International journal of STD & AIDS
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There is currently no 'gold standard' for diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and both the tuberculin skin test and interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) are used for diagnosis; the latter have a higher sensitivity than tuberculin skin tests for diagnosis of LTBI in HIV-infected individuals with lower CD4 counts. No evidence base exists for selection of IGRA methodology to identify LTBI among human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients in the UK. We prospectively evaluated two commercially available IGRA methods (QuantiFERON-TB Gold In Tube [QFG] and T-SPOT. ⋯ Concordance between the two IGRAs was moderate (κ = 0.56, 95% confidence interval = 0.27-0.85). IGRAs were positive in only 4 (29%) of 14 patients with previous culture-proven tuberculosis. No patient developed tuberculosis during 20 months of follow-up.
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Observational Study
Prevalence and factors associated with erectile dysfunction in a cohort of HIV-infected patients.
To determine the prevalence of erectile dysfunction and its associated factors we conducted an observational study on a consecutive cohort of asymptomatic HIV-positive men. All the patients completed a questionnaire to evaluate erectile dysfunction based on the International Index of Erectile Function, a validated survey for the diagnosis of anxiety and depression (self-administered HAD), and a questionnaire about cardiovascular risk factors. Epidemiological, clinical, and analytical data were collected. ⋯ Erectile dysfunction was present in 106 (67.1%) patients, and associated factors were age (OR 4.5 for each 5 years; 95% CI 4.3-4.7; p=0.0001) and anxiety (OR 8.2, 95% CI 2.2-30.4; p=0.002). The prevalence of erectile dysfunction is high in men living with HIV, even in those with good immunovirological control. It is related to increasing age and anxiety, both of which are important factors within our HIV cohort.
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Letter Randomized Controlled Trial
Predictors of long-term HIV RNA suppression on darunavir/ritonavir monotherapy in the MONET trial.
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Case Reports
Dilated common bile duct and deranged liver function tests associated with ketamine use in two HIV-positive MSM.
We report here the first two cases of hepatobiliary pathology in HIV-positive men following recreational use of ketamine: >1 g/day over a 12-month period while on ritonavir-based antiretroviral therapy. Presentation in each case was acute with nausea, vomiting and epigastric pain. ⋯ The symptoms resolved, common bile duct dilatation and liver function improved on discontinuation of ketamine use. Time to development of symptoms is shorter than reported in HIV-negative cases (12 months vs. 4 years) which may be explained by an interaction between ketamine and ritonavir.
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A study conducted in 2002-2003 at three UK south coast hospitals measuring the length of time for non-genitourinary medicine physicians to diagnose HIV when patients presented with an HIV-related illness, found a median time to diagnosis of four days with 70% of diagnoses being made within seven days. This retrospective cohort study of all patients newly diagnosed with HIV between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2011 was conducted at the same three hospitals. ⋯ The median time to diagnosis was one day (interquartile range of 0-4 days), with 81% of diagnoses made within seven days of first presentation. Late diagnosis of HIV remains a significant challenge, but delayed diagnosis in a patient admitted with an HIV-related illness is reducing in this setting.