Browsing by Author "Duda, Stephany N."

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    Duration of anti-tuberculosis therapy and timing of antiretroviral therapy initiation: association with mortality in HIV-related tuberculosis
    (2013) Cortes, Claudia; Wehbe, Firas H.; McGowan, Catherine C.; Shepherd, Bryan E.; Duda, Stephany N.; Jenkins, Cathy A.; Gonzalez, Elsa; Carriquiry, Gabriela; Schechter, Mauro; Padgett, Denis; Cesar, Carina; Sierra Madero, Juan; Pape, Jean W.; Masys, Daniel R.; Sterling, Timothy R. ; South American Network for HIV Research (CCASA-net) of the International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA)
    Background Antiretroviral therapy (ART) decreases mortality risk in HIV-infected tuberculosis patients, but the effect of the duration of anti-tuberculosis therapy and timing of anti-tuberculosis therapy initiation in relation to ART initiation on mortality, is unclear. Methods We conducted a retrospective observational multi-center cohort study among HIV-infected persons concomitantly treated with Rifamycin-based anti-tuberculosis therapy and ART in Latin America. The study population included persons for whom 6 months of anti-tuberculosis therapy is recommended. Results Of 253 patients who met inclusion criteria, median CD4+ lymphocyte count at ART initiation was 64 cells/mm3, 171 (68%) received >180 days of anti-tuberculosis therapy, 168 (66%) initiated anti-tuberculosis therapy before ART, and 43 (17%) died. In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model that adjusted for CD4+ lymphocytes and HIV-1 RNA, tuberculosis diagnosed after ART initiation was associated with an increased risk of death compared to tuberculosis diagnosis before ART initiation (HR 2.40; 95% CI 1.15, 5.02; P = 0.02). In a separate model among patients surviving >6 months after tuberculosis diagnosis, after adjusting for CD4+ lymphocytes, HIV-1 RNA, and timing of ART initiation relative to tuberculosis diagnosis, receipt of >6 months of anti-tuberculosis therapy was associated with a decreased risk of death (HR 0.23; 95% CI 0.08, 0.66; P=0.007). Conclusions The increased risk of death among persons diagnosed with tuberculosis after ART initiation highlights the importance of screening for tuberculosis before ART initiation. The decreased risk of death among persons receiving > 6 months of anti-tuberculosis therapy suggests that current anti-tuberculosis treatment duration guidelines should be re-evaluated.
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    Lessons learned from over a decade of data audits in international observational HIV cohorts in Latin America and East Africa
    (Cambridge University Press & The Association for Clinical and Translational Science, 2023-11) Lotspeich, Sarah C.; Shepherd, Bryan E.; Kariuki, Marion Achieng; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara; McGowan, Catherine C.; Musick, Beverly; Semeere, Aggrey; Crabtree-Ramirez, Brenda; Mkwashapi, Denna M.; Cesar, Carina; Ssemakadde, Matthew; Machado, Daisy Maria; Ngeresa, Antony; Ferreira, Flávia Faleiro; Lwali, Jerome; Marcelin, Adias; Cardoso, Sandra Wagner; Luque, Marco Tulio; Otero, Larissa; Cortes, Claudia; Duda, Stephany N.
    Introduction: Routine patient care data are increasingly used for biomedical research, but such “secondary use” data have known limitations, including their quality. When leveraging routine care data for observational research, developing audit protocols that can maximize informational return and minimize costs is paramount. Methods: For more than a decade, the Latin America and East Africa regions of the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium have been auditing the observational data drawn from participating human immunodeficiency virus clinics. Since our earliest audits, where external auditors used paper forms to record audit findings from paper medical records, we have streamlined our protocols to obtain more efficient and informative audits that keep up with advancing technology while reducing travel obligations and associated costs. Results: We present five key lessons learned from conducting data audits of secondary-use data from resource-limited settings for more than 10 years and share eight recommendations for other consortia looking to implement data quality initiatives. Conclusion: After completing multiple audit cycles in both the Latin America and East Africa regions of the IeDEA consortium, we have established a rich reference for data quality in our cohorts, as well as large, audited analytical datasets that can be used to answer important clinical questions with confidence. By sharing our audit processes and how they have been adapted over time, we hope that others can develop protocols informed by our lessons learned from more than a decade of experience in these large, diverse cohorts.