Characteristics of untreated AIDS-related cytomegalovirus retinitis. I. Findings before the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (1988 to 1994).

Purpose: To identify factors related to variations in the appearance of untreated AIDS-related cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in severely immunodeficient individuals before the availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and to draw inferences regarding early events in the natural history of CMV retinitis based on clinical findings.

Design: Retrospective, observational case series.

Methods: We evaluated a series of 100 adult patients with AIDS and newly diagnosed CMV retinitis before the HAART era who were not being treated with specific anti-CMV therapy.

An assessment of polymorphonuclear leukocyte rigidity in HIV-infected individuals after immune recovery.

Purpose: To determine whether polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) remain rigid after immune reconstitution in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals with a history of severe immunosuppression.

Methods: PMN rigidity was measured in vitro in three groups: (1) HIV-infected individuals with a history of CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts of less than 50/microL, but with current counts of more than 200/microL attributable to potent antiretroviral therapy (group 1); (2) HIV-infected individuals whose CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts had always been more than 200/microL (group 2); and (3) HIV-negative control subjects. Rigidity was determined with a cell transit analyzer (containing a micropore filter with 30 identical, 8-microm diameter pores), representing a simple in vitro model of a capillary bed.