RESUMEN

With the global rollout of mother-to-child prevention programs for women living with HIV, vertical transmission has been all but eliminated in many countries. However, the number of children who are exposed in utero to HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART) is ever-increasing. These children who are HIV-exposed-but-uninfected (CHEU) are now well recognized as having persistent health disparities compared to children who are HIV-unexposed-and-uninfected (CHUU). Differences reported between these two groups include immune dysfunction and higher levels of inflammation, cognitive and metabolic abnormalities, as well as increased morbidity and mortality in CHEU. The reasons for these disparities remain largely unknown. The present review focuses on a proposed link between immunometabolic aberrations and clinical pathologies observed in the rapidly expanding CHEU population. By drawing attention, firstly, to the significance of the immune and metabolic alterations observed in these children, and secondly, the impact of their healthcare requirements, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, this review aims to sensitize healthcare workers and policymakers about the long-term risks of in utero exposure to HIV and ART.

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RESUMEN

Micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are small functional non-coding RNAs that downregulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Abnormal expression of specific miRNAs has been recorded in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, other non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphomas, lung cancer and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). The aim of this study was to compare miRNA expression profiles among patients with newly diagnosed CML, those on established therapy with imatinib mesylate, and healthy individuals. The expression of 88 miRNAs was evaluated in a total of nine samples divided into three groups: Group 1 comprised three samples collected from newly diagnosed CML patients; group 2 consisted of three samples collected from patients on therapy; the remaining three samples were collected from healthy volunteers (control group). Total RNA was extracted from whole blood and reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed on the LightCycler® 480 platform using Human Serum & Plasma miRNA PCR Arrays. In group 1, only SNORD44 was downregulated, while hsa-miR-372 and hsa-miR-375 were found to be significantly upregulated compared with the control group. By contrast, 49 miRNAs were significantly upregulated in group 2 compared with the control group. miRNAs hsa-miR-106b, hsa-miR-21, hsa-miR-221, hsa-miR-10a, hsa-miR-193a-5p and hsa-miR-30e were expressed in group 2. Therefore, miRNA expression profiles differed between the two patient groups.

RESUMEN

Screening for and detection of the novel extended spectrum Beta-lactamase (ESBL), GES-2 produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa remains a problem in the clinical microbiology laboratory. This study aimed to compare the normally used ESBL screening agent ceftazidime, with molecular detection, to demonstrate the presence of GES-2 ESBL production in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa. Ceftazidime was found unreliable as an ESBL screening agent, with a specificity of 34.4%, when National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards resistance criteria for P. aeruginosa were employed. An improved PCR detection method was devised, that amplified a 371 bp segment of bla(GES-2). This should lead to more cost-effective DNA sequencing and sequence interpretation in the laboratory.

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