Follow-up, assessments and samples
ADVERSE EFFECTS, STERILE, BLOOD
Patients were evaluated at baseline and 4, 8, 12 and 24 weeks after the initiation of treatment, including adherence, adverse effects, haematology and biochemistry tests, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts in fresh blood (FC 500 flow cytometer, Beckman Coulter, Brea, CA, USA). Participants collected semen samples into a dry sterile container about 1 h before blood samples were taken. Semen samples were processed within 2 h after collection. SP was separated by centrifugation and stored at −80°C until tested. Blood plasma (BP) and SP HIV-1-RNA levels were measured by PCR (Cobas 6800 system; Roche Diagnostics) with a lower detection limit of 20 copies/mL.