Persistence of HIV transmission clusters among people who inject drugs.

Objective: We investigated the duration of HIV transmission clusters.

Design: Fifty-four individuals newly infected at enrollment in the ALIVE cohort were included, all of whom had sequences at an intake visit (T1) and from a second (T2) and/or a third (T3) follow-up visit, median 2.9 and 5.

Reduced Forced Vital Capacity Among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Middle-Aged Individuals.

Background: Pulmonary function impairments are more common among people living with HIV (PLWH), as are contributing risk behaviors. To understand the effects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection independent of risk behaviors, pulmonary function was evaluated in lifestyle-comparable HIV-infected and -uninfected AGEhIV cohort participants.

Methods: Prevalence of obstructive lung disease in 544 HIV-infected and 529 HIV-uninfected participants was determined using spirometry.

Short Communication: HIV Controller T Cells Effectively Inhibit Viral Replication in Alveolar Macrophages.

Macrophages are targets of HIV-1 infection, and control of viral replication within these cells may be an important component of a T-cell-based vaccine. Although several studies have analyzed the ability of CD8 T cells to inhibit viral replication in monocyte-derived macrophages, the effect of T cells on HIV-1-infected tissue macrophages is less clear. We demonstrate here that both CD4 and CD8 T-cell effectors from HIV controllers are capable of suppressing viral replication in bronchoalveolar lavage-derived alveolar macrophages.

Hepatitis C virus infection is not an independent risk factor for obstructive lung disease.

Several epidemiological studies have suggested that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with the presence of obstructive lung disease (OLD). However, there is a strong link between HCV infection and tobacco abuse, a major risk factor for the development of OLD. In this study we analyzed clinical, laboratory and spirometric data from 1068 study participants to assess whether HCV infection, viremia, or HCV-associated end organ damage were associated with OLD.