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Biomedical subjects

S Bassetti

Publications and source records attributed to S Bassetti.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Why is highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) not prescribed or discontinued? Swiss HIV Cohort Study.

In this cross-sectional survey conducted at the end of 1997 among the physicians of participants of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS), 1487 of 2154 patients (69.0%) were treated with highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) defined as triple therapy with a combination of one or two reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and one or two protease inhibitors; 541 patients (25.1%) had never received such treatment. The physician's perception that the patient would not comply with treatment was one reason for not prescribing HAART to 20% of these patients (110). Physicians indicated that the most common reasons for the patient to refuse HAART were the fear of side effects (18%) and the patient's perception that treatment was too complicated (18%). Among 126 patients (5.8%) no longer receiving HAART, the most common reasons for discontinuing treatment were actual side effects (61%) or the fear of side effects (25%). Overall, 16% of patients did not receive therapy in accord with official Swiss guidelines. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that patients with lower education, active intravenous drug users outside of a drug substitution program, and those who acquired HIV infection through intravenous drug use had a significantly higher risk of inadequate treatment. The physician's judgment of patient adherence and the physician's perception of the patient's fear of side effects are critical for the prescription of HAART. Physicians should address these issues to prevent unilateral withholding of treatment and increase the proportion of patients who may benefit from current antiretroviral therapy.

Anti-HIV Agents↗
PubMed1998

[Psychosis in AIDS].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed1997

[Chest pain and fever].

A 26 year old women was seen at our outpatient clinic because of fever, dyspnea, chest pain and night sweats. An echocardiography revealed a moderate pericardial effusion. Therapy with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug was started, but the patient did not improve clinically. A new left pleural effusion became manifest. Usual laboratory tests, serological tests and examination of pleural effusion were not conclusive. However, a tuberculin skin test was positive. The etiologic diagnosis of this pericarditis and pleuritis was obtained by thoracoscopic pleural biopsy, which yielded Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

High prevalence and coinfection rate of hepatitis G and C infections in intravenous drug addicts.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The hepatitis G virus is a newly discovered RNA virus which is possibly transmitted parenterally. Hepatitis G virus is associated with acute or chronic hepatitis and may lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer, characteristics shared by the hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C virus is prevalent in drug users, but the frequency and role of hepatitis G virus is not yet well established. METHODS: One hundred and seventeen heavy i.v. drug users were enrolled in a prospective, controlled, randomized study for i.v. administration of heroin and/or methadone. Hepatitis G virus was detected using a hot start polymerase chain reaction followed by an ELISA polymerase chain reaction assay. Hepatitis C virus genotyping was done using the Inno-Lipa strip assay. RESULTS: Hepatitis G virus infection was detected in 35% (41/117) of the study population and hepatitis C virus infection in 95.7% (112/117). Ninety-seven percent of hepatitis G virus positive patients were coinfected with hepatitis C virus, of whom 75% were infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 3a. This genotype was prevalent in 48.3% of patients infected with hepatitis C virus alone. The presence or absence of hepatitis G virus infection had no influence on chronic hepatitis. Twenty-two percent of patients who started injecting heroin before 1980 and 40% of those who started after 1980 were hepatitis G virus positive. Overall, 16 patients were infected with human immunodeficiency virus, six were coinfected with hepatitis G virus and hepatitis C virus, and 10 only with hepatitis C virus. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatitis G virus infection is highly prevalent in i.v. drug users, but less frequent than hepatitis C virus infection. The fact that all but two patients were coinfected with hepatitis C virus, 75% with one genotype, supports a common route of transmission for both viruses. The course of hepatitis C virus infection is not altered by hepatitis G virus infection.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay↗
PubMed1996

[HIV infection, tuberculosis and tuberculin test in Switzerland. The Swiss HIV Cohort Study].

BACKGROUND: The usefulness of the tuberculin skin test (TST) for HIV-infected subjects may be questioned because false-negative results are increasingly common with advanced immune deficiency. The objectives of this research were thus to describe the use and the results of TST among patients with HIV infection in Switzerland and to measure the usefulness of isoniazid preventive chemotherapy and the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) relative to TST and CD4 cell count at the time of TST. DESIGN: Prospective multicentric cohort study of HIV infected patients; comparison of patients tested and non-tested, and of those with positive and negative TST. Multivariate comparison (Cox model) of TB incidence taking into account TST results and CD4 cell count at the time of TST. RESULTS: Out of 5802 patients followed up in the Swiss HIV cohort study as of September 1994, 34.6% were tested. Native Swiss were more likely to be tested than patients from high TB prevalence countries (36% vs 21% of native Africans). Patients registered after 1990 were more often tested than before (50% vs 26%). Of 2010 tested patients, 6.8% had a > 5 mm induration. African patients were more frequently TST positive (26%) than Swiss nationals (6%). Among patients with CD4 > 500 per mm3 at the time of the test, 16% were TST positive compared to 1% of those with CD4 < 200 per mm3. Out of 25 cases of tuberculosis among tested patients, 84% (21) occurred among TST-negative patients. Tuberculosis incidence among TST-negative patients with CD4 > or = 200 per mm3 at the time of the test was 0.3 per person-year. In comparison, the adjusted relative risk of tuberculosis among TST-positive patients with CD4 > or = 200 per mm3 was 5.5 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-23.9) and 6.6 (CI: 2.3-19.0) among TST-negative patients with CD4 < 200 per mm3. CONCLUSION: Despite its usefulness, TST is often performed too late and is therefore difficult to interpret. TST should be done as early as possible. TST should be done as early as possible. Among patients with CD4 < 200 per mm3, a negative TST should not preclude the use-of preventive chemotherapy, particularly in those originally from countries with a high incidence of tuberculosis.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1995

[Torsion of the large omentum in Prader-Willi syndrome].

Although excess fat deposition in the omentum and obesity have been suggested as possible predisposing factors for omental torsion, no previous descriptions of an association between the Prader-Willi syndrome and omental torsion have been found in the literature. We therefore report the case of a 6-year-old boy with Prader-Willi syndrome and primary torsion of the greater omentum.

Abdominal Pain↗