerotholi, Alain Amstutz, Thomas Klimkait, Tracy R. Glass, Niklaus D. Labhardt
Summary: Despite access to viral load monitoring, clinical management for children living with HIV in Lesotho was found to be suboptimal, with delays in follow-up viral load testing and treatment regimen switch.
PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sharon Mokua, May Maloba, Catherine Wexler, Kathy Goggin, Vincent Staggs, Natabhona Mabachi, Nicodemus Maosa, Shadrack Babu, Emily Hurley, Sarah Finocchario-Kessler
Summary: This study aims to evaluate the impact, implementation, and cost-effectiveness of HITSystem 2.1 on prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services. The study will improve patient engagement and viral load monitoring through electronic alerts and SMS.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Catherine R. Cochrane, Thomas A. Angelovich, Sarah J. Byrnes, Emily Waring, Aleks C. Guanizo, Gemma S. Trollope, Jingling Zhou, Judith Vue, Lachlan Senior, Emma Wanicek, Janna Jamal Eddine, Matthew J. Gartner, Trisha A. Jenkins, Paul R. Gorry, Bruce J. Brew, Sharon R. Lewin, Jacob D. Estes, Michael Roche, Melissa J. Churchill
Summary: This study provides the first quantitative assessment of intact and defective HIV reservoirs in the brains of people with HIV. Despite antiretroviral therapy, HIV persists in the CNS, with similar levels of viral reservoirs in the brain and lymphoid tissue. Importantly, CNS resident CD68+ myeloid cells in virally suppressed individuals were found to harbor HIV DNA, indicating the presence of a CNS resident HIV reservoir.
ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Rose Otieno Masaba, Godfrey Woelk, Nicole Herrera, Stephen Siamba, Rogers Simiyu, Boniface Ochanda, Gordon Okomo, Justine Odionyi, Michael Audo, Eliud Mwangi
Summary: Viral suppression is suboptimal among children and adolescents on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Kenya. Implementing a standardized enhanced adherence counseling (SEAC) package significantly improves viral suppression in this population, with reduced time to initiate counseling and complete counseling sessions.
Article
Immunology
Jonathan Ross, Ellen Brazier, Geoffrey Fatti, Antoine Jaquet, Aristophane Tanon, Andreas D. Haas, Lameck Diero, Barbara Castelnuovo, Constantin T. Yiannoutsos, Denis Nash, Kathryn M. Anastos, Marcel Yotebieng
Summary: Same-day ART initiation has an impact on subsequent care engagement, as patients who initiated ART on the day of enrollment in sub-Saharan African countries were more likely to be lost to follow-up, although their viral suppression rates were similar.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Sara N. Levintow, Brian W. Pence, Kimberly A. Powers, Alexander Breskin, Teerada Sripaipan, Tran Viet Ha, Viet Anh Chu, Vu Minh Quan, Carl A. Latkin, Vivian F. Go
Summary: The study found that severe depressive symptoms decreased the cumulative incidence of ART initiation among PWID living with HIV, but had no significant impact on viral suppression. Future research should further investigate the antagonistic effect of depression on treatment uptake in order to improve HIV clinical outcomes and reduce transmission among PWID.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Claire M. Keene, Tali Cassidy, Ying Zhao, Rulan Griesel, Amanda Jackson, Kaneez Sayed, Zaayid Omar, Andrew Hill, Olina Ngwenya, Gert Van Zyl, Tracy Flowers, Eric Goemaere, Gary Maartens, Graeme Meintjes
Summary: Recycling NRTIs with dolutegravir was effective for most participants to 72 weeks in this single-arm prospective study conducted in South Africa.
JAIDS-JOURNAL OF ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROMES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Jennifer A. Brown, Bienvenu L. Nsakala, Kuena Mokhele, Itumeleng Rakuoane, Josephine Muhairwe, Tracy R. Glass, Alain Amstutz, Nadine Tschumi, Jennifer M. Belus, Thomas Klimkait, Niklaus D. Labhardt
Summary: The transition from EFV to DTG did not have negative impacts on the mental health and HIV/ART-related symptoms of people living with HIV, and potentially showed moderate improvements, supporting the rollout of DTG.
Article
Immunology
Kalongo Hamusonde, Dunja Nicca, Huldrych F. Gunthard, Marcel Stoeckle, Katharine E. A. Darling, Alexandra Calmy, Enos Bernasconi, David Haerry, Patrick Schmid, Roger D. Kouyos, Andri Rauch, Luisa Salazar-Vizcaya
Summary: We examined the changes in sexual behavior of HIV-positive individuals over a span of 20 years. Since the Swiss U = U statement, the use of condoms with stable partners has consistently decreased from over 90% to 29%, with similar trends observed among men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexuals. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures, MSM have maintained a higher frequency of occasional partnerships compared to heterosexual individuals.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Mathebe Kopo, Thabo Ishmael Lejone, Nadine Tschumi, Tracy Renee Glass, Mpho Kao, Jennifer Anne Brown, Olivia Seiler, Josephine Muhairwe, Ntoli Moletsane, Niklaus Daniel Labhardt, Alain Amstutz
Summary: Southern and Eastern Africa has a large number of young people living with HIV, and this population group has poor outcomes in HIV care. A research team developed the PEBRA care model, which provides peer education-based services for HIV-positive young people. A cluster-randomized trial was conducted in Lesotho to compare the PEBRA model with standard clinic care, and the results did not show conclusive evidence for an effect on viral suppression.
Article
Immunology
Jennifer A. Brown, Anthony Hauser, Irene A. Abela, Chloe Pasin, Selina Epp, Tsepang Mohloanyane, Bienvenu L. Nsakala, Alexandra Trkola, Niklaus D. Labhardt, Roger D. Kouyos, Huldrych F. Guenthard
Summary: Sex, age, and body weight were found to be associated with serological responses to endemic human coronaviruses (HCoVs) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in a HIV cohort in Lesotho. The strength of response to HCoVs and SARS-CoV-2 showed a positive correlation. These findings contribute to our understanding of the impact of biological, clinical, and social/behavioral factors on serological responses to coronaviruses in southern Africa.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Niklaus D. Labhardt, Lucia Gonzalez Fernandez, Bulemba Katende, Josephine Muhairwe, Moniek Bresser, Alain Amstutz, Tracy R. Glass, Morten Ruhwald, Jilian A. Sacks, Camille Escadafal, Mathabo Mareka, Sekhele M. Mooko, Margaretha de Vos, Klaus Reither
Summary: This study assessed the diagnostic performance of nasal and nasopharyngeal swabs for the SD Biosensor STANDARD Q COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Test. The sensitivity for nasopharyngeal, nasal, and combined nasal and nasopharyngeal swabs was 70.2%, 67.3%, and 74.4% respectively. The specificity for all swabs was above 97%.
Article
Immunology
Alexandra Griessbach, Frederique Chammartin, Irene A. Abela, Patrizia Amico, Marcel P. Stoeckle, Anna L. Eichenberger, Barbara Hasse, Dominique L. Braun, Mace M. Schuurmans, Thomas F. Mueller, Michael Tamm, Annette Audige, Nicolas J. Mueller, Andri Rauch, Huldrych F. Gunthard, Michael T. Koller, Alexandra Trkola, Selina Epp, Alain Amstutz, Christof M. Schonenberger, Ala Taji Heravi, Katharina Kusejko, Heiner C. Bucher, Matthias Briel, Benjamin Speich
Summary: The extension of the COVERALL trial demonstrated that the antibody response of the third Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine dose was not inferior to the third Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine dose in individuals with HIV and solid organ transplants.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Sarah Drager, Matthias von Rotz, Niklaus D. Labhardt, Martin Siegemund, Katharina M. Rentsch, Michael Osthoff, Fabian C. Franzeck
Summary: This study analyzed the attainment of early pharmacological targets of continuous infusion meropenem and piperacillin/tazobactam and the use of real-time therapeutic drug monitoring. The results showed that the pharmacological target attainment of meropenem and piperacillin/tazobactam was excellent and moderate, respectively, in critically ill patients. The monitoring was mainly used to decrease the dosage of meropenem.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Olivia Seiler, Mathebe Kopo, Mpho Kao, Thabo Ishmael Lejone, Nadine Tschumi, Tracy Renee Glass, Jennifer Anne Brown, Niklaus Daniel Labhardt, Alain Amstutz
Summary: This study investigated the preferences of young people living with HIV in Lesotho for HIV care. The results showed a sustained interest in SMS reminders for adherence and refill visits as well as additional support from peer educators. However, there was a lower interest in ART refill outside the health facility than expected, with medication pick-up at the facility, especially during Saturday clinic clubs, being favored.
AIDS RESEARCH AND TREATMENT
(2023)
Article
Virology
Ulrike Seeburg, Lorena Urda, Fabian Otte, Martin J. Lett, Silvia Caimi, Christian Mittelholzer, Thomas Klimkait
Summary: Numerous mammalian viruses are analyzed in clinical diagnostic laboratories worldwide or used as important model systems in viral research. The safety and completeness of virus inactivation methods are still not fully proven. It has been found that a 30-minute incubation with formaldehyde at room temperature can effectively inactivate all tested enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. All buffers achieved full inactivation of HIV-1 and ECHO-11, while only five of the seven lysis buffers were fully effective for SARS-CoV-2 and AdV-5 under the tested conditions.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Lucia Gonzalez Fernandez, Emmanuel Firima, Ravi Gupta, Mamoronts'ane Pauline Sematle, Makhebe Khomolishoele, Manthabiseng Molulela, Matumaole Bane, Raphaela Meli, Mosa Tlahani, Tristan Lee, Frederique Chammartin, Felix Geber, Thabo Ishmael Lejone, Irene Ayakaka, Maja Weisser, Alain Amstutz, Niklaus Daniel Labhardt
Summary: This study assessed the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVDRFs) and their determinants in Lesotho. The results showed that overweight, diabetes, elevated blood pressure, and tobacco use were prevalent among the participants. Among individuals with CVDRFs, women were more likely to have multiple risk factors.
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH
(2023)