The infection of CD4+ cells by HIV leads to the progressive destruction of CD4+ T lymphocytes and, after a severe reduction of CD4+ cells, to AIDS. The aim of the study was to investigate whether HIV-infected patients with CD4 cell counts <200 cells/µl can suffer from symptoms of IgE-mediated allergy, produce allergen-specific IgE antibody responses and show boosts of allergen-specific IgE prod...

We evaluated the ability of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) to diminish immune hyperactivation, which is considered a major cause of CD4+ T cell loss during chronic HIV-1 infection and whether this affected CD4+ T cell counts and plasma HIV-1 RNA (pVL). Therefore, we treated six chronically HIV-1-infected, antiretroviral-therapy-naive patients with IVIG (0.4 g/kg) at weeks 0 and 4, with a fol...

OBJECTIVE To assess toxicities associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) among HIV-1-infected pregnant women treated with nevirapine-based regimens according to Mozambican national guidelines. STUDY DESIGN Prospective cohort study. METHODS HIV-1-infected antiretroviral-naive pregnant women with CD4 counts < or =350 cells/microL were initiated on nevirapine, lamivudine, an...

BACKGROUND Little is known about the variability of CD4 counts in the general population of sub-Saharan Africa countries affected by the HIV epidemic. We investigated factors associated with CD4 counts in a rural area in South Africa with high HIV prevalence and high antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage. METHODS CD4 counts, health status, body mass index (BMI), demographic characteristics ...

BACKGROUND Estimates of the decrease in CD4(+) cell counts in untreated patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are important for patient care and public health. We analyzed CD4(+) cell count decreases in the Cape Town AIDS Cohort and the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. METHODS We used mixed-effects models and joint models that allowed for the correlation between CD4(+) cell count ...

BACKGROUND We compared clinical outcomes among HIV-infected participants receiving ART who were randomized to viral load (VL) and CD4 cell count monitoring in comparison to CD4 cell count monitoring alone in Tororo, Uganda. METHODS Beginning in May 2003, participants with CD4 cell counts <250 cells/μL or WHO stage 3 or 4 disease were randomized to clinical monitoring alone, clinical monitorin...

High levels of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) are necessary for achieving and maintaining optimal virological suppression, as suboptimal adherence leads to therapy failure and disease progression. It is well known that adherence to ART predicts therapy response, but it is unclear whether clinical outcomes of ART predict adherence. To examine the predictive power of current CD4+ T cel...