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Author(s): Zhou, Wang; Zhao, Min; Wang, Xia; Schilling, Robert F; Zhou, Sheng; Qiu, Hong-Yan; Xie, Nian-Hua; Liu, Man-Qing; Dong, Han-Sheng; Yao, Zhong-Zhao; Cai, Thomas | Abstract: BackgroundConducted in Wuhan China, this study examined follow-up and health markers in HIV patients receiving care in two treatment settings. Participants, all men who have sex with men, were followed for 18-24 months.MethodPatients in a "one-stop" service (ACC; N = 89) vs those in standard care clinics (CDC; N = 243) were compared on HIV treatment and retention in care outcomes.ResultsAmong patients with CD4 cell count ≦350 cells/µL, the proportion receiving cART did not differ across clinic groups. The ACC was favored across five other indicators: proportion receiving tests for CD4 cell count at the six-month interval (98.2% vs. 79.4%, 95% CI 13.3-24.3, p = 0.000), proportion with HIV suppression for patients receiving cART for 6 months (86.5% vs. 57.1%, 95% CI 14.1-44.7, p = 0.000), proportion with CD4 cell recovery for patients receiving cART for 12 months (55.8% vs. 22.2%, 95% CI 18.5-48.6, p = 0.000), median time from HIV confirmation to first test for CD4 cell count (7 days, 95% CI 4-8 vs. 10 days, 95% CI 9-12, log-rank p = 0.000) and median time from first CD4 cell count ≦350 cells/µL to cART initiation (26 days, 95% CI 16-37 vs. 41.5 days, 95% CI 35-46, log-rank p = 0.031). Clinic groups did not differ on any biomedical indicator at baseline, and no baseline biomedical or demographic variables remained significant in the multivariate analysis. Nonetheless, post-hoc analyses suggest the possibility of self-selection bias.ConclusionsStudy findings lend preliminary support to a one-stop patient-centered care model that may be useful across various HIV care settings.

To study the effect of aqueous abstract from eucommia ulmoides oliv on the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and alpha-actin expression in the penile tissues of rats with diabetes mellitus (DM) in vitro.A diabetes model was established by administration of alloxun twice to Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Ten diabetic and 10 normal rats were randomly selected and the penile strips of each rat were divided into four equal shares and cultured in two groups, a eucommia ulmoides oliv coculture group (Group A, further dicided into 1 microg/ml, 10 microg/ml and 100 microg/ml subgroups) and a control group (Group B). Seven days later, the activity of SOD in the culture medium was detected by spectrophotometry, and the levels of micro-actin expression in the penile tissues were examined with the immunohistochemical method.Compared with Group B, the activity of SOD in the culture medium in athe 10 and 100 microg/ml subgroups was notably elevated (P0.01), and the numbers of immunoreactive positive cells of alpha-actin in the penile tissues remarkably increased (P0.01).The activity of SOD and alpha-actin expression in the penile tissues of diabetic rats in vitro can be increased by eucommia ulmioides oliv.