Current HIV Research - Volume 10, Issue 8, 2012

Background: Many studies have revealed a protective effect of infection with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) or simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) against subsequent infection by a related immunodeficiency virus. However, whether a protective response can be induced by an infection with an immunodeficiency virus is still currently debated in the HIV-1 vaccine field. The aim of this study was to e Read More

Binding of HIV gp120 to the chemokine coreceptor CXCR4 mediates signal transduction that promotes actin dynamics critical for the establishment of viral latency in resting CD4 T cells. To some extent, this gp120-mediated signal transduction resembles the chemotactic response mediated by chemokines such as the stromal cell-derived factor-1 alpha (SDF-1). It has been suggested that gp120 functions as a bona fide chemoki Read More

Gold nanoparticles stabilized with polyethylene glycol were used to study their cytotoxicity and antiviral activity against HIV-1 in the laboratory. The HeLa-CD4-LTR-B-gal cell line was used with gold nanoparticles to determine the cell viability using luminescent assay. The 50% cytotoxicity concentration, IC50 of gold nanoparticles was found to be 1.12 ± 0.05 mg/ml. M-tropic, T-tropic, dual tropic and resistant isolates were i Read More

The nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), zidovudine (AZT) and stavudine (d4T) are thymidine analog drugs recommended as first-line antiretroviral therapy in HIV-1-naive patients. Two thymidine analog mutation (TAM) pathways, TAM-1 and TAM-2, confer high levels of resistance with mutations in the viral RT. The relative prevalence of TAM pathways and their associations with other NRTI resistance mut Read More

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphism of the hepatic cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 2B6 (CYP2B6) gene is a cause of variation in plasma efavirenz (EFV) concentrations. We aimed to determine the allelic distribution of CYP2B6 gene, plasma levels of EFV, the prevalence of clinical depression, and their correlations in northern Thai population. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of HIV-infected patients on EFV- Read More

Despite the remarkable success of combination antiretroviral therapy, usually including the association of three antiretroviral drugs selected from two different classes, the possibility of treating HIV-infected patients with one single potent agent as simplified maintenance regimen has attracted clinicians and researchers over the past years. Monotherapy with one ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor in subjects with persistently su Read More

Objectives: To describe the efficacy and tolerability of switching to raltegravir (RAL) in virologically suppressed HIV-1-infected patients during routine clinical practice. Methods: A total number of 263 subjects (189 men, median age 48.1 years) with HIV-1 RNA < 50 copies/mL for ≥ 6 months were switched to RAL (400 mg b.i.d). Reasons for change were toxicity (49.0%), drug interactions (6.1%) or convenience (28.6%) (switch from Read More

Background: The course over time of different fibrosis parameters in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who did not suppress HCV during anti-HCV therapy, and in patients who suppressed HCV but relapsed after treatment discontinuation is unclear. Methods: A total of 248 patients were included in the study (81 non-responders, 49 relapsers, and 118 control, untreated patients). Four primary non-invasive fibrosis indices (t Read More

Background & Aims: Considering the disadvantages of liver biopsy, alternative noninvasive methods have been sought to assess the stage of liver fibrosis. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of different stages of chronic liver disease using noninvasive methods (transition elastography (Fibroscan®) and Forns and AST-to-platelet ratio index–APRI-indexes) in HCV/HIV-coinfected patients. Materials & Methods: Read More

Background: A possible viral etiology has been documented in the genesis of motor neuron disorders and acquired peripheral neuropathies, mainly due to the vulnerability of peripheral nerves and the anterior horn to certain viruses. In recent years, several reports show association of HIV infection with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – Syndrome, Motor Neuron Diseases and peripheral neuropathies. Objective: To report a cas Read More

This study aimed to describe the epidemiological, immunological and molecular features of infection by the human T-lymphotropic virus-1/2 (HTLV-1/2) in individuals with HIV-1 in an urban area of Piaui State, Brazil. Exclusion criteria included patients under 18 years of age, pregnant women or Amerindians. Of 805 individuals analyzed by the serological method (ELISA) for the detection of anti-HTLV-1/2, 18 (2.24%) were positive, Read More

Illicit drug use in HIV-infected patients can be linked to impairment of physical and mental health, low healthrelated quality of life, and suboptimal adherence to HIV treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of selfreport illicit drug use, urinalysis for cocaine and cannabis metabolites, and severity of dependence among HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a treatment center in Brazil. Fou Read More