Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simona Ruta, Laura Grecu, Diana Iacob, Costin Cernescu, Camelia Sultana
Summary: HIV-HBV coinfected patients have higher rates of liver-related morbidity, hospitalizations, and mortality compared to HBV or HIV mono-infected ones. Clinical studies have shown an accelerated progression of liver fibrosis and an increased incidence of HCC, resulting from the combined action of HBV replication, immune-mediated hepatocytolysis, and HIV-induced immunosuppression and immunosenescence.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Binglan Li, Yogasudha Veturi, Anurag Verma, Yuki Bradford, Eric S. Daar, Roy M. Gulick, Sharon A. Riddler, Gregory K. Robbins, Jeffrey L. Lennox, David W. Haas, Marylyn D. Ritchie
Summary: The transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) is a bioinformatics methodology for identifying complex trait-associated genes. Different TWAS methods have varying advantages in dealing with different biological scenarios and research questions. Thus, a novel TWAS analytic framework has been proposed to integrate and maximize the performance of multiple TWAS methods, with validation using a well-studied real-world dataset.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Romel D. Mackelprang, Abdelali Filali-Mouhim, Brian Richardson, Francois Lefebvre, Elly Katabira, Allan Ronald, Glenda Gray, Kristen W. Cohen, Nichole R. Klatt, Tiffany Pecor, Connie Celum, M. Juliana McElrath, Sean M. Hughes, Florian Hladik, Mark J. Cameron, Jairam R. Lingappa
Summary: Chronic immune activation during HIV-1 infection is characterized by persistent elevation of a narrow set of interferon-stimulated genes and innate cytokines. Genes such as MX1, IFI27, ISG15 are upregulated and correlated with plasma HIV-1 RNA, TNF-a, and CXCL10 cytokine levels during acute and chronic infection. In contrast, genes involved in cellular immune responses, such as CD8A, are upregulated during acute infection before returning to near pre-infection levels in chronic infection. These findings suggest the potential for targeted interventions to restore healthy immune homeostasis in people living with HIV-1.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Paula Suanzes, Jordi Navarro, Ariadna Rando-Segura, Patricia Alvarez-Lopez, Jorge Garcia, Vicente Descalzo, Arnau Monforte, Maider Arando, Lucia Rodriguez, Bibiana Planas, Joaquin Burgos, Adrian Curran, Maria Jose Buzon, Vicenc Falco
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the impact of starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) within the first 30 days after acquiring HIV infection on immunovirological response. The results showed that patients who started ART very early or early and were treated with INSTI-based regimens achieved immune recovery earlier. The CD4+/CD8+ ratio before ART initiation and the use of INSTI-based regimens were the strongest predictors of immune recovery.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Alexis Yero, Tao Shi, Jean-Pierre Routy, Cecile Tremblay, Madeleine Durand, Cecilia T. T. Costiniuk, Mohammad-Ali Jenabian
Summary: This study found that acute and chronic HIV infection are associated with an increase in total, effector memory, and terminally differentiated FoxP3(+) CD8 T-cells. Early antiretroviral therapy (ART) only normalized the frequencies of total FoxP3(+) CD8 T-cells. The study also observed increased immune activation, senescence, and PD-1 expression in FoxP3(+) CD8 T-cells during acute and chronic infection, which were not normalized by early ART.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Virology
Elena Bruzzesi, Arianna Gabrieli, Davide Bernasconi, Giulia Marchetti, Andrea Calcagno, Diego Ripamonti, Andrea Antinori, Nicola Squillace, Antonella Cingolani, Antonio Muscatello, Alessandra Bandera, Andrea Gori, Stefano Rusconi, Silvia Nozza, INACTION Study Grp
Summary: The introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) during primary HIV-1 infection (PHI) can restrict the establishment of HIV reservoirs. This study aimed to assess the effect of three different ART regimens on HIV-DNA load in individuals living with HIV (PLWH) who started ART in PHI. The results showed that regardless of the treatment regimen, the HIV-DNA load in PLWH decreased during the treatment period.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Patience Nyakato, Michael Schomaker, Nosisa Sipambo, Karl-Gunter Technau, Geoffrey Fatti, Helena Rabie, Frank Tanser, Brian Eley, Jonathan Euvrard, Robin Wood, Priscilla R. Tsondai, Constantin T. Yiannoutsos, Morna Cornell, Mary-Ann Davies
Summary: The study found that as adolescents age between 10 and 14 years, they are increasingly likely to experience higher viral load values, particularly if receiving second-line protease inhibitor or NNRTI-based regimens, which warrant adherence support interventions.
Article
Virology
Isabella Abbate, Gabriella Rozera, Eleonora Cimini, Fabrizio Carletti, Eleonora Tartaglia, Marika Rubino, Silvia Pittalis, Rozenn Esvan, Roberta Gagliardini, Annalisa Mondi, Valentina Mazzotta, Marta Camici, Enrico Girardi, Francesco Vaia, Vincenzo Puro, Andrea Antinori, Fabrizio Maggi
Summary: This study evaluated TTV replication in patients with acute HIV infection and found that it is regulated by the immune system. During antiretroviral therapy, there was a transient increase in TTV DNA levels, which were associated with perturbation of activation and senescence markers on CD8 T cells.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Davies O. Kimanga, Violet A. Oramisi, Amin S. Hassan, Mary K. Mugambi, Frederick O. Miruka, Kennedy J. Muthoka, Jacob O. Odhiambo, Peter K. Yegon, Gonza O. Omoro, Catherine Mbaire, Kenneth M. Masamaro, Susan M. Njogo, Joseph L. Barker, Catherine N. Ngugi
Summary: This study describes the usage of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in routine HIV programs in Kenya. The results show that although the universal test-and-treat (UTT) policy has been widely accepted in Kenya, there is a high rate of non-retention within 12 months and no association with initial virologic non-suppression.
Article
Cell Biology
Ciputra Adijaya Hartana, Pilar Garcia-Broncano, Yelizaveta Rassadkina, Xiaodong Lian, Chenyang Jiang, Kevin B. Einkauf, Kenneth Maswabi, Gbolahan Ajibola, Sikhulile Moyo, Terence Mohammed, Comfort Maphorisa, Joseph Makhema, Yuko Yuki, Maureen Martin, Kara Bennett, Patrick Jean-Philippe, Mathias Viard, Michael D. Hughes, Kathleen M. Powis, Mary Carrington, Shahin Lockman, Ce Gao, Xu G. Yu, Daniel R. Kuritzkes, Roger Shapiro, Mathias Lichterfeld
Summary: Initiation of early antiretroviral therapy in infected neonates can limit viral reservoir seeding, but it does not prevent long-term HIV-1 persistence. The study found that rapid decline of HIV-1 proviruses occurred after initiation of ART in neonates, accompanied by an increase in cytotoxic natural killer (NK) cell populations and a decrease in inhibitory NK cell subsets. Immune perturbations observed in certain immune cell types at birth were normalized after early institution of antiretroviral therapy, but they did not significantly influence HIV-1 reservoir cell dynamics.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Stephanie Shiau, Renate Strehlau, Yanhan Shen, Yun He, Faeezah Patel, Megan Burke, Elaine J. Abrams, Caroline T. Tiemessen, Shuang Wang, Louise Kuhn
Summary: This study examines factors influencing viral response in neonates initiating ART, finding consistent associations with pre-treatment VL, maternal VL, and maternal CD4 count across different methods. Infants initiating ART within 8-14 days showed less favorable viral response, while exposure to maternal ART was associated with better response.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Patient Juste Mbebi Enone, Calixte Ida Penda, Grace Ngondi, Joseph Fokam, Serge Bruno Ebong, Jerson Mekoulou Ndongo, Estelle Geraldine Essangui Same, Louis Sides Ndjengue Nson, Samuel Honore Mandengue, Carole Else Eboumbou Moukoko
Summary: This study investigated factors associated with virologic failure in HIV-infected children and adolescents on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Cameroon. The results showed that adolescents and patients followed in decentralized care units were at higher risk of virologic failure, highlighting the importance of therapeutic education in resource limited countries to improve viral load suppression.
Article
Immunology
Ciputra Adijaya Hartana, Pilar Garcia Broncano, Kenneth Maswabi, Gbolahan Ajibola, Sikhulile Moyo, Terence Mohammed, Comfort Maphorisa, Joseph Makhema, Kathleen M. Powis, Shahin Lockman, Peter D. Burbelo, Ce Gao, Xu G. Yu, Daniel R. Kuritzkes, Roger Shapiro, Mathias Lichterfeld
Summary: IL-8-secreting CD4 T cells are negatively correlated with HIV-1 reservoir size at birth in vertically infected neonates, suggesting a potential barrier against reservoir seeding. The immune mechanisms regulating HIV-1 reservoir size in neonates remain unclear. In this study, we found that IL-8-secreting CD4 T cells, which are expanded in early infancy, are more resistant to HIV-1 infection and inversely correlated with intact proviruses at birth in neonates receiving early antiretroviral therapy. Furthermore, HIV-1-infected newborns exhibited distinct B-cell profiles at birth, which normalized after antiretroviral therapy.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaolei Wang, Eunice Vincent, Summer Siddiqui, Katherine Turnbull, Hong Lu, Robert Blair, Xueling Wu, Meagan Watkins, Widade Ziani, Jiasheng Shao, Lara A. Doyle-Meyers, Kasi E. Russell-Lodrigue, Rudolf P. Bohm, Ronald S. Veazey, Huanbin Xu
Summary: Neonates and infants infected with HIV often fail to achieve sustained remission with early antiretroviral therapy, but early intervention with an integrase inhibitor may lead to viral remission.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Louise Kuhn, Maria Paximadis, Bianca Da Costa Dias, Yanhan Shen, Sizanani Mncube, Renate Strehlau, Stephanie Shiau, Faeezah Patel, Megan Burke, Karl-Gunter Technau, Gayle Sherman, Shayne Loubser, Elaine J. Abrams, Caroline T. Tiemessen
Summary: Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy, higher CD4+ T-cell percentage, lower viral load pre-ART, absence of maternal antenatal ART, and breastfeeding are associated with lower levels of HIV-1 DNA in treated infants.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Saima Aslam, Eric Adler, Kristin Mekeel, Susan J. Little
Summary: The study found that COVID-19 vaccination significantly reduced the incidence of symptomatic COVID-19 in solid organ transplant recipients, demonstrating real-world clinical effectiveness.
TRANSPLANT INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2021)
Correction
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Sara Gianella, Rowan Saloner, Genevieve Curtin, Susan J. Little, Anne Heaton, Jessica L. Montoya, Scott L. Letendre, Maria J. Marquine, Dilip V. Jeste, David J. Moore
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Sara Gianella, Rowan Saloner, Genevieve Curtin, Susan J. Little, Anne Heaton, Jessica L. Montoya, Scott L. Letendre, Maria J. Marquine, Dilip V. Jeste, David J. Moore
Summary: This observational study of 152 people with HIV found higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to individuals without HIV. Age and duration of HIV infection were found to influence mood disturbance, with younger individuals with early infection showing the highest levels of depression and anxiety. Older individuals with early infection showed attenuated levels of mood disturbance, suggesting some adaptive ability to handle acute psychological stressors associated with recent HIV infection.
Article
Immunology
Brian Moldt, Huldrych F. Gunthard, Kimberly A. Workowski, Susan J. Little, Joseph J. Eron, Edgar T. Overton, Clara Lehmann, Casper Rokx, Michael J. Kozal, Rajesh T. Gandhi, Dominique L. Braun, Aiyappa Parvangada, Jiani Li, Ross Martin, Lisa Selzer, Stephanie Cox, Nicolas Margot, Hui Liu, Debbie Slamowitz, Tariro Makadzange, Sean E. Collins, Romas Geleziunas, Christian Callebaut
Summary: Individuals initiating ART during acute infection have smaller viral reservoirs, lower viral diversity, and higher susceptibility to bNAbs. They may be the optimal target population for proof-of-concept HIV cure trials.
Article
Immunology
Saima Aslam, Jinyuan Liu, Rachel Sigler, Rehan R. Syed, Xin M. Tu, Susan J. Little, Victor De Gruttola
Summary: This study examined the clinical effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in solid organ transplant recipients. The results showed that receiving two doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines provided significant protection against symptomatic COVID-19.
TRANSPLANT INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Health Policy & Services
Martin Hoenigl, Megan Lo, Christopher J. Coyne, Gabriel A. Wagner, Jill Blumenthal, Kushagra Mathur, Lucy E. Horton, Thomas C. S. Martin, Gary M. Vilke, Susan J. Little
Summary: The objective of this study was to determine the hospital costs and revenue of universal opt-out HIV emergency department (ED) screening. The study found that implementing universal screening resulted in a net profit for the hospital.
AIDS CARE-PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIO-MEDICAL ASPECTS OF AIDS/HIV
(2023)
Article
Ethics
John Kanazawa, Stephen A. Rawlings, Steven Hendrickx, Sara Gianella, Susanna Concha-Garcia, Jeff Taylor, Andy Kaytes, Hursch Patel, Samuel Ndukwe, Susan J. Little, Davey Smith, Karine Dube
Summary: The Last Gift is an observational research study conducted with people with HIV at the end of life, aiming to understand HIV reservoir dynamics. The study reveals ethical and logistical challenges, including surrogate informed consent, professional boundaries, conducting research in a pandemic, and emotional support for clinicians.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Andrew R. Hooker, Sara J. Sagui-Henson, Jennifer Daubenmier, Patricia J. Moran, Wendy Hartogensis, Michael Acree, Jean Kristeller, Elissa S. Epel, Ashley E. Mason, Frederick M. Hecht
Summary: This study examined the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on psychological outcomes in individuals with obesity. The intervention included components focused on emotion regulation and mindful eating. The results showed that participants in the mindfulness group experienced significant improvements in positive emotions and reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms compared to the control group. These improvements were maintained at the 18-month follow-up. Changes in mindfulness mediated the effects of the intervention on psychological outcomes at 6 and 18 months. The findings suggest that mindfulness training may have long-term benefits for psychological well-being in non-clinical populations with obesity.
Letter
Immunology
Martin Hoenigl, Laramie R. Smith, Matthias Egger, Maria Luisa Mittal, Annick Borquez, Susan J. Little
Article
Microbiology
Youyi Fong, Adrian B. McDermott, David Benkeser, Sanne Roels, Daniel J. Stieh, An Vandebosch, Mathieu Le Gars, Griet A. Van Roey, Christopher R. Houchens, Karen Martins, Lakshmi Jayashankar, Flora Castellino, Obrimpong Amoa-Awua, Manjula Basappa, Britta Flach, Bob C. Lin, Christopher Moore, Mursal Naisan, Muhammed Naqvi, Sandeep Narpala, Sarah O'Connell, Allen Mueller, Leo Serebryannyy, Mike Castro, Jennifer Wang, Christos J. Petropoulos, Alex Luedtke, Ollivier Hyrien, Yiwen Lu, Chenchen Yu, Bhavesh Borate, Lars W. P. van der Laan, Nima S. Hejazi, Avi Kenny, Marco Carone, Daniel N. Wolfe, Jerald Sadoff, Glenda E. Gray, Beatriz Grinsztejn, Paul A. Goepfert, Susan J. Little, Leonardo Paiva de Sousa, Rebone Maboa, April K. Randhawa, Michele P. Andrasik, Jenny Hendriks, Carla Truyers, Frank Struyf, Hanneke Schuitemaker, Macaya Douoguih, James G. Kublin, Lawrence Corey, Kathleen M. Neuzil, Lindsay N. Carpp, Dean Follmann, Peter B. Gilbert, Richard A. Koup, Ruben O. Donis
Summary: Measuring immune correlates of disease acquisition and protection is crucial in vaccine design. This study showed that the ID50 neutralizing antibody titre is a strong correlate of risk and protection in COVID-19.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Angela R. Branche, Nadine G. Rouphael, David J. Diemert, Ann R. Falsey, Cecilia Losada, Lindsey R. Baden, Sharon E. Frey, Jennifer A. Whitaker, Susan J. Little, Evan J. Anderson, Emmanuel B. Walter, Richard M. Novak, Richard Rupp, Lisa A. Jackson, Tara M. Babu, Angelica C. Kottkamp, Anne F. Luetkemeyer, Lilly C. Immergluck, Rachel M. Presti, Martin Baecker, Patricia L. Winokur, Siham M. Mahgoub, Paul A. Goepfert, Dahlene N. Fusco, Elissa Malkin, Jeffrey M. Bethony, Edward E. Walsh, Daniel S. Graciaa, Hady Samaha, Amy C. Sherman, Stephen R. Walsh, Getahun Abate, Zacharoula Oikonomopoulou, Hana M. El Sahly, Thomas C. S. Martin, Satoshi Kamidani, Michael J. Smith, Benjamin G. Ladner, Laura Porterfield, Maya Dunstan, Anna Wald, Tamia Davis, Robert L. Atmar, Mark J. Mulligan, Kirsten E. Lyke, Christine M. Posavad, Megan A. Meagher, David S. Stephens, Kathleen M. Neuzil, Kuleni Abebe, Heather Hill, Jim Albert, Kalyani Telu, Jinjian Mu, Teri C. Lewis, Lisa A. Giebeig, Amanda Eaton, Antonia Netzl, Samuel H. Wilks, Sina Tuereli, Mamodikoe Makhene, Sonja Crandon, David C. Montefiori, Mat Makowski, Derek J. Smith, Seema U. Nayak, Paul C. Roberts, John H. Beigel, COVAIL Study Grp
Summary: In this study, boosting with updated vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2 variants provides broadly crossprotective neutralizing antibody responses without sacrificing immunity to the ancestral strain.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel B. Reeves, Charline Bacchus-Souffan, Mark Fitch, Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen, Rebecca Hoh, Haelee Ahn, Mars Stone, Frederick Hecht, Jeffrey Martin, Steven G. Deeks, Marc K. Hellerstein, Joseph M. McCune, Joshua T. Schiffer, Peter W. Hunt
Summary: The persistence of HIV in people on suppressive antiretroviral therapy is linked to physiological mechanisms of CD4+ T cells. This study investigates the longitudinal kinetics of HIV DNA and cell turnover rates in different CD4 cell subsets. The results indicate that HIV clears faster in more proliferative/differentiated CD4 cell subsets and therapies targeting proliferation and differentiation may reduce HIV DNA levels.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Seth C. Inzaule, Mark J. Siedner, Susan J. Little, Santiago Avila-Rios, Alisen Ayitewala, Ronald J. Bosch, Vincent Calvez, Francesca Ceccherini-Silberstein, Charlotte Charpentier, Diane Descamps, Susan H. Eshleman, Joseph Fokam, Lisa M. Frenkel, Ravindra K. Gupta, John P. A. Ioannidis, Pontiano Kaleebu, Rami Kantor, Seble G. Kassaye, Sergei L. Kosakovsky Pond, Vinie Kouamou, Roger D. Kouyos, Daniel R. Kuritzkes, Richard Lessells, Anne-Genevieve Marcelin, Lawrence Mbuagbaw, Brian Minalga, Nicaise Ndembi, Richard A. Neher, Roger Paredes, Deenan Pillay, Elliot G. Raizes, Soo-Yon Rhee, Douglas D. Richman, Kiat Ruxrungtham, Pardis C. Sabeti, Jonathan M. Schapiro, Sunee Sirivichayakul, Kim Steegen, Wataru Sugiura, Gert U. van Zyl, Anne-Mieke Vandamme, Annemarie M. J. Wensing, Joel O. Wertheim, Huldrych F. Gunthard, Michael R. Jordan, Robert W. Shafer
Summary: HIV drug resistance studies are important for monitoring global trends and updating treatment guidelines. However, data sharing practices need to be encouraged and standardized.
Meeting Abstract
Infectious Diseases
Colin King, Britt Skaathun, Richard Garfein, Angela R. Bazzi, Susan J. Little
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Matthew P. Abrams, Felix E. Torres, Susan J. Little
Summary: Biometric registration for HIV research services may have both encouraging and discouraging effects, potentially affecting participation from marginalized populations.
