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Biomedical subjects

J W Pape

Publications and source records attributed to J W Pape.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Feasibility and cohort development for HIV vaccine trials in Haiti.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is spreading rapidly in Haiti with HIV seroprevalence rates of 10% and 3% in urban and rural areas, respectively. Since 1985, heterosexual transmission has been the primary mode of acquisition of HIV. From 1981 to the present, the Cornell-GHESKIO unit in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has developed the infrastructure to recruit and retain large cohorts of individuals at risk for HIV infection. Among the populations studied, couples discordant for HIV infection appear most suitable for eventual HIV phase III vaccine trial. This paper describes the recruitment, retention, and characteristics of the discordant-couples cohort, as well as the limitations of interventions aimed at behavior modification.

AIDS Vaccines↗
PubMed1993

Effect of isoniazid prophylaxis on incidence of active tuberculosis and progression of HIV infection.

Tuberculosis occurring with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a serious and growing public health problem. We have carried out a randomised clinical trial of a 12-month course of isoniazid plus vitamin B6 versus vitamin B6 alone in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to assess the efficacy of isoniazid in preventing active tuberculosis in symptom-free HIV-infected individuals. The effect of prophylaxis on the development of HIV disease, AIDS, and death was also investigated. 118 subjects were assigned treatment with isoniazid plus B6 (n = 58) or B6 alone (n = 60) between 1986 and 1989. The treatment groups were similar at study entry in demographic, clinical, and immunological characteristics. Interim analysis in 1990 revealed no significant difference in tuberculosis outcome measures. Follow-up was continued until 1992, at which time significant protection by isoniazid against the development of tuberculosis was apparent, both for the whole study population and for subjects positive for purified protein derivative of tuberculin (PPD). The incidence of tuberculosis was lower in isoniazid recipients than in patients who received B6 alone (2.2 vs 7.5 per 100 person-years). The relative risk of tuberculosis was 3.4 (95% CI 1.1-10.6) for B6 alone versus isoniazid plus B6 (p < 0.05). Isoniazid also delayed progression to HIV disease and AIDS and death. Thus isoniazid effectively decreases the incidence of tuberculosis and delays the onset of HIV-related disease in symptom-free HIV-seropositive individuals. Isoniazid prophylaxis should be considered for HIV-seropositive, PPD-positive subjects, and may also be appropriate for PPD-negative patients in areas where tuberculosis is highly endemic.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1993

A prospective study of HIV-seropositive asymptomatic women of childbearing age in a developing country.

An observational study of 140 HIV-seropositive asymptomatic women of childbearing age was conducted in Haiti from 1984 to 1992 as part of a larger natural history study. Forty-four women were pregnant or became pregnant during the study period. The progression to HIV-related disease, AIDS, and mortality from AIDS was compared in the pregnant and nonpregnant cohorts. The mean follow-up time was 44 months. Overall, 32 of the 140 women (38%) developed AIDS, and 26 (19%) died from AIDS during the study period, with a cumulative AIDS incidence rate of 16% at 3 years after study entry. There was a trend toward earlier manifestation of HIV-related symptoms among the pregnant cohort, but no significant difference was observed in the rate of progression to AIDS or death between the pregnant and nonpregnant women.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

The urge for an AIDS vaccine: perspectives from a developing country.

AIDS is inexorably involving all parts of the country and all strata of society, with 10% of the urban and 3% of the rural population infected with HIV. It is increasingly a disease of women and children. The major cofactors for transmission are also sexually transmitted. For most developing countries, in spite of all education efforts, the "silent epidemic" of AIDS continues. AIDS is known but not understood; counselling modifies behavior in only 10-20% of at-risk persons. Under optimal conditions, HIV discordant females have seroconversion rates of 4.7% per year and pregnancy rates of 10.4% per year. The recent political unrest in Zaire and Haiti will further enhance the spread of AIDS in these countries. Despite these difficult periods, the work can and must continue. After all, during our 10th year of collaboration with a Haitian private research group, the Haitian government and Cornell University, Haiti has known seven different political rulers. Finally, I want to make a pledge on behalf of the millions of people who face a certain death from HIV infection and AIDS and who will never make the front page of any newspaper. For these people, you can make a difference. You must give us the tools to carry on this fight. The clinical trials must be done where they are most needed: the developing countries. Vaccines represent the only viable alternative despite the recognized obstacles of viral heterogeneity, immunogenicity, and delivery.

AIDS Vaccines↗
PubMed1991

Isospora belli infections.

I. belli is common in tropical and subtropical environments. Sporadic outbreaks have occurred in mental institutions and in day-care centers in the United States. The infection is common in immunosuppressed patients, particularly those with AIDS living in tropical areas. Transmission probably occurs by the fecal-oral route. Chronic diarrhea is the major clinical manifestation. The pathophysiology of I. belli-induced diarrhea is unknown. Laboratory diagnosis is readily performed with the examination of unstained and stained stool specimens particularly by the modified Ziehl-Nielsen method. I. belli infection responds promptly to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole therapy and recurrent disease can be prevented with either trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Prevalence of HIV infection and high-risk activities in Haiti.

The prevalence of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was determined in the relatives, friends, and sex partners of AIDS patients in Haiti and in other unrelated Haitian population groups. Among contacts of AIDS patients, HIV seroprevalence was highest among sex partners of the opposite sex (55%) and lowest among female relatives and friends (9%) of female AIDS patients. Male relatives and friends of male AIDS patients had a seroprevalence rate of 19% and also had a history of multiple heterosexual partners and frequent contact with prostitutes. The HIV seroprevalence rate among unrelated groups of Haitian adults ranged from 2% in rural healthy adults to 22% among tuberculosis patients to a high of 49% among Haitian prostitutes. This seroprevalence pattern suggests that HIV infection is widespread in Haiti and that heterosexual activity plays a major role in transmission.

Bisexuality↗
PubMed1989

Treatment and prophylaxis of Isospora belli infection in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Enteric infection with the protozoan Isospora belli is common in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and causes severe diarrhea. I. belli responds well to treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, but there is a high rate of recurrence. To investigate the effect of long-term prophylaxis, we studied 32 Haitian patients with AIDS complicated by I. belli infection and chronic diarrhea. All were treated with trimethoprim (160 mg) and sulfamethoxazole (800 mg), given orally four times a day for 10 days; the patients were then randomly assigned to receive 500 mg of sulfadoxine and 25 mg of pyrimethamine weekly, 160 mg of trimethoprim and 800 mg of sulfamethoxazole three times a week, or placebo. Half of the patients (5 of 10) who received placebo had recurrent, symptomatic isosporiasis a mean of 1.6 months after the initial treatment. All 22 patients who received either trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine remained asymptomatic. I. belli was identified in the stools of only one of these patients, who was receiving trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The study medications were generally well tolerated but had to be discontinued in the cases of two patients because of severe pruritus. In 10 patients, the prophylactic regimen has been continued for a mean of 16 months without recurrent isosporiasis. We conclude that isosporiasis in patients with AIDS can be treated effectively with a 10-day course of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and that recurrent disease can subsequently be prevented by ongoing prophylaxis with either trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Pruritic skin lesions. A common initial presentation of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

During July 1983 to December 1984, we observed that 62 (46%) of 134 Haitian patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome had intensely pruritic eruptions for which neither specific causative nor categoric diagnoses could be established. These lesions were a presenting manifestation of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in 79% of the patients and appeared a mean of 8 months before the diagnosis of either Kaposi's sarcoma or opportunistic infection. Lesions included erythematous round macules, papules, or nodules that first appeared on the extensor surface of the arms, but subsequently involved the legs, trunk, and face. Histologically, the lesions were characterized by varying degrees of mixed (predominantly eosinophilic) perivascular and perifollicular inflammatory cell infiltrates of the dermis. The lesions did not respond to any therapeutic regimens used and usually persisted throughout the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome illness. Demographic and laboratory data did not distinguish these patients from those without pruritic skin lesions.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

AIDS in Haiti.

The first cases of AIDS in Haiti were recognized in 1978-1979, a period that coincides with the earliest reports of AIDS in the United States. Current data are consistent with the hypothesis that AIDS originated in Africa, came to the United States and Europe, and subsequently was introduced into Haiti by either tourists or returning Haitians. The seroprevalence of HIV among healthy sexually active adults in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is approximately 10%. This rate of HIV infection is threefold that observed in rural areas. The highest prevalence rates were observed in female prostitutes (53%) and in the male and female spouses of AIDS patients (55%). The types of opportunistic infections and the clinical course in Haitians with AIDS were similar in many respects to those in patients with AIDS in the United States. Important differences were noted in the prevalence of specific opportunistic pathogens in Haiti. It resembled observations on these infections in Africa. During the past 4 years, there has been a progressive decrease in the percent of patients reporting bisexuality and blood transfusions, and an increase in those reporting either a spouse with antecedent AIDS, prostitution, or none of the aforementioned activities. In 1986, heterosexual transmission probably accounted for over 70% of AIDS cases.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Perinatal transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus.

Vertical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from an infected mother to her fetus or infant can occur in utero and probably during labor and delivery. Transmission via breast milk has also been documented. Because of limitations of conventional HIV testing in infants, it is difficult to determine the rate of transmission from an infected mother to her fetus or infant, but it is probably between 20% and 60%, depending on the mother's health status. Perinatal HIV infection is a significant problem particularly in "Pattern II" countries, where HIV is spread primarily by heterosexual contact. In "Pattern I" countries, where HIV predominantly affects homosexual and bisexual men, children are infected by mothers who acquired the infection through I.V. drug abuse or sexual contact with an infected partner.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1988

Treatment of candida esophagitis in AIDS patients.

We conducted a randomized prospective study to compare the efficacy of oral miconazole and ketoconazole in the treatment of candida esophagitis in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients in Haiti. Twelve AIDS patients with endoscopic and microscopic diagnoses of candida esophagitis were placed on either oral miconazole or ketoconazole for 10 days. All six patients receiving oral miconazole, and four of the six receiving ketoconazole had complete resolution of their esophageal lesions at the end of treatment. We conclude oral miconazole is at least as effective as ketoconazole in the treatment of candida esophagitis in AIDS patients.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1987

Cryptosporidiosis in Haitian children.

We used a modified acid-fast stain to detect Cryptosporidium oocysts in unconcentrated stools from 824 Haitian children less than 2 years of age with acute diarrhea. Oocysts were identified in stools from 17.5% of 291 children seen at a rural dispensary and in 16.3% of stools from 533 children in an urban hospital. Children with cryptosporidiosis were identified throughout a 22-month period from October 1982 to July 1984, without seasonal predilection. Cryptosporidiosis was twice as common in infants greater than 6 months of age than in younger infants. Cryptosporidium oocysts were rarely found in stools of infants receiving only breast milk. The clinical presentation of children with cryptosporidiosis was similar to other patients with diarrhea who did not have cryptosporidiosis. No asymptomatic Cryptosporidium infections were detected among 71 family members of 31 children with cryptosporidiosis. Three of the 71 family members less than 3 years of age were found to have diarrhea and Cryptosporidium oocysts. In follow-up studies of 31 patients, oocysts persisted in stools for a mean of 14 days (range 5-31 days). Duration of oocyst excretion was directly correlated with duration of diarrhea. These findings suggest that Cryptosporidium is an important cause of acute self-limited diarrheal illness to Haitian children.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMed1986

Clinical manifestations and therapy of Isospora belli infection in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Isospora belli has recently been recognized as an opportunistic protozoan pathogen in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Although I. belli rarely causes diarrhea in patients with AIDS in the United States, we have documented isosporiasis in 15 percent (20 of 131) of such patients in Haiti. The infection was associated with chronic watery diarrhea and weight loss that was clinically indistinguishable from disease caused by the related coccidia cryptosporidium. No demographic or laboratory data distinguished the patients with AIDS and isosporiasis from those with either cryptosporidiosis or other opportunistic infections. Neither I. belli nor cryptosporidium was detected in stool samples from 170 healthy siblings, friends, and spouses of the patients with AIDS. In all patients with isosporiasis, diarrhea stopped within two days of the beginning of treatment with oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Recurrent symptomatic isosporiasis developed in 47 percent of the patients, but it also responded promptly to therapy with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. We conclude that isosporiasis is common in Haitian patients with AIDS, and that it responds to therapy with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole but is associated with a high rate of recurrence.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Typhoid fever: successful therapy with cefoperazone.

We compared cefoperazone with chloramphenicol in a randomized trial involving the treatment of 25 children with severe typhoid fever. The clinical characteristics of the two treatment groups were comparable on entry into the study. Four patients died (three receiving chloramphenicol, one cefoperazone), and an additional two patients received dexamethasone (one per group). Excluding these six patients, the response of the cefoperazone group was comparable or superior to that of the chloramphenicol group in terms of the number of days from initiation of therapy to becoming afebrile (P less than .055) and the number of days until negative blood cultures were obtained (P less than .19). There were no relapses or treatment failures in either group. We conclude that cefoperazone is as effective as chloramphenicol in the treatment of severe typhoid fever.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Risk factors associated with AIDS in Haiti.

A total of 121 acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients diagnosed in Haiti were studied between June 1979 and December 1983. Risk factors were identified in 65% of 34 patients evaluated in a standardized manner since July 1983 and included: bisexuality, 38%; blood transfusion, 21%; and intravenous drug abuse or a spouse with AIDS, 6%. These risk factors were reported by only 20% of the 85 patients studied between June 1979 and June 1983. AIDS patients also reported more frequent parenteral injections prior to the onset of their illness than control subjects (e.g., siblings, friends, sexual partners). Heterosexual activity among female AIDS patients was also greater than in their female controls. It was concluded that, in contrast to the experience reported among Haitians with AIDS in the USA, risk factors are present among most patients with AIDS in Haiti.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗