Interest of proviral HIV-1 DNA genotypic resistance testing in virologically suppressed patients candidate for maintenance therapy

Switch of antiretroviral therapy in virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients is frequent, to prevent toxicities, for simplification or convenience reasons. Pretherapeutic genotypic resistance testing on RNA can be lacking in some patients, which could enhance the risk of virologic failure, if resistance-associated mutations of the new regimen are not taken into account. Proviral DNA resistance testing in 69 virologically suppressed patients on antiretroviral treatment with no history of virological failure were pair-wised compared with pre-ART plasma RNA resistance testing. The median time between plasma (RNA testing) and whole blood (proviral DNA testing) was 47 months (IQR 29-63). A stop codon was evidenced in 23% (16/69) of proviral DNA sequences; these strains were considered as defective, non-replicative, and not taken into consideration. Within the non defective strains, concordance rate between plasma RNA and non-defective proviral DNA was high both on protease (194/220 concordant resistance-associated mutations=88%) and reverse transcriptase (28/37 concordant resistance-associated mutations=76%) genes. This study supports that proviral DNA testing might be an informative tool before switching antiretrovirals in virologically suppressed patients with no history of virological failure, but the interpretation should be restricted to non-defective viruses.

Visual field defects in vascular lesions of the lateral geniculate body

Corresponding retinal nerve fibres begin their path in the eyes and end in a single visual cortical cell. Because of this arrangement, lesions in the anterior visual pathway produce incongruent visual field defects and in the posterior pathway congruent field defects. The lateral geniculate body is on the anterior third of the visual pathway. A lesion of this nucleus produces moderately to completely congruent visual field defects. Five patients with ischaemic lesions of the lateral geniculate body are reported. Two patients had a wedge-shaped homonymous hemianopia, two other cases had congruent superior homonymous quadratic defects and the fifth a quadruple sector defect. The lateral geniculate body has a dual blood supply from the anterior choroidal artery (branch from internal carotid artery) and from the lateral choroidal artery (branch from the posterior cerebral artery). A schematic diagram has been devised which shows that a knowledge of the visual field disrupted can identify the arterial system involved.

[Auditory evoked potentials in Fisher's syndrome. A clinical case]

A 15 year old patient developed ataxia 2 weeks after an upper respiratory infection. Absent reflexes, external ophthalmoplegia, bilateral ptosis, isochoric mydriasis and week photomotor reflexes (Bell's phenomenon) were noted. A slight increase in protein but not cell content of the CSF was observed. Miller-Fisher syndrome was diagnosed on clinical grounds and visual and auditory evoked potentials were explored and found to be normal. This is in complete agreement to the literature and indicates indemnity of the central nervous system in Miller-Fisher's syndrome. Peripheral nervous system abnormalities that have been identified by pathologic and radiologic studies may explain all of the alterations observed in this syndrome.