Plasma cytokines, cytokine antagonists, and disease progression in African women infected with HIV-1

Article Abstract:

The higher cytokine levels seen in patients with human immunodeficiency viral (HIV) infections but with no symptoms may be playing a role in fighting the infection. Cytokines are proteins important to the immune response. Researchers compared the cytokine blood levels of interleukin-1b, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, interleukin-1Ra, tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), TNFsRp55, and interferon-g in 51 patients with HIV, 48 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and 11 healthy volunteers (controls). Patients with HIV had higher levels of TNF-a and interleukin-1b than the patients with AIDS or the controls. The levels of the natural cytokines that oppose the action of interleukin-a and TNF-a, interleukin-1Ra and TNFsRp55, were 17 times and 8 times higher than the group with AIDS, respectively. Levels of the immune protein interferon-g were highest among the patients with AIDS. None of the controls had measurable levels of any of these cytokines.

Cytokines

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Classification of HIV infection and disease in women from Rwanda: evaluation of the World Health Organization HIV staging system and recommended modifications

Article Abstract:

A modified version of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) HIV staging system may be appropriate in sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO's staging system uses clinical and laboratory criteria to characterize the severity of HIV infection. Researchers performed regular clinical and laboratory assessments on 412 HIV-infected Rwandan women during a four-year period. Women with oral candidiasis, oral or genital ulcers that persisted longer than one month, or tuberculosis had low survival rates. These conditions were added to the WHO's clinical criteria for severe HIV infection. Body mass index was an accurate predictor of subsequent death and replaced weight loss as a clinical criteria for wasting syndrome. Women with an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and a low hematocrit had poor prognoses. These measures replaced lymphocyte count as laboratory criteria in the staging system.

Models, Patient outcomes, Mortality, Diseases, HIV patients, Sub-Saharan Africa, Nosology

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Serum retinol and HIV-1 RNA viral load in rapid and slow progressors

Article Abstract:

Thee seems to be a relationship in HIV patients between viral load level, serum vitamin A levels, and speed of progression of the disease. In studying 30 women with HIV infection in Rwanda for a time span of up to 99 months, certain relationships were found late in the disease progression. While there was no definite indication in the early samples, the later tests showed a trend toward combinations of high viral load, low serum vitamin A and rapid progression contrasted against low viral load, high serum vitamin A and slower progression.

HIV infection, Viremia, Vitamin A, Viral load

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