Study highlights HIV/AIDS challenge in American prison system Sep 30, 2009
"Taking ART intermittently is a problem because it depletes the CD4 count - the immunizing cells that fight infection and increases the probability of developing resistance to the virus," says Dr. Pant Pai. "The risk for rapid disease progression becomes higher and presents a risk for public health transmission of HIV to their partners." According to the study those on intermittent therapy were 1. (EurekAlert!)
Certain cancers more common among HIV patients than non-HIV patients Sep 26, 2009
"The hallmark of chronic HIV is a decline in CD4 T-cells, but we also know that HIV does a lot more to your immune system than just decrease the number of these cells," Dr. Bedimo said. "It's very possible that it is an immune dysfunction that impairs the cancer immune surveillance in patients even after their CD4 counts have increased.". (EurekAlert!)
Mindful Meditation, Shared Dialogues Reduce Physician Burnout Sep 23, 2009
(July 27, 2008) CD4+ T lymphocytes, or simply CD4 T cells, are the "brains" of the immune system, coordinating its activity when the body comes under attack. They are also the cells that are attacked by HIV, the. (Science Daily)
Healing Badly Damaged Lungs: Distinct Set Of White Blood Cells Found To Set The Pace Of Wound Repair Sep 23, 2009
After determining that lymphocytes were key to mice recovering from lung injury, the team set out to sort out the various roles, if any, played by specific lymphocytes, by injecting injured mice with different types and combinations of the white blood cells, such as CD4 and CD8. Only transfusions of spleen cells rich in CD4 type T lymphocytes restored recovery time to normal ... Further experiments led by Johns Hopkins pulmonologist Franco D'Alessio, M.D., showed that blood levels of one subset... (Science Daily)
Paediatric HIV management at primary care level: an evaluation of the integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) guidelines for HIV Sep 22, 2009
HIV positive children had a CD4 count and HIV clinical staging done. Results. (BioMed Central)
Swine Flu Shots Safe for People With Weak Immune Systems: Experts Sep 20, 2009
"The CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) notes that most HIV patients can receive the immunization, and from earlier studies with seasonal flu shots, [it appears] there may be a reduced response if the number of CD4+ lymphocytes is less than 100/mm3," Greenberger said. "Better responses occurred if patients had CD4+ lymphocyte counts of at least 400.". (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
Intestinal parasitic infections in relation to HIV/AIDS status, diarrhea and CD4 T-cell count Sep 19, 2009
Hence, this study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection among people with and without HIV infection and its association with diarrhea and CD4 T-cell count ... A cross-sectional study was conducted at Hawassa Teaching and Referral Hospital focusing on HIV positive individuals, who gave blood for CD4 T-cell count at their first enrollment and clients tested HIV negative from November, 2008 to March, 2009 ... Specifically, rate of infection with... (BioMed Central)
HIV cure 'more promising than vaccine' Sep 10, 2009
and HIV likes to replicate in one type of T cell - the CD4 T cell," Prof Lewin explains. "In a CD4 T cell that is activated, HIV jumps in, replicates and kills the cell but in a CD4 T cell that is resting, and not doing anything, HIV can enter it, integrate into the DNA and sit there, and hide from the drugs that we use. " Prof Lewin says scientists have found a way to "push" the virus out of these resting T cells, forcing it back into the blood stream where it can then be targeted by other HIV... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Burkina Faso: Floods Shut Down Hospital, HIV Reference Lab Sep 9, 2009
Three of the capital's five reference laboratories capable of high-level accurate diagnoses - for more diseases than just HIV - have been damaged, the Health Ministry's Secretary General Adama Traor; told IRIN. "We are in the process of contacting the makers of the CD4 count machines [used to diagnose HIV] in the hospital to find out how to make repairs or what can be done.". He said the hospital needs to contact patients who are on anti-retroviral treatments for HIV in case the patients' homes... (allAfrica.com)
New Study Suggests An Unidentified Source As Cause Of Residual Viremia In HIV-1 Patients On HAART Aug 31, 2009
This discovery disputes previous theories that attributed residual viremia to latent proviruses in resting CD4+ T cells and could significantly impact eradication efforts ... When successful, HAART can reduce HIV-1 levels in the blood to undetectable amounts, however, HIV-1 still persists as latent proviruses in resting CD4+ T cells, also known as residual viremia ... Using two different methods, researchers analyzed viral sequences from individual patients to determine whether residual viremia... (Science Daily)
Rwanda: Antiretroviral Therapy Saves Lives Aug 29, 2009
Patients receiving the antiretroviral drugs must fit certain medical criteria before they're considered eligible for therapy, such as having a low CD4 cell count, signaling the rapid progression of the HIV virus. The accessibility of free or low-cost ARVs in Rwanda is, according to Dr. Asiimwe, attributable to a choice made by the government in 2003 to ensure everyone has access to the treatment. (allAfrica.com)
AIDS patients struggle in Cambodian town Aug 25, 2009
Van Thy said her new home has brought many challenges and a recent blood test showed that her CD4 count -- a marker of decreased immune function that is often used to demonstrate how well anti-HIV drugs are working, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- had gone down. She said the doctor told her she needed to eat more, but she said having little money means eating less: "It means that my health is getting worse," she said. (CNN -- International)
Summary for Patients Aug 18, 2009
The researchers collected information on patient deaths and CD4 cell counts over 5 years. Doctors use blood tests called CD4 cell counts to monitor patients with HIV infection ... The CD4 cell count decreases as the disease gets worse, so low CD4 cell counts are bad. (Annals of Internal Medicine)
Uganda: New HIV Strain Found Aug 4, 2009
The Cameroonian woman, who has no sign of AIDS, is receiving treatment and has a stable count of viruses and CD4 cells, a key benchmark of immune-system fitness. AIDS has killed about 25 million people globally since it became known in 1981. (allAfrica.com)
Uganda: ARV Shortage Sets in As Aids Funding Falls Aug 4, 2009
The EastAfrican has learnt that some of the lead providers like the Joint Clinical Research Centre have stopped initiating new patients on anti-retroviral drugs completely, while a civil society network for people living with HIV said that Mildmay Uganda is only enrolling patients whose CD4 cell counts have dropped to 150/mm3 against the recommended 250/mm3 cell count stipulated in World Health Organisation guidelines for administering the therapy ... According to WHO, different categories of... (allAfrica.com)
Scientists learn why even treated genital herpes sores boost the risk of HIV infection Aug 3, 2009
First, they found that CD4+ T cellsthe cells that HIV primarily infectspopulate tissue at the sites of healed genital HSV-2 lesions at concentrations 2 to 37 times greater than in unaffected genital skin. Treatment with acyclovir did not reduce this long-lasting, high concentration of HSV-2-specific CD4+ T cells at the sites of healed herpes lesions ... Second, the scientists discovered that a significant proportion of these CD4+ T cells carried CCR5 or CXCR4, the cell-surface proteins that... (EurekAlert!)
UGANDA: Government inquiry launched as ARV shortages blamed for deaths Aug 1, 2009
"Some service providers are only enrolling patients with a CD4 count [a healthy CD4 count is between 500 and 1,500] of 150 and below," she said ... The UN World Health Organization (WHO) recommends patients are enrolled on ARVs when their CD4 immunity measure falls to 350. (AlertNet)
Rise 'n Die, HIV: Strategies for a Cure Based on Waking the AIDS Virus Jul 31, 2009
Hiding out in CD4 cells HIV's resting place is the immune system's memory CD4 T cells, which have the ability to recognize foreign and viruses from previous encounters ... But once CD4 cells awaken to an invader, HIV rears its head, too, and begins to replicate with its host ... So researchers are now on the hunt for a way either to ensure that deactivation is permanent for any CD4 cell harboring HIV, or to spark activation for all infected CD4 cells with anti-HIV drugs ready and waiting to... (Scientific American)
Cytoplasmic Talk Of Retroviruses, Such As HIV, Helps Them Spread From Cell To Cell Jul 30, 2009
14, 2006) In AIDS, CD4+ T cells are killed by direct HIV infection but researchers remain puzzled as to why uninfected CD4+ T cells also die. A new JCI study shows that an HIV surface glycoprotein expressed by. (Science Daily)
Namibia: Country Makes Strides in Paediatric HIV Jul 29, 2009
While HIV-positive adults only receive ARVs once their CD4 count drops below 250 - a measurement of the number of T-helper cells, indicating weakness in the immune system - HIV-positive infants are put on ARV treatment immediately after testing positive. "All HIV positive infants under twelve months receive ART. Thereafter we follow the World Health Organisation criteria, which look at CD4 percentages and clinical stages of sickness," explained Mushavi. (allAfrica.com)
Uganda: Crisis as ARVs Run Out Jul 27, 2009
3 million Ugandans are living with HIV. Out of these, 350,000 are eligible for ARVs because their CD4 count is below 250 cells/mm. Out of these, about only 180,000 (about 40%), are getting ARVs. (allAfrica.com)
South Africa: Is Govt Madness Over HIV/Aids Ending? [editorial] Jul 25, 2009
We have acknowledged best practice guidelines telling us that we should place people with HIV on ARVs long before their CD4 counts, a measure of their immunity, plunge below 350 - yet at our health facilities most people are starting treatment with CD4 counts well below 100 when it is too late and most of them die. Relevant Links. (allAfrica.com)
Chimps die from AIDS-like disease after viral infection... Jul 23, 2009
Tissue samples taken from infected chimps that died prematurely also saw a plunge in the population of key immune cells -- a startling similarity to the crash in CD4 cells among humans that exposes the body to opportunistic disease. The finding has implications for knowledge about primates' immune systems and raises further concerns for the future of the chimpanzee, an endangered species beset by habitat erosion and hunting. (The Drudge Report)
Earlier HIV Antiviral Treatment Can Be Cost Effective In Areas Of Limited Resources, South African Study Finds Jul 22, 2009
The team reports in the August 4 Annals of Internal Medicine that starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) when the level of CD4 T cells drops below a threshold of 350 per microliter of blood, compared with below 250, would prevent nearly 76,000 deaths and avert 66,000 opportunistic infections over the next five years at an estimated cost of 1,200 per year of life saved ... In the U.S. and other developed countries, ART is usually initiated when the CD4 count a measure of immune system function... (Science Daily)
Earlier HIV Treatment Could Save Lives Worldwide Jul 22, 2009
An estimated 76,000 deaths could be prevented and 66,000 infections avoided over a five-year period, the researchers say, if antiretroviral therapy (ART) were started when CD4 T-cell levels drop below 350 per microliter of blood instead of delaying until levels fall below 250 ... Because ART is expensive and can have significant side effects, World Health Organization treatment guidelines issued in 2006 suggested waiting until CD4 counts drop below 200 per microliter of blood or until people... (MEDLINEplus)
South Africa: ARVs Could Be Used to Prevent HIV Infection Jul 21, 2009
Dr Francois Venter of the Reproductive Health Research Unit in Johannesburg told delegates that the debate around when to start patient on ARVs pertained to a minority as most patients in sub-Saharan Africa started their treatment very late - the average starting at a CD4 count (cells in the immune system) of around 100 ... He said studies were showing that there was massive mortality when patients were started at a CD4 threshold of below 200 - the current policy in South Africa - and that the... (allAfrica.com)
Study offers insights into failed HIV-1 vaccine trial Jul 21, 2009
BOSTON Following the disbandment of the STEP trial to test the efficacy of the Merck HIV-1 vaccine candidate in 2007, the leading explanation for why the vaccine was ineffective and may have even increased susceptibility to acquiring the virus centered on the hypothesis that high levels of baseline Ad5-specific neutralizing antibodies may have increased HIV-1 acquisition among the study subjects who received the vaccine by increasing Ad5-specific CD4+ T-cells that were susceptible to HIV-1... (EurekAlert!)
Africa: IAS Opening Address By Stephen Lewis Jul 21, 2009
Your individual and collective voices are needed sure, you have the technological and laboratory acumen, you know about vaccines and microbicides and triple combination therapy and viral loads and CD4 counts and pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis the entire panoply of sophisticated scientific discovery and intervention. And that's your work, and it's of inestimable value. (allAfrica.com)
BD/PEPFAR Lab-Strengthening Initiative Marks Progress in Fight Against HIV/AIDS and TB in Sub-Saharan Africa Jul 20, 2009
Implementing quality-control and quality-assurance guidelines and supervisory tools for hematology, chemistry, CD4 testing and rapid HIV testing. Strengthening TB reference sites to serve as centralized training facilities. (PR Newswire)
Genetic trigger for disease-fighting antibodies Jul 18, 2009
"Dr Crotty has defined the gene that regulates the formation of certain CD4 T cells," he said. "Those cells are very critical for antibody production, so describing what regulates the birth of those cells is clearly an important discovery," he added. (India Times, India)
South Africa: Dying While Waiting Jul 13, 2009
His CD4 count was a mere 47 when it was measured in March, and at the time of his death he had TB, according to a family member who did not want to be named. Meanwhile, Sbu Zondi* told Health-e he had been waiting for ARVs since January, when his CD4 count was 67 ... Thembi Ndlovu's* mother confirmed that her daughter had been on the waiting list since October last year and that her CD4 is a mere 24. (allAfrica.com)
HIV-related Death: Predicting Fatal Fungal Infections Jul 5, 2009
22, 2009) CD4+ T cell depletion by HIV is a major blow to the immune system. Combination antiretroviral therapy (c-ART) restores the T cell population, however not all patients respond to this therapy. (Science Daily)
Scientists Identify Key Factor That Controls HIV Latency Jun 28, 2009
A real cure for HIV has been elusive because the virus can "hide" in a latent form in resting CD4-T cells ... 22, 2009) CD4+ T cell depletion by HIV is a major blow to the immune system. (Science Daily)
New Strategy Eyed for AIDS Treatment Jun 24, 2009
"For the first time, this study proves that the HIV reservoirs are not due to a lack of potency of the antiretroviral drugs but to the virus hiding inside two different types of long-life CD4 memory immune cells," Routy said in the news release. "There are several types of HIV reservoirs, each necessitating a different treatment to eliminate them.". (MEDLINEplus)
Transplant drug stimulates immune memory Jun 22, 2009
T cells come in both CD4 (helper) and CD8 (killer) forms, but scientists have found that CD8 T cells are more important for fighting LCMV.. When mice were treated with rapamycin, more CD8 T cells that react against LMCV survived, Araki found. (EurekAlert!)
A new weapon in the war against HIV-AIDS: Combined antiviral and targeted chemotherapy Jun 22, 2009
"For the first time, this study proves that the HIV reservoirs are not due to a lack of potency of the antiretroviral drugs, but to the virus hiding inside two different types of long life CD4 memory immune cells," explains Dr. Jean-Pierre Routy, a hematologist with the MUHC, researcher in infection and immunity at the RI-MUHC and professor of hematology at McGill University. "There are several types of HIV reservoirs, each necessitating a different treatment to eliminate them.". (EurekAlert!)
South Africa: Overburdened KZN Hospital Suspends ARV Programme Jun 17, 2009
By this stage, his CD4 count was 114 (those with CD4 counts of 200 and under are eligible for ARVs) ... Her CD4 count is a dangerously low 48. (allAfrica.com)
Clearing Pneumococcal Bacteria From The Upper Airways Jun 17, 2009
In the study, they found that efficient clearance of S. pneumoniae from the upper airways of mice that had not been previously colonized by the bacteria required immune cells known as Th17 cells (CD4+ T cells that secrete the soluble factor IL-17). Further analysis indicated that these cells were required to sustain the recruitment of other immune cells known as monocyte/macrophages, which effectively cleared the pneumococcal bacteria. (Science Daily)
Clone cell cancer 'cure' hailed Jun 2, 2009
Scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle concentrated on a type of immune system cell called a CD4+ T cell ... From a sample of the man's white blood cells, they were able to select CD4+ T cells which had been specifically primed to attack a chemical found on the surface of melanoma cells. (BBC News -- Health)
Quick HIV test developed Jun 1, 2009
An international team has developed the prototype CD4 rapid test, similar in design to a home pregnancy test, which works with a finger-prick blood sample to measure the numbers of CD4+ T-cells in a person's blood. CD4+ T-cells are critical for a healthy functioning immune system and are slowly destroyed during the course of an HIV infection, thereby making patients increasingly vulnerable to illness ... Research shows that if HIV patients wait till they're sick to start treatment they have a... (India Times, India)
Serial Monitoring With ImmuKnow(R) is Useful in the Risk Assessment of Kidney Transplant Recipients May 31, 2009
It measures the concentration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) released from CD4 cells following cell stimulation. The ImmuKnow test is a qualitative assay and does not directly quantify the level of immunosuppression. (PR Newswire)
New Cellular Targets For HIV Drug Development May 29, 2009
(July 15, 2007) Researchers identified cellular proteins recruited by HIV to compromise CD4+T cell function and enhance viral replication ... While this was feared to destroy, perhaps irreversibly, patient HIV-specific CD4+ T ... (July 14, 2008) Recent studies have shown that HIV causes a vigorous and prolonged immune response that eventually leads to the exhaustion of key immune system cells -- CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells -- that target HIV.. (Science Daily)
Immunologists identify biochemical signals that help immune cells remember how to fight infection May 28, 2009
Past UT Southwestern studies have shown that the two cytokines work together in CD4+ T-cells to generate memory cells; the new research suggests that these molecules perform distinct roles in another type of immune cell called CD8+ T lymphocytes. For these cells, whether they become killers or long-term memory cells depends upon which cytokine they respond to. (EurekAlert!)
Gambia: Allah Gives Professor Jammeh Knowledge And Talent to Cure - DR Mbowe May 28, 2009
He recalled that there was extreme joy surrounding the Breakthrough when the first CD4 counts results were announced on 17 June 2007. This, he said, served as the first proof of Professor Jammeh's treatment success. (allAfrica.com)
Virus Tamed To Destroy Just Cancer Cells May 25, 2009
While this was feared to destroy, perhaps irreversibly, patient HIV-specific CD4+ T. . (Science Daily)
TB vaccine gets its groove back May 20, 2009
She found that, compared to BCG, the modified BCG induced greater cytokine (immune regulatory factor) production during the early phase of the immune response, more CD8 cell-killing T cells at the peak of the primary response, and more CD4 helper T cells during the memory phase. Modified BCG also produced greater recall immune responses and was eliminated better by the vaccinated host animal than the parent BCG vaccine, which might correlate with improved safety in humans. (EurekAlert!)
Immune Exhaustion Driven By Antigen In Chronic Viral Infection May 19, 2009
(July 14, 2008) Recent studies have shown that HIV causes a vigorous and prolonged immune response that eventually leads to the exhaustion of key immune system cells -- CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells -- that target HIV.. (May 14, 2009) Researchers have developed a mathematical model to predict immune responses to infection with influenza A viruses, including novel viruses such as the emergent 2009 influenza A (H1N1). (Science Daily)
PEP to be administered on health workers May 19, 2009
He said that HIV/AIDS patients whose body defence system (CD4 counts) was less that 350 were given Anti Retroviral Drugs to prolong their lifespan. Dr. Ahiable said the hospital managed people with opportunistic infections like tuberculosis (TB) and other skin infections adding that people with HIV were susceptible to T.B. infection. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Early Use Of Antiretroviral Treatment Improves Survival Rate Of HIV Patients May 18, 2009
22, 2009) CD4+ T cell depletion by HIV is a major blow to the immune system ... The study found that not starting HIV patients at a CD4 count greater than. (Science Daily)
Chronic Infection Now Clearly Tied To Immune-system Protein May 17, 2009
Measurements were taken for two types of T-cells, CD4 and CD8 T-cells, before and after the mice were treated with interleukin-21 ... The CD4 T-cells help the immune system do its job by boosting CD8 T-cells' ability to fight and kill viruses. (Science Daily)
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Announces Presentation of Forodesine Data at the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology May 15, 2009
Grade 3 lymphopenia and a CD4 count of less than 200 were noted in eight of the nine subjects and four of the nine subjects, respectively. About BioCryst. (PR Newswire)
Key Protein Keeps Chronic Infection In Check May 11, 2009
The researchers looked at two types of T-cells CD4 T-cells and CD8 T-cells which are immune cells that play an important role in the body's response to infection. The CD4 T-cells help the immune system by producing IL-21 during chronic infection, bolstering the CD8 T-cells' ability to fight off the virus ... "The CD4 cells are the regulators the generals, if you will," said principal investigator David Brooks, assistant professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at the David... (Science Daily)
Herpes medication does not reduce risk of HIV transmission May 9, 2009
The study also determined whether acyclovir can slow HIV disease progression among individuals with HIV and HSV-2 who also have CD4 T-cell counts that are too high for HIV antiretroviral treatment under current national guidelines. Specifically, the investigators studied the number of participants in the acyclovir and placebo arms whose CD4 T-cell counts declined to below 200, who started HIV medications, or who died ... HSV-2 infection also attracts immune cells called CD4 T-cells to the... (EurekAlert!)
Study reveals current multi-component vaccines may need reworking May 8, 2009
A peptide's persistence at the cell surface also controls the ability of CD4 T cells to continue to expand ... The team also found that low-stability peptide:class II complexes support the initial priming and expansion of CD4 T cells, but the expansion is "strikingly aborted" in the presence of competitive T cell responses to immunodominant peptides ... One of the principle roles of helper CD4+ T cells is to turn on CD8 "killer" T cells that sense infected cells and destroy them before a virus... (EurekAlert!)
If Started Early, HIV Treatment Reduces Death Rates Toward Background Levels In African Countries May 3, 2009
However, for patients who start ART when they have a high CD4 lymphocyte count and no signs of advanced HIV disease, the excess mortality is moderate and similar to that associated with diabetes. This study was supported by the Office of AIDS Research (OAR) of the National Institutes of Health, the Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le SIDA et les Hepatites Virales (ANRS), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, grant 1 U01 AI069924-01). (Science Daily)
Cancer-causing virus associated with higher risk of new HIV infection May 1, 2009
The inflammatory cells recruited to the HPV lesionsdendritic cells, macrophages and CD4 T cellsare the immune cells most susceptible to HIV infection. HPV vaccine has been found effective in preventing acquisition of the virus by women. (EurekAlert!)
HIV May Be Increasing in Virulence Apr 17, 2009
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - From 1985 to 2007, the CD4+ cell counts seen at diagnosis in HIV-infected patients in the US have fallen, suggesting that the virus may be adapting to the host and becoming more virulent, according to a report in Clinical Infectious Diseases. These findings agree with those of other researchers, who have reported that patients starting treatment for HIV infection in recent years may have lower CD4+ cell counts at diagnosis and require antiretroviral therapy earlier in... (MEDLINEplus)
Nanotech in Africa Apr 13, 2009
" So his team packs an "HIV outreach clinic" into its vehicle, and takes it out to remote communities. Along with the rest of the equipment loaded into the back and strapped on to the roof of the ambulance, there is one modest-looking grey box. This piece of equipment is a PointCare NOW machine. It was donated to the hospital last year, and has since transformed the care Dr Williams can offer HIV patients. The hospital is on the edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest The machine is a portable... (BBC News -- Africa)
Early administration of antiretroviral therapy can improve survival Apr 10, 2009
The immune system's CD4 cell count, which falls as HIV infection progresses, is one of the main tools for establishing a guideline cutoff point. Current clinical guides recommend waiting for the CD4 count to fall below 350 cells per milliliter (L) in asymptomatic patients ... Waiting to administer the combined therapy until CD4 levels had fallen to between 251 and 350 cells/L was associated with a 28% higher rate of development of AIDS and death than beginning treatment when levels were... (EurekAlert!)
Has HIV Become More Virulent? Apr 9, 2009
However, clinicians have observed that patients are entering HIV care with lower initial CD4 cell counts than in previous years and now often require antiretroviral therapy soon after entering care, raising the question of whether HIV has become more virulent ... When they looked at patients first CD4 count after HIV diagnosis, they found that it decreased from an average of 632 cells/mm3 in 1985-1990 to 514 cells/mm3 in 2002-2007 ... Additionally, 25 percent of patients diagnosed with HIV in... (Science Daily)
AIDS drug: Study backs early treatment Apr 9, 2009
There is no universal guideline for when HAART should be administered, but a common recommendation is to start the drugs when there are fewer than 200-250 CD4 cells- key immune cells that are attacked by the virus- per microlitre of blood ... Those who began HAART when their CD4 count was below 350 cells per microlitre were 28% likelier to develop AIDS or die prematurely than those who grasped the lifeline when their CD4 tally was 351-450 cells per microlitre. (India Times, India)
Intestinal Parasites Alter Immunity In Cholera Patients Apr 8, 2009
The response against a sugar-based molecule that is also important in the immune response was not reduced, implying that the reduced response could relate to the effects of helminth infection on CD4+ helper T cells. "It's been a puzzle as to why cholera vaccines that initially look so promising in trials in volunteers in Europe and the United States have been much less effective in inducing a strong immune system response in countries where cholera occurs. Our study supports the idea that... (Science Daily)
Transmission Of Drug Resistant HIV-1 Apr 4, 2009
(May 1, 2007) New evidence shows that drug-resistant virus passed from mother-to-child can quickly establish itself in infants' CD4+ T cells where it can hide for years, likely limiting their options for future. (July 30, 2008) Drug-resistant HIV at levels too low to be detected by standard tests is not unusual and may contribute to treatment failure, according to new. (Science Daily)
More compelling evidence on why earlier HIV treatment lengthens survival Apr 3, 2009
The study found that not starting HIV patients at a CD4 count greater than 500 cells per cubic millimeter increased risk of death by 94 percent ... Current U.S. guidelines recommend treatment for asymptomatic patients who have a CD4 count of less than 350 ... Since 1996, when potent antiretroviral therapy was introduced and recommended for asymptomatic HIV patients with a CD4 count less than 500 cells per cubic millimeter, there has been uncertainty about when to start treatment. (EurekAlert!)
Starting HIV Therapy Earlier Saves Lives Apr 3, 2009
But in the new study, the Seattle group found that, compared with patients who started treatment early, patients who delayed therapy boosted their odds of dying by either 69 percent or 94 percent, depending on how low the patient's CD4 blood cell count was ... Patients were classified by their CD4+ immune T-cell count, a measure of the strength of the immune system ... As HIV disease progresses, the CD4 count drops. (MEDLINEplus)
