Distinct immune profiles in children living with HIV based on timing and duration of suppressive antiretroviral treatment.

Timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains a major challenge in the effort to treat children living with HIV ("CLH") and little is known regarding the dynamics of immune normalization following ART in CLH with varying times to and durations of ART. Here, we leveraged two cohorts of virally-suppressed CLH from Nairobi, Kenya to examine differences in the peripheral immune systems between two cohorts of age-matched children (to control for immune changes with age): one group which initiated ART during early HIV infection and had been on ART for 5-6 years at evaluation (early, long-term treated; "ELT" cohort), and one group which initiated ART later and had been on ART for approximately 9 months at evaluation (delayed, short-term treated; "DST" cohort). We profiled PBMC and purified NK cells from these two cohorts by mass cytometry time-of-flight (CyTOF).

Brief Report: Group-Based Trajectory Modeling to Determine Long-Term HIV Viral Load Trends Among Children With HIV in Kenya.

Background: Identifying determinants of longitudinal HIV viral load (VL) trajectories using group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) can inform clinical strategies and mechanisms of nonadherence among children.

Methods: Children under 12 months old who were newly diagnosed with HIV were enrolled in the Optimizing Pediatric HIV therapy cohort (NCT00428116) from 2007 to 2010. Children initiated antiretroviral therapy at enrollment, and VL was assessed every 3 months for 24 months post-antiretroviral therapy and every 6 months thereafter up to 8 years old.

Sexual Violence, Genital Cytokines, and Colposcopy Findings: A Cross-Sectional Study of Women Engaged in Sex Work in Mombasa, Kenya.

Background: Sexual violence (SV) increases human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) susceptibility in a sustained manner. This study evaluated genital cytokines and colposcopy findings in women reporting both recent and more remote SV.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of HIV-1 negative Kenyan women who engage in sex work was performed.

Association between HIV and cytomegalovirus and neurocognitive outcomes among children with HIV.

Objectives: Children with HIV may experience adverse neurocognitive outcomes despite antiretroviral therapy (ART). Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is common in children with HIV. Among children on ART, we examined the influences of early HIV viral load and CMV DNA on neurocognition.

Gut virome and microbiome dynamics before and after SARS-CoV-2 infection in women living with HIV and their infants.

Microbiome perturbations can have long-term effects on health. The dynamics of the gut microbiome and virome in women living with HIV (WLHIV) and their newborn infants is poorly understood. Here, we performed metagenomic sequencing analyses on longitudinal stool samples including 23 mothers (13 WLHIV, 10 HIV-negative) and 12 infants that experienced SARS-CoV-2 infection with mild disease, as well as 40 mothers (18 WLHIV, 22 HIV-negative) and 60 infants that remained SARS-CoV-2 seronegative throughout the study follow-up.

The Ins and Outs of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Great Lakes: The Role of Atmospheric Deposition.

As part of the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network, precipitation ( = 207) and air ( = 60) from five sites and water samples ( = 87) from all five Great Lakes were collected in 2021-2023 and analyzed for 41 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These measurements were combined with other available data to estimate the mass budget for four representative compounds, PFBA, PFBS, PFOS, and PFOA for the basin. The median ΣPFAS concentrations in precipitation across the five sites ranged between 2.

Longitudinal dynamics of the nasopharyngal microbiome in response to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and HIV infection in Kenyan women and their infants.

The nasopharynx and its microbiota are implicated in respiratory health and disease. The interplay between viral infection and the nasopharyngeal microbiome is an area of increased interest and of clinical relevance. The impact of SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, on the nasopharyngeal microbiome, particularly among individuals living with HIV, is not fully characterized.

Gut virome and microbiome dynamics before and after SARS-CoV-2 infection in women living with HIV and their infants.

Microbiome perturbations can have long-term effects on health. The dynamics of the gut microbiome and virome in women living with HIV (WLHIV) and their newborn infants is poorly understood. Here, we performed metagenomic sequencing analyses on longitudinal stool samples including 23 mothers (13 WLHIV, 10 HIV-negative) and 12 infants that experienced SARS-CoV-2 infection with mild disease, as well as 40 mothers (18 WLHIV, 22 HIV-negative) and 60 infants that remained SARS-CoV-2 seronegative throughout the study follow-up.

Using viral sequence diversity to estimate time of HIV infection in infants.

Age at HIV acquisition may influence viral pathogenesis in infants, and yet infection timing (i.e. date of infection) is not always known.

Corrigendum: Analytical approaches for the evaluation of data deficient simulated leachable compounds in ENDS products: a case study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2023.

Functional characterization of the disease-associated rs1024611G-rs13900T haplotype: The role of the RNA-binding protein HuR.

CC-chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases associated with monocyte/macrophage recruitment, such as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND), tuberculosis, and atherosclerosis. The rs1024611 (alleles:A>G; G is the risk allele) polymorphism in the -regulatory region is associated with increased CCL2 expression in vitro and ex vivo, leukocyte mobilization in vivo, and deleterious disease outcomes. However, the molecular basis for the rs1024611-associated differential CCL2 expression remains poorly characterized.

Higher HIV-1 Env gp120-Specific Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity (ADCC) Activity Is Associated with Lower Levels of Defective HIV-1 Provirus.

A cure for HIV-1 (HIV) remains unrealized due to a reservoir of latently infected cells that persist during antiretroviral therapy (ART), with reservoir size associated with adverse health outcomes and inversely with time to viral rebound upon ART cessation. Once established during ART, the HIV reservoir decays minimally over time; thus, understanding factors that impact the size of the HIV reservoir near its establishment is key to improving the health of people living with HIV and for the development of novel cure strategies. Yet, to date, few correlates of HIV reservoir size have been identified, particularly in pediatric populations.

Metastatic and Malignant Phyllodes Tumors of the Breast: An Update for Current Management.

Metastatic, malignant phyllodes tumor (PT) of the breast is a rare and aggressive neoplasm. Currently, there is no agreed upon consensus as to best management practices. A systematic review of literature was conducted investigating surgical, chemotherapeutic, and radiotherapeutic management for metastatic PT.

Analytical approaches for the evaluation of data deficient simulated leachable compounds in ENDS products: a case study.

Leachable investigations are routinely undertaken across a range of sectors (e.g., pharmaceuticals, medical devices, etc.

Socio-Economic Factors Impact US Dietary Exposure to Halogenated Flame Retardants.

Although diet is an important route of exposure for brominated flame retardants (BFRs), little is known of their presence in US food. Therefore, we purchased meat, fish, and dairy product samples ( = 72) in Bloomington, IN, from 3 stores representing national retail chains at different price levels. Composite samples ( = 42) were analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), novel BFRs (NBFRs), and dechlorane plus (DP).

Elevated binding and functional antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in infants versus mothers.

Infant antibody responses to viral infection can differ from those in adults. However, data on the specificity and function of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in infants, and direct comparisons between infants and adults are limited. We characterized antibody binding and functionality in convalescent plasma from postpartum women and their infants infected with SARS-CoV-2 from a vaccine-naïve prospective cohort in Nairobi, Kenya.

Predictors of intact HIV DNA levels among children in Kenya.

Objective: We determined predictors of both intact (estimate of replication-competent) and total (intact and defective) HIV DNA in the reservoir among children with HIV.

Design: HIV DNA in the reservoir was quantified longitudinally in children who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) at less than 1 year of age using a novel cross-subtype intact proviral DNA assay that measures both intact and total proviruses. Quantitative PCR was used to measure pre-ART cytomegalovirus (CMV) viral load.

HIV and SARS-CoV-2 infection in postpartum Kenyan women and their infants.

Background: HIV may increase SARS-CoV-2 infection risk and COVID-19 severity generally, but data are limited about its impact on postpartum women and their infants. As such, we characterized SARS-CoV-2 infection among mother-infant pairs in Nairobi, Kenya.

Methods: We conducted a nested study of 62 HIV-uninfected and 64 healthy women living with HIV, as well as their HIV-exposed uninfected (N = 61) and HIV-unexposed (N = 64) infants, participating in a prospective cohort.

Disentangling Source Profiles and Time Trends of Halogenated Flame Retardants in the Great Lakes.

Thirty-five polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and eight other alternative flame retardants were measured in air samples (vapor plus particles) collected at six sites near the North American Great Lakes between 2005 and 2019 as part of the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN). These data were analyzed using a multiple linear regression model to determine spatial and temporal trends. Overall, the levels of flame retardants remain significantly higher in urban sites compared to rural and remote sites except for pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB), hexabromobenzene (HBB), and total Dechlorane Plus (ΣDP).

Erratum: Ancestral diversity improves discovery and fine-mapping of genetic loci for anthropometric traits-The Hispanic/Latino Anthropometry Consortium.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.xhgg.

Protocol for high-throughput reservoir quantification across global HIV subtypes using a cross-subtype intact proviral DNA assay.

The cross-subtype intact proviral DNA assay (CS-IPDA) is a high-throughput method to quantify HIV reservoir size in populations infected with any of the dominant global HIV-1 subtypes. Our protocol includes genomic DNA isolation optimized to minimize DNA shearing, a reference droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assay to quantify T cells and assess DNA shearing, and a multiplex ddPCR targeting three distinct regions across the HIV genome to quantify intact proviruses as an estimate of replication-competent proviruses in the reservoir. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Cassidy et al.