Influence of host genotype on progression to AIDS among HIV-infected men

Article Abstract:

The HLA is the histocompatibility complex in man. Proteins of the histocompatibility complex are used by the body to recognize whether a substance is foreign and to form complexes so that an immune response can be made. The histocompatibility complex consists of many proteins coded for by many genes. Each HLA protein can exist in one of many forms or types. The genes coding for various HLA proteins can be examined to determine which type (genotype) is present in an individual. This analysis was done in a group of 114 homosexual men who were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, which causes AIDS) to see if the genotype of the HLA complex alters the progression of disease. The group included 29 men who did not have any symptoms of disease, 21 with symptoms of HIV infection and 64 who had been diagnosed as having AIDS. The genotype of one of the HLA proteins, known as DRB1-DQA1, was found to be different in men who did not have any symptoms of disease compared with those who had symptoms of infection and those with AIDS. A protein encoded by the HLA complex, known as C4B, is involved in the complement system; this is a series of proteins involved in the lysis, or destruction, of cells that contain foreign substances, such as viruses. The genotype for C4B was found to be different in patients with symptoms of HIV infection and those with AIDS, compared with those who were asymptomatic. These results suggest that the proteins encoded by the HLA complex may be involved in the rate of progression of HIV infection to the disease state known as AIDS. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Development and progression, HLA histocompatibility antigens, HLA antigens, Major histocompatibility complex

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Marked elevations of serum alkaline phosphatase in patients with AIDS

Article Abstract:

Many patients with AIDS have elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase in the blood, but the reason for this elevation is not clear. Alkaline phosphatase is a metabolic enzyme that is often elevated in bone, liver and other diseases. The occurrence of elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase was studied in 90 patients with AIDS, who were being treated at hospitals associated with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado. Elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase were found in 17 percent of the patients with AIDS. The frequency of this finding was lower in AIDS patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (multiple skin lesions, an indication of AIDS). No other association could be made between the alkaline phosphatase level and clinical symptoms, medications, or the means by which the patients became infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, which causes AIDS). This study did not demonstrate a relation between the elevation of alkaline phosphatase and the existence of opportunistic infections, which affect persons with impaired immune function, or cholangitis (inflammation of the bile ducts) due to infection with opportunistic agents, such as cryptosporidiosis or cytomegalovirus, as other studies have shown. Thus, the cause of elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase in the blood of patients with AIDS is not known, and further study must be conducted. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Measurement, Alkaline phosphatase

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