SLAMF7 defines subsets of human effector CD8 T cells.

Long-term control of viral replication relies on the efficient differentiation of memory T cells into effector T cells during secondary immune responses. Recent findings have identified T cell precursors for both memory and exhausted T cells, suggesting the existence of progenitor-like effector T cells. These cells can persist without antigenic challenge but expand and acquire effector functions upon recall immune responses.

Assessing intrinsic capacity for person-centred HIV care: a cross-sectional study in ageing populations in Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Introduction: WHO's Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) proposes we measure the functional construct of intrinsic capacity (IC) to monitor and identify individuals with age-associated vulnerabilities. Assessments of IC may be useful to address the evolving, non-HV care needs of ageing people with HIV (PWH). However, to date, its utility within the context of HIV has not been assessed.

Fostering healthy cognitive ageing in people living with HIV.

Prevalence and incidence of HIV among people aged 50 years and older continue to rise worldwide, generating increasing awareness among care providers, scientists, and the HIV community about the importance of brain health in older adults with HIV. Many age-related factors that adversely affect brain health can occur earlier and more often among people with HIV, including epigenetic ageing, chronic medical conditions (eg, cardiovascular disease), and age-related syndromes (eg, frailty). Extensive dialogue between HIV community leaders, health-care providers, and scientists has led to the development of a multidimensional response strategy to protect and enhance brain health in people ageing with HIV that spans across public health, clinical spaces, and research spaces.

Significant loss of retinal nerve fibre layer and contrast sensitivity in people with well controlled HIV disease: implications for aging with HIV.

Objective: Antiretroviral therapy has decreased the prevalence of retinal opportunistic infections in people living with HIV (PLWH). However, abnormalities in visual function are evident and may be associated with an early onset of aging in PLWH. In this study, we examined the Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer (RNFL) thickness and visual function in PLWH and HIV non-infected controls in Malaysia.

Causes, risks and care circumstances associated with death in older adults diagnosed with HIV in a tertiary centre in Malaysia.

Background: A substantial number of older adults succumb soon after HIV diagnosis despite ART. We explored the causes, risk factors and circumstances before death among older adults acquring HIV.

Methods: We recruited individuals newly diagnosed at our centre from 2016-2020 and analysed data of those who died.

"I suppose in our culture, old means no sex": PLWH and healthcare provider views on factors influencing late HIV testing and diagnosis among older adults in Malaysia.

The proportion of new HIV diagnoses among older adults aged ≥50 years continues to rise. Older adults are at higher risk of late diagnosis which is associated with higher treatment complexity and poorer health outcomes. Few studies in the Asia-Pacific region have explored factors contributing to late presentation and diagnosis in this population.

Investigating D-Amino Acid Oxidase Expression and Interaction Network Analyses in Pathways Associated With Cellular Stress: Implications in the Biology of Aging.

D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) is a flavoenzyme that metabolizes D-amino acids by oxidative deamination, producing hydrogen peroxide (HO) as a by-product. The generation of intracellular HO may alter the redox-homeostasis mechanism of cells and increase the oxidative stress levels in tissues, associated with the pathogenesis of age-related diseases and organ decline. This study investigates the effect of DAO knockdown using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) through an approach on its protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and their potential roles in the process of aging.

D-Amino acids differentially trigger an inflammatory environment in vitro.

Studies in vivo have demonstrated that the accumulation of D-amino acids (D-AAs) is associated with age-related diseases and increased immune activation. However, the underlying mechanism(s) of these observations are not well defined. The metabolism of D-AAs by D-amino oxidase (DAO) produces hydrogen peroxide (HO), a reactive oxygen species involved in several physiological processes including immune response, cell differentiation, and proliferation.

Poor HIV-related Knowledge, Perceived Risks and Attitudes Among Urban-dwelling Malaysian Older Adults: Key Barriers to Zero HIV Transmission by 2030.

Globally and in Malaysia, there are increasing rates of HIV infection among older adults but a corresponding decline in other younger age groups. We aimed to investigate the HIV-related knowledge, perceived risks, attitudes, and risk behaviours among multi-ethnic urban-dwelling older adults in Malaysia. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among 320 adults aged 50 years and above residing in urban Klang Valley, Malaysia.

The Role of the Gut Microbiome in Hematological Cancers.

Humans are in a complex symbiotic relationship with a wide range of microbial organisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The evolution and composition of the human microbiome can be an indicator of how it may affect human health and susceptibility to diseases. Microbiome alteration, termed as dysbiosis, has been linked to the pathogenesis and progression of hematological cancers.

typing in a Malaysian cohort: implications of abacavir hypersensitivity in people living with HIV.

Abacavir (ABC) in combination with other antiretroviral drugs, is used to treat people living with HIV (PLWH). However, it is linked to a fatal hypersensitivity reaction in susceptible individuals, and is strongly associated with the allele. A total of 152 patients, 50 PLWH and 102 HIV-1 negative patients, were assessed for the allele through a sequence-specific primer PCR.

Psychosocial risk factors and cognitive decline in people living with HIV: results from the Malaysian HIV and aging (MHIVA) study.

HIV-associated mortality has improved with the advent of antiretroviral therapy, yet neurocognitive decline persists. We assessed the association between psychosocial risk factors and cognitive function among Malaysian PLWH. Data of virally suppressed PLWH (n = 331) on stable ART, from the Malaysian HIV and Aging study was assessed.

Oral and Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis is Associated with Mucositis Severity in Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Evidence from an Asian Population.

Mucositis is a debilitating complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). It is unclear how changes in the composition of microbiota, which are modulated by geographical location and ethnicity, may influence immune regulation leading to the development of mucositis, and the study of both oral and gut microbiota in a single population of autologous HSCT in the Asian region is lacking. The present study aimed to characterize the oral and gut microbiota changes, and the impact on both oral and lower gastrointestinal (GI) mucositis, with associated temporal changes in a population of adult recipients of autologous HSCT.

Practical management of complexity in older people with HIV: approaching an international consensus.

Globally the community of people with HIV is ageing, and some of these have increasingly complex care needs, with a known excess of non-HIV related comorbidities and related issues including consequent polypharmacy. At the 2022 International AIDS Conference in Montréal, Canada, the "Silver Zone" was created in the Global Village as a safe space for older people with HIV. As part of the Silver Zone activities, a session discussing global models of care for in this group was held.

Psychometric evaluation of Oral Mucositis Daily Questionnaire: A cross-cultural adaptation of the Malay version in multiethnic adult autologous stem cell transplant.

Objective: Mucositis is one of the most feared side effects of cancer treatment. Psychometric analysis of a patient self-assessment score, the oral mucositis daily questionnaire in Malay (OMDQ-Mal) and its construct validity by means of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is lacking. This research aimed to test the validity and reliability of OMDQ-Mal.

Factors associated with reduced function and quality of life among adult people with HIV with depression and substance use in the Asia-Pacific region.

Background: Depression and substance use (SU) disorders are prevalent among people with HIV (PWH) and impact health outcomes despite successful antiretroviral therapy (ART). We explored quality of life, functional ability and associated factors among PWH screened positive for depression and/or SU.

Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited adult PWH during routine follow-up at five HIV clinical sites in the Asia-Pacific region.

Poor HIV-Related Outcomes in Older Adults Newly Diagnosed With HIV: A 4-Year Retrospective Analysis From a Single Site in Asia.

Background: In resource-limited settings, HIV-related services are often targeted to younger key populations, although increasing reports have found that adults ≥50 years now account for among the highest increase in new HIV diagnosis. We assessed the proportion of new HIV infections among older adults (≥50 years) and compared their sociodemographics, risk behaviors, and HIV-related outcomes to newly diagnosed younger adults (<50 years).

Methods: This retrospective analysis included all new HIV diagnosis from 2016 to 2019 at the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia.

CD4/CD8 Ratio Recovery Among People Living With HIV Starting With First-Line Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors: A Prospective Regional Cohort Analysis.

Background: We evaluated trends in CD4/CD8 ratio among people living with HIV (PLWH) starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) with first-line integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTI) compared with non-INSTI-based ART, and the incidence of CD4/CD8 ratio normalization.

Methods: All PLWH enrolled in adult HIV cohorts of IeDEA Asia-Pacific who started with triple-ART with at least 1 CD4, CD8 (3-month window), and HIV-1 RNA measurement post-ART were included. CD4/CD8 ratio normalization was defined as a ratio ≥1.

Changes in genital Human Papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence among urban females a decade after the Malaysian HPV vaccination program.

To increase the coverage of HPV vaccination, Malaysia implemented a national school-based vaccination program for all 13-year-old girls in 2010. Two years later, a clinic-based catch-up program was started for 16 to 21-year-old girls. We assessed the prevalence of a range of HPV genotypes, among a sample of urban women within the age groups of 18-24 and 35-45 years in 2019-2020, a decade into the national vaccination program.