Cervicovaginal Inflammation Facilitates Acquisition of Less Infectious HIV Variants

Genotypic characterization of HIV-1 C variants in PBMCs and cervicovaginal cells

Background HIV-1 is primarily a mucosal pathogen since more than 80% of infections occur through genital exposure. Vaginal intercourse, though an inefficient mode of transmission, contributes more new infections worldwide than any other route. Also, the female reproductive tract has been identified as a compartment that harbors variants distinct from blood. Present study aims to highlight viral...

Genital inflammation and the risk of HIV acquisition in women.

BACKGROUND Women in Africa, especially young women, have very high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence rates that cannot be fully explained by behavioral risks. We investigated whether genital inflammation influenced HIV acquisition in this group. METHODS Twelve selected cytokines, including 9 inflammatory cytokines and chemokines (interleukin [IL]-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis fac...

Less is Less in Language Acquisition

A principal observation in the study of language acquisition is that people exposed to a language as children are more likely to achieve fluency in that language than those first exposed to it as adults, giving rise to the popular notion of a critical period for language learning (Lenneberg, 1967; Long, 1990). This is perhaps surprising since children have been found to be inferior to adults in...

HIV binding, penetration, and primary infection in human cervicovaginal tissue.

We have developed human cervicovaginal organ culture systems to examine the initiating events in HIV transmission after exposure to various sources of HIV infectivity, including semen. Newly infected cells were detected in the cervical submucosa 3-4 days after exposure to a primary HIV isolate. At earlier times, extensive and stable binding occurred when cervical surfaces were exposed to virion...

Less Common Pediatric Infectious Diseases Revisited.