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Biomedical subjects

F Bricaire

Publications and source records attributed to F Bricaire.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Cutaneous larva migrans with folliculitis: report of seven cases and review of the literature.

Seven patients (four men, three women, mean age 31 years), all returning from the tropics, presented with pruritic folliculitis and creeping eruption. The folliculitis consisted of 20-100 follicular papules and pustules confined to a particular area of the body, mainly the buttocks. The creeping eruption consisted of two to 10 serpiginous or linear burrows 1-5 cm long located either in the same area or in a different area from the folliculitis. Five patients were cured with one to three courses of ivermectin (one course in two cases, two courses in two cases and three courses in one case) and two patients were cured with a 3-day regimen of albendazole. Folliculitis should be added to the dermatological manifestations of cutaneous larva migrans. Treatment is more difficult than in classical forms of cutaneous larva migrans.

Adult↗

Re-occurrence of HIV-1 drug mutations after treatment re-initiation following interruption in patients with multiple treatment failure.

Antiretroviral treatment interruption in 20 extensively pre-treated HIV-1 patients with treatment failure led to genotype viral reversion of at least one class of drug-mutation resistance in half of the patients. The only predictive factor of reversion was found to be the duration of interruption. The outgrowth of residual wild-type virus seems not to be a true genetic reversion because drug mutations are detected rapidly at salvage therapy re-initiation.

Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active↗

Clinical and virologic characterization of acyclovir-resistant varicella-zoster viruses isolated from 11 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

We studied the clinical resistance to acyclovir of infections with varicella-zoster viruses (VZV) in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and we correlated it to virologic analyses. Eleven patients with VZV infections (treated with acyclovir, 30 mg/kg/day, given intravenously, or 4 g/day, given orally) were included in the study because of the failure of 10 days of acyclovir therapy. Susceptibility of VZV isolates to acyclovir was tested using a plaque reduction assay to determine the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) of acyclovir and the SI(50) (IC(50) of the patient isolate/IC(50) of the reference strain) to acyclovir. The thymidine kinase (TK) gene, which supports the resistance, was sequenced on amplified products. Only 3 patients had a significant increase in the IC(50), as compared with the IC(50) of the reference strain (SI(50) of > or =4), and a mutation in the TK gene. For the other 8 patients, the clinical resistance was not confirmed by the virologic results: the SI(50) was < 4, and no mutation was detected in the TK gene. Because no acyclovir-resistant strain appeared during a shorter period of time, we suggest an increase in the duration of the treatment to 21 days before acyclovir resistance is suspected.

Acyclovir↗

Subacute clinical forms of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in travelers receiving chloroquine-proguanil prophylaxis.

We have observed 4 French travelers, returning from African countries, who were not immune to malaria and were receiving chloroquine-proguanil prophylaxis, in whom the diagnosis of malaria could easily have been missed because the clinical signs were uncommon. These cases suggest that chloroquine-proguanil prophylaxis is not always effective and that travelers with unexplained symptoms should be monitored closely for malaria.

Adult↗

[Management of therapeutic failure in HIV-infected patients].

A COMMON SITUATION: Among HIV-infected patients treated with antiretroviral regimens, 20% to 50% escape therapeutic control. The principal factors predictive of treatment failure are low CD4 counts and high viral load prior to institution of the antiretroviral treatment. Several virological and pharmacological mechanisms are implicated. GENOTYPING AND PHENOTYPING: Genotyping is particularly useful to optimize treatment in HIV-infected patients who escape therapeutic control, irrespective of the therapeutic strategy. A committee of experts has developed a scheme for adapting treatment to the very complex results of genotyping tests. The benefit of phenotyping remains to be established. MANAGEMENT: Serum concentrations of antiretroviral agents should be determined and adapted in order to maximize the treatment effect. However, to manage therapeutic escape, the only method with a proven impact is genotyping. The possible usefulness of regular drug assays for adjusting treatment doses in case of therapeutic escape remains to be assessed in prospective trials.

Algorithms↗

Outcome of patients with HIV-1-related cognitive impairment on highly active antiretroviral therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the outcome of HIV-1-related cognitive impairments using a neuropsychological (NP) battery to assess separately the psychomotor, executive function and memory fields. DESIGN: A longitudinal study of HIV-1-infected patients based on serial NP tests in a Paris University Hospital. METHODS: A group of 91 HIV-1-infected patients, of whom 47 were already taking HAART at their first NP examination, were initially categorized as cognitively impaired (n = 53) or non-impaired (n = 38) and underwent one to six serial NP batteries (mean follow-up 12.3+/-8.3 months). Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to evaluate performance in a given NP test according to the number of days on HAART. RESULTS: Despite a 25% mortality rate among patients who had cognitive impairment at their first NP examination, GEE showed a positive relationship between the duration of HAART and cognitive performance. Performance in psychomotor tests (e.g. Purdue Pegboard dominant hand) improved continuously during the study period, while memory test performance (e.g. Grober and Buschke free recall) tended to reach a plateau. CONCLUSIONS: HAART improves subcortical cognitive functions during the first year of treatment. Distinct neuropathological mechanisms appear to underlie psychomotor and memory dysfunctions in AIDS.

Adult↗

Clinical and spectroscopic improvement in HIV-associated cognitive impairment.

To assess the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on AIDS-associated cognitive impairment, 22 patients with AIDS with (n = 11) and without (n = 11) cognitive deficit were evaluated clinically and by MRS every 3 months for 9 months. Nineteen patients were on HAART at study entry, 21 after 2 months. Cognitively impaired patients presented with a subcorticofrontal deficit and decreased N-acetyl-aspartate in frontal white matter. These clinical and metabolic abnormalities reversed partially on HAART, whereas they remained within normal limits in cognitively unimpaired patients.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗

[Current antiretroviral therapy].

INTRODUCTION: Advances in HIV/AIDS therapy have been rapid and profound. CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND KEY POINTS: In developed countries the epidemic infection has stabilized and there are dramatic decreases in morbidity and mortality resulting from the use of intensive but expensive therapies. HIV patients who have detectable viral loads and/or evidence of immunologic dysfunction should be treated with a potent combination antiretroviral regimen. Currently, this consists of two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors with at least one protease inhibitor, or a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, or another combination with adequate potency. Current therapies do have limitations, including side effects, cross-resistance, adherence challenges, and drug interactions. FUTURE PROSPECTS AND PROJECTS: Drug resistance is a major factor contributing to the failure of antiretroviral therapy: the ability to predict clinical response to therapy on the basis of genotype and/or phenotype depends on knowledge of appropriate data for defining drug resistance. Moreover, careful selection and monitoring of combination drug therapy along with individualized rather than standard dosage regimens may minimize the pharmacological problems and help ensure optimum antiviral activity. Further developments include new drugs, vaccine, cytokine-, and gene therapy-based treatment strategies.

Anti-HIV Agents↗

[Epidemiological features and incidence trends of primary cerebral lymphomas observed in 80 HIV-infected patients from 1983 to 1999].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological characteristics of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) and the evolution of the incidence of this lymphoma in HIV-infected patients with a more than 17-year follow-up. RESULTS: Eighty cases of PCNSL were analyzed from a data base of 2,263 AIDS subjects followed from 1983 to 1999 (3.5% of the patients with AIDS). At the time of diagnosis, PCNSL was the first AIDS defining event in 36% of the cases, median CD4 count was 9/mm3 (0-134); 82% of the patients were given antiretroviral therapy (HAART = 0). Only eight cases of PCNSL were observed after 1996 (median HIV RNA level: 250,000 copies/mL (24,000-1,500,000)). The incidence was 39 per 100 patients-year in 1991 and decreased to 1.9 in 1999. At the end of the study, 78 patients had died (98%). The median survival was one month before 1996 ([0-27], n = 72), and was ten months after ([0-44], n = 8). Two patients were still alive 38 and 44 months after diagnosis. After 1996, survival was increased in patients with good response to antiretroviral treatment and in patients with high CD4 count at the moment of diagnosis. CONCLUSION: After the introduction of HAART (1996), the incidence of PCNSL has decreased drastically and survival was increased.

Adult↗

Neurologic sequelae after severe falciparum malaria in adult travelers.

Severe falciparum malaria usually occurs in nonimmune patients, namely children in endemic areas or travelers returning from tropical areas. It generally has one of two outcomes: rapid death or cure without sequelae. Neurologic sequelae have been reported in children but have not been described in detail in adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical spectrum, neuroimaging aspects and long-term outcome of these sequelae. We describe six imported cases of severe malaria with neurologic sequelae in adults, seen in a Parisian university hospital over a 10-year period. The most striking findings were neuropsychological disorders, in particular memory impairment and diffuse white matter damage on magnetic resonance imaging. Only three of the patients had made a full recovery after 6 months.

Adult↗

[Antiretroviral therapies].

SPARING ANTIPROTEASES: An antiprotease-sparing strategy can improve compliance and adhesion to antiretroviral treatments. Several studies have demonstrated that switching to neviparin or efavirenz can maintain viral suppression and allow satisfactory rise in CD4 counts with a significant reduction in the neviparin group. A switch to a tritherapy with nucleosides (abacavir) can increase the risk of virological failure but allows an improvement in lipid anomalies, simplified treatment, and better patient adhesion. LIPODYSTROPHY SYNDROMES: These syndromes develop in 30 to 50% of the cases depending on the study and appear to be linked to the duration of exposure to antiretroviral agents. Along with the associated metabolic anomalies, lipodystrophy plays a role in the cardiovascular risk related to these treatments. NEW ANTIRETROVIRAL DRUGS: Several clinical trials have been devoted to new antiretroviral drugs. DAPD was found to have a dose-dependent antiretroviral effect with good tolerance. A new antiprotease (BMS 232 632) offers the advantage of a single daily dose with good tolerance and good effectiveness compared with the reference treatment including nelfinavir. TDF (tenofovir disoproxyl fumarate) is a nucleotidic analogue of reverse transcriptase. Given in a single daily dose monotherapy regimen, it can provide prolonged retroviral suppression. Compared with nelfinavir, ABT 378 gave significantly higher viral loads < 400 copies/ml at 24 weeks with an identical clinical tolerance but with an advantage for cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Adenine↗

Impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy on onset of Mycobacterium avium complex infection and cytomegalovirus disease in patients with AIDS.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the onset of first disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection and first cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease episode in HIV-infected at-risk patients. METHODS: The incidence of the two infections occurring in at-risk patients was calculated for two periods (January 1995-June 1996 and July 1996-December 1997) using the database of the HIV-infected patients followed in the Infectious Diseases Department at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris. HAART was progressively introduced in late June 1996 in France. RESULTS: A total of 91 first disseminated MAC infections and 124 first CMV disease episodes were recorded. The incidence of first disseminated MAC infections fell from 13.4 per 100 person-years in the first 18-month period to 2.6 per 100 person-years in the second 18-month period. Similarly, the incidence of first CMV disease episodes fell from 20.9 to 3.5 per 100 person-years. Fourteen patients on HAART developed a first MAC infection, 12 (85.7%) within 2 months of starting HAART. Nineteen patients on HAART had a first CMV disease episode, 10 (52.6%) within 2 months of starting HAART. CONCLUSIONS: HAART led to a five-fold decrease in the incidence of first disseminated MAC infections and a six-fold decrease in first CMV disease episodes, although patients remain vulnerable to both diseases for approximately 2 months after starting HAART.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗