Placental Vascular Abnormalities in Association With Prenatal and Long-Term Health Characteristics Among HIV-Exposed Uninfected Adolescents and Young Adults.

Background: HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) individuals are predisposed to adverse health outcomes, which in part may stem from the influence of an altered intrauterine milieu on fetal programming. The placenta serves as a readout for the effects of the maternal environment on the developing fetus and may itself contribute to the pathogenesis of disease.

Setting: US academic health system.

Delineating tesamorelin response pathways in HIV-associated NAFLD using a targeted proteomic and transcriptomic approach.

NAFLD is a leading comorbidity in HIV with an exaggerated course compared to the general population. Tesamorelin has been demonstrated to reduce liver fat and prevent fibrosis progression in HIV-associated NAFLD. We further showed that tesamorelin downregulated hepatic gene sets involved in inflammation, tissue repair, and cell division.

Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone Reduces Circulating Markers of Immune Activation in Parallel with Effects on Hepatic Immune Pathways in Individuals with HIV-infection and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background: The growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) axis modulates critical metabolic pathways; however, little is known regarding effects of augmenting pulsatile GH secretion on immune function in humans. This study used proteomics and gene set enrichment analysis to assess effects of a GH releasing hormone (GHRH) analog, tesamorelin, on circulating immune markers and liver tissue in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PWH) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: 92 biomarkers associated with immunity, chemotaxis, and metabolism were measured in plasma samples from 61 PWH with NAFLD who participated in a double-blind, randomized trial of tesamorelin versus placebo for 12 months.

Relationship of IGF-1 and IGF-Binding Proteins to Disease Severity and Glycemia in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Context: Growth hormone (GH) and IGF-1 help regulate hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism, and reductions in these hormones may contribute to development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Objective: To assess relationships between hepatic expression of IGF1 and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) and measures of glycemia and liver disease in adults with NAFLD. Secondarily to assess effects of GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) on circulating IGFBPs.

Effects of tesamorelin on hepatic transcriptomic signatures in HIV-associated NAFLD.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common comorbidity among people living with HIV that has a more aggressive course than NAFLD among the general population. In a recent randomized placebo-controlled trial, we demonstrated that the growth hormone-releasing hormone analog tesamorelin reduced liver fat and prevented fibrosis progression in HIV-associated NAFLD over 1 year. As such, tesamorelin is the first strategy that has shown to be effective against NAFLD among the population with HIV.

Clinical Predictors of Liver Fibrosis Presence and Progression in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects more than one-third of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Nonetheless, its natural history is poorly understood, including which patients are most likely to have a progressive disease course.

Methods: We leveraged a randomized trial of the growth hormone-releasing hormone analogue tesamorelin to treat NAFLD in HIV.

Association of In Utero HIV Exposure With Obesity and Reactive Airway Disease in HIV-Negative Adolescents and Young Adults.

Background: HIV-negative individuals with in utero HIV exposure represent an emerging population, exceeding 18 million people worldwide. Long-term clinical outcomes among HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) individuals into adolescence and young adulthood remain unknown.

Setting: US academic health system.

Effects of tesamorelin on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in HIV: a randomised, double-blind, multicentre trial.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a substantial cause of comorbidity in people with HIV and there are no proven pharmacological treatments for the disease in this population. We assessed the effects of tesamorelin on liver fat and histology in people with HIV and NAFLD.

Methods: This randomised, double-blind, multicentre study with identical placebo as a comparator was done in a hospital and a medical research centre in the USA.

Age-Related Autonomous Aldosteronism.

Background: Both aging and inappropriate secretion of aldosterone increase the risk for developing cardiovascular disease; however, the influence of aging on aldosterone secretion and physiology is not well understood.

Methods: The relationship between age and adrenal aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) expression was evaluated in 127 normal adrenal glands from deceased kidney donors (age, 9 months to 68 years). Following immunohistochemistry, CYP11B2-expressing area and areas of abnormal foci of CYP11B2-expressing cells, called aldosterone-producing cell clusters, were analyzed.