Restoration of recent thymic emigrant CD4 T cells is associated with sustained adherence to antiretroviral treatment in HIV-infected children.

To evaluate the levels of recent thymic emigrant (RTE) CD4 T cells in HIV-infected children and to explore the associations among their frequency, antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence, and CD4 T cell restoration. The group evaluated comprised 85 HIV-infected patients classified as subjects with moderate or severe immunosuppression or as those with no evidence of immunosuppression. To evaluate the association between the frequency of RTE CD4 T cells and ART adherence, 23 of the 85 patients were evaluated at two different time points during a one-year follow-up period.

Renal echo-3D and microalbuminuria in children of diabetic mothers: a preliminary study.

Maternal diabetes has assumed epidemic relevance in recent years and animal studies have provided some evidence that it may cause abnormalities in renal development and a reduction in nephron endowment in the offspring; however, human data are lacking. The renal cortex contains ∼95% of the glomeruli and its volume could be taken as a surrogate measure of glomerular number; based on this assumption, we measured renal cortex volume and in addition, microalbuminuria in a homogeneous sample of 42 children of diabetic (pregestational, n = 13, and gestational, n = 29) mothers, compared with 21 healthy children born of non-diabetic mothers. The offspring of diabetic mothers showed a significant reduction of renal cortex volume and higher albumin excretion compared with controls, possibly attributable to a reduction in the number of nephrons and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.

[Antiretroviral treatment adherence and its association with TCD4+ lymphocyte subsets in children with HIV/AIDS].

Human immunodeficiency virus infection causes a severe depletion of TCD4+ lymphocytes and a sustained immune activation state, hallmarks findings that led to numerical and phenotypic changes in the TCD4+ subsets. Highly active anti-retroviral therapy has substantially modified the course of HIV infection. Correct adherence to the treatment results in a decrease in viral load at undetectable levels and a significant increase in the number of peripheral T cell lymphocytes.

Altered frequency and phenotype of CD4+ forkhead box protein 3+ T cells and its association with autoantibody production in human immunodeficiency virus-infected paediatric patients.

The association between immune dysfunction and the development of autoimmune pathology in patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is not clear. The frequency and phenotype of regulatory T cells, as well as the presence of autoantibodies, were evaluated in a paediatric cohort of HIV-infected patients without clinical evidence of autoimmune disease. Lower absolute counts but higher percentages of total CD4(+) forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3)(+) T cells were recorded in children with severe immunosuppression than in those without evidence of immunosuppression.