Immunogenicity and Safety of BNT162b2 Homologous Booster Vaccination in People Living with HIV under Effective cART.

Data on COVID-19 boosting vaccination in people living with HIV (PLWH) are scant. We investigated the immunogenicity and safety of the BNT162b2 homologous boosting vaccination. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies (LIAISON® SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 IgG test, DiaSorin®), CD4+, CD8+ and viraemia were monitored at T0 (pre-vaccination), T1 (4 weeks after the second dose), T2 (pre-booster) and T3 (4 weeks after the booster dose).

Unequal Access to Testing and Vaccination Services for the Homeless and Undocumented Population During COVID-19 Pandemic.

To furnish a model to ensure access and use of healthcare services to the undocumented and homeless population. Between March 2020 and October 2021, public and third sector actors in Rome implemented an accessible COVID-19 screening service and vaccination program targeting the homeless and undocumented population. 95.

Rapid Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Directly from Blood for the Diagnosis of Bloodstream Infections: A Mini-Review.

represents a major human pathogen able to cause a number of infections, especially bloodstream infections (BSI). Clinical use of methicillin has led to the emergence of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and MRSA-BSI have been reported to be associated with high morbidity and mortality. Clinical diagnosis of BSI is based on the results from blood culture that, although considered the gold standard method, is time-consuming.

Expression and Function of NKG2D Is Impaired in CD8+ T Cells of Chronically HIV-1-Infected Patients Without ART.

Objectives: Increasing line of evidence indicates that the NKG2D-activating receptor plays a relevant role in the effector functions of cytotoxic lymphocytes. In this study, we investigated the expression and function of NKG2D in CD8⁺ T cells from chronically HIV-1-infected patients with or without antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Methods: We measured by flow cytometry the expression of NKG2D on CD8⁺ T-cell subsets of ART-naive and ART patients as well as seronegative healthy subjects (HIV-neg).

Maraviroc as intensification strategy in HIV-1 positive patients with deficient immunological response: an Italian randomized clinical trial.

Background: Immunological non-responders (INRs) lacked CD4 increase despite HIV-viremia suppression on HAART and had an increased risk of disease progression. We assessed immune reconstitution profile upon intensification with maraviroc in INRs.

Methods: We designed a multi-centric, randomized, parallel, open label, phase 4 superiority trial.

The potential impact of routine testing of individuals with HIV indicator diseases in order to prevent late HIV diagnosis.

Background: The aim of our work was to evaluate the potential impact of the European policy of testing for HIV all individuals presenting with an indicator disease, to prevent late diagnosis of HIV. We report on a retrospective analysis among individuals diagnosed with HIV to assess whether a history of certain diseases prior to HIV diagnosis was associated with the chance of presenting late for care, and to estimate the proportion of individuals presenting late who could have been diagnosed earlier if tested when the indicator disease was diagnosed.

Methods: We studied a large cohort of individuals newly diagnosed with HIV infection in 13 counselling and testing sites in the Lazio Region, Italy (01/01/2004-30/04/2009).

Soluble ligands for the NKG2D receptor are released during HIV-1 infection and impair NKG2D expression and cytotoxicity of NK cells.

In humans, the interaction of the natural killer group 2 member D (NKG2D)-activating receptor on natural killer (NK) and CD8(+) T cells with its major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain (MIC) and UL16 binding protein (ULBP) ligands (NKG2DLs) promotes recognition and elimination of stressed cells, such as tumor or infected cells. Here, we investigated the capacity of HIV-1 to modulate NKG2DL expression and escape NGK2D-mediated immunosurveillance. In CD4(+) T lymphocytes, both cell surface expression and release of MICA, MICB, and ULBP2 were up-regulated >2-fold by HIV-1 infection.

HIV-1 dual/mixed tropic isolates show different genetic and phenotypic characteristics and response to maraviroc in vitro.

Dual/mixed-tropic HIV-1 strains are predominant in a significative proportion of patients, though few information is available regarding the genetic characteristics, quasispecies composition, and susceptibility against CCR5-antagonists of the primary-isolates. For this reason, we investigated in deep details, both phenotypically and genotypically, the characteristics of 54 HIV-1 primary-isolates obtained from HIV-infected patients. Tropism was assessed by multiple-cycles phenotypic-assay on U87MG-CD4(+)-CCR5(+)-/CXCR4(+)-expressing cells.

Cellular HIV-1 DNA quantitation in patients during simplification therapy with protease inhibitor-sparing regimens.

Simplified regimens containing protease-inhibitors (PI)-sparing combinations were used in patients with virological suppression after prolonged highly active antiretroviral therapy. This study evaluated the total HIV-1 DNA quantitation as a predictor of long-term success for PI-sparing simplified therapy. Sixty-two patients were enrolled in a prospective non-randomized cohort.

In vitro fluconazole susceptibility of 1565 clinical isolates of Candida species evaluated by the disk diffusion method performed using NCCLS M44-A guidelines.

We determined the in vitro activity of fluconazole against 1565 clinical Candida spp. isolates collected from different specimens of non-AIDS outpatients and inpatients in 3 different regions of Italy. Susceptibility testing was performed by agar disk diffusion using the NCCLS document M44-A guidelines.

Viral growth assay to evaluate the replicative capacity of HIV-1 isolates.

The replicative capacity of HIV is studied by carrying out replication-competition experiments with the insertion of the gene of interest. These assays cannot capture the complicated patterns of mutations of different genes.A cross sectional study was carried out on 10 HIV-infected nai;ve patients and on 15 patients failing HAART.