Browsing by Author "Kampira, Elizabeth"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Pharmacogenetics of stavundine : role of genetic variation in mitochondrial DNA and polymerase gamma among adult Malawian HIV/AIDS patients
    (2013) Kampira, Elizabeth; Dandara, Collet; Kumwenda, Johnstone
    Infectious diseases are endemic in Africa, especially tuberculosis (TB), malaria and human immunodefiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Genomics research has the potential to improve the health of Africans through identification of genetic markers associated with either disease susceptibility or therapeutic drug response. This project was set to investigate the genetic correlates for drugs associated with mitochondrial toxicity that are used as part of HIV therapy, especially nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). Toxicity from NRTIs manifests through metabolic diseases such as peripheral neuropathy, lipodystrophy, lactic acidosis and hyperlactatemia but show interpatient variability. Studying African populations is likely to open the door for the population to benefit from novel diagnostic tools and drugs developed on the basis of pharmacogenomics knowledge. In an effort to contribute to this knowledge, the role of variation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and polymerase gamma (POL-γ) on how patients respond to stavudine-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) among adult Malawian HIV/AIDS patients was investigated.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    The pharmacologenetics of lopinavir in a cohort of black African HIV/AIDS patients
    (2015) Mpeta, Bafokeng; Dandara, Collet; Skelton, Michelle; Kampira, Elizabeth
    The Sub-Saharan African region remains the most severely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. At the end of 2011, The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimated that about 5% of adults were living with the HIV in this region, accounting for 69% of the global HIV prevalence. Efforts to curb the epidemic are focused on managing HIV through prevention strategies, such as advocating the use of condoms or pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylactic treatment, and prolonging life through the use of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy. Drugs used in ARV therapy target different major steps of the HIV reproductive cycle. These are nucleoside and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs/NNRTIs); fusion/entry inhibitors; integrase inhibitors; and protease inhibitors (PIs). In South Africa PIs, specifically lopinavir (LPV) boosted with another PI, ritonavir (RTV) are used in second-line ARV regimens along with a backbone of 2 NRTIs. The use of ARVs is not without issues - patients often experience side-effects to the drugs such as nausea, diarrhoea, and lipodystrophy with LPV use, which may influence their adherence to treatment and eventually lead to treatment failure. Inter-individual variability exists in patients' response to treatment despite the standard dose of 400 mg/100 mg (LPV/RTV) that is given and this may be due to differences in transport or metabolism of the drug in the liver. High plasma drug levels (associated with side-effects or toxicity) may be a result of poor metabolism or conversely, low plasma drug levels (associated with failure to suppress the virus) may be a result of extensive metabolism of the drug. Proteins involved in the disposition of LPV include the drug metabolising enzymes, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5; the hepatic uptake transporter, OATP1B1; and the efflux transporter, MRP2. Variation in the genes encoding these proteins may influence their functioning and hence LPV disposition. The aim of the study was to identify significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in each gene; to genotype a cohort of HIV-infected patients from Malawi and South Africa to identify the frequency of those variants; and to correlate genotypes with LPV plasma levels and other clinical parameters.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Stavudine toxicity in adult longer-term ART patients in Blantyre, Malawi
    (Public Library of Science, 2012) van Oosterhout, Joep J; Mallewa, Jane; Kaunda, Symon; Chagoma, Newton; Njalale, Yassin; Kampira, Elizabeth; Mukaka, Mavuto; Heyderman, Robert S
    BACKGROUND: Stavudine is an effective and inexpensive antiretroviral drug, but no longer recommended by WHO for first-line antiretroviral regimens in resource-limited settings due to toxicity concerns. Because of the high cost of alternative drugs, it has not been feasible to replace stavudine in most adults in the Malawi ART programme. We aimed to provide policy makers with a detailed picture of stavudine toxicities in Malawians on longer-term ART, in order to facilitate prioritization of stavudine replacement among other measures to improve the quality of ART programmes. METHODS: Prospective cohort of Malawian adults who had just completed one year of stavudine containing ART in an urban clinic, studying peripheral neuropathy, lipodystrophy, diabetes mellitus, high lactate syndromes, pancreatitis and dyslipidemia during 12 months follow up. Stavudine dosage was 30 mg irrespective of weight. Cox regression was used to determine associations with incident toxicities. RESULTS: 253 patients were enrolled, median age 36 years, 62.5% females. Prevalence rates (95%-confidence interval) of toxicities after one year on stavudine were: peripheral neuropathy 21.3% (16.5-26.9), lipodystrophy 14.7% (2.4-8.1), high lactate syndromes 0.0% (0-1.4), diabetes mellitus 0.8% (0-2.8), pancreatitis 0.0% (0-1.5). Incidence rates per 100 person-years (95%-confidence interval) during the second year on stavudine were: peripheral neuropathy 19.8 (14.3-26.6), lipodystrophy 11.4 (7.5-16.3), high lactate syndromes 2.1 (0.7-4.9), diabetes mellitus 0.4 (0.0-1.4), pancreatitis 0.0 (0.0-0.2). Prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia increased from 12.1% to 21.1% and from 29.5% to 37.6% respectively between 12 and 24 months. 5.5% stopped stavudine, 1.3% died and 4.0% defaulted during follow up. Higher age was an independent risk factor for incident peripheral neuropathy and lipodystrophy. CONCLUSION: Stavudine associated toxicities continued to accumulate during the second year of ART, especially peripheral neuropathy and lipodystrophy and more so at increasing age. Our findings support investments for replacing stavudine in first-line regimens in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Towards Evidence-Based Implementation of Pharmacogenomics in Southern Africa: Comorbidities and Polypharmacy Profiles across Diseases
    (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2023-07-26) Soko, Nyarai Desiree; Muyambo, Sarudzai; Dandara, Michelle T. L.; Kampira, Elizabeth; Blom, Dirk; Jones, Erika S. W.; Rayner, Brian; Shamley, Delva; Sinxadi, Phumla; Dandara, Collet
    Pharmacogenomics may improve patient care by guiding drug selection and dosing; however, this requires prior knowledge of the pharmacogenomics of drugs commonly used in a specific setting. The aim of this study was to identify a preliminary set of pharmacogenetic variants important in Southern Africa. We describe comorbidities in 3997 patients from Malawi, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. These patient cohorts were included in pharmacogenomic studies of anticoagulation, dyslipidemia, hypertension, HIV and breast cancer. The 20 topmost prescribed drugs in this population were identified. Using the literature, a list of pharmacogenes vital in the response to the top 20 drugs was constructed leading to drug–gene pairs potentially informative in translation of pharmacogenomics. The most reported morbidity was hypertension (58.4%), making antihypertensives the most prescribed drugs, particularly amlodipine. Dyslipidemia occurred in 31.5% of the participants, and statins were the most frequently prescribed as cholesterol-lowering drugs. HIV was reported in 20.3% of the study participants, with lamivudine/stavudine/efavirenz being the most prescribed antiretroviral combination. Based on these data, pharmacogenes of immediate interest in Southern African populations include ABCB1, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 CYP3A4, CYP3A5, SLC22A1, SLCO1B1 and UGT1A1. Variants in these genes are a good starting point for pharmacogenomic translation programs in Southern Africa.