Insufficient antiretroviral therapy in pregnancy: missed opportunities for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Europe

Background: Although mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) rates are at an all-time low in Western Europe, potentially preventable transmissions continue to occur. Duration of antenatal combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) is strongly associated with MTCT risk.Methods: Data on pregnant HIV-infected women enrolled in the Western and Central European sites of the European Collaborative Study between January 2000 and July 2009 were analysed. The proportion of women receiving no antenatal ART or 1-13 days of treatment was investigated, and associated factors explored using logistic regression models.Results: Of 2,148 women, 142 (7%) received no antenatal ART, decreasing from 8% in 2000-2003 to 5% in 2004-2009 (chi(2)=8.73; P= 14 days antenatal ART and 7.4% (10/136) among those with insufficient ART.Conclusions: Over the last 10 years, around one in 11 women in this study received insufficient antenatal ART, accounting for 40% of MTCTs. One-half of these women were diagnosed before conception, suggesting disengagement from care

Risk Factors for COVID-19 in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A National, ENEIDA-Based Case–Control Study (COVID-19-EII)

(1) Scant information is available concerning the characteristics that may favour the acquisition of COVID-19 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess these differences between infected and noninfected patients with IBD. (2) This nationwide case-control study evaluated patients with inflammatory bowel disease with COVID-19 (cases) and without COVID-19 (controls) during the period March-July 2020 included in the ENEIDA of GETECCU. (3) A total of 496 cases and 964 controls from 73 Spanish centres were included. No differences were found in the basal characteristics between cases and controls. Cases had higher comorbidity Charlson scores (24% vs. 19%; p = 0.02) and occupational risk (28% vs. 10.5%; p < 0.0001) more frequently than did controls. Lockdown was the only protective measure against COVID-19 (50% vs. 70%; p < 0.0001). No differences were found in the use of systemic steroids, immunosuppressants or biologics between cases and controls. Cases were more often treated with 5-aminosalicylates (42% vs. 34%; p = 0.003). Having a moderate Charlson score (OR: 2.7; 95%CI: 1.3-5.9), occupational risk (OR: 2.9; 95%CI: 1.8-4.4) and the use of 5-aminosalicylates (OR: 1.7; 95%CI: 1.2-2.5) were factors for COVID-19. The strict lockdown was the only protective factor (OR: 0.1; 95%CI: 0.09-0.2). (4) Comorbidities and occupational exposure are the most relevant factors for COVID-19 in patients with IBD. The risk of COVID-19 seems not to be increased by immunosuppressants or biologics, with a potential effect of 5-aminosalicylates, which should be investigated further and interpreted with caution

Plastic molecular alloys: the binary system tris(hydroximethyl)aminomethane / 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol

The binary phase diagram of two plastic crystals, tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (TRIS) and 2-amino 2-methyl 1,3-propanediol (AMP) has been determined by means of thermal analysis and X-ray powder diffraction, between room temperature and 450 K (liquid state).In the plastic phase complete miscibility is observed, i.e. molecular alloys can be formed at any mole fraction. From this result it is concluded that the AMP cubic phase has the same space group as TRIS (Im3m)

Miscibility in plastic phases: Binary system NPG (neopentylglycol)/AMP (2-amino,2-methyl-1,3-propanediol)

International audienc

Binary system neopentylglycol/pentaglycerin

The phase diagram of the plastic crystals Neopentylglycol (HPG) and Pentaglycerin (PG) has been established from 288 Κ until the liquid state. The NPG/PG system exhibits a demixing region in the solid state as a consequence of the difference between the ordered low-temperature forms of the pure compounds; the solid solution boundaries have been determined (0.07 and 0.53 molar fraction of PG) at 288 K. The equilibrium domains between the two solid phases and the plastic phase show an eutectoid invariant, with eutectoid composition of 0.29 ± 0.02 molar fraction of PG and eutectoid temperature of 298.1 ± 1.1 K. In the plastic phase, total miscibility is observed and, from a crystallographic point of view, an ideal behaviour can be assumed for the alloys. The plastic-liquid equilibrium shows a Gibbs minimum corresponding to a concentration of 0.21 ±0.02 molar fraction of PG and a temperature of 379.6 ± 2.0 K

Miscibility and molecular interactions in plastic phases: Binary system pentaglycerin/ tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane

International audienc

Binary system neopentylglycol/pentaerythritol

The experimental phase diagram of the compounds neopentylglycol (NPG)/p-entaerythritol (PE) has been remodeled due to the existence of a new intermediate cubic phase. The thermal and X-Ray measurements have pointed out different equilibrium domains and five invariant lines