Measurement of antiretroviral drugs in the lungs of HIV-infected patients.

AIMS: Prior studies have shown that HAART is associated with decreased HIV viral load in the lungs. The correlation between antiretroviral exposure in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and virologic response was evaluated in patients starting HAART and enrolled in The AIDS Clinical Trial Group Protocol 723. MATERIALS #ENTITYSTARTX00026; METHODS: A total of 24 subjects underwent blood and BAL sampling prior to starting HAART, and after 4 and 24 weeks of HAART.

Effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy on viral burden in the lungs of HIV-infected subjects.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is readily detectable in the lungs of infected subjects and leads to an accumulation of CD8(+) lymphocytes in the alveolar space. Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is effective in reducing viremia, less is known about its effect on tissue compartments. The AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 723 Team evaluated the effect of HAART on lung viral load and cellular constituents.

Experimental infection with Haemophilus ducreyi in persons who are infected with HIV does not cause local or augment systemic viral replication.

We infected 11 HIV-seropositive volunteers whose CD4(+) cell counts were >350 cells/ microL (7 of whom were receiving antiretrovirals) with Haemophilus ducreyi. The papule and pustule formation rates were similar to those observed in HIV-seronegative historical control subjects. No subject experienced a sustained change in CD4(+) cell count or HIV RNA level.

Apoptosis of CD57+ and CD57- lymphocytes in the lung and blood of HIV-infected subjects.

Patients infected with HIV frequently have a CD8+ lymphocytic alveolitis consisting of HIV-specific CD8+CD57- cytotoxic T lymphocytes. However, in late stage disease, there is expansion of a CD8+CD57+ population with suppressive properties. We examined role of lymphocyte apoptosis in the expansion of the CD8+CD57+ lymphocytes in late stage HIV in the lung and blood compartment in human subjects.

Lower CD4+ T lymphocyte nadirs may indicate limited immune reconstitution in HIV-1 infected individuals on potent antiretroviral therapy: analysis of immunophenotypic marker results of AACTG 5067.

Background: Although initiation of potent antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly improved immune perturbations in individuals with AIDS, it is unclear which factors are most important in determining the degree of immune reconstitution.

Methods: Whole blood was analyzed at baseline and week 12 in six groups of subjects (n = 81): those with acute or following immune reconstitution after Pneumocystis jirovecii (previously known as Pneumocystis carinii) pneumonia (PcP) (two groups) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis (two groups), HIV-infection without AIDS (one group), and healthy volunteers (one group). Absolute CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, naive (CD45RA+) and memory (CD45RO+) CD4+ T lymphocytes and percentages of activated CD8+ T lymphocytes (CD8+/CD38+/HLA-DR), and CD28 expression on CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were enumerated.