Community prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus infection in Tamil Nadu, India: a probability proportional to size cluster survey.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and AIDS is threatening the survival of many nations. To evaluate ongoing interventional strategies and burden of illness estimates, valid data on the prevalence of HIV are required. Often, in the absence of community prevalence data, estimates are based on surrogate markers such as prevalence of HIV in antenatal clinics.

Changing epidemiology of HIV type 1 infections in India: evidence of subtype B introduction in Bombay from a common source.

India has experienced multiple introductions of diverse HIV-1 subtypes A, B, C, and E, along with subtype B of HIV-2 between the 1980s and early 1990s. In this study, we have carried out a molecular investigation of 21 heterosexually and vertically acquired HIV-infected individuals from the New Bombay area, who tested positive for HIV-1 by commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot assay. We have sequenced the proviral DNA segments from the uncultured PBMCs in the hypervariable env V(3) region (286 bp) and a full-length vpr gene (291 bp).

Enhanced antiproliferative activity by metastatic RAW117 lymphoma cells.

The highly malignant/metastatic murine large cell lymphoma cell line RAW117-H10 forms 100-200 times more liver metastatic tumors than its parental counterpart cell line RAW117-P. RAW117-H10 cells, but not the less malignant/metastatic parental cells, significantly inhibited the mitogen-induced proliferation of normal syngeneic Balb/c and allogeneic ICRC mouse spleen cells. Such an inhibition also occurred when mitomycin-C treated metastatic lymphoma cells were added 24 h after initiation of culture, indicating that no competition with mitogen binding sites on the lymphocytes was necessary for inhibition of proliferation.

Characterization of metastasis-associated antigens on RAW117 lymphosarcoma cell lines.

A syngeneic murine model system was used to study the immunobiology of metastasis. The highly malignant RAW117-H10 cell line was compared to the less malignant parental RAW117-P cell line from which it was derived, for expression of cell surface antigens. Using rabbit antisera, two major glycoprotein antigens were detected on the tumor cell surfaces.