Effects on immune system and viral reservoir of a short-cycle antiretroviral therapy in virologically suppressed HIV-positive patients.

Background: Atripla dose reduction decreases subclinical toxicity and maintains viral suppression in HIV+ individuals but the virological efficacy and immunological safety of this strategy needs to be further confirmed.

Methods: Virologically suppressed HIV-infected adults on Atripla once-daily were randomized 1 : 1 to reduce therapy to 3 days a week (3W, n = 30) or to maintain it unchanged (once-daily, n = 31). HIV-1 reservoir (total and integrated HIV-1 DNA in CD4 cells) and immunological cell activation (CD38 and HLA-DR), senescence (CD57 and CD28), apoptosis (annexinV) as well as T-naive, effector memory (TEM) (CCR7, CD45RA) and stem cell memory (TSCM) (CD954 and CD27) populations were measured at baseline, 24 and 48 weeks.

Differential microRNA expression profile between stimulated PBMCs from HIV-1 infected elite controllers and viremic progressors.

Background: The emerging relationship between microRNAs (miRNA) and viral-control is a topic of interest in the field of HIV. Host-genome might play an important role in the control of viremia. The aim of this study was to assess the specific miRNA profile that could contribute to the control of HIV replication in Elite Controllers.