Journal of internal medicine
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This retrospective follow-up study aims to investigate the dynamic longitudinal change of plasma neurofilament light (NfL) levels after antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation in a cohort of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PWH). ⋯ Plasma NfL is a sensitive biomarker to assess ongoing central nervous system injury in PWH. Plasma NfL concentrations decline relatively fast following ART initiation and then stabilize after 48 weeks. Plasma NfL concentrations are associated with CD4+ count and stage of HIV disease. No correlations were seen with different ART regimens.
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Review
Optimizing the vaginal microbiome as a potential strategy to reduce heterosexual HIV transmission.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a proinflammatory genital condition characterized by high vaginal bacterial diversity and a paucity of Lactobacillus species. BV has been linked to an elevated risk of HIV acquisition among HIV-negative women and of forward HIV transmission to male sex partners among women living with HIV (adjusted hazard ratios of 1.69 and 3.17, respectively), potentially by eliciting genital inflammation in women with BV and their male sex partners. ⋯ More recently, BV treatment strategies incorporating live biotherapeutic lactobacilli have led to sustained optimization of the vaginal microbiome and a decrease in inflammatory biomarkers previously associated with HIV susceptibility. Future studies are urgently needed to evaluate BV treatment strategies that can optimize the vaginal microbiome in the long term through colonization with H2 O2 -producing vaginal lactobacilli and to assess whether vaginal microbiota optimization is able to reduce the risk of HIV transmission.
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To explore the role of peripheral lymphocyte count in phenotyping and prognosis prediction in dermatomyositis (DM) patients with anti-MDA5 antibodies. ⋯ Lymphopenia is a unique manifestation of anti-MDA5+ DM. Peripheral lymphocyte count can define clinical phenotypes and predict prognosis in anti-MDA5+ DM.