Factors associated with hepatitis C viremia in a large cohort of HIV-infected and -uninfected women.

Background: Co-infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is common among HIV-infected women.

Objective: To further our understanding of the risk factors for HCV viremia and the predictors of HCV viral load among women.

Study Design: We investigated sociodemographic, immunologic, and virologic factors associated with presence and level of HCV viremia among 1049 HCV-seropositive women, 882 of whom were HIV-infected and 167 HIV-uninfected at their entry into the Women's Interagency HIV Study.

Microbiology and cytokine levels around healthy dental implants and teeth.

Background: Elicitation of the relationship of periodontopathogens and pro-inflammatory cytokines to bone resorption and formation is significant to a growing body of research known as osteoimmunology. It is essential that clinically healthy peri-implant and periodontal sites are studied to contribute comparison data for investigations that are addressing diseased sites.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe levels of selected pro-inflammatory cytokines in clinically healthy peri-implant and periodontal sites, and to examine whether cytokine levels may be related to specific bacterial/viral pathogens.

Hepatitis C virus quasispecies in HIV-infected women: role of injecting drug use and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

Unlabelled: Despite the high frequency of HCV and HIV coinfection, little is known about HCV quasispecies in HIV-positive patients. The current analysis included 236 HIV+/anti-HCV+ women enrolled in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). Hypervariable region 1 of the second envelope gene was analyzed by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP).

Negative-strand hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from anti-HCV-positive/HIV-infected women.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been reported to replicate in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), particularly in patients coinfected with HCV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, there are limited data regarding the prevalence of and the factors associated with extrahepatic replication.

Methods: The presence of negative-strand HCV RNA in PBMCs was evaluated by a strand-specific assay for 144 anti-HCV-positive/HIV-infected women enrolled in the Women's Interagency HIV Study.

Reduced type 1 and type 2 cytokines in antiviral memory T helper function among women coinfected with HIV and HCV.

Bias in cytokine responses has been proposed as a contributing mechanism to pathogenesis in persistent HIV or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. We investigated whether coinfection with HCV modifies the profile of antigen-specific cytokine secretion in women persistently infected with HIV compared to women with single HIV or HCV infection. The T helper response to HIV, HCV and cytomegalovirus (CMV) as a positive viral control was dominated by type 1 cytokines (interleukin- [IL] 2, interferon- [IFN] gamma and tumor necrosis factor- [TNF] alpha), with IFN-gamma as the most abundantly secreted.