Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Clifford Lane

Publications and source records attributed to H Clifford Lane.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Increases in CD4+ T lymphocytes occur without increases in thymic size in HIV-infected subjects receiving interleukin-2 therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential contribution of the thymus to CD4+ T-lymphocyte increases in HIV-infected patients receiving intermittent interleukin-2 (IL-2) therapy. DESIGN: Fifteen HIV-infected patients treated with antiretroviral regimens who were enrolled in a study of intermittent IL-2 therapy and were willing to undergo serial thymic computed tomography (CT) were prospectively studied. METHODS: Thymic CT was performed before and approximately 6 and 12-17 months after intermittent IL-2 therapy was started. Scans were graded in a blinded manner. Changes in lymphocyte subpopulations were determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Statistically significant increases in CD4+ T lymphocytes occurred with IL-2 administration, with a preferential increase in naive relative to memory CD4+ T cells. Despite this increase in naive CD4+ T cells, overall there was a modest decrease in thymic volume observed during the study period. No correlation was found between changes in thymic volume indices and total, naive, or memory CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that the profound CD4+ T-lymphocyte increases seen with intermittent IL-2 administration are not associated with increases in thymic volume and more likely are due to peripheral expansion rather than increased thymic output.

Adult↗

Identifying biological themes within lists of genes with EASE.

EASE is a customizable software application for rapid biological interpretation of gene lists that result from the analysis of microarray, proteomics, SAGE and other high-throughput genomic data. The biological themes returned by EASE recapitulate manually determined themes in previously published gene lists and are robust to varying methods of normalization, intensity calculation and statistical selection of genes. EASE is a powerful tool for rapidly converting the results of functional genomics studies from 'genes' to 'themes'.

Computational Biology↗

A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of intermittent administration of interleukin-2 and prednisone in subjects infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Intermittent administration of interleukin (IL)-2 produces significant and sustained increases in CD4(+) T lymphocyte count in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected subjects but can be associated with dose-limiting toxicities. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether concomitant administration of prednisone could decrease these toxicities. HIV-seropositive adults receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) were randomized to receive either (1) intermittent subcutaneous IL-2 and placebo, (2) intermittent subcutaneous IL-2 and prednisone, (3) intermittent prednisone, or (4) intermittent placebo. Prednisone decreased levels of proinflammatory cytokines during IL-2 cycles but, despite induction of expression of CD25, blunted increases in IL-2-associated CD4(+) T lymphocyte count. Whereas intermittent administration of IL-2 reduced basal proliferation of CD4(+) T cells, this effect was inhibited by prednisone, suggesting that prednisone potentially interferes with IL-2's long-term effects on survival of T lymphocytes.

Anti-HIV Agents↗

Incomplete CD4 T cell recovery in HIV-1 infection after 12 months of highly active antiretroviral therapy is associated with ongoing increased CD4 T cell activation and turnover.

To evaluate the relationship between T cell turnover, immune activation, and CD4 recovery in HIV infection, 32 antiretroviral-naive HIV-1-infected patients were studied before and after initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Elevated CD4 and CD8 T cell turnover (measured by Ki67) in HIV infection decreased with HAART in blood and lymphoid tissue. Increased peripheral CD4 T cell turnover was strongly associated with immune activation even after viral suppression to less than 50 copies/mL (R = 0.8; p <.001). Increased CD4 T cell turnover correlated strongly with CD4 cell counts both before (R = -0.6; p <.001) and after (R = -0.4; p =.05) HAART. In patients with baseline CD4 cell counts of less than 350/microL, decreases in CD4 T cell turnover with HAART significantly correlated with increases in CD4 cell counts. In addition, persistently elevated levels of CD4 T cell turnover after HAART were associated with incomplete CD4 T cell recovery despite HIV RNA levels of less than 50 copies/mL. These data suggest that immune activation is central to CD4 cell depletion in HIV infection and immune reconstitution with HAART.

Adult↗

DAVID: Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery.

BACKGROUND: Functional annotation of differentially expressed genes is a necessary and critical step in the analysis of microarray data. The distributed nature of biological knowledge frequently requires researchers to navigate through numerous web-accessible databases gathering information one gene at a time. A more judicious approach is to provide query-based access to an integrated database that disseminates biologically rich information across large datasets and displays graphic summaries of functional information. RESULTS: Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID; http://www.david.niaid.nih.gov) addresses this need via four web-based analysis modules: 1) Annotation Tool - rapidly appends descriptive data from several public databases to lists of genes; 2) GoCharts - assigns genes to Gene Ontology functional categories based on user selected classifications and term specificity level; 3) KeggCharts - assigns genes to KEGG metabolic processes and enables users to view genes in the context of biochemical pathway maps; and 4) DomainCharts - groups genes according to PFAM conserved protein domains. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis results and graphical displays remain dynamically linked to primary data and external data repositories, thereby furnishing in-depth as well as broad-based data coverage. The functionality provided by DAVID accelerates the analysis of genome-scale datasets by facilitating the transition from data collection to biological meaning.

Computational Biology↗

Cutting edge: L-selectin (CD62L) expression distinguishes small resting memory CD4+ T cells that preferentially respond to recall antigen.

Naive CD4+ T cells use L-selectin (CD62L) expression to facilitate immune surveillance. However, the reasons for its expression on a subset of memory CD4+ T cells are unknown. We show that memory CD4+ T cells expressing CD62L were smaller, proliferated well in response to tetanus toxoid, had longer telomeres, and expressed genes and proteins consistent with immune surveillance function. Conversely, memory CD4+ T cells lacking CD62L expression were larger, proliferated poorly in response to tetanus toxoid, had shorter telomeres, and expressed genes and proteins consistent with effector function. These findings suggest that CD62L expression facilitates immune surveillance by programming CD4+ T cell blood and lymph node recirculation, irrespective of naive or memory CD4+ T cell phenotype.

Antigens, Bacterial↗

A randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of intermittent 3-, 4-, and 5-day cycles of intravenous recombinant human interleukin-2 combined with antiretroviral therapy (ART) versus ART alone in HIV-seropositive patients with 100-300 CD4+ T cells.

The effect of length of therapy on the safety and efficacy profile of continuous intravenous (CIV) interleukin-2 (IL-2) in combination with antiretroviral therapy (ART) was evaluated in 81 HIV-seropositive patients with CD4(+) T-cell counts of 100-300/mm(3). Patients were randomized to CIV IL-2 (12 mIU/day) for 3, 4, or 5 days plus ART every 8 weeks for six cycles, or to ART alone. The mean percent increase in CD4(+) T-cell counts was 24.5% for IL-2 recipients compared with a mean percent decrease of 30.5% for control patients (P = 0.005). Increasing duration of CIV IL-2 therapy resulted in improved CD4(+) T-cell response. The most frequent clinical adverse events and laboratory abnormalities were predominantly of grade 1 or 2 severity. However, grade 3 or 4 events were reported in 57%, 60%, and 84% of the 3-, 4-, and 5-day CIV IL-2 patients, respectively. Serious adverse events, mainly due to the requirement of hospitalization, occurred in 20% of IL-2 recipients, compared with 10% of control patients. Viral load during the course of the study was not different among the treatment groups. IL-2 therapy in cycles of 5 days resulted in an optimal increase in CD4(+) T-cell counts and is the preferred cycle length for IL-2 therapy geared toward increasing CD4(+) T-cell numbers.

Adult↗

Actinomycin D induces high-level resistance to thymidine analogs in replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 by interfering with host cell thymidine kinase expression.

Actinomycin D (ActD) is a transcription inhibitor and has been used in the treatment of certain forms of cancer. ActD has been reported to be a potential inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication due to its ability to inhibit reverse transcription. In contrast to what was expected, low concentrations of ActD (1 to 10 nM) upregulated HIV-1 replication 8- to 10-fold in MT-2 cells and had no effect on HIV-2 replication or on HIV-1 replication in MT-4, Jurkat, or peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The upregulation of HIV-1 replication was associated with an increase in HIV-1 transcription and a decrease in CD4 and CXCR4 expression. To further evaluate the effects of ActD on emergence of drug resistance in HIV-1 replication, a series of drug resistance assays were performed. Of interest, treatment of MT-2 cells with ActD also led to a high level of resistance to thymidine analogs (>1,000-fold increase in resistance to zidovudine and >250-fold to stavudine) but not to other nucleoside reverse transcriptases (RT), nonnucleoside RT, or protease inhibitors. This resistance appeared to be due to a suppression of host cell thymidine kinase-1 (TK-1) expression. These results indicate that ActD leads to a novel form of thymidine analog resistance by suppressing host cell TK-1 expression. These results suggest that administration of combination drugs to HIV-1-infected patients may induce resistance to antiretroviral compounds via a modification of cellular factors.

Anti-HIV Agents↗

Amino acid deletions are introduced into the V2 region of gp120 during independent pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus/HIV chimeric virus (SHIV) infections of rhesus monkeys generating variants that are macrophage tropic.

Highly pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus/HIV chimeric viruses (SHIVs) cause extremely rapid, irreversible, and systemic depletions of CD4(+) T lymphocytes in inoculated rhesus monkeys. In the absence of this T cell subset, virus production can be sustained for several months by tissue macrophage. During independent infections of seven animals with uncloned virus stocks, SHIV variants emerged bearing amino acid deletions that affected specific residues of the gp120 V2 loop. Some of these macrophage-phase SHIVs replicated to high levels in alveolar macrophage.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Long-term effects of intermittent interleukin 2 therapy in patients with HIV infection: characterization of a novel subset of CD4(+)/CD25(+) T cells.

The long-term immunologic effects of intermittent interleukin 2 (IL-2) therapy were evaluated in a cross-sectional study by comparing 3 groups: HIV-seronegative volunteers, HIV-infected (HIV(+)) patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), and HIV(+) patients receiving HAART and intermittent IL-2. Whole-blood immunophenotyping was performed to study expression of the IL-2 receptor chains on T lymphocytes and natural killer cells and to further characterize CD4(+)/CD25(+) T cells. Increased CD25 expression, especially in CD4(+) T cells but also in CD8(+) T cells, without increases in expression of the beta and gamma chains of the IL-2 receptor was detected in the IL-2 group. Up to 79% of naive CD4(+) T cells (median, 61%) from patients in the IL-2 group expressed CD25, and the number of naive CD4(+)/CD25(+) T cells correlated positively with both the total and naive CD4(+) T-cell counts. A discrete population of CD45 double intermediate RA(+)/RO(+) CD4(+) cells was also preferentially expanded in the IL-2 group, and the number of these cells strongly correlated with the total CD4(+) count. Despite increases in CD25 expression, T lymphocytes from patients treated with IL-2 did not have increased expression of early (CD69) or late (CD95) activation markers or evidence of recent proliferation (Ki67). Both CD4(+)/CD25(+) and CD4(+)/CD25(-) cells from IL-2-treated HIV(+) patients proliferated in response to mitogens, specific antigens, and T-cell-receptor-mediated stimuli. Thus, intermittent administration of IL-2 in HIV(+) patients leads to preferential expansion of a unique subset of CD4(+) T cells that may represent a critical population in T-cell homeostasis.

Adult↗

Increasing CD4+ T cells specific for tuberculosis correlate with improved clinical immunity after highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Treatment advances have led to dramatic clinical improvements for patients with HIV-1 infection. These clinical improvements reflect treatment-related improvements in immune function, which are most striking in individuals who develop exaggerated immune inflammatory responses to occult opportunistic infections. The mechanisms accounting for these exaggerated immune responses are unknown. To gain insight into these mechanisms, we intensively studied a subject untreated for disseminated tuberculosis and HIV-1 coinfection who then began treatment for both diseases. We examined the changing frequencies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)-specific CD4(+) T cells that produced interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) after short-term stimulation with MTB antigen, and we compared these frequencies with those in HIV-1-seronegative subjects with and without prior exposure to MTB antigens. For the HIV-1/MTB-coinfected subject, the proportion of peripheral blood CD4(+) T cells expressing MTB-specific IFN-gamma was 8.6% at 11 days, 11% at 33 days, and 33% at 95 days after starting treatment for HIV-1. CD4(+) IFN-gamma(+) T cells had a CD45RA(-)CD62L(-) (effector memory) phenotype and most coexpressed interleukin 2. Median frequencies of CD4(+) IFN-gamma(+) T cells from six subjects without and nine subjects with prior exposure to MTB antigens were 0.06 and 0.46%, respectively. We conclude that individuals starting treatment for disseminated tuberculosis and HIV-1 coinfection can accumulate remarkably large numbers of MTB-specific CD4(+) T cells in the peripheral blood. The rapid expansion of antigen-specific effector CD4(+) T cells is one mechanism to explain immediate improvements in clinical immunity after HIV-1 treatment. This mechanism provides a theoretical framework to understand the unusual inflammatory responses recently reported to occur after starting HIV-1 treatment.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

Increased peripheral expansion of naive CD4+ T cells in vivo after IL-2 treatment of patients with HIV infection.

Intermittent interleukin-2 (IL-2) therapy has been shown to increase the number of CD4+ T cells, preferentially cells with a naive phenotype, in patients with HIV infection. For this report we investigated the mechanism underlying this expansion by studying the relative roles of peripheral expansion and thymic output. In a cohort of six patients receiving IL-2 over a period of 1 year, the mean number of naive CD4+ T cells increased from 139 to 387 cells per microl while levels of T cell receptor rearrangement excision circles (TRECs) declined from 47,946 to 26,510 copies per 10(6) naive T cells, thus making it unlikely that the CD4+ T cell count increases were secondary to increase in thymic output. To examine directly the impact of IL-2 on peripheral expansion, peripheral blood mature, naive CD4+ T cells were labeled ex vivo with 5-bromodeoxyuridine as well as stained directly for Ki67. These studies revealed a 7-fold increase in the percentage of 5-bromodeoxyuridine-positive cells and a 20-40-fold increase in Ki67 staining in the naive CD4+ T cell pool in the setting of IL-2 administration. This degree of increase in mature CD4+ T cell turnover induced by IL-2 does not compromise the future replicative potential of these cells, because longitudinal measurements of telomere length went from 6,981 to 7,153 bp after 1 year of IL-2 therapy. These data strongly suggest that much of the increase in CD4+ cells associated with IL-2 treatment is caused by peripheral expansion of existing naive CD4+ T cells rather than increased thymic output and that these increases occur without compromising the potential of these cells for further cell division.

Adult↗

High prevalence of osteonecrosis of the femoral head in HIV-infected adults.

BACKGROUND: Osteonecrosis has been reported to occur occasionally among HIV-infected patients. The diagnosis of symptomatic osteonecrosis of the hip in two of the authors' patients, together with reports from community physicians, raised a concern that the prevalence of osteonecrosis is increasing. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of osteonecrosis of the hip in asymptomatic HIV-infected patients and to identify potential risk factors associated with osteonecrosis. DESIGN: Survey and comparison study. SETTING: The Clinical Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. PARTICIPANTS: 339 asymptomatic HIV-infected adults (of 364 asked to participate) and 118 age- and sex-matched HIV-negative volunteers enrolled between 1 June and 15 December 1999. MEASUREMENTS: Osteonecrosis of the hip, as documented by magnetic resonance imaging. Data from clinic records and a patient questionnaire administered before magnetic resonance imaging were used in an analysis of risk factors. A subset of patients was evaluated for hypercoagulable state. RESULTS: Fifteen (4.4% [95% CI, 2.5% to 7.2%]) of 339 HIV-infected participants had osteonecrosis lesions on magnetic resonance imaging, and no HIV-negative participants had similar lesions. Among HIV-infected participants, osteonecrosis occurred more frequently in those who used systemic corticosteroids, lipid-lowering agents, or testosterone; those who exercised routinely by bodybuilding; and those who had detectable levels of anticardiolipin antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: Patients infected with HIV have an unexpectedly high occurrence of osteonecrosis of the hip. Although screening asymptomatic patients is not warranted, HIV-infected patients with persistent groin or hip pain should be evaluated for this debilitating complication.

Female↗

Randomized, open-label study of the impact of two doses of subcutaneous recombinant interleukin-2 on viral burden in patients with HIV-1 infection and CD4+ cell counts of > or = 300/mm3: CPCRA 059.

The effect of intermittent courses of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) on HIV-1 load in patients receiving combination antiretroviral therapy remains uncertain. CPCRA 059 was an open-label, randomized, multicenter trial in which 511 patients with HIV-1 infection and CD4+ cell counts of > or = 300/mm3 who were receiving antiretroviral therapy were assigned to receive no rIL-2 (255 patients [controls]) or subcutaneous rIL-2 in dosages of 4.5 MIU (130) or 7.5 MIU (126) twice daily for 5-day courses every 8 weeks to maintain CD4+ cell counts that were twice the baseline value or > or = 1,000/mm3. The primary objective of this study was to compare the effects of the two doses of rIL-2 and no rIL-2 on viral load and CD4+ cell counts over 12 months. There was no difference in the following viral load measurements between the rIL-2 treatment groups and the control treatment group: percentage of patients with viral loads of <50 copies/mL at 12 months (p =.55), time to viral load of > or = 50 copies/mL for patients who had baseline viral loads of <50 copies/mL (p =.35), and change in viral load from baseline for patients who had viral loads of > or = 50 copies/mL at baseline (p =.63). At each follow-up visit, the change in CD4+ cell count from baseline was significantly greater in the rIL-2 treatment groups than in the control treatment group, with a mean difference of 251/mm3 at month 12 (95% confidence interval, 207-295; p <.0001). No unanticipated adverse experiences were seen in this trial, to our knowledge the largest randomized evaluation of rIL-2 treatment conducted to date.

Adult↗

The evaluation of subcutaneous proleukin (interleukin-2) in a randomized international trial: rationale, design, and methods of ESPRIT.

The Evaluation of Subcutaneous Proleukin in a Randomized International Trial (ESPRIT) is a large ongoing randomized trial of subcutaneous interleukin-2 (IL-2) plus antiretroviral therapy versus antiretroviral therapy alone in patients with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) disease and CD4 cell counts of at least 300 cells/mm(3). The primary objective is to determine whether the addition of IL-2 to combination antiretroviral therapy improves morbidity and mortality. The aim is to recruit 4000 participants and follow them for an average of 5 years. Eligible subjects will be recruited at 275 investigational sites in 23 countries around the world. Coupled with broad eligibility criteria this will ensure widely applicable results. A range of secondary objectives will also be addressed in this setting that will include the conduct of observational studies and nested substudies with a public health focus. This article describes the rationale supporting the trial in addition to reviewing the study design, coordination, and governance.

Adult↗

Immune reconstitution in HIV infection.

The weight of the published evidence suggest that there is clinically significant immune recovery in a sizable fraction of HIV-infected patients who achieve suppression of viral replication. At the same time, it is clear that very few patients regain normal (i.e. equivalent to pre-infection) immune function, at least after the follow-up periods available so far. The experience from bone-marrow transplantation or intensive chemotherapy in adults suggests that such kind of immune reconstitution is unlikely (at least with treatments limited to stopping virus replication) once the immune system has been sufficiently damaged. It is also clear that effective immunity to HIV is not achieved in a significant proportion of patients. These findings have implications for both basic research and clinical practice. From the laboratory perspective, besides the urgent need to characterize the protective immunity to HIV (if it exists), it would be desirable to find some simple measure of the immune function of patients who receive therapy. The combination of markers of immune activation together with CD4 cell count and viral load should be further evaluated in this context. Regarding clinical practice, it is likely that prophylaxes for opportunistic infections can be discontinued uneventfully in the majority of patients responding to HAART. Although the evidence is not yet conclusive, all available data suggest this will be the case. Given that there is significant immune reconstitution even in advanced disease, it is tempting to consider if this fact can be used to support antiviral therapy recommendations that are less aggressive than the current ones. HIV eradication by pharmacologic means alone does not seem possible yet, and no effective immune response to HIV seems to be generated by starting therapy in the asymptomatic (as opposed to acute infection) stage of the disease. At the same time, the follow-up studies on prolonged antiretroviral therapy suggest that virologic failure will take place despite many months of seemingly adequate suppression. This fact, taken together with the side effects and inconvience of current antiretroviral regimens, can be used to support an argument in favor of evaluating strategies to treat later rather than earlier.

CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes↗