scholarly journals Clients Input Improves Satisfaction on HIV and AIDS Program

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Chidzambwa ◽  
Ilm Kassam
Keyword(s):  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Client Satisfaction ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Satisfaction Level ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Client Participation ◽  
Non Profit

Abstract Background: AIDS Vancouver is a donor funded non-profit organization that supports people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA). Like many health providers there is need to look for effective less costly methods of not only delivering services but improve the quality and coverage as well. Literature indicates that the participation of clients is an effective low-cost method of improving service. PLWHA are reluctant to participate in client input initiatives because of negative reactions in society to their condition. Innovative methods to engage clients need to be utilized.Methods: An initial survey was conducted to determine the base satisfaction level. The survey also indicated areas for improvement. Consultation sessions were conducted with clients, volunteers and staff on which issues to tackle and how. This process has been repeated for three consecutive years. Appreciative Inquiry (AI)and Social Constructivism (SC) theories were selected as guidelines on client engagement. AI was selected to encourage participants to use the strengths and resources around them to improve the program. Social Constructivism was selected for its ability to combine individual perspectives in constructing meaning that is acceptable to all participants.Results: Annual surveys have become a useful tool to determine the client satisfaction level on the program. They have also highlighted the dynamic issues related to supporting our clients. The follow-up consultation sessions have generated 41 proposals of which 26 have been implemented successfully. Client satisfaction is up, client participation in running the program continues to grow. The cost implications are minimal, yet the benefits are significant. Client participation raised program satisfaction level by 16 percentage points after one year and has maintained the satisfaction level high in two consecutive years.Conclusions: Client participation was essential in improving the satisfaction level of the program. It was important to create the space for clients to participate and also build trust with clients. Clients have a lot of knowledge about their conditions and provide valuable input. Their contribution is mainly on social aspects rather than technical aspects. These social aspects are essential in improving the client experience and need to be included in improvement initiatives.

scholarly journals Characterisation of a highly potent and near pan-neutralising anti-HIV monoclonal antibody expressed in tobacco plants

Retrovirology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine M. Moore ◽  
Melanie Grandits ◽  
Clemens Grünwald-Gruber ◽  
Friedrich Altmann ◽  
Maria Kotouckova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Leaf Tissue ◽  
Glycosylation Site ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Effector Cells ◽  
Extraction And Purification ◽  
Important Health ◽  
Different Strains

Abstract Background HIV remains one of the most important health issues worldwide, with almost 40 million people living with HIV. Although patients develop antibodies against the virus, its high mutation rate allows evasion of immune responses. Some patients, however, produce antibodies that are able to bind to, and neutralise different strains of HIV. One such ‘broadly neutralising’ antibody is ‘N6’. Identified in 2016, N6 can neutralise 98% of HIV-1 isolates with a median IC50 of 0.066 µg/mL. This neutralisation breadth makes N6 a very promising therapeutic candidate. Results N6 was expressed in a glycoengineered line of N. benthamiana plants (pN6) and compared to the mammalian cell-expressed equivalent (mN6). Expression at 49 mg/kg (fresh leaf tissue) was achieved in plants, although extraction and purification are more challenging than for most plant-expressed antibodies. N-glycoanalysis demonstrated the absence of xylosylation and a reduction in α(1,3)-fucosylation that are typically found in plant glycoproteins. The N6 light chain contains a potential N-glycosylation site, which was modified and displayed more α(1,3)-fucose than the heavy chain. The binding kinetics of pN6 and mN6, measured by surface plasmon resonance, were similar for HIV gp120. pN6 had a tenfold higher affinity for FcγRIIIa, which was reflected in an antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity assay, where pN6 induced a more potent response from effector cells than that of mN6. pN6 demonstrated the same potency and breadth of neutralisation as mN6, against a panel of HIV strains. Conclusions The successful expression of N6 in tobacco supports the prospect of developing a low-cost, low-tech production platform for a monoclonal antibody cocktail to control HIV in low-to middle income countries. Graphic abstract

scholarly journals Use of pembrolizumab with or without pomalidomide in HIV-associated non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e002097
Author(s):  
Kathryn Lurain ◽  
Ramya Ramaswami ◽  
Ralph Mangusan ◽  
Anaida Widell ◽  
Irene Ekwede ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
B Cell ◽  
Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Cell Lymphoma ◽  
B Cell Lymphoma ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Oncogenic Viruses ◽  
Non Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma

BackgroundNon-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is currently the most common malignancy among people living with HIV (PLWH) in the USA. NHL in PLWH is more frequently associated with oncogenic viruses than NHL in immunocompetent individuals and is generally associated with increased PD-1 expression and T cell exhaustion. An effective immune-based second-line approach that is less immunosuppressive than chemotherapy may decrease infection risk, improve immune control of oncogenic viruses, and ultimately allow for better lymphoma control.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study of patients with HIV-associated lymphomas treated with pembrolizumab±pomalidomide in the HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute.ResultsWe identified 10 patients with stage IV relapsed and/or primary refractory HIV-associated NHL who were treated with pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inihibitor, with or without pomalidomide. Five patients had primary effusion lymphoma (PEL): one had germinal center B cell-like (GCB) diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL); two had non-GCB DLBCL; one had aggressive B cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified; and one had plasmablastic lymphoma. Six patients received pembrolizumab alone at 200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks, three received pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously every 4 weeks plus pomalidomide 4 mg orally every day for days 1–21 of a 28-day cycle; and one sequentially received pembrolizumab alone and then pomalidomide alone. The response rate was 50% with particular benefit in gammaherpesvirus-associated tumors. The progression-free survival was 4.1 months (95% CI: 1.3 to 12.4) and overall survival was 14.7 months (95% CI: 2.96 to not reached). Three patients with PEL had leptomeningeal disease: one had a complete response and the other two had long-term disease control. There were four immune-related adverse events (irAEs), all CTCAEv5 grade 2–3; three of the four patients were able to continue receiving pembrolizumab. No irAEs occurred in patients receiving the combination of pembrolizumab and pomalidomide.ConclusionsTreatment of HIV-associated NHL with pembrolizumab with or without pomalidomide elicited responses in several subtypes of HIV-associated NHL. This approach is worth further study in PLWH and NHL.

A decade of researching the social aspects of HIV and AIDS

The Lancet ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 384 (9960) ◽  
pp. 2102-2103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley Doyal
Keyword(s):  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
The Social

The Mae on Project: Using Acupuncture for Symptom Relief and Improved Quality of Life for People Living with Hiv and Aids in Rural Thailand

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Louie ◽  
Nopporn Pathanapornpandh ◽  
Unchalee Pultajuk ◽  
Robert Kaplan ◽  
Ian Hodgson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Symptom Relief ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Related Symptom ◽  
History Of ◽  
Living With Hiv

Acupuncture in combination with antiretroviral therapies is a potentially useful treatment for HIV-related symptom relief in resource-poor settings. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of being used to enhance immune function. In the setting of HIV, Chinese traditional medicine allows for symptom treatment without adding extra medications to a complex drug regime. This paper provides details of a project at Mae On Hospital in rural northern Thailand where allopathic/conventional treatments are used in tandem with acupuncture. A preliminary evaluation of the project suggests that an integrated approach to symptom relief is viewed positively by respondents receiving acupuncture, though further studies are required to confirm the association between acupuncture and symptom relief. The project also demonstrates the feasibility of developing a cost-effective acupuncture programme using local healthcare staff.

HIV and AIDS in Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Adult Population ◽  
Hiv Prevalence ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Aids Pandemic ◽  
Historical Processes ◽  
Women And Girls

Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV, with an estimated 25.7 million HIV-positive people in Africa by the end of 2018. This figure represents over two-thirds of infected people globally. African women and girls represent a majority of those infected, and Africa is home to three-fourths of all HIV-infected women and girls. Across African countries, there are differences in the sizes and trajectories of HIV epidemics. Southern Africa has the worst epidemic, with the numbers infected still rising in some countries. Prompting a development and governance crisis in many southern African countries, HIV prevalence rates are as high as 20 percent of the adult population in some countries and nearing 50 percent of the adult population in certain communities. East Africa too has been hit hard by HIV, leading to high mortality and morbidity rates in that region as well. In most of West and North Africa, there has been limited spread of HIV, with most countries in these regions having HIV prevalence rates of less than 3 percent. Africa’s encounter with HIV and AIDS began before it was first identified as a medical condition early in the 1980s. However, it was not recognized as an epidemic in most parts of Africa until much later. Framed largely as a public health crisis rather than a developmental one, much of the world’s focus on the AIDS pandemic in Africa has centered on access to treatment, and developing effective prevention strategies that have principally focused on behavior change practices for targeted populations. However, the HIV and AIDS pandemic in Africa did not emerge in a vacuum. It is the consequence of longer historical processes such as massive demographic growth, urbanization, and social change, as well as global inequalities and historical legacies of colonialism and imperialism. In this regard, a historical account of HIV in Africa offers an important corrective to the dominant biomedical response to AIDS in Africa. It is important to take note of longer historical processes that have shaped both the virus and the human response to it.

scholarly journals Barriers to Testing and Treatment for Chagas Disease among Latino Immigrants in Georgia

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca M. Minneman ◽  
Monique M. Hennink ◽  
Andrea Nicholls ◽  
Sahar S. Salek ◽  
Francisco S. Palomeque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Latino Immigrants ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Alternative Health ◽  
Traditional Remedies ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Health Complications ◽  
Migrant Farm ◽  
The Cost

Background. The lack of testing and treatment of Chagas disease (CD), caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, amongst infected immigrants in the USA increases the risk of serious health complications and transmission (congenital or via blood transfusions).Goal. Our goal was to identify the barriers to testing and treatment of CD and understand the process of seeking healthcare amongst Latino immigrants in Georgia.Methods. In this qualitative study, eleven focus group discussions were conducted with 82 Latino immigrants, including migrant farm workers. Grounded theory was used to collect and analyze the data to develop an inductive conceptual framework to explain the context and process of seeking healthcare for CD amongst this at-risk population.Results. Participants were not aware of CD. Three healthcare seeking behaviors were identified: delaying treatment, using traditional remedies, and using either mainstream or alternative health providers. Behaviors and motivations differed by gender, and the use of licensed medical providers was considered a last resort due to the cost of healthcare, loss of earnings while seeking care, and fear of diagnosis with fatal illness.Discussion. Providing free or low cost services, mobile clinics, and education regarding CD is critical to increase testing and treatment of CD in the US.

scholarly journals Sexually transmitted infections among HIV positive patients: a five year retrospective study

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
N. Saravanan ◽  
Murugan Swamiappan ◽  
Rajkumar Kannan ◽  
G. Arul Raja
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Hiv Patients ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Clinical Records

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are the most well established risk factors for the spread of HIV infection. STIs act as cofactors and facilitators for HIV transmission. The effects of HIV infection on immunity can increase susceptibility to other STIs. The aims and objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of co-infection of sexually transmitted infections among people living with HIV and AIDS.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> A retrospective chart review of the data collected from the clinical records of all HIV patients who had attended the STI clinic of Chengalpattu Medical College, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu during the five years period, from January 2013 to December 2017, was carried out. Demographic data, clinical manifestations, co-infection of STIs among HIV patients, laboratory investigations and treatment were collected. The data collected were computed and analyzed statistically.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> During the study period of 5 years from 2013 to 2017 the total number of patients attended the STI clinic were 10825, among that males were 4534 (41.88%) and females were 6291 (58.12%). STIs/RTIs were seen in 2560 (23.65%) cases among the total number of patients attended. HIV was found to be positive in 294 cases, in that 168 (57.15%) were males and 126 (42.85%) were females. In male HIV patients, 51 (30.36%) had co-infection with other STIs/RTIs. In female HIV patients, 57 (45.24) % had co-infection with other STIs/RTIs. Viral STIs was the common co-infection seen in males and vaginal cervical discharge was common in females.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> STI/RTI co-infection, both symptomatic and asymptomatic are common among PLHIV. Hence they should be regularly counselled regarding the significance of periodic screening for STI/RTIs avoidance of high risk sexual behaviour.</p>

scholarly journals A Study on Customer Awareness towards Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jnanaushadi Kendra’s with Reference to Shimoga

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
H Manjula Bai
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Personal Income ◽  
Satisfaction Level ◽  
Generic Medicines ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
The People ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Successful Solution ◽  
People’S Perception ◽  
Fact Finding

This paper is designed to check Customer Awareness towards Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jnanaushadi Kendra’s. This study is finished to understand the knowledge, perception and attitude of individuals and patients towards generic medicines provided by the govt. At low cost through Jan Aushadhi Medical Stores, which supports and helps the people below the personal income. This helps to spot the problems faced by people and also helps to make your mind up and to relinquish solutions regarding the matter that, not every-one is aware of the schemes implemented by the govt. For the welfare of the people below the personal income. The successful solution is taking measures like campaigns, educating the people to form them more alert to the Jan Aushadhi Medical Store. The study target the degree of knowledge of individuals about Jan Aushadhi Medical Store, the people’s awareness of Jan Aushadhi Medical schemes, to understand the willingness of individuals to shop for generic medicines, to review the understanding and people’s perception on generic medicines, to study the satisfaction level of consumers towards quality, price, availability, accessibility, acceptability, affordability of those medicines and to understand about how the govt. Initiative measures reach among the people. For the study’s aim, the researcher has selected 50 respondents who are aware of the PMBJPK. Descriptive research methodology is employed to conduct the study. It includes survey and fact-finding inquiries of various kinds. It focused on the issues of the advantages availed from PMBJPK. All levels of shoppers were surveyed by using a questionnaire and also, the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction from PMBJPK was studied. Finally, the detailed information about the advantages they had received was also considered... Finally, it attempts to supply suggestions to the purchasers to teach way more about PMBJPK.

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