In this study we investigate the effect of changes in transcription rate on the abundance of H3K27me3 in the FLC gene body, a chromatin region that includes sequences required to maintain FLC repression following vernalization. We show that H3K27me3 is inversely correlated with transcription across the FLC gene body in a range of ecotypes and mutants with different flowering times. We demonstrate that the FLC gene body becomes marked with H3K27me3 in the absence of transcription. When transcription of the gene body is directed by an inducible promoter, H3K27me3 is removed following

activation of transcription and H3K27me3 is ubiquitin-Proteasome degradation added after transcription is decreased. The rate of addition of H3K27me3 to the FLC transgene following inactivation of transcription is similar to that observed in the FLC gene body following vernalization. Our data suggest that reduction of FLC transcription during vernalization leads Compound C to an increase of H3K27me3 levels in the FLC gene body that in turn maintains FLC repression.”
“Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of multidetector computed tomographic (CT) angiography versus color Doppler ultrasonography (US) for perforating artery identification, intramuscular course

of perforator vessel assessment, and superficial venous communication detection before a deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) procedure for breast reconstruction.

Materials and Methods: Ricolinostat Epigenetics inhibitor Informed consent and institutional review board approval were obtained. Forty-five patients underwent multidetector CT angiography and color Doppler US to identify the DIEP vessel prior to breast reconstruction surgery. Findings at surgery were used as a reference for accuracy evaluations.

Results: The accuracy for identifying dominant perforator arteries was 97% for color Doppler US and 91% for CT angiography. Perforator arteries suitable for surgery were identified in 90% of cases with color Doppler US and in 95% of cases with CT angiography. For measurement of perforator calibers, surgical

findings were similar to color Doppler US measurements (P = .33) but were significantly different than CT measurements (P < .0001). The accuracies for intramuscular course of perforator vessel assessment and superficial venous communication detection were 95% and 97% for CT and 84% and 80% for color Doppler US, respectively. In our population, the absence of superficial venous communication was associated with a risk for flap morbidity (P = .009).

Conclusion: Both color Doppler US and CT angiography resulted in accurate DIEP mapping. Color Doppler US was superior for measuring perforator artery calibers, and CT angiography was superior for estimating the intramuscular course of the perforator vessel and identifying superficial venous communications. Considering x-ray exposure and results of this study, employing multidetector CT angiography is suggested only in selected cases.

fruticosus, Penstemon palmeri Gray and Penstemon venustus Doug. ex Lindl.], and their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral evidence. Six iridoid glucosides (1-6), three phenylpropanoid glucosides (13-15) and two acetophenone derivatives (16,17), obtained from P. fruticosus, five iridoids (2, 7-10), one phenylpropanoid glucoside www.selleckchem.com/products/DMXAA(ASA404).html (15) and two acetophenones (16, 18), isolated from P. palmeri while three iridoids (2, 11, 12) and three phenylpropanoids (13-15) were identified in P. venustus. Two of the iridoid glucosides (4, 5) from P. fruticosus are new natural products named accordingly as cis- and

trans- forms of 10-O-p-methoxycinnamoylaucubin. All isolated compounds, as well as crude methanolic extracts, were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against six Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and three human pathogenic fungi.”
“Objective. The aim of this study was to analyse whether the exonic Ser608Leu (rs2297518) polymorphism in nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS2) influences urinarybladder cancer risk and pathogenesis. Material and methods. Genotyping of 359 bladder cancer patients

from a population-based cohort and 164 population controls was carried out by Screening Library ic50 allelic discrimination and sequencing. Genotypes were combined with information on tumour stage, grade, stage progression and cancer-specific death, from a 5-year clinical follow-up. Results. For the Ser608Leu polymorphism, TT homozygotes had three-fold higher odds for bladder cancer (p = 0.081), but once ill, a lower risk for stage progression (p = 0.031) and a better prognosis. Conclusions. The data indicate that the Tallele of the NOS2 Ser608Leu polymorphism is an initial risk factor for developing urinary bladder cancer. Among bladder cancer patients, however,

individuals who are TT homozygous have a lower risk of developing muscle-invasive disease and a higher cancer-specific survival. Depending on the cellular context, nitric oxide can induce proliferation MG-132 purchase as well as apoptosis. The results from this and previous studies suggest that NOS2 polymorphisms may influence both the risk of contracting bladder cancer and the aggressiveness of the disease.”
“The paper presents a theoretical model of convective heat exchangers working with internal pulsating flows. It aims for a better physical understanding of the processes leading to a heat transfer enhancement inside these devices. When the frequency of the pulsation is increased, some geometries exhibit a maximum response, measured by its temperature rise, similar to those obtained in some dynamical resonant systems. The work explains the nature of this characteristic behavior and produces a simplified theoretical model that isolates the main physical features of the fluid dynamics involved.

This compares favourably

with the 14.4% coding inaccuracy rate for EBUS-TBNA in a previous UK prospective cohort study [odds ratio 201.1 (1.1-357.5), p = 0.006]. Projected income loss was GBP 40,000 per year in the previous study, compared to a GBP 492,195 income here with no coding-attributable loss in revenue. Conclusions: Greater physician engagement with coders prevents coding errors and financial losses which can be significant especially in interventional specialties. The intervention selleck products can be as cheap, quick and simple as a prospective email to the coding team with cross-checks by Trust Informatics and against a procedural database. We suggest that all specialties should engage more with their coders using such a simple intervention to prevent revenue losses. Copyright (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel”
“To

assess the health- and oral health-related quality of life of preschool children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to determine their inter-relationship between the two quality of life measures.

A total of 144 preschool children with and without CP were invited to participate in the case-control study. Health-related quality of life was assessed by the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Version 4.0 (PedsQL((TM)) 4.0) and oral health-related quality of life by the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS). Differences in PedsQL((TM)) 4.0 and ECOHIS scores were determined between the groups, and correlation between PedsQL and ECOHIS were explored.

Significant differences in overall scores of PedsQL((TM)) find more 4.0 (P < 0.001) and in overall scores of buy 4EGI-1 ECOHIS (P < 0.05) were apparent

between the two groups. In terms of health- and oral health-related quality of life, preschool children with CP fared worse than the age-gender-matched control group. There was a positive albeit weak correlation (r = 0.203, P < 0.05) between PedsQL((TM)) 4.0 and ECOHIS scores.

Differences in health- and oral health-related quality of life exist among preschool children with CP. Correlation between health- and oral health-related quality of life could at best be described as weak.”
“Introduction and objectives. Drug-eluting stents (DES) reduce the restenosis rate in native vessels. However, results in saphenous vein grafts (SVG) are less clear. The aim of this study was to compare DES and bare metal stents (BMS) in de novo stenosis in SVG.

Methods. The study included all percutaneous interventions involving a DES in SVG carried out at five centers up until July 2007. Findings were compared with those in a historical cohort that used conventional stents at two centers. The study analyzed in-hospital and long-term outcomes and predictors of survival and revascularization.

Results. The study included 107 stenoses treated with DESs in 98 patients and 130 stenoses treated with BMS in 113 patients. The DES group was older at baseline and had thrombus less often.

Spatial analysis could provide additional information in addition to common incidence plots.”
“SETTING: Japan’s National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP).

OBJECTIVES: To determine and assess the chronological change of chronic excretors.

DESIGN: We compared two groups of chronic excretors (continuous excretion of TB bacilli in the last 2 years) classified by time of registration; XMU-MP-1 the first group

was registered from 1991 to 1997, and the second from 1998 to 2004. The epidemiological situation and the NTP were also compared.

RESULT: There were 481 cases in the first group, comprising 0.17% of registered cases, and 159 cases in the second group, comprising 0.06%. Stratified analysis by treatment regimen and TB category confirmed a decrease in the ratio of chronic excretors in all sub-groups. Human factors

such as non-adherence, no drug susceptibility testing (DST) on initiation of treatment and inadequate modification of treatment in new sputum smear-positive cases were more frequent in the first group than in the second (37.0% vs. 28.9%, 19.5% vs. 10.7%, 36.8% vs. 19.5%, P < 0.05). Other known risk factors, such as interruption due to side effects and complication of diabetes and/or alcoholism, were similarly distributed.

CONCLUSION: The decline in chronic excretors has been associated with the DOTS strategy, baseline DST and appropriate modification of treatment regimen in new sputum click here smear-positive cases.”
“False-positive tuberculin skin test (TST) results due to prior bacille Calmette-Guerin selleck chemicals (BCG) vaccination may lead to unnecessary treatment of presumed latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Recently approved interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) are more specific for LTBI in this group.

METHODS: A total of 316 BCG-vaccinated foreign-born individuals with a positive TST had a commercially available IGRA (QuantiFERON (R)-TB Gold In-Tube) performed as part of a two-step procedure to determine the need for isoniazid therapy. Baseline

demographic information and TST size were recorded and analyzed for characteristics associated with an increased likelihood of having a positive IGRA.

RESULTS: Increasing age, male sex, origin from a country with a high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB), shorter time since arrival in the United States, and increasing TST size were all independently associated with a positive IGRA.

CONCLUSION: Patient characteristics and TST size can help determine those at highest risk for LTBI. A two-step procedure for LTBI screening should be considered for foreign-born persons with prior BCG vaccination and a positive TST.”
“BACKGROUND: There is a need for low-technology, inexpensive screening tools for active tuberculosis (TB) case finding.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the potential usefulness of measuring exhaled nitric oxide (eNO).

0152). T1(acet) inversely correlated with

the magnitude of the alpha angle (r = -0.483, p = 0.0038), suggesting that the severity of cartilage damage correlates with the magnitude of the cam deformity. All of these differences occurred irrespective of genetic predisposition.

Conclusions: The dGEMRIC technique can detect cartilage damage in asymptomatic hips with cam deformities and no radiographic evidence of joint space narrowing. This damage correlates with cam deformity severity. Further study of the application of dGEMRIC as an imaging biomarker of early osteoarthritis is justified to validate its prognostic accuracy, identify AZD6244 cost subjects for clinical trials, and evaluate the effectiveness of surgical procedures.”
“Introduction: It has recently been highlighted that patients affected by schizophrenia (SCZ) and those affected by bipolar disorder (BD) undergo gradual chronic worsening of cognitive and social functioning. The objective of the current study was to evaluate and compare (using the Facial Action Coding System [FACS]) the way by which patients with the two disorders experience and display emotions

in relation to specific emotional LDN-193189 purchase stimuli.

Materials and methods: Forty-five individuals participated in the study: 15 SCZ patients, 15 BD patients, and 15 healthy controls. All participants watched emotion-eliciting video clips while their facial activity was videotaped. The congruent/incongruent feeling of emotions and the facial expression in reaction to emotions were evaluated.

Results: SCZ and BD patients presented similar incongruent emotive feelings and facial expressions (significantly worse than healthy participants); SCZ patients expressed the emotion of disgust significantly less appropriately than BD patients.

Discussion: BD and SCZ patients seem to present a similar relevant impairment in both experiencing and displaying emotions; this impairment may be seen as a behavioral indicator of the deficit of social cognition present in both the disorders. As the disgust emotion is mainly elaborated in the insular cortex, the incongruent expression of disgust of SCZ patients

can be interpreted as a further evidence of a Nutlin-3a molecular weight functional deficit of the insular cortex in this disease. Specific remediation training could be used to improve emotion and social cognition in SCZ and BD patients.”
“The ARGOS gene in Arabidopsis plays a key role in controlling plant organ size. To determine the function of it’s ortholog in rice, a putative ARGOS orthologous gene from rice tissues was isolated and designated as OsARGOS. This gene has only one copy in the rice genome. OsARGOS transcripts were detected in most of rice tissues, particularly in the young tissues, and its expression was induced in rice seedlings by the application of either auxin or cytokinin. A rabidopsis plants expressing OsARGOS led to larger organs, such as leaves and siliques, compared with wild-type plants.

However, postoperative heart failure occurs in patients with normal preoperative LVEF. Therefore, we examined

clinical and echocardiographic data of patients with rheumatic heart disease to determine additional risk factors for low LVEF in the postoperative period.

Methods and Results: Ninety-seven patients Selleckchem PHA-848125 with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) who underwent mitral valve replacement for severe mitral valve stenosis were included retrospectively in this study. All patients had normal LVEF before surgery. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on postoperative LVEF 6 months after surgery. Groups A had normal postoperative LVEF (82 cases, 84.5%), and group B had low postoperative LVEF (15 cases, 15.5%). Clinical and electrocardiographic data were collected to determine risk factors for deterioration in cardiac function.

Multivariate analysis revealed that preoperative low systolic peak velocities at the lateral tricuspid annulus (St) and no or mild aortic stenosis were independent risk factors for cardiac deterioration Mocetinostat nmr in patients with normal preoperative LVEF. Individuals

with preoperative St <= 4.8 cm/s were more likely to develop lower LVEF at follow-up (chi(2) = 7.54; P = .006; odds ratio 5.03, 95% confidence interval 1.31-20.82). All 15 patients who had normal preoperative LVEF but abnormal postoperative LVEF had no or only mild aortic valve stenosis.

Conclusions: Decreased right ventricular ACY-738 research buy function and no or mild aortic stenosis were independent risk factors for low LVEF at follow-up in patients with RHD who had normal preoperative LVEF. The velocity of the tricuspid valve ring should be included in preoperative evaluations to improve the accuracy of post-surgical prognosis and clinical decision making.”
“BACKGROUND: Inhibition of chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5), a chemokine receptor expressed on activated T cells, is efficacious in modulating inflammation and immunity as well as in patients

with human immunodeficiency virus infection. This study examined the effect and mechanism of CCR5 blockade in combination with cyclosporine in prolonging cardiac allograft survival in mice.

METHODS: Hearts from BALB/c mice were transplanted into C57BL/10 recipients. They were administrated with anti-CCR5 antibody (Ab) or control Ab and cyclosporine or phosphate-buffered (PBS) saline, respectively. To investigate the role of regulatory cells, naive mice (secondary recipients) underwent adoptive transfer of splenocytes from anti-CCR5 Ab plus cyclosporine-treated recipients and cardiac allograft transplantation.

RESULTS: Compared with recipients treated with control Ab plus PBS, allografts treated with anti-CCR5 Ab and cyclosporine showed significantly prolonged survival (p < 0.001), markedly decreased CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (p < 0.005), and increased frequency of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory cells (23.98% +/- 1.55% vs 6.30% +/- 0.57%, p < 0.005).

The fertility of CMS plants is restored in the presence of a nuclear-encoded fertility restorer (Rf) gene. In Lead Rice-type CMS, discovered in the indica variety ‘Lead Rice’, fertility of the CMS plant is restored by the single nuclear-encoded gene Rf2 in a gametophytic manner. We performed map-based cloning of Rf2, and proved that it encodes a protein consisting of 152 amino acids

with a glycine-rich domain. Expression of Rf2 mRNA was detected in developing and mature anthers. An RF2-GFP fusion was shown to be targeted to mitochondria. Replacement of isoleucine by threonine at amino acid 78 of the RF2 protein was considered to be the cause of PF-03084014 concentration functional loss in the rf2 allele. As Rf2 does not encode a pentatricopeptide repeat protein, unlike a majority of previously identified Rf genes, the data from this study provide new insights into the mechanism for restoring fertility https://www.selleckchem.com/products/gsk1120212-jtp-74057.html in CMS.”
“The novel bacterial cellulose (BC)/collagen composites were prepared by immersing wet BC pellicle excreted by Acetobacter xylinum in collagen solution followed by freeze-drying process. The product looks like a foam structure. The morphology of BC/collagen composite was examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and compared with pristine BC. SEM images showed that collagen molecules

was not only coated on the BC fibrils surface but also could penetrate inside BC and hydrogen bond interactions were formed between BC and collagen. The prepared BC/collagen composite was also characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and mechanical test. With the incorporation of collagen in the BC, no changes happened in the crystal structure but the thermal stability was improved. Tensile test results indicate that the Young’s Modulus QNZ molecular weight and tensile strength have a big increase while the elongation at break has a slight decrease. The cytocompatibility of composite was preliminarily evaluated by cell adhesion studies. The tests were carried out using

3T3 fibroblast cells. The cells incubated with BC/collagen scaffolds for 48 h were capable of forming cell adhesion and proliferation. It showed much better cytocompatibility than pure BC. So, the prepared BC/collagen scaffolds are bioactive and may be suitable for cell adhesion/attachment suggesting that these scaffolds can be used for wound dressing or tissue-engineering scaffolds. Therefore, these results suggest that these novel BC/collagen scaffolds may have the potential to be sued for some biomedical applications. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 120: 2938-2944, 2011″
“PURPOSE: To evaluate the change and difference in the corneal surface, incision, and handpiece temperatures during longitudinal and torsional ultrasound (US) phacoemulsification with standard incisions (2.75 mm) and microincisions (2.20 mm) and the thermal effect on wounds.

Nonmyelopathic causes resulted in 50% ARS-1620 in vivo of the revision surgery. Of 12 patients, 3 (25%) required revision surgery due to technique-related factors; 1 (8%) required surgery due to inadequate symptomatic relief after treatment; and 8 (67%) required revision surgery due to disease progression.

Conclusion. Of the 130 patients who underwent cervical laminoplasty over a 10-year period, 12 patients (9.2%) required revision

surgery. Although laminoplasty is generally successful, failures due to disease progression, technique-related factors, and inadequate symptomatic relief after treatment can occur. Patients should, therefore, be counseled regarding the potential need for revision surgery when undergoing open-door laminoplasty.”
“In this study, we immunized mice with prokaryotically expressed recombinant surface layer protein, SapA, of Campylobacter fetus, generated hybridomas secreting mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAb) targeting SapA, and purified the mAb A2D5 from mouse ascites using saturated ammonium sulfate solution. The mAb A2D5, coated onto ELISA plates, was used to screen the phage random 12-peptide library through three rounds of panning. Following panning, 15 phage clones were randomly chosen and tested for reactivity with mAb A2D5 by indirect ELISA. Single-stranded DNA from positive clones was sequenced and compared with the sequence of SapA to this website predict

the key epitope. ELISA and/or Western blot analyses further validated that synthetic peptides and recombinant peptide mimotopes all interact with mAb A2D5. Cilengitide mouse Nine of ten positive phage clones identified by screening were sequenced successfully. Seven clones shared the same sequence HYDRHNYHWWHT; one had the sequence LSKNLPLTALGN; and the final one had the sequence SGMKEPELRSYS. These three sequences shared high homology with SapA J05577 in the region GNEKDFVTKIYSIALGNTSDVDGINYW, in which the underlined amino acids may serve as key residues in the epitope. ELISA and/or Western blot analyses showed that mAb A2D5 not only interacted with the four synthetic peptide mimotopes, but also with 14

prokaryotically expressed recombinant peptide mimotopes. The mimotopes identified in this study will aid future studies into the pathological processes and immune mechanisms of the SapA protein of C. fetus. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Background: While studies from other countries have shown an excess mortality in diabetic individuals when compared with the general population, comparable long-term data is not available for Switzerland.

Aims: To assess gender-specific cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality of patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes compared with the general Swiss population between 1974 and 2005.

Design: 533 patients (225 type 1, 308 type 2 diabetes, 52.2% men) were followed for 30 years (10 349 person-years).

(C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 116: 3489-3496,2010″
“Currently, the emitter-wrap-through (EWT) design of Si solar cells is being intensively investigated as a potential candidate for cheap, low-quality Si materials. So far, experimentally achieved energy conversion efficiencies have stayed unexpectedly far below the expectations of common device theory. Therefore, we analyze

fabricated EWT cells in detail and refine device theory to account for the limiting loss mechanisms present only in EWT cells. By means of rigorous three-dimensional numerical device modeling, we show that the fill factor (FF) is significantly reduced, primarily due to a effect we call the via-resistance induced recombination enhancement effect. The FF is only secondarily reduced by the resistive losses in the vias where the emitter is learn more wrapped through

the cell. This implies that lowering the base resistivity will improve cell efficiency more effectively than lowering the resistance in the vias. Our simulations predict that the EWT design with a nonpassivated rear emitter and a homogeneous emitter diffusion leads to an efficiency improvement of about 1% absolute, as compared to the common front-junction design. This is so for excess carrier lifetimes in the bulk between 1 and 100 mu s, which means also for multicrystalline cells. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3373612]“
“Objective Given the potential and importance of personalized or individualized medicine for health care delivery and its effects on patients’ quality of life, a plenary session was devoted to personalized LEE011 ic50 medicine during the 19th Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality of Life Research held in October 2012 in Budapest, Hungary. This paper summarizes the three presentations and discusses their implications for quality-of-life research.

Methods Reviews of the literature and presentation of empirical studies.

Results Personalized screening for breast cancer. To individualize screening and only target those women with an increased risk for breast

cancer, researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm perform a large population-based study to identify high-risk women based on lifestyle, genetics, mammographic JNK-IN-8 price morphology, and other markers as well as quality of life. Personalized support for treatment adherence. Inclusion of a simple, brief adherence measure into the clinical visit has demonstrated significant improvement in medication-taking behaviour and resultant improvement in health status. Personalized diagnosis of mental disorders. The DSM-5, the current manual for mental disorders, contains patient-based symptom and diagnosis severity measures that allow more individualized diagnosis than was hitherto possible.

Conclusions Personalized medicine will continue to be increasingly applied and holds the potential to improve health outcomes including quality of life.

Recent findings

Conflicting findings emerged regarding

the role of traditional experimental pain tests, including pain threshold, supra-threshold magnitude estimation, and tolerance in the prediction of acute postoperative pain. Less efficient endogenous modulation and greater sensitization, as preoperatively assessed by advanced experimental pain tests, were associated with higher persistent postoperative pain scores.

Summary

The preoperative identification of individuals IWR-1-endo who have enhanced pain sensitivity and are at risk for developing persistent postoperative pain is important to providing them with better treatment that is specifically tailored to their altered pain modulation, as represented psychophysically.”
“(1-x)Pb(Zr0.47Ti0.53)O-3-xPb[(Ni0.6Zn0.4)(1/3)Nb-2/3]O-3 [(1-x)PZT-xP(NZ)N] ceramics with 0.22 <= x <= 0.45232 Staurosporine order have the tetragonal-pseudocubic morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). Their epsilon(T)(33)/epsilon(0) values considerably decreased but their d(33) values slowly decreased on the pseudocubic side of the MPB. Therefore, high d(33) x g(33) values were obtained from a composition on the pseudocubic of the MPB because g(33) is given as d(33)/epsilon(T)(33).

In particular, a very high d(33) x g(33) value of 20 134 x 10(-15) m(2)/N was observed from the 0.7PZT-0.3P(NZ)N ceramic sintered at 1000 degrees C for 2h, which had a pseudocubic structure. The 0.7PZT-0.3 P(NZ)N ceramic sintered at 950 degrees C also exhibited a similar d(33) x g(33) value of 20 179 x 10(-15) m(2)/N but it considerably decreased to 12 474 x 10(-1)5 m(2)/N for the 0.7PZT-0.3P(NZ)N ceramic sintered at 1100 degrees C for 2 h, which can be explained by the increased epsilon(T)(33) value that resulted from the increased grain size. The grain size

of this ceramic decreased as the sintering time decreased, resulting in an increase of the d(33) x g(33) value AZD8931 due to the decreasing epsilon T-33 value. The high d(33) x g(33) value of 19 572 x 10(-15) m(2)/N was also obtained from the 0.7PZT-0.3 P(NZ)N ceramic sintered at 1100 degrees C for 5.0 min, indicating that grain size is also important for obtaining a specimen with a high d(33) x g(33) value. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3653274]“
“Background: Routine Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing, called provider-initiated opt-out HIV testing and counseling (PITC), is recommended in African countries with high HIV prevalence. However, it is unknown whether PITC increases access to pediatric HIV care. In 2008, the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative implemented PITC (BIPAI-PITC) at a Malawian hospital. We sought to evaluate the influence of BIPAI-PITC, compared with nonroutine HIV testing (NRT), on pediatric HIV care access.

Methods: Retrospective data from 7077 pediatric inpatients were collected during sequential 4-month periods of NRT and BIPAI-PITC.