జర్నల్ ఆఫ్ ఎయిడ్స్ & క్లినికల్ రీసెర్చ్

Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) and is known to have a higher incidence among People Living With HIV (PLWH). The interplay between HIV infection and the immune system, along with the presence of other co-infections and chronic inflammation, creates a unique environment that promotes the development of DLBCL. This article delves into the relationship between the HIV environment and DLBCL, discussing the underlying mechanisms, risk factors, and potential therapeutic approaches. Understanding the complex interactions between HIV and DLBCL is crucial for optimizing patient management and improving outcomes in this population.

Life expectancy is a key indicator of population health and serves as a measure of overall well-being. In French Guiana, an overseas department of France located on the northeastern coast of South America, life expectancy has shown significant disparities between males and females. This article explores the complex sex differences in life expectancy in French Guiana, examining the factors contributing to these disparities and discussing potential strategies for addressing them. It highlights the importance of understanding the underlying causes and implementing targeted interventions to improve population health outcomes.

HIV infection is a global health concern that not only compromises the immune system but also increases the risk of developing malignancies. People Living With HIV (PLWH) are more susceptible to certain types of cancers, collectively referred to as HIV-associated malignancies. The mechanisms underlying the development of these malignancies in the context of HIV infection are complex and multifactorial. Understanding the oncogenic pathways involved and identifying potential biomarkers is crucial for translational research and the development of targeted therapies. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms underlying HIV-associated malignancies and highlights the role of oncogenic proteomics in advancing translational research.

In the battle against HIV/AIDS, health education campaigns play a crucial role in promoting awareness, prevention, and reducing stigma. Evaluating the impact of such campaigns is essential to ensure their effectiveness and guide future interventions. One method that can be employed for evaluation is the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). AHP provides a structured framework for decision-making and enables the systematic comparison of multiple criteria and alternatives. This article explores the application of the AHP method in evaluating the impact of an HIV health education campaign, highlighting its advantages and discussing the key considerations for implementation.

Introduction: Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) shows a great impact on immunological restoration and viral load suppression in individuals living with the Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV). Currently, among 38.4 million individuals living with HIV in the globe, around 28.7 million are under ART. Good adherence and follow-up of ART treatment decrease the morbidity and mortality rates of HIV positive individuals and increase the quality of life. Although it is a retrospective cohort study, we aimed to assess how ART regimens influence the restoration of immunological and hematological parameters, and the clinical progression after 2 and half years of ART treatment and follow-up.

Methodology: Retrospectively, we reviewed the medical records of HIV patients. Based on our follow-up requirements, we collected the medical records of 320 HIV patients retrospectively and followed them for 2 and half years. All the socio-demographic data with immunological, hematological, BIM, and clinical data of HIV patients under follow-up were collected every six months for 30 months period. Data were entered into SPSS version 23 and graph pad prism version 5.1 (graph pad software, San Diego, CA). The data were described and statistically analyzed with simple frequency and repeated measures of ANOVA.

Result: Among the 320 HIV patients who followed, 61.9% were females. In this study, The CD4 T cell count showed significant improvement from the baseline to the 12^th, 18^th, 24^th, and 30^th month follow-up; from the 6^th to 18^th, 24^th, and 30^th month follow-up, and from 12^th month to 24^th and 30^th month, indicating that ART significantly restored the immune response in HIV patients across the follow-up periods. The Body Mass Index (BMI) also showed similar significant improvement patterns with the CD4 T cell count. There was a significant improvement in the World Health Organization (WHO) clinical stage of HIV patients after follow-up as indicated by our result that the majority of HIV patients at baseline were at WHO stage III 168 (58.5%), however, after 2 and half year follow-up, only 16.3% remained at WHO stage III. In addition, at baseline (before initiation of ART), the proportion of HIV patients at WHO clinical stage I was only 12.8%, and that was increased to 44% at the end of the follow-up period. The burden of opportunistic infections also significantly decreased from 413.1% at baseline to 0.9% after follow-up. The hematological parameters such as total WBC count, platelet count, and hemoglobin levels were also significantly improved through the course of the follow-up periods.

Conclusion: Our study showed that good ART treatment and good follow-up of HIV management in patients with HIV can bring indispensable progress in their immunological, hematological, and clinical parameters.

Background: World Health Organization (WHO) recommends viral load monitoring to ensure viral load suppression is achieved and maintained, there by decreased morbidity and mortality, but large gaps remain particularly in low and middle income countries. Virologic failure and treatment failure remained a major problem in Addis Ababa. Identifying the factors for virologic failure has benefits in controlling transmission and reducing disease burden.

Objectives: To identify the determinants of virologic failure in people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in two selected public health facilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Methods: A hospital based case control study was to identify determinants of virologic failure among HIV/AIDS patients who are on ART in Saint Peter’s specialized hospital and Zewditu memorial hospital. A total of 350 participants were recruited with 117 cases and 233 controls with 1:2 ratios of cases to controls. Those who have viral suppression (VL<1000 copies/ml) was taken as controls and those who don’t have viral load suppression were classified as cases. Epi info version 7.2.4 and SPSS version 25 were used for data entry and analysis respectively. Bivariate and multivariable regression analysis were conducted to identify factors associated with viral load non-suppression

Results: The majority of the study participants (62.6%) were female while 38.4% were male. Factors associated with viral load non-suppression included younger age (AOR=8.883), disclosure status (AOR=9.123), poor adherence (AOR=21.953), history of chronic disease (AOR=0.14), less duration on treatment (AOR=0.193), 2^nd line regimen (AOR=7.611), and treatment failure as a reason for regimen change (AOR=16.381).

Conclusion: Being in the younger age group, poor adherence, long duration on treatment, being on second line regimen were the factors which increase chance of virologic failure. Behavioral intervention to prevent treatment interruption is required to sustain human immunodeficiency virus treatment adherence by focusing on age and treatment duration.