DESIGN: Prospective studies of HIV-infected individuals in Europe and the US included in the HIV-CAUSAL Collaboration.
METHODS: Antiretroviral therapy-naive and AIDS-free individuals were followed from the time they started an NRTI, efavirenz or nevirapine, classified as following one or both types of regimens at baseline, and censored when they started an ineligible drug or at 6 months if their regimen was not yet complete. We estimated the 'intention-to-treat' effect for nevirapine versus efavirenz regimens on clinical, immunologic, and virologic outcomes. Our models included baseline covariates and adjusted for potential bias introduced by censoring via inverse probability weighting.
RESULTS: A total of 15 336 individuals initiated an efavirenz regimen (274 deaths, 774 AIDS-defining illnesses) and 8129 individuals initiated a nevirapine regimen (203 deaths, 441 AIDS-defining illnesses). The intention-to-treat hazard ratios [95% confidence interval (CI)] for nevirapine versus efavirenz regimens were 1.59 (1.27, 1.98) for death and 1.28 (1.09, 1.50) for AIDS-defining illness. Individuals on nevirapine regimens experienced a smaller 12-month increase in CD4 cell count by 11.49 cells/μl and were 52% more likely to have virologic failure at 12 months as those on efavirenz regimens.
CONCLUSIONS: Our intention-to-treat estimates are consistent with a lower mortality, a lower incidence of AIDS-defining illness, a larger 12-month increase in CD4 cell count, and a smaller risk of virologic failure at 12 months for efavirenz compared with nevirapine.
DESIGN: Death-related data were retrospectively and prospectively assessed in a longitudinal regional cohort study.
METHODS: Children under routine HIV care at sites in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam between 2008 and 2017 were followed. Causes of death were reported and then independently and centrally reviewed. Predictors were compared using competing risks survival regression analyses.
RESULTS: Among 5918 children, 5523 (93%; 52% male) had ever been on combination antiretroviral therapy. Of 371 (6.3%) deaths, 312 (84%) occurred in those with a history of combination antiretroviral therapy (crude all-cause mortality 9.6 per 1000 person-years; total follow-up time 32 361 person-years). In this group, median age at death was 7.0 (2.9-13) years; median CD4 cell count was 73 (16-325) cells/μl. The most common underlying causes of death were pneumonia due to unspecified pathogens (17%), tuberculosis (16%), sepsis (8.0%), and AIDS (6.7%); 12% of causes were unknown. These clinical diagnoses were further grouped into AIDS-related infections (22%) and noninfections (5.8%), and non-AIDS-related infections (47%) and noninfections (11%); with 12% unknown, 2.2% not reviewed. Higher CD4 cell count and better weight-for-age z-score were protective against death.
CONCLUSION: Our standardized cause of death assessment provides robust data to inform regional resource allocation for pediatric diagnostic evaluations and prioritization of clinical interventions, and highlight the continued importance of opportunistic and nonopportunistic infections as causes of death in our cohort.
RESULTS: A total of 103 cases with intracranial haemorrhage i.e. intracerebral haemorrhage, extradural haemorrhage, subdural haemorrhage, intraventricular haemorrhage, haemorrhagic contusion and subarachnoid haemorrhage, following motor vehicle accidents was undertaken to study factors contributing to either good or poor outcome according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale. Patients below 12 years of age were excluded. The end point of the study was taken at 24 months post injury. The selected variables were incorporated into models generated by logistic regression techniques of multivariate analysis to see the significant predictors of outcome as well as the correlation between the CT findings with GCS.
CONCLUSION: Significant predictors of outcome were GCS on arrival in the accident emergency department, pupillary reflex and the CT scan findings. The CT predictors of outcome include ICH, EDH, IVH, present of SAH, site of ICH, volumes of EDH and SDH as well as midline shift.
METHODS: Thirty-five cases of highly myopic eyes with MHRD in 35 patients who underwent an initially successful vitrectomy with macular plug and were followed up for at least 3 years were reviewed. The anatomical outcomes were evaluated by fundus examination, fundus photographs and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Myopic features after the surgery were differentiated according to recommendations of the Meta-analysis of Pathologic Myopia (META-PM) Study Group. The best-corrected visual acuities (BCVAs) before and after surgery were analysed as the functional outcome. Main outcome measures time-course changes in BCVA and complications.
RESULTS: The mean patient age was 61.0 ± 11.4 years. The follow-up was 45.2 ± 8.6 months (ranged from 36 to 71 months). The mean axial length was 29.3 ± 1.2 mm. All eyes demonstrated attached retina, but 2 eyes (5.7%) developed reopened macular holes until the last follow-up. Complications of postoperative rhegmatogenous retinal detachment were detected in 2 eyes (5.7%) within 1 year and retina reattached after the secondary vitrectomy. Three cases (8.6%) of prolonged subretinal fluid lasting more than 1 year were detected but finally absorbed completely. Comparing 1-3 years postoperatively, myopic features showed significant progression of myopic maculopathy category (p = 0.035). Functionally, significantly improved BCVA could be maintained postoperatively between 6 months and 3 years. However, vision of 14 eyes (40.0%) worsened within 1-3 years postoperatively, and visual deterioration was associated with progression of myopic maculopathy (p = 0.004) and pre-existing disease of glaucoma (p = 0.006).
CONCLUSIONS: A vitrectomy combined with macular plug provided favourable outcomes in the long term, over the ≥3-year follow-up period.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the auditory outcome of paediatric bilateral cochlear implant in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study single centre analysis. Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP-II) scale and Speech, Spatial and Qualities (SSQ) of Hearing questionnaire were used.
RESULTS: Forty-six patients were recruited. Majority of the children (30.4%) rated 7 and 23.9% scored perfectly (9) based on the CAP-II Scale. The least performing children were rated 5 (average). Children that were implanted sequentially within 24 months showed median CAP-II scale of 7. No significant correlation seen between CAP-II and the duration interval, use and age of 1st CI (p > .05). The speech domain of SSQ-P scale showed median value of 8 indicating good speech understanding. The spatial hearing domain had median value of 7, quality of hearing domain had median of 8. Significant correlation seen in hearing in noise with the duration of use of CI (p
CONCLUSION: Exposing preterm infants to either 12 h cyglical lighting or continuously dim environment did not have any significant effect on their weight gain during the neonatal period.