Soluble inflammatory and lymphocyte biomarkers sufficiently distinguish YLWH from HC. Persistent macrophage activation biomarkers may provide a means to monitor consequences of HIV infection in fully suppressed YLWH.

Background Women living with HIV/AIDS who drink alcohol are at increased risk for adverse health outcomes, but there is little evidence on best methods for reducing alcohol consumption in this population. We conducted a pilot study to determine the acceptability and feasibility of conducting a larger randomized clinical trial of naltrexone vs. placebo to reduce alcohol consumption in women living with HIV/AIDS. Methods We designed the trial with input from community and scientific review. Women with HIV who reported current hazardous drinking (>7 drinks/week or ≥4 drinks per occasion) were randomly assigned to daily oral naltrexone (50mg) or placebo for 4 months. We evaluated willingness to enroll, adherence to study medication, treatment side effects, and drinking and HIV-related outcomes. Results From 2010 to 2012, 17 women enrolled (mean age 49 years, 94% African American). Study participation was higher among women recruited from an existing HIV cohort study compared to women recruited from an outpatient HIV clinic. Participants took 73% of their study medication; 82% completed the final assessment (7-months). Among all participants, mean alcohol consumption declined substantially from baseline to month 4 (39.2 vs. 12.8 drinks/week, p<0.01) with continued reduction maintained at 7-months. Drinking reductions were similar in both naltrexone and placebo groups. Conclusions A pharmacologic alcohol intervention was acceptable and feasible in women with HIV, with reduced alcohol consumption noted in women assigned to both treatment and placebo groups. However, several recruitment challenges were identified that should be addressed to enhance recruitment in future alcohol treatment trials.

BackgroundWomen living with HIV have increased prevalence of medical and psychological comorbidities that could be adversely affected by alcohol consumption. Little is known about their unique motivations for drinking or perceptions of HIV-related consequences. In preparation for an alcohol intervention study, we sought to better understand reasons for drinking and perceived consequences of alcohol consumption among a sample of women living with HIV.MethodsFour focus groups, with a total of 24 adult women (96 % African-American, 88 % HIV-positive), were conducted in Jacksonville, FL, Washington, DC and Chicago, IL. Focus group discussions were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim; a conventional content analysis approach was used to identify themes, that were then grouped according to a biopsychosocial model.ResultsRegarding reasons for drinking, women described themes that included biological (addiction, to manage pain), psychological (coping, to escape bad experiences, to feel in control), and social (peer pressure, family). Themes related to consequences from alcohol included biological (damage to body, poor adherence to medications), psychological (risky or regrettable behavior, memory loss), and social (jail, loss of respect, poor choices). When discussing how their drinking impacted their health, women focused on broader issues, rather than HIV-specific issues.ConclusionMany women living with HIV are drinking alcohol in order to self-manage pain or emotions, and their perceived consequences from drinking extend beyond HIV-specific medical issues. Most participants described themes related to psychological issues and situations that are common in women living with HIV. Interventions to address drinking should inquire more specifically about drinking to manage pain or emotion, and help women to recognize the potential adverse impact of alcohol on comorbid health issues, including their own HIV infection.

The perceived pregnancy complication rate in Haiti is high and is associated with access to health care. The association between use of herbs and pregnancy complications warrants investigation.

obtained from 1225 patients [709 male, 516 female]. The average age of the patients was found to be 56.8±0.5 years. The average number of medications prescribed was 10.6±0.2. 585 patients were found to be aged 60 years or more and 613 patients were in the age group 18-60 years. Out of the 1225 patients, 848 did not have any medication error. An error was noted on only in 377 patient profiles. The total number of medication errors was found to be 638. Of these, 597 were errors 'with no harm' and only 41 were errors 'with harm'. Of these medication errors, drug interactions (DIs) were found to be leading the list with 50% of the medication errors. Cardiovascular agents contributed maximum to the DIs followed by anticoagulants and antimicrobial agents. Only 172 DIs had a moderate severity. DIs was followed by duplication of therapy (20%), incorrect interval (10%), monitoring error, incompleteness of prescription, omission error and overdosing, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm that drug interaction continue to lead the list of medication errors in Indian tertiary health care settings. The study is ongoing to determine the interventions to reduce the errors.