Showing posts with label 10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 10. Show all posts

Saturday, November 9, 2013

CLINICAL ASPECTS OF HIV INFECTION

The HIV challenge has many interesting aspects when it comes to pathophysiology and genetic based studies.  It goes without saying that the disease is bad and has caused many deplorable deaths.  But for scientists it has provided significant opportunity for advances as it has shed light on several aspects of this disease:
1. Viral infection: the takeover of the Human genome to the benefit of the life of the Virus
2. Sexually transmitted diseases and difficulties in controlling this line of infections, particularly in poor populations
3. Impact of hormone (Testosterone and corticoids which tend to worsen the disease such as in Kaposi Sarcoma)
4. Revealing weaknesses in the structure of our Immune systems for the decrease of CD4, to the development of lymphoproliferative disorders, to the development of opportunistic infections, to the increased risk of AIDS related lymphomas (ARL) in patients expressing Stromal cell derived Factor 1  ( and decrease risk in those having a deletion in Chemokine Receptor CCR5)
5. On the genetic front, Mutations, suppression and translocations of the c-MYC, P53, and Bcl6...
6. The disease causes the body to be swamped with Cytokines ( IL-1,6,10)
7. The disease has shown us the importance of duration of exposure as various diseases develop the longer you stay under the curb of low CD4 (less than 100) with certain diseases being seen only at certain CD4 counts.
8. New biomarkers are now defined CD30 (heightened risk of progression of ARL)
and new diagnosis  (CD138, VS38c for Plasmablastic lymphoma)
9. Early introduction of Etoposide in the treatment plan seems to be important with the resurgence of the EPOCH regimen rather than CHOP; Etoposide seems to control those Epigenetic events better!
10. Eminence of Macrophages in the inflammatory process as they drive the EGFR
and the use of Anti-VEGF in KS. An angiosarcoma...(where is Avastin?)

You name HIV, the syndrome does it.  The push for us is to go back to the genetic bases of this disease!