Summary Objective To determine the normal haematological and immunological reference intervals for healthy Tanzanian children. Methods We analysed data from 655 HIV-seronegative, healthy children from 1 month to 18 years of age from the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania for this cross-sectional study. Median and 95% reference ranges were determined for haematological and immunological parameters and analysed by age cohorts, and by gender for adolescents. Results Median haemoglobin (Hb) and haematocrit (Hct) for all age groups were higher than established East African reference intervals. Compared to U.S. intervals, reference ranges encompassed lower values for Hb, Hct, mean corpuscular volume, and platelets. Applying the U.S. National Institute of Health Division of AIDS (DAIDS) adverse event grading criteria commonly used in clinical trials to the reference range participants, 128 (21%) of 619 children would be classified as having an adverse event related to Hb level. CD4-positive T-lymphocyte absolute counts declined significantly with increasing age (P < 0.0001). For those aged under five years, CD4-positive T-lymphocyte percentages are lower than established developed country medians. Conclusions Country-specific reference ranges are needed for defining normal laboratory parameters among children in Africa. Knowledge of appropriate reference intervals is critical not only for providing optimal clinical care, but also for enrolling children in medical research. Knowledge of normal CD4-positive T-lymphocyte parameters in this population is especially important for guiding the practice of HIV medicine in Tanzania.

The incidence of empyema (EMP) is increasing worldwide; EMP generally occurs with pleural loculation and impaired drainage is often treated with intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy (IPFT) or surgery. A number of IPFT options are used clinically with empiric dosing and variable outcomes in adults. To evaluate mechanisms governing intrapleural fibrinolysis and disease outcomes, models of Pasteurella multocida and Streptococcus pneumoniae were generated in rabbits and the animals were treated with either human tissue (tPA) plasminogen activator or prourokinase (scuPA). Rabbit EMP was characterized by the development of pleural adhesions detectable by chest ultrasonography and fibrinous coating of the pleura. Similar to human EMP, rabbits with EMP accumulated sizable, 20- to 40-ml fibrinopurulent pleural effusions associated with extensive intrapleural organization, significantly increased pleural thickness, suppression of fibrinolytic and plasminogen-activating activities, and accumulation of high levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, plasminogen, and extracellular DNA. IPFT with tPA (0.145 mg/kg) or scuPA (0.5 mg/kg) was ineffective in rabbit EMP (n = 9 and 3 for P. multocida and S. pneumoniae, respectively); 2 mg/kg tPA or scuPA IPFT (n = 5) effectively cleared S. pneumoniae-induced EMP collections in 24 h with no bleeding observed. Although intrapleural fibrinolytic activity for up to 40 min after IPFT was similar for effective and ineffective doses of fibrinolysin, it was lower for tPA than for scuPA treatments. These results demonstrate similarities between rabbit and human EMP, the importance of pleural fluid PAI-1 activity, and levels of plasminogen in the regulation of intrapleural fibrinolysis and illustrate the dose dependency of IPFT outcomes in EMP.

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The time required for the effective clearance of pleural adhesions/organization after intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy (IPFT) is unknown. Chest ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) were used to assess the efficacy of IPFT in a rabbit model of tetracycline-induced pleural injury, treated with single-chain (sc) urokinase plasminogen activators (scuPAs) or tissue PAs (sctPA). IPFT with sctPA (0.145 mg/kg; n ϭ 10) and scuPA (0.5 mg/kg; n ϭ 12) was monitored by serial ultrasonography alone (n ϭ 12) or alongside CT scanning (n ϭ 10). IPFT efficacy was assessed with gross lung injury scores (GLIS) and ultrasonography scores (USS). Pleural fluids withdrawn at 0 -240 min and 24 h after IPFT were assayed for PA and fibrinolytic activities, ␣-macroglobulin/ fibrinolysin complexes, and active PA inhibitor 1 (PAI-1). scuPA and sctPA generated comparable steady-state fibrinolytic activities by 20 min. PA activity in the scuPA group decreased slower than the sctPA group (k obs ϭ 0.016 and 0.042 min Ϫ1 ). Significant amounts of bioactive uPA/␣-macroglobulin (but not tPA; P Ͻ 0.05) complexes accumulated at 0 -40 min after IPFT. Despite the differences in intrapleural processing, IPFT with either fibrinolysin was effective (GLIS Յ 10) in animals imaged with ultrasonography only. USS correlated well with postmortem GLIS (r 2 ϭ 0.85) and confirmed relatively slow intrapleural fibrinolysis after IPFT, which coincided with effective clearance of adhesions/organization at 4 -8 h. CT scanning was associated with less effective (GLIS Ͼ 10) IPFT and higher levels of active PAI-1 at 24 h following therapy. We concluded that intrapleural fibrinolysis in tetracycline-induced pleural injury in rabbits is relatively slow (4 -8 h). In CT-scanned animals, elevated PAI-1 activity (possibly radiation induced) reduced the efficacy of IPFT, buttressing the major impact of active PAI-1 on IPFT outcomes. fibrinolytic therapy; fibrinolysis; plasminogen activator inhibitor 1; pleural injury; urokinase; tissue plasminogen activator INTRAPLEURAL FIBRINOLYTIC THERAPY (IPFT) activates the endogenous fibrinolytic system, resolving intrapleural adhesions and complex fibrinous deposits that sequester pockets of inflammation loculations, thus improving drainage and clinical outcome, in part by decreasing surgical interventions (10). There are multiple reports of successful (88 -100% efficacy) IPFT in adult (1,7,8,16,17,29,42,47,48,66,67,72) and in pediatric (2,3,6,11,20,40,41,58,59,61,63,67) patients with empyema although outcomes in adult patients are inconsistent in these trials. Thus IPFT represents a less invasive and costly alternative to video-assisted thoracic surgery or other surgical interventions, which demonstrate comparable efficacy (16,44,45,58,60,71) in pediatric practice. IPFT also represents a preferred choice in high-risk (1, 22) and otherwise inoperable patients (10,43,49,56,57,69) or those with empyema/ loculation who refuse surgery. The reasons for the inconsistent results of IPFT in adult patients remain unclear but likely reflect...

Background P1093 is an ongoing phase I/II multicenter open-label study of dolutegravir plus an optimized background regimen in age-defined pediatric cohorts; here we report the long-term safety and virologic efficacy outcomes for the oldest cohort. Methods The study enrolled human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)–infected treatment-experienced adolescents aged 12 to &lt;18 years, with an HIV-1 RNA level ≥1000 copies/mL . Cumulative safety and HIV-1 RNA outcomes were assessed once the last enrolled participant reached 144 weeks of follow-up. Results Among 23 adolescents enrolled, 16 remained in the study at least 144 weeks; the median follow-up was 153 weeks (range, 55–193 weeks). Dolutegravir was well tolerated, with grade 3 clinical adverse events in 5 participants, grade 3 laboratory abnormalities in 3, and grade 4 laboratory abnormalities in 1; none of the adverse events or abnormalities were judged to be treatment related. In an-intent-to-treat analysis, an HIV-1 RNA level &lt;400 copies/mL at week 144 was achieved in 43% (10 of 23 participants; 95% confidence interval, 23.2%–65.5%); in addition, 35% (8 of 23; 16.4%–57.3%) had an HIV-1 RNA level &lt;50 copies/mL. Nine participants (39%) discontinued study treatment before 144 weeks, but none because of adverse events or drug intolerance. All participants with sustained virologic control had excellent adherence; most who experienced virologic failure had adherence levels &lt;90%. HIV-1 genotypic drug resistance testing was available at time of failure from 6 participants; 1 had evolution in integrase resistance with E138T, S147G, and R263K mutations at week 192 and phenotypic dolutegravir resistance of a 5.1-fold change. Conclusions Dolutegravir plus an optimized background regimen seemed safe, well tolerated, and efficacious in this cohort of treatment-experienced HIV-1-infected adolescents. Adherence remains problematic in this population. Clinical Trials Registration NCT01302847.

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BackgroundMother to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV-1 remains an important problem in sub-Saharan Africa where most new pediatric HIV-1 infections occur. Early infant diagnosis of HIV-1 using dried blood spot (DBS) PCR among exposed infants provides an opportunity to assess current MTCT rates.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective data analysis on mother-infant pairs from all PMTCT programs in three regions of northern Tanzania to determine MTCT rates from 2008–2010. Records of 3,016 mother-infant pairs were assessed to determine early transmission among HIV-exposed infants in the first 75 days of life.ResultsOf 2,266 evaluable infants in our cohort, 143 had a positive DBS PCR result at ≤75 days of life, for an overall transmission rate of 6.3%. Transmission decreased substantially over the period of study as more effective regimens became available. Transmission rates were tightly correlated to maternal regimen: 14.9% (9.5, 20.3) of infants became infected when women received no therapy; 8.8% (6.9, 10.7) and 3.6% (2.4, 4.8) became infected when women received single-dose nevirapine (sdNVP) or combination prophylaxis, respectively; the lowest MTCT rates occurred when women were on HAART, with 2.1% transmission (0.3, 3.9). Treatment regimens changed dramatically over the study period, with an increase in combination prophylaxis and a decrease in the use of sdNVP. Uptake of DBS PCR more than tripled over the period of study for the three regions surveyed.ConclusionsOur study demonstrates significant reductions in MTCT of HIV-1 in three regions of Tanzania coincident with increased use of more effective PMTCT interventions. The changes we demonstrate for the period of 2008–2010 occurred prior to major changes in WHO PMTCT guidelines.

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