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Background Interventions that target anxiety/depressive symptoms in the context of smoking treatment have shown promise irrespective of psychiatric diagnosis. Yet, these tailored treatments are largely absent for persons who smoke and are living with HIV (SLWH). Objective To evaluate a novel, smoking cessation intervention that addresses anxiety/depression and HIV-related health (QUIT) against a time-matched control (TMC) and a standard of care (SOC) condition. Methods SLWH (N = 180) will be recruited and enrolled from 3 medical clinics in Boston, MA, and Houston, TX. The trial will consist of a baseline assessment, a 10-week intervention/assessment period, and follow-up assessments, accounting for a total study duration of approximately 8 months. All participants will complete a baseline visit and a pre-randomization standardized psychoeducation visit, and will then be randomized to one of three conditions: QUIT, TMC, or SOC. QUIT and TMC will consist of nine 60-min, cognitive behavioral therapy-based, individual weekly counseling sessions using standard smoking cessation counseling; additionally, QUIT will target anxiety and depressive symptoms by addressing underlying mechanisms related to mood and quit difficulty. SOC participants will complete weekly self-report surveys for nine weeks. All participants will be encouraged to quit at Session 7 and will be offered nicotine replacement therapy to help. Conclusions QUIT is designed to improve smoking cessation in SLWH by addressing anxiety and depression and HIV-related health issues. If successful, the QUIT intervention would be ready for implementation and dissemination into “real-world” behavioral health and social service settings consistent with the four objectives outlined in NIDA's Strategic Plan.

Summary Background Adherence is key to the success of antiretroviral therapy. Enhanced partner support might benefit patients with previous treatment failure. We aimed to assess whether an enhanced partner-based support intervention with modified directly observed therapy would improve outcomes with second-line therapy in HIV-infected patients for whom first-line therapy had failed. Methods We did a multicentre, international, randomised clinical trial at nine sites in Botswana, Brazil, Haiti, Peru, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Participants aged 18 years or older for whom first-line therapy had failed, with HIV RNA concentrations greater than 1000 copies per mL and with a willing partner, were randomly assigned (1:1), via computer-generated randomisation, to receive partner-based modified directly observed therapy or standard of care. Randomisation was stratified by screening HIV RNA concentration (≤10 000 copies per mL vs >10 000 copies per mL). Participants and site investigators were not masked to group assignment. Primary outcome was confirmed virological failure (viral load >400 copies per mL) by week 48. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00608569. Findings Between April 23, 2009, and Sept 29, 2011, we randomly assigned 259 participants to the modified directly observed therapy group (n=129) or the standard-of-care group (n=130). 34 (26%) participants in the modified directly observed therapy group achieved the primary endpoint of virological failure by week 48 compared with 23 (18%) participants in the standard-of-care group. The Kaplan-Meier estimated cumulative probability of virological failure by week 48 was 25·1% (95% CI 17·7–32·4) in the modified directly observed therapy group and 17·3% (10·8–23·7) in the standard-of-care group, for a weighted difference in standard of care versus modified directly observed therapy of −6·6% (95% CI −16·5% to 3·2%; p=0·19). 36 (14%) participants reported at least one grade 3 or higher adverse event or laboratory abnormality (n=21 in the modified directly observed therapy group and n=15 in the standard-of-care group). Interpretation Partner-based training with modified directly observed therapy had no effect on virological suppression. The intervention does not therefore seem to be a promising strategy to increase adherence. Intensive follow-up with clinic staff might be a viable approach in this setting. Funding AIDS Clinical Trials Group and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, US National Institutes of Health.

BACKGROUND and AIMS: Cellular immune responses are thought to play a key role in the resolution of primary HCV infection. Although it has been consistently shown that CD4+ T-cell responses are maintained in those with spontaneous resolution but lost in those with persistent infection, the role of CD8+ T-cell responses remains controversial. Previous studies have largely focused on limited HLA alleles and predefined CD8+ T-cell epitopes, and, thus, comprehensive studies remain to be performed. METHODS: To understand the composition of the immune response associated with spontaneous resolution, we comprehensively mapped CD8+ T-cell responses in 20 HLA-diverse persons with resolved HCV infection, using HCV peptides spanning the entire genome. We analyzed the magnitude, breadth, function, and phenotype using ELISpot, class-I tetramers, intracellular cytokine staining, and cytolytic assays. We studied in parallel HCV-specific responses and viral sequence variation in persistent infection. RESULTS: Responses in individuals with resolved infection were strong and broad with robust proliferation in response to antigen. Responses in those persistently infected were rarely detected ex vivo and, when present, were narrowly directed and weak. However, they also proliferated in vitro. Dominant target epitopes differed among individuals in both cohorts, despite frequently shared HLA-alleles. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that persisting, strong CD8+ T-cell responses are observed in the majority of persons with resolved HCV infection and provide support for strategies to boost CD8+ T-cell responses for the prevention or treatment of HCV infection but also highlight the diversity of responses that may need to be elicited to provide protection.

ACTG (AIDS Clinical Trials Group) 384 is designed to evaluate different strategies for antiretroviral treatment in HIV-1-infected individuals with no previous exposure to antiretroviral treatment. The study is a randomized, partially double-blinded, controlled trial with 980 subjects at 81 centers in the United States and Italy. The study has a factorial design that addresses the following scientific questions: (1) Does the best initial choice of therapy include both a protease inhibitor (PI) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) in a four-drug combination with nucleoside analogue (NRTI) drugs, or should these agents be used sequentially in three-drug combinations?; (2) Which sequence is best in a three-drug regimen—PI followed by NNRTI or NNRTI followed by PI ?; (3) Which is the best sequence of dual NRTI combinations—zidovudine plus lamivudine followed by didanosine plus stavudine, or the converse? Subjects in the three-drug combination arms are offered a salvage regimen after failure of their second regimen; subjects in the four-drug combination arm are offered a salvage regimen after failure of their first regimen. The primary endpoint of the study is the time until salvage; secondary endpoints include time to virological failure and time to toxicity-related discontinuation of therapy. A Division of AIDS Data and Safety Monitoring Board will review the trial for safety and efficacy. Control Clin Trials 2001;22:142–159

1-β- d -Arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) incorporates into replicating cellular DNA and the extent of this incorporation correlates with loss of clonogenic survival. More recent findings have demonstrated that incorporation of ara-C into DNA undergoing repair of damage induced by u.v. light also results in cell lethality. On the basis of previous studies demonstrating a marked synergism between cis-diamminedichlorophatinum (CDDP) and ara-C in Lo Vo colon carcinoma cells, the present work has examined the interaction of these agents at a biochemical and cellular level in the MCF-7 human breast carcinoma line. The extent of ara-C incorporation into MCF-7 DNA correlated significantly with loss of clonogenic survival in a dose-dependent manner. The effects of CDDP on the formation of MCF-7 (ara-C) DNA were monitored using both cesium sulfate and cesium chloride density centrifugation. The results demonstrate that CDDP had little, if any, detectable effect on incorporation of ara-C into DNA. Furthermore, combinations of CDDP and low concentrations of ara-C (10−7 and 10−6 M) decreased MCF-7 clonogenic survival in an additive but not synergistic manner. Modest synergy was detectable with CDDP and higher ara-C concentrations (10−5 and 10−4M). The interaction between CDDP and ara-C was apparently dependent on concentration, duration of exposure and cell type. There was no dramatic synergy between CDDP and ara-C in MCF-7 cells. These findings may be relevant to the design and interpretation of CDDP/ara-C clinical trials.