Assessment of Coronary Artery Disease With Computed Tomography Angiography and Inflammatory and Immune Activation Biomarkers Among Adults With HIV Eligible for Primary Cardiovascular Prevention.

Importance: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increased among people with HIV (PWH), but little is known regarding the prevalence and extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) and associated biological factors in PWH with low to moderate traditional CVD risk.

Objectives: To determine unique factors associated with CVD in PWH and to assess CAD by coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) and critical pathways of arterial inflammation and immune activation.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study among male and female PWH, aged 40 to 75 years, without known CVD, receiving stable antiretroviral therapy, and with low to moderate atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk according to the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association pooled cohort equation, was part of the Randomized Trial to Prevent Vascular Events in HIV (REPRIEVE), a large, ongoing primary prevention trial of statin therapy among PWH conducted at 31 US sites.

A Rapid Qualitative Assessment of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on a Racially/Ethnically Diverse Sample of Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV in the US South.

Persons living with HIV (PLWH) may be at increased risk for severe COVID-19-related illness. Our community-based participatory research partnership collected and analyzed semi-structured interview data to understand the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a sample of racially/ethnically diverse gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men living with HIV. Fifteen cisgender men participated; their mean age was 28.

A rapid qualitative assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a racially/ethnically diverse sample of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men living with HIV in the US South.

Persons living with HIV (PLWH) may be at increased risk for severe COVID-19-related illness. Our community-based participatory research partnership collected and analyzed semi-structured interview data to understand the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a sample of racially/ethnically diverse gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men living with HIV. Fifteen cisgender men participated; their mean age was 28.

Maintenance of Viral Suppression in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Controllers Despite Waning T-Cell Responses During Antiretroviral Therapy.

AIDS Clinical Trials Group study A5308 found reduced T-cell activation and exhaustion in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) controllers start antiretroviral therapy (ART). We further assessed HIV-specific T-cell responses and post-ART viral loads. Before ART, the 31% of participants with persistently undetectable viremia had more robust HIV-specific T-cell responses.

Barriers to HIV Testing Within a Sample of Spanish-speaking Latinx Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men: Implications for HIV Prevention and Care.

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) have higher rates of HIV infection compared to the general population in the United States, and the infection rate is growing among Latinx GBMSM, compared to a decline in most other demographic subgroups. Uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a biomedical strategy designed to reduce HIV transmission, is very low among Latinx GBMSM. HIV testing is a critical first step in the HIV prevention and care continua.

Antiretroviral Therapy Reduces T-cell Activation and Immune Exhaustion Markers in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Controllers.

Background: Despite low plasma human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA, HIV controllers have evidence of viral replication and elevated inflammation. We assessed the effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on HIV suppression, immune activation, and quality of life (QoL).

Methods: A5308 was a prospective, open-label study of rilpivirine/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in ART-naive HIV controllers (N = 35), defined as having HIV RNA <500 copies/mL for ≥12 months.

Dolutegravir plus lamivudine for initial treatment of HIV-1-infected participants with HIV-1 RNA <500 000 copies/mL: week 48 outcomes from ACTG 5353.

Background: The AIDS Clinical Trials Group study A5353 demonstrated the efficacy and safety of dolutegravir and lamivudine for initial treatment of HIV-1 infection at week 24 in individuals with HIV-1 RNA 1000-500 000 copies/mL. Optimal ART for treatment-naive individuals must be durable.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the efficacy and safety of dolutegravir plus lamivudine at week 48 and compare the efficacy in participants with baseline HIV-1 RNA ≤100 000 copies/mL versus >100 000 copies/mL.

Preliminary Impact of the weCare Social Media Intervention to Support Health for Young Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Women with HIV.

Young racial/ethnic minority men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women with HIV often have poor health outcomes. They also utilize a wide array of social media. Accordingly, we developed and implemented weCare, a social media intervention utilizing Facebook, texting, and GPS-based mobile social and sexual networking applications to improve HIV-related care engagement and health outcomes.

Community-Engaged Research as an Approach to Expedite Advances in HIV Prevention, Care, and Treatment: A Call to Action.

Throughout the world, we continue to face profound challenges to reducing the impact of the HIV epidemic. Community-engaged research has emerged as an approach to increase our understanding of HIV and reduce health disparities, increase health equity, and promote community and population health. Our partnership has conducted more than 25 community-engaged research studies in the U.

ACTG A5353: A Pilot Study of Dolutegravir Plus Lamivudine for Initial Treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1)-infected Participants With HIV-1 RNA <500000 Copies/mL.

Background: Limited data exist on initial human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) treatment with dolutegravir plus lamivudine.

Methods: A5353 is a phase 2, single-arm, pilot study of once-daily dolutegravir (50 mg) plus lamivudine (300 mg) in treatment-naive participants with HIV-1 RNA ≥1000 and <500000 copies/mL. Exclusion criteria included active hepatitis B or major protease, reverse transcriptase, or integrase resistance.

Tenofovir/emtricitabine metabolites and endogenous nucleotide exposures are associated with p16(INK4a) expression in subjects on combination therapy.

Background: HIV may amplify immunological, physiological and functional changes of ageing. We determined associations of frailty phenotype, a T-cell senescence marker (p16(INK4a) expression), age and demographics with exposures of the intracellular metabolites (IM) and endogenous nucleotides (EN) of tenofovir/emtricitabine (TFV/FTC), efavirenz (EFV), atazanavir (ATV) and ritonavir (RTV).

Methods: Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples for drug, IM and EN concentrations were collected at four time points in HIV+ adults receiving TFV/FTC with EFV or ATV/RTV.

Severe postvaccinia encephalitis with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis: recovery with early intravenous immunoglobulin, high-dose steroids, and vaccinia immunoglobulin.

We report the second case of severe postvaccinial encephalitis with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis since smallpox vaccination was reintroduced in 2002. Both affected patients responded dramatically with early intervention of intravenous immunoglobulin. Our patient, who also received concurrent vaccinia immunoglobulin and corticosteroids, demonstrated full recovery.

Vaccination of mice with gonococcal TbpB expressed in vivo from Venezuelan equine encephalitis viral replicon particles.

We investigated the immunogenicity of gonococcal transferrin binding protein B (TbpB) expressed with and without a eukaryotic secretion signal from a nonpropagating Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon particle (VRP) delivery system. TbpB was successfully expressed in baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells, and the presence of the eukaryotic secretion signal not only apparently increased the protein's expression but also allowed for extracellular localization and glycosylation. Mice immunized with VRPs produced significant amounts of serum antibody although less than the amounts produced by mice immunized with recombinant protein.

Comparison of immune responses to gonococcal PorB delivered as outer membrane vesicles, recombinant protein, or Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon particles.

Porin (PorB) is a major outer membrane protein produced by all Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains and has been a focus of intense interest as a vaccine candidate. In this study, the immunogenicity of PorB in mice was investigated after several immunization regimens. Outer membrane vesicles (OMV), recombinant renatured PorB (rrPorB), and PorB-expressing Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus replicon particles (PorB VRP) were delivered intranasally (i.