Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors Drug Resistance Mutations in Drug-Naive HIV Type 1 Positive Kenyan Individuals

Objective: To evaluate the extent of HIV-1 drug resistance among drug naïve Kenyan individuals.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: Kenya Medical Research Institute HIV laboratory Nairobi, Kenya.Subjects: A total of seventy eight HIV-1 positive drug naïve subjects randomised from five Kenyan provincial hospitals between April and June 2004.Results: A major non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase (NNRTI) an associated mutation was found in one patient (1.3%). NNRTI associated resistance mutations were present at amino acid codon sites G98A (2.56%); K103E (1.3%) and L100F (3.57%) prevalences. Baseline resistance may compromise the response to standard NNRTI-based first-line ART in 1.3 % of the study subjects.Conclusion: This indicates in general, that drug resistance among HIV-1 positive drug naïve individual is at low thresholds (1.3%) but the problem could be more serious than reported here. Continuous resistance monitoring is therefore warranted to maintain individual and population-level ART effectiveness

Coagulation Factors Level in Fresh Frozen Plasma in Rwanda

Objectives: To determine the level of coagulation factors and inherited inhibitors in Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) and to evaluate Prothrombin Time and activated partial thrombin time in fresh frozen plasma.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Medical Laboratory Sciences.Subjects: Eighteen blood bags collected from voluntary blood donors.Main outcome measures:Coagulation factors and inhibitors levels,  Prothrombin Time (PT) and Activated Partial thrombin Time  (APTT)remained within the reference range requested by quality assurance regulations after three months of storage.Results: APTT and PT show an increase from baseline to one month then remain constant up to three months, while, Fibrinogen, Factor II, Factor V, Factor VII, Factor X, Von Willbrand Factor, Protein C and Antithrombin decreased from baseline up to three months and then Factor VIII, Factor IX, Factor XI, Factor XII and Protein S, remained constant from baseline up to one month and decreased up to three months.Conclusion: There is good retention of all coagulation factors and inhibitors in plasma produced from whole blood within eight hours of collection, stored at minus 18ºC for three months