Person: Kupka, Roland
Loading...
Email Address
AA Acceptance Date
Birth Date
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Job Title
Last Name
Kupka
First Name
Roland
Name
Kupka, Roland
9 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
Publication Multivitamin supplementation improves haematologic status in children born to HIV-positive women in Tanzania(International AIDS Society, 2013) Liu, Enju; Duggan, Christopher; Manji, Karim P; Kupka, Roland; Aboud, Said; Bosch, Ronald; Kisenge, Rodrick R; Okuma, James; Fawzi, WafaieIntroduction: Anaemia is prevalent among children born to HIV-positive women, and it is associated with adverse effects on cognitive and motor development, growth, and increased risks of morbidity and mortality. Objective: To examine the effect of daily multivitamin supplementation on haematologic status and mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV through breastfeeding. Methods: A total of 2387 infants born to HIV-positive women from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, and provided a daily oral supplement of multivitamins (vitamin B complex, C and E) or placebo at age 6 weeks for 24 months. Among them, 2008 infants provided blood samples and had haemoglobin concentrations measured at baseline and during a follow-up period. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin concentrations<11 g/dL and severe anaemia<8.5 g/dL. Results: Haemoglobin concentrations among children in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the placebo group at 12 (9.77 vs. 9.64 g/dL, p=0.03), 18 (9.76 vs. 9.57 g/dL, p=0.004), and 24 months (9.93 vs. 9.75 g/dL, p=0.02) of follow-up. Compared to those in the placebo group, children in the treatment group had a 12% lower risk of anaemia (hazard ratio (HR): 0.88; 95% CI: 0.79–0.99; p=0.03). The treatment was associated with a 28% reduced risk of severe anaemia among children born to women without anaemia (HR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.56–0.92; p=0.008), but not among those born to women with anaemia (HR: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.79–1.54; p=0.57; p for interaction=0.007). One thousand seven hundred fifty three infants who tested HIV-negative at baseline and had HIV testing during follow-up were included in the analysis for MTCT of HIV. No association was found between multivitamin supplements and MTCT of HIV. Conclusions: Multivitamin supplements improve haematologic status among children born to HIV-positive women. Further trials focusing on anaemia among HIV-exposed children are warranted in the context of antiretroviral therapy.Publication C-reactive protein independently predicts HIV-related outcomes among women and children in a resource-poor setting(Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health), 2007) Drain, Paul K; Kupka, Roland; Msamanga, Gernard I; Urassa, Willy; Mugusi, Ferdinand; Fawzi, WafaieObjective To evaluate C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory marker, as a predictor of HIV-related outcomes among women and children in a resource-poor setting. Design We measured serum CRP concentration among 606 HIV-infected women, all of whom were not taking highly-active antiretroviral therapy, 3 to 11 months after they gave birth, and assessed relationships of CRP to HIV-related endpoints, including maternal disease progression, mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and maternal and child mortality. Methods We used Cox proportional hazards and logistic regression models adjusted for age, sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, hemoglobin, CD4 cell count, HIV viral load, and, for child outcomes, breastfeeding status. Results Ninety-four women had a high CRP concentration (>10 mg/l). During the study follow-up, 56 women progressed to WHO stage 4 and 188 died, and a high maternal CRP concentration was significantly associated with a 2.26-fold (95% CI 1.64–3.12) greater risk of progression to stage 4 or death. Among children, 174 acquired HIV and 116 died by age 2 years, and a high maternal CRP concentration was associated with a 3.03-fold (95% CI 1.85–4.96) greater risk of child mortality. In multivariate analyses among adults, a high maternal CRP concentration was significantly associated with a 1.55-fold (95% CI 1.08–2.23) greater risk of progression to stage 4 or death. A maternal CRP concentration was not significantly associated with mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Conclusions A high maternal CRP concentration independently predicts HIV disease progression, maternal mortality, and child mortality in a resource-poor setting. C-reactive protein may be an important and inexpensive prognostic indicator for HIV-infected women and their children.Publication Predictors of stillbirth among HIV-infected Tanzanian women(Wiley-Blackwell, 2009) Kupka, Roland; Kassaye, Tarik; Saathoff, Elmar; Hertzmark, Ellen; Msamanga, Gernard I.; Fawzi, WafaieObjective: To determine maternal risk factors for stillbirth among pregnant HIV-infected women in sub-Saharan Africa. Design: Prospective cohort study nested within a micronutrient trial. At enrollment, maternal sociodemographic, obstetric, immunologic, clinical, and nutritional variables were measured. Women were followed through monthly clinic visits until delivery. Multivariate predictors of stillbirth were identified in Poisson regression models. Setting: Antenatal clinic in a tertiary care hospital in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Population: N = 1,078 women enrolled between 12 and 27 weeks of gestation. Main outcome measures: Stillbirth (delivery of dead baby ≥ 28 weeks’ gestation), fresh stillbirth, and macerated stillbirth. Results: Among 1,017 singleton pregnancies, there were 49 stillbirths, yielding a stillbirth risk of 50.0 per 1,000 deliveries (95% Confidence Interval(CI) = 37.2, 65.6). Of stillbirths with known type, 53.7% were fresh and 46.3% macerated. In multivariate analyses, baseline measures of late ( ≥ 21 weeks’ gestation) study entry (Relative Risk (RR) = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.17, 3.87), CD3 count ≥ 1,179 cells/ml (RR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.16, 4.01), stillbirth history (RR = 3.53, 95% CI = 1.30, 9.59), primiparity (RR = 3.65, 95% CI = 1.83, 7.29), and syphilis infection (RR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.09, 3.88) predicted increased stillbirth risk. Late study entry, illiteracy, stillbirth history, primiparity, CD3 count ≥ 1,179 cells/ml, gonorrhea infection, and previous hospitalization predicted increased risk of fresh stillbirth, while living alone and syphilis infection predicted increased risk of macerated stillbirth. Conclusions: Applying antenatal screening and preventive tools for the socioeconomic, obstetric, immunologic, and clinical risk factors identified may assist in reducing the high incidence of stillbirth among HIV-infected women in urban sub-Saharan Africa.Publication Effect of Selenium Supplements on Hemoglobin Concentration and Morbidity among HIV‐1–Infected Tanzanian Women(Oxford University Press (OUP), 2009) Kupka, Roland; Mugusi, Ferdinand; Aboud, Said; Hertzmark, Ellen; Spiegelman, Donna; Fawzi, WafaieSelenium deficiency may increase risks of anemia and morbidity among people with human immunodeficiency virus infection. We therefore investigated the effect of selenium supplements (200 µg of selenomethionine) on these end points among 915 pregnant Tanzanian women. Hemoglobin concentration was measured at baseline (at 12–27 weeks of gestation) and at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum, and morbidity data were collected during monthly visits to the clinic. Selenium supplements had no effect on hemoglobin concentrations during follow-up (mean difference, 0.05 g/dL; 95% confidence interval, −0.07 to 0.16 g/dL) but reduced diarrheal morbidity risk by 40% (relative risk, 0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.42–0.84). There was no effect on the other morbidity end points.Publication Predictors and consequences of anaemia among antiretroviral-naïve HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected children in Tanzania(Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2009) Chatterjee, Anirban; Bosch, Ronald; Kupka, Roland; Hunter, David; Msamanga, Gernard I; Fawzi, WafaieObjective Predictors and consequences of childhood anaemia in settings with high HIV prevalence are not well known. The aims of the present study were to identify maternal and child predictors of anaemia among children born to HIV-infected women and to study the association between childhood anaemia and mortality. Design Prospective cohort study. Maternal characteristics during pregnancy and Hb measurements at 3-month intervals from birth were available for children. Information was also collected on malaria and HIV infection in the children, who were followed up for survival status until 24 months after birth. Setting Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Subjects The study sample consisted of 829 children born to HIV-positive women. Results Advanced maternal clinical HIV disease (relative risk (RR) for stage ≥2 v. stage 1: 1.31, 95% CI 1.14, 1.51) and low CD4 cell counts during pregnancy (RR for <350 cells/mm3 v. ≥350 cells/mm3: 1.58, 95% CI 1.05, 2.37) were associated with increased risk of anaemia among children. Birth weight <2500 g, preterm birth (<34 weeks), malaria parasitaemia and HIV infection in the children also increased the risk of anaemia. Fe-deficiency anaemia in children was an independent predictor of mortality in the first two years of life (hazard ratio 1.99, 95 % CI 1.06, 3.72). Conclusions Comprehensive care including highly active antiretroviral therapy to eligible HIV-infected women during pregnancy could reduce the burden of anaemia in children. Programmes for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and antimalarial treatment to children could improve child survival in settings with high HIV prevalence.Publication Effect of selenium supplementation on HIV-1 RNA detection in breast milk of Tanzanian women(Elsevier BV, 2014) Sudfeld, Christopher; Aboud, Said; Kupka, Roland; Mugusi, Ferdinand M.; Fawzi, WafaieObjective Selenium supplementation for HIV-infected women may increase genital shedding of HIV-1, but no studies have examined the effect on viral shedding in breast milk. Research Methods and Procedures HIV-infected pregnant women enrolled at 12–27 weeks gestation in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of daily selenium (200 μg as selenomethionine) had cell-free HIV-1 RNA quantified in breast milk at 4–9 weeks postpartum. All participants received high dose multivitamins containing vitamin B-complex, C, and E as standard of care. Results The proportion of women with detectable (>50 copies/mL) HIV-1 RNA in breast milk appeared to be increased in the selenium group (36.4%) as compared to the placebo (27.5%) among the total cohort (n=420), but results were borderline statistically significant (RR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.00–1.76; p=0.05). In secondary analyses, the proportion of women with detectable HIV-1 RNA in breast milk was significantly greater in the selenium group (37.8%) as compared to placebo (27.5%) among women who did not receive HAART (RR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.03–1.82; p=0.03). This relationship was primarily due to a significant effect of selenium among primiparous women (RR: 2.24; 95% CI: 1.30–3.86; p<0.01), but not multiparous women (RR: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.81–1.59; p=0.54) (p-value for interaction=0.02). Too few women received HAART in this study (n=12) to establish the effect of selenium supplementation. Conclusions Selenium supplementation appears to increase HIV-1 RNA detection in breast milk among primiparous women not receiving HAART. Safety studies among pregnant women on HAART need to be conducted before providing selenium containing supplements.Publication Role of selenium in HIV infection(Oxford University Press (OUP), 2010) Stone, Cosby A; Kawai, Kosuke; Kupka, Roland; Fawzi, WafaieHIV infection is a global disease that disproportionately burdens populations with nutritional vulnerabilities. Laboratory experiments have shown that selenium has an inhibitory effect on HIV in vitro through antioxidant effects of glutathione peroxidase and other selenoproteins. Numerous studies have reported low selenium status in HIV-infected individuals, and serum selenium concentration declines with disease progression. Some cohort studies have shown an association between selenium deficiency and progression to AIDS or mortality. In several randomized controlled trials, selenium supplementation has reduced hospitalizations, diarrheal morbidity, and improved CD4 cell counts, but the evidence remains mixed. Additional trials are recommended to study the effect of selenium supplementation on opportunistic infections, and other HIV disease related comorbidities in the context of highly active antiretroviral therapy in both developing and developed countries.Publication Predictors of anaemia and iron deficiency in HIV-infected pregnant women in Tanzania: a potential role for vitamin D and parasitic infections(Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2011) Finkelstein, Julia; Mehta, Saurabh; Duggan, Christopher; Spiegelman, Donna; Aboud, Said; Kupka, Roland; Msamanga, Gernard I; Fawzi, WafaieObjective Anaemia is common during pregnancy, and prenatal Fe supplementation is the standard of care. However, the persistence of anaemia despite Fe supplementation, particularly in HIV infection, suggests that its aetiology may be more complex and warrants further investigation. The present study was conducted to examine predictors of incident haematological outcomes in HIV-infected pregnant women in Tanzania. Design Prospective cohort study. Cox proportional hazards and binomial regression models were used to identify predictors of incident haematological outcomes: anaemia (Hb < 110 g/l), severe anaemia (Hb < 85 g/l) and hypochromic microcytosis, during the follow-up period. Setting Antenatal clinics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Subjects Participants were 904 HIV-infected pregnant women enrolled in a randomized trial of vitamins (1995–1997). Results Malaria, pathogenic protozoan and hookworm infections at baseline were associated with a two-fold increase in the risk of anaemia and hypochromic microcytosis during follow-up. Higher baseline erythrocyte sedimentation rate and CD8 T-cell concentrations, and lower Hb concentrations and CD4 T-cell counts, were independent predictors of incident anaemia and Fe deficiency. Low baseline vitamin D (<32 ng/ml) concentrations predicted a 1·4 and 2·3 times greater risk of severe anaemia and hypochromic microcytosis, respectively, during the follow-up period. Conclusions Parasitic infections, vitamin D insufficiency, low CD4 T-cell count and high erythrocyte sedimentation rate were the main predictors of anaemia and Fe deficiency in pregnancy and the postpartum period in this population. A comprehensive approach to prevent and manage anaemia, including micronutrient supplementation and infectious disease control, is warranted in HIV-infected women in resource-limited settings – particularly during the pre- and postpartum periods.Publication Predictors of stunting, wasting, and underweight among Tanzanian children born to HIV-infected women(2012) McDonald, Christine M.; Kupka, Roland; Manji, Karim P.; Okuma, James; Bosch, Ronald; Aboud, Said; Kisenge, Rodrick; Spiegelman, Donna; Fawzi, Wafaie; Duggan, ChristopherBackground: Children born to HIV-infected women are susceptible to undernutrition, but modifiable risk factors and the time course of the development of undernutrition have not been well characterized. Objective: To identify maternal, socioeconomic, and child characteristics that are associated with stunting, wasting, and underweight among Tanzanian children born to HIV-infected mothers, followed from 6 weeks for 24 months. Methods: Maternal and socioeconomic characteristics were recorded during pregnancy, data pertaining to the infant’s birth were collected immediately after delivery, morbidity histories and anthropometric measurements were performed monthly. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards methods were used to assess the association between potential predictors and the time to first episode of stunting, wasting, and underweight. Results: 2387 infants (54.0% male) were enrolled and followed for a median duration of 21.2 months. The respective prevalence of prematurity (<37 weeks) and low birthweight (<2500g) was 15.2% and 7.0%; 11.3% of infants were HIV-positive at 6 weeks. Median time to first episode of stunting, wasting, and underweight was 8.7, 7.2, and 7.0 months, respectively. Low maternal education, few household possessions, low infant birthweight, child HIV infection and male sex were all independent predictors of stunting, wasting, and underweight. In addition, preterm infants were more likely to become wasted and underweight, whereas those with a low Apgar score at birth were more likely to become stunted. Conclusion: Interventions to improve maternal education and nutritional status, reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and increase birth weight may lower the risk of undernutrition among children born to HIV-infected women.