US Congress passed the CARE Act in 1990 in response to a dramatically growing need for resources to combat the AIDS epidemic. One of the programs contained in the Act was the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a fed...US Congress passed the CARE Act in 1990 in response to a dramatically growing need for resources to combat the AIDS epidemic. One of the programs contained in the Act was the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a federally-funded but state-maintained and managed program primarily concerned with providing medication for low-income HIV/AIDS patients. While ADAP programs across the country reached one-third of all patients in 2007, these programs are now in budgetary danger due to the economic recession, state budgetary constraints, the rising cost of healthcare generally, and longer life expectancies associated with current highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This paper first evaluates the current state of ADAP, its strengths and weaknesses, and examines its sustainability in the short term if short-term measures are taken. Concluding that such measures would not lead to long-term sustainability, this paper then argues for a long-term solution to ADAP’s current problems, namely a national, centralized ADAP standard for budgetary and administrative matters. Such a program would increase the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of current ADAP programs by employing more efficient, standard policies and allowing larger, wholesale purchases of costly HAART medications. Moreover, a national policy would address the disparity that currently exists in ADAP programs today with regard to both minorities and those on the waiting lists for treatment. The institution of a national ADAP program would certainly face many political hurdles. Consequently, this paper also looks to a recent political dispute, the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), for guidance. Using the passage of the ACA as an example could light the path for passage of a national ADAP standard. Ultimately, this would lead to a more effective and sustainable program for HIV/AIDS patients in the United States.展开更多
Aim: The objects of this study originated from the experimental observations, whereby the HIV -1 gp120 V3 loop is a high-affinity ligand for immunophilins, and consisted in generating the structural complex of cycloph...Aim: The objects of this study originated from the experimental observations, whereby the HIV -1 gp120 V3 loop is a high-affinity ligand for immunophilins, and consisted in generating the structural complex of cyclophilin (Cyc) B belonging to immunophilins family with the virus subtype A V3 loop (SA-V3 loop) as well as in specifying the Cyc B segment forming the binding site for V3 synthetic copy of which, on the assumption of keeping the 3D peptide structure in the free state, may present a forwardlooking basic structure for anti-AIDS drug development. Methods: To reach the objects of view, molecular docking of the HIV-1 SA-V3 loop structure determined previously with the X-ray conformation of Cyc B was put into practice by Hex 4.5 program (http://www.loria.fr/~ritchied/ hex/) and the immunophilin stretch responsible for binding to V3 (Cyc B peptide) was identified followed by examination of its 3D structure and dynamic behavior in the unbound status. To design the Cyc B peptide, the X-ray conformation for the identical site of the native protein was involved in the calculations as a starting model to find its best energy structural variant. The search for this most preferable structure was carried out by consecutive use of the molecular mechanics and simulated annealing methods. The molecular dynamics computations were implemented for the Cyc B peptide by the GROMACS computer package (http:// www.gromacs.org/). Results: The overmolecular structure of Cyc B with V3 was built by computer modeling tools and the immunophilinderived peptide able to mask effectively the structurally invariant V3 segments embracing the functionally crucial amino acids of the HIV-1 gp120 envelope protein was constructed and analyzed. Conclusions: Starting from the joint analysis of the results derived with those of the literature, the generated peptide was suggested to offer a promising basic structure for making a reality of the protein engineering projects aimed at developing the anti-AIDS drugs able to stop the HIV’s spread.展开更多
A nonlinear mathematical model of vertical transmission of HIV/AIDS is proposed to study the effects of drug resistance in the spread of the disease. The study assumes that treatment leads to the evolution of drug res...A nonlinear mathematical model of vertical transmission of HIV/AIDS is proposed to study the effects of drug resistance in the spread of the disease. The study assumes that treatment leads to the evolution of drug resistance in some pockets of the population. We use traditional methods to determine conditions for existence and stability of disease-free and endemic equilibrium points of the model. The study showed that the burden of the disease may be reduced if the reproduction number is reduced below unity and may persist if the reproduction number is raised above unity. Furthermore, evolution of drug resistance due to treatment may change the cause of the epidemic.展开更多
Objective: To understand the condition of adverse drug reactions and the treatment procedures of amphotericin B for injection in patients with AIDS complicated with fungal infection. Methods: For the research object, ...Objective: To understand the condition of adverse drug reactions and the treatment procedures of amphotericin B for injection in patients with AIDS complicated with fungal infection. Methods: For the research object, a retrospective analysis of adverse reactions of amphotericin B injection in 121 patients of AIDS complicated with fungal infection was reported in our hospital from October 2017 to June 2021 to observe the adverse drug reactions of patients after treatment with amphotericin B for injection, 87 cases with general degree (regarded as the general group) and 34 cases with serious degree (regarded as the serious group), and analyze the general data, medication and course of disease of the two groups for symptomatic treatment. Results: Adverse reactions such as hypokalemia, abnormal liver function, renal impairment, leucopenia and drug fever were more common in the two groups, and there were also many adverse reactions such as bone marrow suppression, rash, anemia, thrombocytopenia, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, pruritus, angina pectoris, vertigo, abdominal pain and diarrhea. The rates of leukopenia and drug fever in general group were significantly lower than those in severe group (P < 0.05);in the dose of amphotericin B used, the rate of using 25 mg and more than 25 mg in the general group was significantly lower than that in the severe group (P < 0.05). After symptomatic treat-ment, most patients have improved, and a few are unknown or have not improved. Con-clusion: Amphotericin B for injection has great side effects and will cause different degrees of adverse drug reactions. The dose of amphotericin B for clinical treatment should be ad-justed and disposed according to the adverse reactions to avoid serious consequences.展开更多
文摘US Congress passed the CARE Act in 1990 in response to a dramatically growing need for resources to combat the AIDS epidemic. One of the programs contained in the Act was the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a federally-funded but state-maintained and managed program primarily concerned with providing medication for low-income HIV/AIDS patients. While ADAP programs across the country reached one-third of all patients in 2007, these programs are now in budgetary danger due to the economic recession, state budgetary constraints, the rising cost of healthcare generally, and longer life expectancies associated with current highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This paper first evaluates the current state of ADAP, its strengths and weaknesses, and examines its sustainability in the short term if short-term measures are taken. Concluding that such measures would not lead to long-term sustainability, this paper then argues for a long-term solution to ADAP’s current problems, namely a national, centralized ADAP standard for budgetary and administrative matters. Such a program would increase the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of current ADAP programs by employing more efficient, standard policies and allowing larger, wholesale purchases of costly HAART medications. Moreover, a national policy would address the disparity that currently exists in ADAP programs today with regard to both minorities and those on the waiting lists for treatment. The institution of a national ADAP program would certainly face many political hurdles. Consequently, this paper also looks to a recent political dispute, the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), for guidance. Using the passage of the ACA as an example could light the path for passage of a national ADAP standard. Ultimately, this would lead to a more effective and sustainable program for HIV/AIDS patients in the United States.
文摘Aim: The objects of this study originated from the experimental observations, whereby the HIV -1 gp120 V3 loop is a high-affinity ligand for immunophilins, and consisted in generating the structural complex of cyclophilin (Cyc) B belonging to immunophilins family with the virus subtype A V3 loop (SA-V3 loop) as well as in specifying the Cyc B segment forming the binding site for V3 synthetic copy of which, on the assumption of keeping the 3D peptide structure in the free state, may present a forwardlooking basic structure for anti-AIDS drug development. Methods: To reach the objects of view, molecular docking of the HIV-1 SA-V3 loop structure determined previously with the X-ray conformation of Cyc B was put into practice by Hex 4.5 program (http://www.loria.fr/~ritchied/ hex/) and the immunophilin stretch responsible for binding to V3 (Cyc B peptide) was identified followed by examination of its 3D structure and dynamic behavior in the unbound status. To design the Cyc B peptide, the X-ray conformation for the identical site of the native protein was involved in the calculations as a starting model to find its best energy structural variant. The search for this most preferable structure was carried out by consecutive use of the molecular mechanics and simulated annealing methods. The molecular dynamics computations were implemented for the Cyc B peptide by the GROMACS computer package (http:// www.gromacs.org/). Results: The overmolecular structure of Cyc B with V3 was built by computer modeling tools and the immunophilinderived peptide able to mask effectively the structurally invariant V3 segments embracing the functionally crucial amino acids of the HIV-1 gp120 envelope protein was constructed and analyzed. Conclusions: Starting from the joint analysis of the results derived with those of the literature, the generated peptide was suggested to offer a promising basic structure for making a reality of the protein engineering projects aimed at developing the anti-AIDS drugs able to stop the HIV’s spread.
文摘A nonlinear mathematical model of vertical transmission of HIV/AIDS is proposed to study the effects of drug resistance in the spread of the disease. The study assumes that treatment leads to the evolution of drug resistance in some pockets of the population. We use traditional methods to determine conditions for existence and stability of disease-free and endemic equilibrium points of the model. The study showed that the burden of the disease may be reduced if the reproduction number is reduced below unity and may persist if the reproduction number is raised above unity. Furthermore, evolution of drug resistance due to treatment may change the cause of the epidemic.
文摘Objective: To understand the condition of adverse drug reactions and the treatment procedures of amphotericin B for injection in patients with AIDS complicated with fungal infection. Methods: For the research object, a retrospective analysis of adverse reactions of amphotericin B injection in 121 patients of AIDS complicated with fungal infection was reported in our hospital from October 2017 to June 2021 to observe the adverse drug reactions of patients after treatment with amphotericin B for injection, 87 cases with general degree (regarded as the general group) and 34 cases with serious degree (regarded as the serious group), and analyze the general data, medication and course of disease of the two groups for symptomatic treatment. Results: Adverse reactions such as hypokalemia, abnormal liver function, renal impairment, leucopenia and drug fever were more common in the two groups, and there were also many adverse reactions such as bone marrow suppression, rash, anemia, thrombocytopenia, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, pruritus, angina pectoris, vertigo, abdominal pain and diarrhea. The rates of leukopenia and drug fever in general group were significantly lower than those in severe group (P < 0.05);in the dose of amphotericin B used, the rate of using 25 mg and more than 25 mg in the general group was significantly lower than that in the severe group (P < 0.05). After symptomatic treat-ment, most patients have improved, and a few are unknown or have not improved. Con-clusion: Amphotericin B for injection has great side effects and will cause different degrees of adverse drug reactions. The dose of amphotericin B for clinical treatment should be ad-justed and disposed according to the adverse reactions to avoid serious consequences.