To mitigate the negative impacts of HIV infection on pregnant women and their children, comprehensive services to prevent mother to child transmission are required. We report the outcomes and challenges of a comprehensive service to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV infection implemented from January to December 2007 in a referral hospital and its rollout clinics in rural Swaziland, Southern Africa. We reviewed monthly reports, hospital registers, and field diaries and interviewed 64 service providers. A total of 460 HIV tests were done on first and repeat antenatal care visits. From the test done, 93.7% of the results were collected. About 69.1% of first-time visitors accepted HIV test. The antenatal coverage of pregnant women with nevirapine (NVP)+/-zidovudine (AZT) was 100%. Of 443 antenatal and post-natal care women who underwent CD4 test, 54.4% collected results. About 16.3% of those who collected results were started on antiretroviral treatment. The percentage of postpartum women discharged with unknown HIV status fell by 64.8%. About 91.5% of HIV-positive women received intrapartum antiretroviral prophylaxis of stat dose NVP and AZT + lamivudine with 1-week postpartum tail. From the exposed newborns, 98.8% received NVP stat dose and AZT. A total of 304 HIV exposed infants of age six weeks to 18 months underwent DNA-PCR test. The prevalence of infection among infants where both mother and infant received antiretroviral prophylaxis was 16.1% (n=243). HIV test acceptance rate at first antenatal care visit, proportion of clients collecting CD4 and DNA-PCR test results were low and call for mechanisms for improvement. The proportion of DNA-PCR-positive exposed infants in this study was higher than other reports from Southern Africa. The variation of the findings could be explained by mode of infant feeding, age of testing and mode of delivery. Provision of comprehensive prevention of mother to child transmission services in resource limited setting is possible but challenged by staff shortage, socio-economic and service-related factors.

Rationale: Colorectal neuroendocrine cancer (CRNEC) accounts for < 1% of all colorectal cancers. It presents in advanced stages and carries a risk of poor survival. CRNEC may be diagnosed incidentally on imaging or routine endoscopy. When symptomatic, it may mimic colorectal adenocarcinoma. Syncope and immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) have not previously been reported as clinical presentations. Patient concerns: A 57-year-old man with human immunodeficiency virus infection on treatment, seizure and stroke without residue presented for the evaluation of fall and syncope. Diagnosis: Physical examination revealed tachycardia, swelling, and ecchymosis of his proximal left lower extremity. Laboratory tests showed a new isolated thrombocytopenia of 26,000/mm3. Computed tomography for a trauma survey showed an incidental left posterior rectal wall mass. After hospital admission, his platelet count dropped to 14,000/mm3. A peripheral blood smear revealed low platelet count, no schistocytes or immature cells. ITP at a high risk for bleeding was diagnosed and treated with standard medical therapy but remained refractory. Bone marrow biopsy showed metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma, likely from the rectum. Interventions: Patient received courses of high-dose dexamethasone and intravenous immunoglobulin. He also receive eleven units of platelet transfusion. A course of rituximab was administered. The platelet count response was suboptimal or short lived with drop to a nadir of 4000/mm3. However, after initiation of Eltrombopag, the thrombocytopenia resolved. Patient was started on etoposide, carboplatin, Atezolizumab. His hospital stay was complicated by neutropenia and sepsis, which was successfully treated. Outcomes: He was discharged to subacute rehab in stable condition. About 4 months later, he was readmitted for severe thrombocytopenia, septic shock, and acute respiratory failure. Despite appropriate treatment, the patient deteriorated and expired. Conclusion: CRNEC is a rare aggressive disease with dismal outcome that lacks standardized treatment. Metastasis to the bone marrow is uncommon and concomitant ITP has not been reported. We report a rare case of rectal neuroendocrine carcinoma metastatic to bone marrow associated with refractory ITP and review the relevant literature.

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