BACKGROUND In patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) neuropathic symptoms may develop within weeks of starting combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). This timing coincides with the occurrence of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. Our objective was to investigate the longitudinal association of plasma cytokine and soluble receptor concentrations with incident...

BACKGROUND The decay of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected cells during early combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in infected infants is not defined. METHODS HIV-1 DNA, including 2-long terminal repeat (2-LTR) circles, and multiply spliced (ms-) and unspliced (us-) HIV-1 RNA concentrations were measured at 0, 24, 48, and 96 weeks of cART in infants from the IMPAACT P10...

BACKGROUND With increased availability of paediatric combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in resource limited settings, cART outcomes and factors associated with outcomes should be assessed. METHODS HIV-infected children <15 years of age, initiating cART in Kigali, Rwanda, were followed for 18 months. Prospective clinical and laboratory assessments included weight-for-age (WAZ) and heigh...

Friction is a major inhibitor in almost every mechanical system. Enlightened by the Leidenfrost effect - a droplet can be levitated by its own vapor layer on a sufficiently hot surface - we demonstrate for the first time that a small cart can also be levitated by Leidenfrost vapor. The levitated cart can carry certain amount of load and move frictionlessly over the hot surface. The maximum load...

As unexpected sudden unloading of the trunk may cause low-back injury, the objective of the present study was to investigate whether handle height and the expectation of cart movement in pushing affect trunk control at movement onset. Eleven healthy male participants pushed a 200-kg cart with handles at shoulder and hip heights. The cart would suddenly move when externally released (externally ...

Introduction Therapy with chimeric antigen receptor T (CART) cells for hematological malignancies has shown promising results. Effectiveness of CART cells may depend on the ratio of naive (TN) vs. effector (TE) T cells, TN cells being responsible for an enduring antitumor activity through maturation. Therefore, we investigated factors influencing the TN/TE ratio of CART cells. Materials and m...

BACKGROUND To evaluate the type and frequency of antiretroviral drug stock-outs, and their impact on death and interruption in care among HIV-infected patients in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. METHODS AND FINDINGS We conducted a cohort study of patients who initiated combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in three adult HIV clinics between February 1, 2006 and June 1, 2007. Follow-up ended on Fe...

OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of first-line combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) between premenopausal and postmenopausal women. METHODS ART-naïve women initiating cART between January 2000/June 2010 at the Instituto de Pesquisa Clínica Evandro Chagas Cohort were studied. Women were defined as postmenopausal after 12 consecutive months of amenorrhea. CD4 cell counts and HIV-1 RN...

BACKGROUND Although considered an essential tool for monitoring the effect of combination antiretroviral treatment (CART), HIV-1 RNA (viral load, VL) testing is greatly influenced by cost and availability of resources. OBJECTIVES To examine whether HIV infected patients who were initially successfully treated with CART have less frequent monitoring of VL over time and whether CART failure and...

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to compare health-related quality of life (HRQL) over 96 weeks in patients receiving no treatment or 24 or 60 weeks of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) during primary HIV-1 infection (PHI). METHODS A multicentre prospective cohort study of PHI patients, with an embedded randomized trial, was carried out. HRQL was assessed with the Medical Outcomes ...