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Description After HIV diagnosis, timely entry into HIV medical care and retention in that care are essential to the provision of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART adherence is among the key determinants of successful HIV treatment outcome and is essential to minimize the emergence of drug resistance. The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care convened a panel to develop evidence-based recommendations to optimize entry into and retention in care and ART adherence for people with HIV. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted to produce an evidence base restricted to randomized, controlled trials and observational studies with comparators that had at least 1 measured biological or behavioral end point. A total of 325 studies met the criteria. Two reviewers independently extracted and coded data from each study using a standardized data extraction form. Panel members drafted recommendations based on the body of evidence for each method or intervention and then graded the overall quality of the body of evidence and the strength for each recommendation. Recommendations Recommendations are provided for monitoring of entry into and retention in care, interventions to improve entry and retention, and monitoring of and interventions to improve ART adherence. Recommendations cover ART strategies, adherence tools, education and counseling, and health system and service delivery interventions. In addition, they cover specific issues pertaining to pregnant women, incarcerated individuals, homeless and marginally housed individuals, and children and adolescents, as well as substance use and mental health disorders. Recommendations for future research in all areas are also provided.

The amino-acid sequence of the precursor of the human tumour cell line-derived platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) A-chain has been deduced from complementary DNA clones and the gene localized to chromosome 7. The protein shows extensive homology to the PDGF B-chain precursor. Expression of the PDGF A-chain gene is independent of that of the PDGF B-chain in a number of human tumour cell lines, and secretion of a PDGF-like growth factor of relative molecular mass 31,000 correlates with expression of A- but not B-chain messenger RNA.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF), a protein comprising 53 amino acids, is derived from a precursor of 1,217 amino acids that includes at least seven EGF-like sequences. EGF has diverse biological activities: it is a potent mitogen for many tissue culture cells, inhibits gastric acid secretion from the intestinal mucosa and promotes healing of the corneal epithelium. EGF given to fetal animals accelerates several developmental processes including palate formation, incisor eruption, eyelid opening and lung maturation. However, the physiological roles of EGF in vivo are unknown. The presence of high-affinity receptors in many fetal and adult tissues suggests that EGF is involved in normal cellular functions. Immunocytochemical studies have revealed the presence of EGF in mouse and human submaxillary glands, rat brain and human intestine. The low levels of EGF in extracts from many tissues may reflect sequestration rather than synthesis of the polypeptide. We show here that several mouse tissues contain preproEGF mRNA and that it is synthesized mainly in the distal tubules of the kidney. PreproEGF does not seem to be processed to EGF or other peptides in this tissue.