Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]

Increased Rate of CD4+ T-Cell Decline and Faster Time to Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV-1 Subtype CRF01_AE Infected Seroconverters in Singapore

It remains controversial as to whether HIV-1 subtypes influence disease progression. Singapore offers a unique opportunity to address this issue due to the presence of co-circulating subtypes. We compared subtype CRF01_AE and non-CRF01_AE infected patients, with regards to estimated annual rate of CD4+ T-cell loss and time from estimated data of seroconversion (EDS) to antiretroviral therapy (ART).We recruited ART-naive patients with known dates of seroconversion between October 2002 and December 2007 at the Singapore Communicable Disease Centre, the national reference treatment centre. Multilevel mixed-effects models were used to analyse the rate of CD4+ T-cell decline. Time from EDS to ART was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier survival method and compared with Cox proportional hazards models. viral load.Infecting subtype significantly impacted the rate of CD4+ T-cell loss and time to treatment in this cohort. Studies to understand the biological basis for this difference could further our understanding of HIV pathogenesis

Effect of Control Strategies on Prevalence, Incidence and Re-infection of Clonorchiasis in Endemic Areas of China

Clonorchiasis is a liver fluke disease prevalent in East Asia, which is transmitted to humans mainly by eating raw freshwater fish. It induces various complications in the liver or bile duct including cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, cholangitis, and cirrhosis. Clonorchis sinensis has been known to cause cholangiocarcinoma, and is still a major health problem in endemic areas. People in endemic areas are repeatedly infected with C. sinensis, as they continue to consume raw freshwater fish in spite of control activities and availability of a highly effective drug, praziquantel. Reservoir hosts such as cats, dogs, and pigs supply eggs continuously to the environment and act as a source of infection. The present study analyzed the data produced by the Korea-China collaborative project for helminthiasis control in China during 2001–2004 to find out effective chemotherapeutic control strategies with praziquantel in endemic areas and to evaluate their effects on the transmission of C. sinensis infection by repeated mass or selective treatment. The four-year control trial found that repeated treatment is essential to the effective reduction of prevalence and infection intensity in heavily endemic areas. Mass chemotherapy is more effective than selective treatment, and more repeated treatments produce better outcomes in clonorchiasis control. Health education to change the habit of consuming raw or undercooked fish is an important and practical measure to prevent and reduce human infections in endemic areas. Together with chemotherapy, health education could be highly effective and produce sustainable effects in clonorchiasis control. Treatment of reservoirs, if applicable, will contribute to reduce the source of infection

Phylodynamics of HIV-1 from a Phase III AIDS Vaccine Trial in Bangkok, Thailand

In 2003, a phase III placebo-controlled trial (VAX003) was completed in Bangkok, Thailand. Of the 2,546 individuals enrolled in the trial based on high risk for infection through injection drug use (IDU), we obtained clinical samples and HIV-1 sequence data (envelope glycoprotein gene gp120) from 215 individuals who became infected during the trial. Here, we used these data in combination with other publicly available gp120 sequences to perform a molecular surveillance and phylodynamic analysis of HIV-1 in Thailand.Phylogenetic and population genetic estimators were used to assess HIV-1 gp120 diversity as a function of vaccination treatment, viral load (VL) and CD4(+) counts, to identify transmission clusters and to investigate the timescale and demographics of HIV-1 in Thailand. Three HIV-1 subtypes were identified: CRF01_AE (85% of the infections), subtype B (13%) and CRF15_AE (2%). The Bangkok IDU cohort showed more gp120 diversity than other Asian IDU cohorts and similar diversity to that observed in sexually infected individuals. Moreover, significant differences (P<0.02) in genetic diversity were observed in CRF01_AE IDU with different VL and CD4(+) counts. No phylogenetic structure was detected regarding any of the epidemiological and clinical factors tested, although high proportions (35% to 50%) of early infections fell into clusters, which suggests that transmission chains associated with acute infection play a key role on HIV-1 spread among IDU. CRF01_AE was estimated to have emerged in Thailand in 1984.5 (1983-1986), 3-6 years before the first recognition of symptomatic patients (1989). The relative genetic diversity of the HIV-1 population has remained high despite decreasing prevalence rates since the mid 1990s.Our study and recent epidemiological reports indicate that HIV-1 is still a major threat in Thailand and suggest that HIV awareness and prevention needs to be strengthened to avoid AIDS resurgence

Associations of new-onset atrial fibrillation and severe visual impairment in type 2 diabetes: A multicenter nationwide study

BACKGROUND Many studies have demonstrated an association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the potential independent contributions of T2DM and AF to the prevalence of visual impairment have not been evaluated. AIM To determine whether such an association between T2DM and incident AF with visual impairment exists, and if so, the prevalence and magnitude of this association. METHODS We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study based on the DM/HT study of the Medical Research Network of the Consortium of Thai Medical Schools. This study had evaluated adult T2DM patients from 831 public hospitals in Thailand in the year 2013. T2DM patients were categorized into two groups: patients without and with incident AF. T2DM patients without AF were selected as the reference group. The association between incident AF and visual impairment among T2DM patients was assessed using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS A total of 27281 T2DM patients with available eye examination data were included in this analysis. The mean age was 60.7 ± 10.5 years, and 31.2% were male. The incident AF was 0.2%. The prevalence of severe visual impairment in all T2DM patients, T2DM patients without AF, and T2DM patients with incident AF were 1.4%, 1.4%, and 6.3%, respectively. T2DM patients with incident AF were associated with an increased OR of 3.89 (95%CI: 1.17-13.38) for severe visual impairment compared with T2DM patients without AF. CONCLUSION T2DM patients with incident AF were independently associated with increased severe visual impairment. Therefore, early eye screening should be provided for these high-risk individuals. ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Assessing factors of E. coli contamination of household drinking water in suburban and rural Laos and Thailand

Abstract Drinking water (DW) can serve as a route for disease transmission if not properly managed. The study assessed the effect of different factors on Escherichia coli quantities in DW in household water storage containers in suburban and rural villages in Laos and Thailand. Higher E. coli concentrations in DW were found in Laos compared to Thailand, especially in households without toilets (in Laos) and in rural rather than in suburban villages. In suburban Laos, house material, storage container types and lack of toilets were significantly associated with E. coli contamination of DW, whereas in rural Laos, corresponding significant factors were rain-fed water, containers with lids and lack of toilets. In suburban Thailand, rain-fed water, storage container types and container cleaning frequency were significantly associated with DW contamination, while house materials, manually collected rainwater and container cleaning frequency were associated with contamination in rural Thailand. Socio-demographic characteristics were less associated with E. coli contamination of DW in this study. Treatment of household stored water (e.g. boiling), regular cleaning of rain jars as well as the provision of household toilets, especially in Laos, can provide barriers against E. coli contamination of DW.</jats:p

RCT of effectiveness of motivational enhancement therapy delivered by nurses for hazardous drinkers in primary care units in Thailand.

AIMS: To determine the effectiveness of Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) for hazardous drinkers in Primary Care Unit (PCU) settings in rural Thailand. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in eight PCUs in Ubonratchatanee and Chachoengsao provinces in Thailand. Hazardous drinkers were identified using the World Health Organization-recommended Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test. Of 117 eligible participants (91% male), 59 were randomized to the intervention group to receive MET in three individual appointments with a trained nurse and 58 to an assessment-only control group. Outcome evaluations were carried out after 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. RESULTS: Follow-up data were available on 84, 94 and 91% of subjects, respectively, at the three intervals. Self-reported drinks per drinking day, frequency of hazardous drinking assessed either on a daily or weekly basis, and of binge drinking sessions were reduced in the intervention group more than in the control group (P < 0.05) after both 3 and 6 months. The groups did not generally differ at 6 weeks. However, although self-reported consumption in both groups fell from baseline to 6-month follow-up, serum gamma-glutamyl transferase increased in both groups, which raises doubts about the validity of this marker in this sample and/or the validity of the self-reported data in this study. CONCLUSION: MET delivered by nurses in PCUs in Thailand appears to be an effective intervention for male hazardous drinkers. Uncertainties about the validity of self-reported data jeopardize the safety of this conclusion