Pam Crutsinger HIV/AIDSGroup 10 April 17th 2013 Objective: The objectives of these trials were to see how the

perspective vitamin/mineral effects the adherence of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The first study was a double-bind, placebo controlled trial of oral selenium supplementation in Florida consisting of both men and women with different stages of HIV/AIDS. The second study was an individual, cross-sectional comparative study that focused on the effects of vitamin C supplementation in women who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. In both studies, the authors hypothesized that the vitamin/mineral would increase serum levels, decrease viral load, and increase CD4 counts. Methods: The selenium trial involved an extensive participant screening process. The trial consisted of two phases: the pretreatment phase and the treatment phase. The pretreatment phase included a full examination in order to have an accurate baseline to compare the final results to. The treatment phase involved the appropriate group to take a selenium supplement of 200 mcg/day. The second study was an observational cohort study within the WIHS observational cohort study. Participants visited the study site every 6 months from October 1994-April 2009. In the interviews, data was collected for the following categories: substance use, disease outcomes, sexual behaviors, healthcare utilization, and vitamin C consumption. Results: The selenium trial found that the participants that responded to the selenium supplementation had an increased selenium serum concentration than those who were in the placebo group. Along with increased serum levels, decreased viral load and increased CD4 cell counts were also observed in the selenium responders. The results of the vitamin C trial showed evidence that supplementation significantly increased HAART adherence. More specifically, a 44% increase in 95% HAART adherence was shown in participants during their period of Vitamin C intake versus periods while not ingesting Vitamin C. However, the results associated with CD4 cell counts and viral load were mixedthere was no evidence supporting the relationship between these measurements. Discussion: Both selenium and vitamin C can be used at supplemental treatments in HIV/AIDS therapy. Both of these substances can be used to increase adherence of HAART adherence however, only selenium is proven to decrease viral load and increase CD4 count. References Gandhi M, Merenstein D, Wang C, et al. An investigation of the possible interaction between the use of Vitamin C and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) adherence and effectiveness in treated HIV+ women. Hurwitz BE, Klaus JR, Llabre MM, et al. Suppression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Viral Load With Selenium Supplementation: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Arch Intern Med. 2007;167(2):148-154. doi:10.1001/archinte.167.2.148