ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in asymptomatic HIV-infected, treatment-naive adults and adolescents. To assess the evidence for the optimal time to initiate ART. MethodsDatabases including PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library (Issue 4, 2016), CBM, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about early initiation and optimal time to initiate ART in asymptomatic, treatment-naive HIV-infected patients from January 1996 to April 2016. Two review authors independently assessed study eligibility, extracted data and graded methodological quality. Data extraction and methodological quality were checked by a third author who resolved differences when these arose. We meta-analysed dichotomous outcomes using the risk ratio (RR) and report the 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) by using RevMan 5.3 software. ResultsA total of 4 RCTs involving 8 751 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that initiating ART at CD4+ T-cell counts (CD4 counts) ≥350 cells/μL or 500 cells/μL, comparing to deferring initiation of ART to CD4 counts <350 cells/μL, would benefit patients more: (1) Risk of AIDS-defining illnesses which representing disease progression, reduced significantly when starting ART at higher CD4 counts (no less than 350 cells/μL) (RR=0.49, 95%CI 0.38 to 0.64, P<0.001). The reduction of risk was even more significant when initiating ART at CD4 counts of not less than 500 cells/μL (RR=0.38, 95%CI 0.24 to 0.59, P<0.001). (2) When initiating ART at CD4 counts of not less than 350 cells/μL, the risk of serious non-AIDS related events was significantly reduced by 42% (RR=0.58, 95%CI 0.40 to 0.83, P=0.003). When initiating ART at CD4 counts of not less than 500 cells/μL, according to START 2015, the risk of serious non-AIDS related events could be reduced by 39% (RR=0.61, P=0.04). (3) However, when initiating ART at CD4 counts of not less than 350 cells/μL or 500 cells/μL, comparing to deferring initiation, there were no statistically significant differences in death (RR=0.70, 95%CI 0.48 to 1.02, P=0.06) and serious adverse events (RR=0.67, 95%CI 0.38 to 1.20, P=0.18). ConclusionOur findings contribute to the evidence base for recommending initiating ART at CD4 counts of 350-500 cells/μL compared to initiating it later when CD4 counts fall below 350 cells/μL. As for patients with CD4 counts of not less than 500 cells/μL, initiation of ART is also recommended.
ObjectiveTo investigate the ultrasonic changes of hepatic veins and splenic veins during various immune stages with different CD4+T lymphocyte count. MethodsFifty AIDS/HIV patients with chronic viral hepatitis treated between January 2010 and October 2013 were designated as the case group, and another 50 patients with simple chronic viral hepatitis were regarded as the controls. For patients in the case group, we observed their ultrasonic changes of hepatic and splenic veins during various immune stages with different CD4+T lymphocyte count. The results of observation and clinical laboratory analysis were compared. ResultsAbnormal ultrasonic changes were detected in the liver in various immune stages based on the CD4+T lymphocyte count, and the main manifestations of these changes included unclear portal and splenic vein distal direction, wide diameter, slowed blood flow velocity, and disappearance of fluctuations of blood flow spectrum; and unclear hepatic vein distal direction, low and three-phase, and negative blood flow spectrum with the disappearance of windows were also detected. There were no statistical differences between the case group and the control group when the CD4+T cell count was over 300/mm3, and a few indexes were significantly different when the CD4+T cell count was between 100 and 200/mm3. However, the differences of almost all indexes were significant when the CD4+T cell count was below 100/mm3. ConclusionPatients with HIV/AIDS combined with chronic viral hepatitis have ultrasonographic abnormalities of intrahepatic and splenic veins, which is more obvious as the CD4+T cell count declines. Overall consideration of intrahepatic vein and splenic vein ultrasonic indicators helps clinical assessment of disease development in patients with HIV/AIDS combined with chronic viral hepatitis.
ObjectiveTo translate evidence of "HIV/AIDS Clinical Nursing Practice Guideline" into clinical practice, in order to reduce the incidence and severity of symptoms of AIDS and to improve the quality of life of patients. MethodsWe integrated the best evidence into the HIV/AIDS inpatient unit of a tertiary hospital for infectious disease in Shanghai, China between September 2013 and February 2015. Based on the "Ottawa Model of Research Use", this study was divided into four stages: evaluating the status quo, building the evidence-based strategy, applying evidence-based decision-making, and evaluating results and reflecting. 148 patients were either assigned to an intervention group with HIV/AIDS-related symptom management protocol (n=74), or to a usual care group (n=74) for the duration of their antiretroviral therapy. Then Medical Outcomes Questionnaire (MOS-HIV) were applied to evaluate the life quality after intervention. ResultsMixed-effects regression indicated significant difference between groups across time in total MOS-HIV score. The intervention group increased more than the control group 2.72 points in total MOS-HIV scores per month (P<0.05). ConclusionThe evidence-translation and evidence-based decision-making of "HIV/AIDS Clinical Nursing Practice Guideline" can regulate nurse behavior, raise the quality of clinical care and improve the patients' quality of life.
Objective To compare quality of life for HIV infected people or AIDS patients and their family members of noninfected people in two counties (Zizhong and Zhaojue) with high AIDS morbidity and high HIV infective rates. Methods The quality of life for HIV infected people or AIDS patients and 162 of their family members and 97 people noninfected HIV/AIDS was measured by a questionnaire containing the generic quality of life inventory 74 (GQOLI-74) and the social support scale (SSS). Data were analyzed with SPSS. Results Total GQOLI-74 scores and each of the four dimensionality scores were significantly lower for HIV/AIDS people and their family members compared with noninfected people (total score for HIV/AIDS people 52.20 [9.41]; family members 60.46 [11.92]; noninfected people 66.36 [8.90] (Plt;0.01)). Scores for each of the disease status (physical function, psychological function, social function and material status) were all lower compared with noninfected people (all comparisons Plt;0.01). GQOLI-74 scores of HIV/AIDS people were significantly correlated with disease status and social support, but age, education level and substance abuse did not show significantly correlation. Conclusions The quality of life for HIV infected people or AIDS patients and their families is significantly lower than the general population, and this is particularly related to the severity of their disease and lack of social support.
Objective To study the distribution of HIV/AIDS high-risk population, HIV infection and the main risk factors for developing HIV/AIDS’ controllable measures and exploring appropriate health education and behavior intervention models. Methods A total of 360 commercial sex workers (CSW) joined together through convenience sampling and 360 drug users (DU) joined together through convenience sampling or snow-balling sampling whose relevant behavior factors were investigated by questionnaires. Results The general rate of knowing knowledge about AIDS was 75.2% among 360 CSW, 67.8% CSW used condom in commercial sex activities; none of 149 CSW blood samples was detected HIV or syphilis antibody positive. The general rate of knowing knowledge about AIDS was 83.7% among 360 DU who injected drugs last month, the rate of sharing needles was 47.6% and the low rate of condom used; 1 HIV antibody and 5 syphilis antibodies positive were found among 198 DU blood samples, so HIV and syphilis infection rate were 0.51%and 2.53%, respectively. Conclusion The rate of HIV infection is a very low level and there are many risk factors among CSW and DU. A good job should be done to integrate AIDS health education with behavioral intervention and the monitoring system for the AIDS/HIV high-risk population should be improved.
Objective To evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of clinical guidelines and consensus for adult AIDS. Methods Databases including PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, CBM, WanFang Data and CNKI were electronically searched and major guideline websites such as GIN, NICE, NGC and Yimaitong were also searched to collect guidelines and consensus for adult AIDS from inception to December 2021. Two researchers independently screened the literature and extracted data according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Four reviewers evaluated the methodological and reporting quality of the included guidelines and consensus by using AGREE Ⅱ and RIGHT, respectively. Results A total of 17 adult AIDS guidelines and consensus were included. The average scores of AGREE Ⅱ in various domains were 59.48% for scope and purpose, 37.17% for stakeholder involvement, 30.76% for rigor of development, 74.75% for clarity of presentation, 35.54% for applicability, and 50.49% for editorial independence. The items with the highest reporting rate among the RIGHT evaluation items were 1a, 1b and 1c (100.00%), followed by 3 and 4 (94.12%), 13a and 13b (88.24%), 7b and 11a (76.47%), and 5 (64.71%), and the remaining items were all reported below 60%. Results of subgroup analysis showed that the clarity of presentation, applicability and editorial independence of the guidelines for adult AIDS expressed in AGREE Ⅱ and the average score of RIGHT were higher than those of the consensuses for adult AIDS; the average scores of guidelines and consensuses based on evidence-based medicine in five domains of AGREE Ⅱ (scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, rigor of development, clarity of presentation and applicability) and RIGHT were higher than those based on expert opinions or reviews. The foreign guidelines and consensus had higher average scores in the six domains of AGREE Ⅱ and the RIGHT score than the domestic guidelines. Conclusion The methodological quality and reporting quality of the published clinical guidelines and consensuses for adult AIDS is low; in particular, there is a certain gap between the national and international guidelines and consensuses. It is suggested that future guideline developers should refer to international standards, such as AGREE Ⅱ and RIGHT, formulate high-quality guidelines and promote their application to better regulate the diagnosis and treatment of adult AIDS.
Objective To evaluate the clinical features, diagnosis, and outcome of the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis, and the relationship between CMV retinitis and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Methods A total of 95 eyes of 56 patients with cytomegalovirus retinitis and AIDS were studied. The fundus feature, visual acuity and CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts were analyzed and the follow-up periods ranged from 2 weeks to 18 months. Results Before the definitive diagnosis of CMV retinitis, the courses of AIDS were 4 to 26 months in all patients. In the initial examination, the granular form of CMV retinal lesion was noted in 55 eyes (57%) in which retinal lesion of 46 eyes was peripheral. The fulminant form of CMV retinitis of 25 eyes (26%) was found in the posterior pole and consisted of densely opaque retinal lesions with blotchy hemorrhage and vasculitis. The overlap between these two presentations was noted in 15 eyes. Papillitis was observed in 7 eyes of CMV retinitis in this series of patients. The visual acuity ranged from finger counting to 0.5. The patients with extensive CMV retinitis or CMV retinitis in the posterior pole got poorer vision. The CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts of 30 patients was 0-30 (mean, 15±9/μl), and the survival time ranged from 2 weeks to 18 months (mean, 6.4±3.3 months). The vision was improved and CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts was significantly higher in the group treated with ganciclovir, and progression of CMV retinitis occured and the vision decreased in the non-treated group. Conclusion CMV retinitis is the most common intraocular complication in patients with AIDS. Diagnosis of CMV retinitis is based on the characteristic of necrotizing retinitis which was typically associated with retinal hemorrhage and vasculitis. Ganciclovir is effective for the treatment of CMV retinitis. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2002, 18: 89-91)
Objective To evaluate the effect of a health education for preventing HIV/AIDS in floating population. Methods A computerized literature search was carried out in PubMed, CBM (Chinese Biomedical Database), CNKI (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure), Wanfang (Chinese) and VIP (Chinese) databases to collect articles published between 1996 and 2006 concerning the effect of a HIV/AIDS education intervention in floating population. We also checked the reference lists of relevant articles. The study type was self-control intervention study. Meta-analyses were performed to assess 3 outcomes of the intervention, i.e. knowledge about HIV transmission, means of prevention and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS patients. Fixed and random effect models were employed to combine results after a heterogeneity test, with rate difference (RD) used as the indicator of intervention effect. Results The analysis showed that the RD for knowing the sexual transmission route of HIV, the RD for knowing the effect of condoms for HIV prevention, and the RD for changing attitudes towards HIV/AIDS patients, i.e. treating them as ordinary people, were increased by 16% (0.10, 0.22), 22% (0.17, 0.28) and 19% (0.13, 0.25), respectively. Conclusion Health education for preventing HIV/AIDS is effective in changing knowledge and attitudes in floating population.
The latest global big data evidence indicated the changes of skin and venereal disease burden was huge. HIV/AIDS disease burden was the heaviest diseases among all skin and venereal diseases, and its skin manifestation was serious. The evidence of skin manifestation was searched and classified by subjects such as clinical symptoms, diagnosis & treatment, nursing, etc. The results showed, that the skin manifestation of HIV/AIDS with high incidence was serious, atypical, difficult to cure which was easy to misdiagnose or miss diagnosis. After analyzing the global HIV/AIDS guidelines, we found that many high quality guidelines with widely-covered subjects were produced by developed countries, while quite a few low quality and ones with narrowly-covered subjects were produced by developing countries. Only one guideline was for treatment of HIV/AIDS skin lesion. Based on the current evidence, we call for that all healthcare professionals to increase their awareness, update knowledge, and joint in cooperative prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. We also call for that we should produce high quality primary evidence for clinical diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS skin manifestation, and clinical practice guidelines based on good evidence. For the increasing heavy burden of skin and venereal diseases, we should adjust and expand research directions, enrich and improve new interdisciplinary knowledge. We also should constantly train professionals and spread out knowledge in public on prevention and treatment for skin manifestation, so as to transform the evidence in time, effectively protect medical staff and susceptible population, effectively prevent and treat this disease, and improve the satisfaction of our country, hospitals and patients.
ObjectivesTo evaluate the effects of short message service (SMS) intervention for improving antiretroviral treatment adherence in HIV patients by meta-analysis.MethodsDatabases including PubMed, EMbase, CINAHL, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP and CBM were searched electronically from January 2000 to December 2018 to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the efficacy of SMS intervention on HIV patients. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 10 RCTs with 2 411 patients were included. The meta-analysis showed that SMS intervention could improve significantly treatment adherence of HIV patients (RR=1.11, 95%CI 1.03 to 1.20, P<0.01). The subgroup analysis showed that weekly texting had an effect on treatment adherence (RR=1.15, 95%CI 1.00 to 1.33, P<0.05); personal sending (RR=1.17, 95%CI 0.99 to 1.38, P=0.06) and daily sending (RR=1.02, 95%CI 0.83 to 1.26, P=0.84) of SMS had no statistical significance on treatment adherence; the intervention duration of 6 months (RR=1.11, 95%CI 1.00 to 1.23, P=0.05) could improve the treatment adherence, while the intervention duration of 12 months (RR=1.07, 95%CI 0.98 to 1.17, P=0.13) had no statistical difference on treatment adherence; there was no statistical difference in CD4+ cell count before and after treatment (WMD=4.18, 95%CI −39.33 to 47.69, P=0.85).ConclusionsBy comparing SMS intervention with routine nursing, sending SMS weekly for 6 months to remind HIV patients to take medicine can improve treatment adherence. Due to the limitation of quantity and quality of the included studies, the above conclusions are required to be assessed by more high-quality studies.