The Impact of Antiretroviral Therapy in a Cohort of HIV Infected Patients Going in and out of the San Francisco County Jail

Background

Jails are an important venue of HIV care and a place for identification, treatment and referral for care. HIV infected inmates in the San Francisco County jail are offered antiretroviral treatment (ART), which many take only while in jail. We evaluated the effect of ART administration in a cohort of jail inmates going in and out of jail over a nine year period.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In this retrospective study, we examined inmates with HIV going in and out of jail. Inmates were categorized by patterns of ART use: continuous ART - ART both in and out of jail, intermittent ART - ART only in jail; never on ART - eligible by national guidelines, but refused ART. CD4 and HIV viral load (VL) were compared over time in these groups. Over a 9 year period, 512 inmates were studied: 388 (76%) on intermittent ART, 79 (15%) on continuous ART and 45(9%) never-on ART. In a linear mixed model analysis, inmates on intermittent ART were 1.43; 95%CI (1.03, 1.99) times and those never on ART were 2.89; 95%CI (1.71, 4.87) times more likely to have higher VL than inmates on continuous ART. Furthermore, Inmates on intermittent ART and never-on ART lost 1.60; 95%CI (1.06, 2.13) and 1.97; 95%CI (0.96, 3.00) more CD4 cells per month, respectively, compared to continuously treated inmates. The continuous ART inmates gained 0.67CD4 cells/month.

Conclusions/Significance

Continuous ART therapy in jail inmate''s benefits CD4 cell counts and control of VL especially compared to those who never took ART. Although jail inmates on intermittent ART were more likely to lose CD4 cells and experience higher VL over time than those on continuous ART, CD4 cell loss was slower in these inmates as compared to inmates never on ART. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether or not intermittent ART provides some benefit in outcome if continuous ART is not possible or likely.     

Norovirus disease: changing epidemiology and host susceptibility factors

Noroviruses cause the majority of acute viral gastroenteritis cases that occur worldwide. The increased recognition of noroviruses as the cause of outbreaks and sporadic disease is due to the recent availability of improved norovirus-specific diagnostics. Transmission of these viruses is facilitated by their high prevalence in the community, shedding of infectious virus particles from asymptomatic individuals and the high stability of the virus in the environment. Currently, the spectrum of clinical disease and the understanding of host susceptibility factors are changing. Cases of chronic norovirus gastroenteritis have been observed in transplant recipients and unusual clinical presentations have been recognized in otherwise healthy adults that are under physical stress. Recently, noroviruses were found to bind to gut-expressed carbohydrates, leading to a correlation between a person's genetically determined carbohydrate expression and their susceptibility to Norwalk virus infection. Greater community surveillance and further investigation of carbohydrate receptor-binding properties could provide further insights into norovirus transmission, susceptibility and pathogenesis, and should aid in developing vaccines and antiviral therapies for this common viral disease.     

Interactions between rotavirus and gastrointestinal cells

Rotaviruses are the leading cause of life-threatening diarrheal disease in infants and in young animals worldwide. The outcome of rotavirus infection of intestinal epithelial cells is more complex and involves induction of more diverse cellular responses than initially appreciated. Similar to bacteria, the pathogenesis of rotavirus-induced disease involves an enterotoxin, activation of the enteric nervous system and malabsorption, suggesting that common mechanisms of pathogenesis may exist between viral and bacterial pathogens.     

内蒙古草原人类福祉与生态系统服务及其动态变化——以锡林郭勒草原为例

以锡林郭勒盟为研究区域,建立人类福祉评价指标体系,通过牧户问卷调查了解牧户对草原生态系统服务和福祉变化的认识,结合当地的自然环境、生态环境和社会经济等多方面的多年统计数据,采用专家打分法对牧民各福祉指标打分,对2001年和2010年牧民福祉变化进行了评估和分析。结果表明:收入、道路覆盖率、农村合作医疗保险和文化教育方面对牧民福祉变化贡献最大;生产资料持续供给能力下降是导致收入减少的主要方面;旗县的犯罪率,环境空气质量,饮食结构,离婚率等是导致牧民福祉下降的主要方面。有关研究结果为提高锡林郭勒盟人类福祉、生态保护和区域可持续发展政策制定提供科学依据。     

5-HT_(1A)受体参与学习记忆的分子机制研究进展

5-HT(五羟色胺)能神经元是起源最早的神经元之一,在传统的神经元形成前,成长中的轴突就可释放5-HT,并且通过5-HT的各种亚型受体来实现不同的功能。近年来,随着5-HT、5-HTRs(五羟色胺受体)的基因克隆及5-HT受体选择性激动剂和拮抗剂的研究发展,5-HT系统在学习记忆中的作用越发明确,许多研究结果表明:5-HT系统在记忆的巩固、短时程记忆(STM)及长时程记忆(LTM)中起重要作用,5-HT1A受体更是在非脊椎动物及哺乳动物的脑中都高度表达,并通过相似的信号转导途径参与学习与记忆的形成和巩固。本文将介绍5-HT1A受体、5-HT1A受体激动剂、5-HT1A受体拮抗剂及其与学习记忆的联系,重点综述5-HT1A受体参与学习记忆的信号转导途径研究进展,讨论5-HT1A受体参与学习记忆的可能性分子神经生物学机制。     

脂肪细胞因子 CTRP4转基因鼠的构建与鉴定

目的：建立人CTRP4基因的转基因小鼠,为脂肪细胞因子CTRP4的体内功能研究奠定基础。方法首先构建人CTRP4的转基因小鼠线性化表达载体,再利用显微注射的方法将载体注射入小鼠受精卵,从而构建人CTRP4的首建鼠（ Founder ）并与野生型小鼠交配繁殖得到F1代阳性小鼠,再通过近亲繁殖与测交的方法,得到CTRP4转基因纯合子小鼠,并通过PCR和western blot 的方法对纯合子小鼠进行鉴定。结果得到人CTRP4转基因小鼠纯合子小鼠两个品系,western blot鉴定该转基因小鼠心脏,肝脏,脑,肾脏等多种组织中均呈现CTRP4高表达。结论成功构建了人CTRP4转基因小鼠纯合子小鼠。     

若尔盖人-狼冲突现状与管理研究

大中型食肉动物肇事事件导致人类与野生动物关系恶化,给生物多样性保护工作带来巨大的挑战。若尔盖湿地是我国三大湿地之一,湿地、草原分布广泛,生物多样性丰富,畜牧业发达,但近年来狼(Canis lupus)捕杀牲畜的肇事事件时有发生。为了解若尔盖野生狼肇事件的空间分布以及牧民对人-狼冲突管理的看法,本研究于2022年对若尔盖县13个乡镇83个行政村进行走访调查。结果表明：(1)多数受访者(66.0%)认为在过去5年内,若尔盖县野生狼数量有所增加;(2)狼肇事事件具有明显的空间分异性,最严重的是包座乡。包座乡临近山区,该区域牧场面积广阔、牧民饲养牲畜数量多等原因导致该镇发生狼肇事事件较多;(3)对于狼肇事,绝大多数牧民(85.0%)更希望采取经济补偿或者驱赶措施,只有少数牧民(9.4%)希望采取捕杀的措施;(4)影响牧民对狼肇事管理措施的偏好因子中,受教育程度、年龄、民族以及被杀牲畜数量有显著影响。建议加强狼种群监测管理,采取措施减少狼捕杀牲畜,优化补偿机制,缓解当地牧民与狼之间的矛盾。本研究为当前若尔盖县野生动物保护和管理决策提供了依据,对其他地区大型食肉动物与当地居民冲突管理具有借鉴意义。     

Maintenance of Y receptor dimers in epithelial cells depends on interaction with G-protein heterotrimers

Treatment of CHO cells expressing human Y receptors (Y₁, Y₂ or Y4 subtype) with pertussis toxin results in a large decrease in functional receptors, with a preferential loss of heteropentameric assemblies of receptor dimers and G-protein trimers. This occurs in parallel to inactivation of the nucleotide site of Gi α subunits, with a half period of about 4 h. The loss could be mainly due to proteolysis at the level of recycling/perinuclear endosomes, and of receptor completion in the ER, since it is reduced by co-treatment with ammonium chloride, an inhibitor of particulate proteinases. Antagonists do not strongly decrease the heteropentameric fraction. These findings indicate that the upkeep of Y receptor dimers in epithelial cell lines depends on the association of receptor oligomers with functional Gi α subunits. This interaction could use the juxtamembrane helix 8 in the fourth intracellular domain, and could also be supported by the C-terminal helix of the third intracellular loop, as outlined in the companion review (Parker et al., Amino Acids, doi:, 2010).