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Biomedical subjects

V Leroy

Publications and source records attributed to V Leroy.

85 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

[Chronic atrophic polychondritis. Report of three cases, with ultrastructural study by electron microscopy].

The authors report 3 cases of chronic atrophic polychondritis with clinical signs characteristic of the disease. The 3 patients had deafness of perceptive type, very severe in one case. In one case, the relationship between inflammatory rheumatism and rheumatoid arthritis is discussed. The 3 cases include a pathological study under the electron microscope of the cartilage of the ear. Certain ultrastructural peculiarities observed (dense perichondrocyte granules) are compared with the data in the literature.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The costs of treating HIV-infected children in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 1996-1997].

Little is known about the costs of treating HIV-infected children in Africa. However, this is one of the factors that must be taken into account when assessing the cost-effectiveness of strategies aimed at reducing the transmission of HIV from mother to child. The aim of this study was to estimate the direct costs of the treatment of African children born to HIV-infected mothers and the additional costs of treating those children who are themselves infected with the virus. We assessed the direct costs of care for a sample of children born in 1996 to HIV-positive mothers participating in a clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of administering a short course of zidovudine to the mother in the peri-partum period, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (DITRAME ANRS 049a). We systematically reviewed the medical records of these children and recorded drug prescriptions, clinical investigations, consultations with medical specialists, hospital admissions and transportation costs during their first year of life. This study included 78 children, 15 of whom were HIV-positive. The mean cost of treatment was 1,671 FF (254 Euros) per child-year for infected children, 709 FF (108 Euros) more than the mean cost of treatment for HIV-negative children born to HIV-positive mothers. Thus, HIV infection resulted in a 74% increase in treatment costs. The mean cost of a drug prescription was 50 FF (7.6 Euros), and could have been halved if only generic drugs had been prescribed. This study was limited to the direct costs of pediatric HIV infection and did not take into account the cost of health service provision in Ivory Coast or the indirect costs for the family. These results were obtained in the context of a prospective clinical trial within a system providing free and unlimited access to health care. In a city where the mean salary of a civil servant is 900 FF (137 Euros) per month, the expenditure necessary to pay for the basic care of one HIV-infected child is high. Health-care services in sub-Saharan Africa should make more use of generic drugs and pediatric HIV infection provides a clear example of the benefits to be obtained by such a rational strategy for the use of scarce health resources.

Anti-HIV Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Preventing the transmission of HIV-1 from mother to child in Africa in the year 2000].

African women of childbearing age are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection, and this has led to an increase in the number of pediatric HIV infections reported due to the risk of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding. Various approaches to preventing MTCT have been, or are being, evaluated in developing countries, especially in Africa. New data from these trials are becoming available and have implications for population-based intervention programs that require urgent consideration. We performed a critical review of 18 randomized trials and other relevant studies from developing and industrialized countries, to assess public health perspectives and to identify new research issues. Most African results relate to trials of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) given to mothers during the last month of pregnancy, and for up to one week after delivery, and to the neonate during the first week of life, or simpler and shorter regimens. They indicate that zidovudine treatment, with or without lamivudine, and nevirapine treatment given alone, reduce transmission during the first six months of life by 30 % to 50%. Preliminary results suggest that zidovudine treatment is effective in the long term. One randomized study showed that the replacement of breast feeding with breast milk substitutes was effective at reducing the overall risk of MTCT. Antiseptic disinfection and micronutrient supplementation have been shown to reduce maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, but not the MTCT of HIV. Voluntary, confidential HIV counseling and testing for pregnant women, a short course of peripartum ARVs and alternatives to breast feeding such as early weaning and breast milk substitutes from birth, are currently the best means of reducing the MTCT of HIV in Africa. Pilot programs based on these findings are currently being implemented in several African countries. Prevention of the MTCT of HIV should also be considered as part of the wider management of maternal and infant health during prenatal, delivery and postnatal care. Several complementary issues require further investigation. Some results, such as the long-term efficacy of a short course of ARVs once the mother has finished breast feeding, and the long-term safety of these treatments, require confirmation. Further studies are required into the prevention of postnatal transmission, particularly in light of the unknown consequences of different feeding options and the possibility of post-perinatal prophylaxis with ARVs. The reduction of MTCT of HIV in Africa is a true challenge in efforts to control the HIV pandemic, but recent progress in the identification of effective treatments provides some hope. Large-scale implementation of these new treatments is required, and should provide practical information and perhaps identify more potent, and possibly cheaper, strategies.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Routine vaccinations in children and adults infected with HIV].

Five questions were raised in 1986 regarding routine immunization of children infected by the HIV: do vaccines protect these children, both in terms of immunogenicity and clinical efficacy? is immunization, particularly with live attenuated vaccines associated with an increased risk of adverse events? could the stimulation by vaccine antigens precipitate the course of paediatric HIV infection and therefore be dangerous? what are the clinical and epidemiological features of vaccine preventable diseases among HIV-infected children? what is the risk of nosocomial transmission of HIV associated with immunization practices? Based on the best available information, the WHO formulated recommendations in 1987 and updated them in 1989. These recommendations are in general agreement with those proposed during the same period in the USA and in France (table 1). This paper provides an update on the scientific knowledge in this field, focusing on routine childhood immunization in the context of HIV infection, especially in developing countries. The cases of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), measles vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and poliomyelitis vaccines are reviewed. For each of these antigens, the experience of the authors in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, is used as an example. A brief overview of the issue of adult immunization in the context of HIV infection concludes this review. Paediatric HIV infection should not be considered as a limiting factor in the implementation and the progression of the EPI worldwide. Experience accumulated over the last seven years, particularly in Africa, indicates that the WHO recommendations should not be modified.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The reduction of mother-child transmission of HIV infection in developing countries: potential intervention strategies, obstacles to implementation and perspectives. The Reduction of Mother-Child Transmission of HIV Infection in Africa Group].

Mother to child transmission (MCT) of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the main cause of the spread of the HIV epidemic in the pediatric population. It is estimated that to date, three million children worldwide have been infected by HIV. The epidemic burden in developing countries is dramatic. Ninety-five percent of the world's HIV-infected women are living in developing countries. In industrialized countries, antiretroviral treatment of pregnant women and newborns with azidothymidine (AZT, ACTG 076 regimen) and discouraging breast feeding by HIV-infected mothers are effectively reducing MCT of HIV. However, there are three major obstacles to the systematic application of these strategies in developing countries: (a) difficulties in implementing the complex AZT administration and its corollary the avoidance of breast feeding; (b) the complexity of the logistics of the ACTG 076 regimen; (c) cost. Indeed, in developing countries the socioeconomic situation of the populations are precarious and health structures and services are underdeveloped. In addition, the anxiety and the reluctance of general population in the face of the HIV problem and the high prevalence of maternal anemia reduce the acceptability and safety of AZT treatment for pregnant women in developing regions. Only interventions that are applicable, acceptable, safe, affordable, of low cost and integrated into health system will be able to reduce HIV MCT. We now know that MCT occurs mostly during the perinatal period and the maternal viral load in blood, in cervical secretions and in breast milk appears to be the main determinant of transmission. Maternal vitamin A deficiency may also favor MCT of HIV. It is however possible that this association is confounded by the relationship between advanced maternal HIV disease (a known risk factor for transmission) and vitamin A deficiency. In spite of these uncertainties concerning determinants of MCT of HIV, several interventions have been designed. The first involves treating the mother with antiretroviral drugs for the perinatal period. The second is vaginal disinfection by application of virucidal antiseptics during the perinatal period. The third is to give vitamin A supplements to pregnant women and children. Finally, passive immunotherapy with anti-HIV antibodies applied to pregnant women and/or new born, may be beneficial. The feasibility, safety and efficacy of these potential interventions have not yet been demonstrated in developing countries. In view of the dramatic spread of HIV infection in these countries, the evaluation of these interventions is of utmost priority. These trials are necessary because of the public health emergency but should be performed in strict respect of human rights and medical ethics.

Anemia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Primary chemoprevention of tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients in non-industrialized countries].

In randomized placebo-controlled trials in Haïti, Zambia and Uganda, prophylactic use of isoniazid (INH) for 6 to 12 months reduced the annual incidence of tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients by more than 50 per cent. For several years, WHO, IUTATLD and CDC have recommended that HIV-positive patients testing positive in a PPD test should be treated with INH as a form of anti-tuberculosis chemoprophylaxis (ATC). Whilst these recommendations are easy to follow in industrialized countries, widespread use of ATC in developing countries remains problematic because: (i) It is unknown what proportion of patients are likely to be re-infected at the end of ATC in countries where TB is endemic; (ii) It is possible that resistant bacilli may be selected due to the incomplete exclusion from the ATC program of patients with active TB at enrollment; (iii) It is difficult to identify asymptomatic carriers of M. tuberculosis at enrollment; (iv) It is doubtful that all patients will comply with a treatment regime which lasts several months; (v) The cost of a widespread ATC program, whose full benefit remains to be evaluated, may be difficult to justify. This paper attempts to review these issues and demonstrates the need for more population-based clinical trials in the field.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗