Tenofovir diphosphate concentrations in dried blood spots predict future HIV suppression but not virologic failure in adolescents with HIV.

We investigated whether tenofovir diphosphate (TFV-DP) concentration in dried blood spot (DBS) predicted future virologic outcome. Of 52 adolescents with HIV, 46% had virologic suppression, and 44% had virologic failure. TFV-DP concentration in DBS was associated with virologic suppression but not virologic failure.

Epidemiological, clinical and immunological features of Schistosoma spp., Stronglyoides stercoralis and Taenia spp. infections in Ghanaian HIV patients.

Background: Interactions of helminth infections and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to assess the clinical, epidemiological, and immunological characteristics of co-infections involving HIV and selected nematode, trematode and cestode species commonly detected in stool samples.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among people-living-with-HIV (PLWH) with and without anti-retroviral therapy and HIV-negative controls at a tertiary hospital in Kumasi, Ghana.

Comparative epidemiology of Ghanaian individuals with molecular proof of Entamoeba histolytica with and without concomitant human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Introduction: Entamoeba histolytica is the causative agent of enteric amebiasis in human patients. Partly controversial hypotheses have been proposed regarding the potential impact of the immunological status of patients as well as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) positivity on the prevalence and clinical course of amebiasis.

Methods: To investigate a potential interplay between the epidemiology of E.

Pharmacokinetics of Tenofovir Diphosphate, Lamivudine Triphosphate and Emtricitabine Triphosphate in Adolescents With HIV Infection With and Without Tuberculosis Coinfection.

Background: There is limited data on the cellular pharmacokinetics (PK) of the nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) in adolescents with HIV (AWH). We examined the steady-state concentrations of the NRTIs anabolites in dried blood spots (DBS) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in AWH and those with tuberculosis (TB) confection on rifampin-containing TB treatment.

Methods: AWH and TB/HIV coinfection on TB treatment receiving tenofovir (TFV) disoproxil fumarate (TDF) 300 mg/lamivudine (3TC) 300 mg or emtricitabine (FTC) 200 mg daily for at least 8 weeks were enrolled.

Epidemiological, Clinical, and Immunological Features of Ghanaian People-Living-with-HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and Molecular Proof of in Their Stool Samples.

is a coccidian parasite commonly associated with enteric infections in immunocompromised individuals. The study was conducted to assess epidemiological, clinical, and immunological features of Ghanaian people living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) with and without antiretroviral therapy and molecular proof of -specific nucleic acid sequences in their stool samples. While was detected in 4.

Association of Molecular Detections of Microsporidia in Stool Samples with Clinical and Immunological Parameters in Ghanaian HIV Patients.

Although the etiological relevance of the detection of microsporidia in human stool samples remains uncertain, the immunological status of patients has been posited as an important determinant of potential clinical impact of these parasites. To further assess the interplay between the epidemiology of microsporidia and immunological markers, we conducted a study utilizing real-time PCR targeting , , , and , combined in a single fluorescence channel. The study involved a cohort of 595 clinically and immunologically well-characterized Ghanaian HIV patients, alongside 82 HIV-negative control individuals from Ghana.

High Clinical Burden of spp. in Adult Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency in Ghana.

There is a paucity of information on the prevalence, risk factors, and clinical correlates of people living with HIV (PLWH) who are co-infected with spp. in the post-combined antiretroviral therapy era in Ghana. To provide such data, in this observational study, stool samples of 640 HIV-positive and 83 HIV-negative individuals in Ghana were screened for spp.

Replicative co-infections with human immunodeficiency virus 1 and 2 as well as hepatitis B and C virus in Ghanaian individuals.

Background: The study assessed replicative human immunodeficiency virus-(HIV-) infection and replicative co-infections as well as molecular determinants of reduced susceptibility towards anti-retroviral therapy in a Ghanaian population of known HIV patients and a control group.

Methods: Real-time PCRs for HIV-1, HIV-2, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) were run with serum samples from known Ghanaian HIV-patients (n = 975) and control individuals (n = 105). For 108 individuals, HIV-sequence analysis was performed.

Demographic, Clinical Profile of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Their Association with Disease Severity in Ghana.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the frequent chronic, systemic, inflammatory autoimmune disorders with an estimated global prevalence of 1%. RA leads to joint destruction and disability if left untreated. Ghana has seen very few studies on RA, and little is known about the disease's severity and related variables.

Very low prevalence of Mansonella perstans-specific cell-free DNA in serum samples of Ghanaian HIV patients.

Background: Mansonellosis is a widely neglected helminth disease which is predominantly observed in tropical regions. This study was conducted to assess potential associations of the prevalence of circulating Mansonella perstans-specific cell-free DNA in human serum and HIV infection in Ghanaian individuals.

Methods: For this purpose, serum samples obtained from Ghanaian HIV-patients (n = 989) and non-HIV-infected Ghanaian control individuals (n = 91) were subjected to real-time PCR targeting the ITS-(internal transcribed spacer-)2 sequence of M.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of adult dolutegravir tablets in treatment-experienced children with HIV weighing at least 20 kg.

Objective: Limited pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic data are a barrier to the scale-up of dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) in children. We examined the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of the adult film-coated dolutegravir 50 mg tablets in children with HIV infection weighing at least 20 kg.

Design: A prospective, observational, pharmacokinetic, and safety study.

Screening for spp. and spp. DNA in Serum of Ghanaian Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency.

Both spp. (species) and spp. are prevalent in Ghana in West Africa.

The Clinical Features and Immunological Signature of Co-Infection among People Living with HIV in Ghana.

Background: There is a paucity of information on the contemporary burden, disease patterns, and immunological profile of people living with HIV who are co-infected with C. cayetanensis in the post-antiretroviral therapy era. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, stool samples of 640 HIV-positive and 83 HIV-negative individuals in Ghana were tested for C.

Intestinal Colonization with -Clinical and Immunological Implications for HIV Positive Adults in Ghana.

Background: Recent studies demonstrated higher prevalence rates of () in HIV positive than in HIV negative subjects. However, associations with the immune status in HIV positive participants were conflicting.

Methods: For this cross-sectional study, stool samples of 906 HIV positive and 98 HIV negative individuals in Ghana were tested for .

Pharmacogenetic predictors of nevirapine pharmacokinetics in Ghanaian children living with HIV with or without TB coinfection.

Nevirapine (NVP) is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor that is used in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in children younger than 3 years old. Identifying genetic predictors of NVP pharmacokinetics (PK) in young children is important because inter-individual variability in NVP concentrations contributes to variable treatment response and the information may be used to individualize dosing decisions. We examined the relationship between genetic variations in relevant drug disposition genes and NVP PK parameters in Ghanaian children living with HIV eligible to initiate NVP-based antiretroviral therapy.

Molecular Characterization and Clinical Description of Non-Polio Enteroviruses Detected in Stool Samples from HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Adults in Ghana.

In the post-polio eradication era, increasing attention is given to non-polio enteroviruses. Most of the data about enteroviruses in sub-Saharan Africa are related to acute flaccid paralysis surveillance and target the pediatric population. This study aimed to investigate the presence of enterovirus in PLHIV (people living with HIV) and HIV-negative individuals in Ghana.

Correction: Lower prevalence of Blastocystis sp. infections in HIV positive compared to HIV negative adults in Ghana.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Lower prevalence of Blastocystis sp. infections in HIV positive compared to HIV negative adults in Ghana.

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa is endemic for intestinal parasites and distinguished for the largest burden of HIV cases. Blastocystis sp. is one of the most common protists infecting humans but its role in human disease is still controversial.

Effect of First-Line Antituberculosis Therapy on Nevirapine Pharmacokinetics in Children Younger than Three Years Old.

Nevirapine-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) is one of the limited options in HIV-infected children younger than 3 years old (young children) with tuberculosis (TB) coinfection. To date, there are insufficient data to recommend nevirapine-based therapy during first-line antituberculosis (anti-TB) therapy in young children. We compared nevirapine pharmacokinetics (PK) in HIV-infected young children with and without TB coinfection.

Population pharmacokinetics of efavirenz in HIV and TB/HIV coinfected children: the significance of genotype-guided dosing.

Objectives: The current WHO weight-based dosing recommendations for efavirenz result in a wide variability of drug exposure in children. Our objectives are to characterize the effects of rifampicin- and isoniazid-containing anti-TB therapy and CYP2B6 activity on efavirenz concentrations in children, using non-linear mixed-effects modelling.

Methods: This is a pharmacokinetic (PK) substudy of a prospective study that examined the interactions between anti-TB therapy and efavirenz in HIV-infected children with and without TB.

Prevalence and the evaluation of culture, wet mount, and ELISA methods for the diagnosis of infection among Ghanaian women using urine and vaginal specimens.

Background: The services of most clinical laboratories in Africa regarding the diagnosis of are largely dependent on the urine direct wet-mount method. However, the exclusive use of urine-based detection may not be appropriate. The culture method is considered the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of .

Sero-prevalence of Hepatitis B and C viral co-infections among HIV-1 infected ART-naïve individuals in Kumasi, Ghana.

Background: The study assessed the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection paradigm among the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients attending a tertiary hospital in Ghana. Also, the immunological and virological characterisation of these viruses, prior to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation was investigated.

Method: A total of 400 HIV infected (HIV type-1) treatment naïve subjects ≥18 years were enrolled and tested for HBsAg and anti-HCV.

Effect of Rifampin-Isoniazid-Containing Antituberculosis Therapy on Efavirenz Pharmacokinetics in HIV-Infected Children 3 to 14 Years Old.

We compared efavirenz pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters in children with tuberculosis (TB)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection on and off first-line antituberculosis therapy to that in HIV-infected children. Children 3 to 14 years old with HIV infection, with and without TB, were treated with standard efavirenz-based antiretroviral therapy without any efavirenz dose adjustments. The new World Health Organization-recommended antituberculosis drug dosages were used in the coinfected participants.

Evaluation of the Adequacy of WHO Revised Dosages of the First-Line Antituberculosis Drugs in Children with Tuberculosis Using Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling and Simulations.

Optimal doses for antituberculosis (anti-TB) drugs in children have yet to be established. In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended revised dosages of the first-line anti-TB drugs for children. Pharmacokinetic (PK) studies that investigated the adequacy of the WHO revised dosages to date have yielded conflicting results.

Effect of Genetic Variation of on Isoniazid and and on Rifampin Pharmacokinetics in Ghanaian Children with Tuberculosis.

Isoniazid and rifampin are essential components of first-line antituberculosis (anti-TB) therapy. Understanding the relationship between genetic factors and the pharmacokinetics of these drugs could be useful in optimizing treatment outcomes, but this is understudied in children. We investigated the relationship between N-acetyltransferase type 2 () genotypes and isoniazid pharmacokinetics, as well as that between the solute carrier organic anion transporter family member 1B1 (encoded by ) and carboxylesterase 2 () single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and rifampin pharmacokinetics in Ghanaian children.