• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.215-228
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• 2002

It is now more than two decades since the AIDS epidemic began with a cluster of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in a community of homosexual men. Since then, many other infections have been characterized as opportunistic infections secondary to HIV infection. These include, but are not limited to, infections with Toxoplasma gondii, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), and Cryptococcus neoformans. Over the last two decades, there have been dramatic improvements in diagnosis, prevention and treatment of all these infections. As a result, in North America and Western Furope the rates of opportunistic infections secondary to AIDS have decreased substantially. We will review these common opportunistic infections below.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.169-172
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• 2016

Following anti-retroviral therapy (ART) or highly active antiretroviral therapy, there is an increased response to latent infections such as herpes zoster, which may lead to their reactivation. This is a result of improved immunity brought about by ART, also termed immune recovery syndrome. A 75-yearold male patient arrived at our institute with widespread vesicles and scabs on the right half of his face and oral cavity, suggesting the involvement of the trigeminal nerve. The patient had a history of being on ART two months earlier and a history of tooth extraction eight days prior to his arrival at our institute. The incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive cases amongst herpes zoster cases is high, and these patients become susceptible to infections following ART. Therefore, regardless of the presence of risk factors, every herpes zoster patient should be tested for HIV infection, and high anti-retroviral therapy should be commenced/reinstituted as soon as possible. In addition, the treating physician should maintain a high level of vigilance for the patient during the first few months of ART, the peak incidence of immune recovery inflammatory disease.

• Korean Public Health Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.83-85
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• 2018

As the main aim of infectious disease epidemiology is to prevent a pathogen transmission, traditional epidemiological studies have focused on the evaluation of individual-level risk factors. But group-level factors as well as individual-level are important in understanding and controlling transmission of infectious diseases, especially sex-transmitted infectious diseases. Multi-level analysis (MLA) is known as a powerful analytical tool for investigating both levels simultaneously. While new cases of HIV/AIDS in Korea are increasing annually, it is urgently needed to establish research system for MLA led by Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.83 no.2
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• pp.132-140
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• 2020

In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) is a well-known opportunistic infection and its management has been established. However, PCP is an emerging threat to immunocompromised patients without HIV infection, such as those receiving novel immunosuppressive therapeutics for malignancy, organ transplantation, or connective tissue diseases. Clinical manifestations of PCP are quite different between patients with and without HIV infections. In patients without HIV infection, PCP rapidly progresses, is difficult to diagnose correctly, and causes severe respiratory failure with a poor prognosis. High-resolution computed tomography findings are different between PCP patients with HIV infection and those without. These differences in clinical and radiological features are due to severe or dysregulated inflammatory responses that are evoked by a relatively small number of Pneumocystis organisms in patients without HIV infection. In recent years, the usefulness of polymerase chain reaction and serum β-D-glucan assay for rapid and non-invasive diagnosis of PCP has been revealed. Although corticosteroid adjunctive to anti-Pneumocystis agents has been shown to be beneficial in some populations, the optimal dose and duration remain to be determined. Recent investigations revealed that Pneumocystis colonization is prevalent and that asymptomatic carriers are at risk for developing PCP and can serve as the reservoir for the spread of Pneumocystis by airborne transmission. These findings suggest the need for chemoprophylaxis in immunocompromised patients as well as infection control measures, although the indications remain controversial. Because a variety of novel immunosuppressive therapeutics have been emerging in medical practice, further innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of PCP are needed.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.37-41
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• 2005

Deep neck infections mean infection in the potential spaces and facial planes of the neck, either abscess formation or cellulitis. Deep neck infections are caused by dental, salivary gland, pharyngeal and tonsillar infections. Sometimes, deep neck infection may be caused by tuberculosis in case of immunodefiecient patients. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS) is a disease associated with defective cell-mediated immunity after infected with human immunodeficiency virus(HIV). The chance of opportunistic infection in patients of AIDS increases as the level of immunodeficienty progresses. Human immunodeficiency virus infection is the most single significant risk factor for progression of pulmonary tuberculosis to extrapulmonary sites. In patients infected with HIV, the rate of extrapulomonary tuberculosis rises upto $60\%$. We report a case of a 47 year old male patient with AIDS associated with deep neck infection by tuberculosis.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.95-103
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• 2024

Purpose: Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of mortality in children living in developing countries. The etiology of acute diarrhea in each healthcare center varies depending on place, time, and population. This study aimed to identify pathogen patterns in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and non-HIV children suffering from acute diarrhea, using multiplex real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in an Indonesian tertiary hospital. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National Hospital from March 2019 to April 2020. Results: The study showed that multiplex RT-PCR results were positive in 58.9% of the specimens, with more positive results in HIV-infected children than in non-HIV-infected children (70% vs. 54.7%). Altogether 72 enteropathogens were detected from all specimens. Enteropathogens in non-HIV children with acute diarrhea consisted of bacteria (70.6%) and viruses (29.4%) with a predominance of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (25.4%), followed by Campylobacter spp. (11.8%), enteropathogenic E. coli (9.8%), Norovirus GII (7.8%), and Clostridium difficile (7.8%). Enteropathogens in HIV-infected children consisted of viruses (57.1%), bacteria (28.6%), and parasites (14.3%) comprising Norovirus GII (24%), Cryptosporidium spp. (14.3%), Campylobacter spp. (14.3%), Norovirus GI (14.3%), and Astrovirus (14.3%). Cryptosporidium spp. was the only parasite found in this study and was found only in HIV-infected children. In non-HIV children with acute diarrhea, most pathogens were invasive bacteria, while in HIV-infected children, more viral and parasite infections occurred, primarily caused by opportunistic pathogens. Conclusion: The pattern of enteropathogens can help clinicians determine further examinations and appropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy for the patient.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.61 no.6
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• pp.554-561
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• 2006

Background: In AIDS patients, the respiratory tract is one of the most frequently involved site of by an opportunistic infection, and an even common, casual pulmonary infection manifests in a peculiar ways in AIDS patients. In Korea, because of the low prevalence of AIDS, there is insufficient data compared with other Southeast Asian counties. However, considering the sexual behavior of the younger generation, it is expected that it will not be long before AIDS becomes a major public health issue in Korea. This study examined the clinical manifestation of HIV positive people and AIDS patients. The pulmonary manifestion of HIV-positive was evaluated. This study focused on the differences in the clinical manifestation between AIDS patients with pulmonary disease and simple HIV positive people. The characteristics of common pulmonary infections in AIDS patients were also analyzed. Method: The medical records of 28 HIV positive patients who visited the hospital of ChungAng University Hospital from January, 2001 to February, 2006 were analyzed retrospectively. Result: Twenty-seven patients out of 28 HIV positive patients were male and the average age was 40.6(23-65). Patients in their thirties were most commonly affected. Elven patients had pulmonary diseases. Pulmonary tuberculosis (4 cases) and pneumocystis pneumonia (4 cases) were the most common respiratory infection. One patient showed a peculiar type of systemic cryptococcus. which was accompanied by lung and pleural dissemination. The CD4+lymphocyte count of patients with a pulmonary infection was significantly lower in patients with a pulmonary manifestation than those with only a HIV infection ($79.5/mm^3$ vs $400/mm^3$, respectively)(p<.05). Patients with pulmonary disease were in a more severe immunosuppressive state. There were 4 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, 4 with pneumocystis pneumonia, 4 with secondary syphilis, 2 with primary syphilis, and 2 with HZV infection. The average CD4 lymphocyte counts was $56/mm^3$ in those with pulmonary tuberculosis, $42/mm^3$ in those with pneumocystis pneumonia, and $455/mm^3$ in those with secondary syphilis. Conclusion: This study examined the clinical manifestation of HIV positive patients, particularly AIDS patients with pulmonary disease, A more severe immunosuppressive status was observed in HIV-related pulmonary compared with those with HIV-related extrapulmonary disease, and the frequency of pulmonary tuberculosis in pulmonary disease was higher than expected. Respiratory infection in AIDS manifest in uncommon ways e.g. disseminated cryptococcosis involving the lung and pleura. Evidently, AIDS patients with a respiratory infection have a more severe form of immunosuppression than those with a simple HIV infection. As expected, patients with a pulmonary infection were in a more severe immunosuppressed state than those with a simple HIV infection. Opportunistic infections can show peculiar clinical presentations in AIDS patients.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2001

Background: A large number of diseases occur in association with specific HLA-B or-C alleles. Recently a new gene, termed maj or histocompatibility complex class I chain-related gene A (MICA), has been identified in close proximity to HLA-B. The function of this gene is still unknown. However, it is structurally similar to HLA class I genes. MICA gene is polymorphic and is potentially associated with several diseases. Methods: To evaluate the association of MICA gene in Korean patients with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) infections, Polymerase chain reaction-Sequence specific primer (PCR-SSP) was done for MICA alleles in the extracellular exons, and a microsatellite analysis for GCT repeat polymorphisms in the TM exon was also completed. Results: In 199 Korean healthy controls, 7 alleles were observed and the frequencies for each allele were MICA008 (44.7%), MICA0 10 (34.2%), MICA002 (31.7%), MICA004 (23.6%), MICA0 12 (2 1.6%), MICA009 (19.6%), and MICA007 (6.5%). When 65 HIV seropositive patients were analyzed, MICA007 allele frequency was significantly higher than in controls (15.4% vs 6.5 %, RR=2.6, p<0.04). In contrast, the frequencies of other MICA alleles and microsatellite alleles in the transmembrane region of MICA gene were not significantly different between HIV seropositive patients and controls. The tight linkage between MICA alleles in the extracellular exons and GCT repeat polymorphisms in the TM exon was observed as follows; MICA002/A9, MICA004/A6, MICA007/A4, MICA008/A5.1, MICA0 10/A5, and MICA0 12/A4 in both groups. No significant difference between patients and controls was observed in the haplotype frequencies of MICA alleles in the extracellular exons and GCT repeat polymorphisms in the TM exon. Conclusion: The data suggest that immune functions related with MICA gene may affect a HIV infections.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.78 no.3
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• pp.253-257
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• 2015

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of mortality among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients and the majority of them occur in developing countries. The aims of the present study were to determine the frequency of HIV/TB co-infection and other probable associated factors. Methods: This 10 year retrospective study was conducted on 824 HIV patients in the south-west of Iran. HIV infection was diagnosed by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and confirmed by Western blot. TB diagnosis was based on consistency of the clinical manifestations, chest X-ray, and microscopic examination. Drug susceptibility testing was done by the proportional method on $L{\ddot{o}}wenstein$-Jensen media. Results: Of 824 HIV patients, 59 (7.2%) were identified as TB co-infected and the majority (86.4%) of them were male. Of the overall TB infected patients, 6 cases (10.2%) showed multidrug-resistant with the mean CD4+ lymphocyte count of $163{\pm}166cells/mm^3$. The main clinical forms of TB were pulmonary (73%). There was a significant (p<0.05) correlation between TB infection and CD4+ lymphocyte counts ${\leq}200cells/mm^3$, gender, prison history, addiction history, and highly active anti-retroviral therapy. Conclusion: We reported novel information on frequency of HIV/TB co-infection and multidrug resistant-TB outcome among co-infected patients that could facilitate better management of such infections on a global scale.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.26-29
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• 2022

Cryptococcus neoformans infection usually occurs in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or with a CD4 T lymphocyte count of <100 cells/µL. Pulmonary and central nervous system infections are the most frequently encountered forms of cryptococcosis; however, colonic cryptococcosis is uncommon. We describe the case of a 41-year-old antiretroviral-naïve man with HIV infection diagnosed eight years prior and intermittent diarrhea for 4 months who presented to the emergency department with a 1-day history of low-grade fever and confusion. Brain magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed normal results; however, he was diagnosed with Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia based on chest computed tomography and bronchoalveolar lavage analysis. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole administration was initiated followed by antiretroviral treatment. Although his condition gradually improved, he developed fever and abdominal discomfort, and the diarrhea worsened. Endoscopy revealed a small ulcer in the distal transverse colon. Histopathological examination of a colon tissue sample revealed cryptococcal infection. He improved substantially during liposomal amphotericin B and fluconazole treatment. We encountered a rare case of colonic cryptococcosis that caused chronic diarrhea in a patient with advanced HIV infection. Colonic cryptococcosis should be considered when patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome present with gastrointestinal symptoms.