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Background Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) mediated by natural killer (NK) cells plays a critical role in HIV-1 infection. As a novel subset of dendritic cells (DCs), 6-sulfo LacNAc-expressing DCs (slanDCs) also express CD16. However, the levels of slanDC-mediated ADCC during HIV-1 infection are not well addressed. Methods Forty-five HIV-1-infected subjects were enrolled and 19 HIV-1 negative individuals were used as healthy controls (HCs). The complex of gp120 and anti-gp120 was used to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and the level of TNF-alpha secreted by slanDCs was detected using intercellular staining of flow cytometer. Results The counts of slanDCs in HIV-1-infected and treatment naive patients were significantly lower than those of HCs and those receiving anti-retrovirus therapy (ART) (P=0.0331, P Conclusion The slanDC-medated ADCC existed in HIV-1-infected patients and the level could be enhanced by ART, suggesting an alternative pathway involved in ADCC in HIV-1 infection. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Context : In 2009, an outbreak of A/H1N1 influenza spread worldwide. Following the start of winter in Liaoning province in China, the number of pregnant women infected with influenza increased significantly. Some of them developed respiratory failure and multiple organ failure. Aims : The aim of this study was to determine the high-risk factors associated with the development of critical illness in the hospitalized pregnant women with A/H1N1 infection. Settings and Design : This retrospective cohort study was carried out in the tertiary care obstetric department of a large general hospital. Materials and Methods : The clinical data of H1N1 pregnant women hospitalized from November 2009 to January 2010 was reviewed. We classified these cases into severe and critical grades according to H1N1 influenza treatment guidelines. We selected maternal age, gestational age, and the time interval between symptom-onset and hospital admission as related factors of critical illness. Statistical Analysis : Logistic regression analyses to determine the relevance and importance of factors significantly associated with critical illness. Results : Eighteen cases of H1N1 influenza pregnant women were admitted. Ten pregnant women were severe cases and eight pregnant women were critical cases. The maternal age (OR=0.979, 95% CI: 0.749~1.279)and the time interval between symptom-onset and hospital admission (OR=1.41, 95% CI: 0.917~2.169) were not found to be risk factors for critical cases. The significant risk factor associated with critical illness is gestational age (OR=53.726, 95% CI: 131.165~2477.918). The risk varied by weeks of gestation, with an odds ratio of 1.034 (95% CI: 0.968-1.106) during the first trimester, 9.667 (95% CI: 0.750-124.59) during the second trimester, and 87 (95% CI: 6.750-1121.39) during the third trimester. Conclusions : Gestational age is associated with the risk of developing critical infection. The risk increases with increasing weeks of gestation.

Background Toll-like receptors (TLR) 7 and 8 are important in single-stranded viral RNA recognition and may play a role in HIV infection and disease progression. We analyzed TLR7/8 expression and signaling in monocytes from HIV-infected and uninfected subjects to investigate a pathway with new potential for the suppression of HIV replication. Methods Eighty-one HIV-infected and uninfected subjects from Liaoning and Henan provinces in China participated in this study. Monocytes were isolated from subjects' peripheral blood mononuclear cells by magnetic bead selection. TLR7 and TLR8 mRNA was measured using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR. R-848 (resiquimod) was used as a ligand for TLR7 and TLR8 in order to 1) assess TLR7/8-mediated monocyte responsiveness as indicated by IL-12 p40 and TNF-α secretion and 2) to examine HIV replication in cultured monocytes in the presence of R-848. Results We found that expression of TLR7/8 mRNA in peripheral blood monocytes decreased with disease progression. TLR7 expression was decreased with stimulation with the TLR7/8 agonist, R-848, in vitro, whereas TLR8 expression was unaffected. Following R-848 stimulation, monocytes from HIV-infected subjects produced significantly less TNF-α than those from uninfected subjects, but trended towards greater production of IL-12 than stimulated monocytes from uninfected subjects. R-848 stimulation also suppressed HIV replication in cultured monocytes. Conclusions Our study provides evidence that the TLR7 and TLR8 triggering can suppress HIV replication in monocytes and lead to postpone HIV disease progression, thereby offering novel targets for immunomodulatory therapy.

To explore the relationship between absolute dendritic cell (DC) counts at the early stage of primary human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection (PHI) and subsequent disease progression, we performed a prospective study of 16 rapid progressors (RPs) and 12 typical progressors (TPs) from a PHI cohort of men who have sex with men. Significantly decreased plasmacytoid DC (pDC) and myeloid DC (mDC) counts in the blood of RPs were observed at study entry as compared with TPs and healthy HIV-1-negative subjects. Low baseline pDC counts were significantly associated with rapid disease progression after adjustment for baseline CD4(+) T cell counts, mDC counts, and HIV-1 load. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that low pDC counts were strongly associated with rapid disease progression. Our findings demonstrated the predictive value of blood absolute pDC counts at baseline in PHI for HIV-1 disease progression. Further studies are required to confirm this notion.

Objective: To explore correlations between mRNA (hA3G, hA3F, and hA3B) levels and CD4 + T-cell counts and HIV-1 viral loads to evaluate their respective roles in disease progression. Methods: Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify the mRNA levels of hA3G, hA3B, and hA3F in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from slow progress patients (SP), asymptomatic HIV-infected patients (AS), AIDS patients, and HIV-negative controls. Results: The levels of hA3G and hA3B mRNA correlated positively with CD4 + T-cell counts (r = 0.436, P = 0.002, r = 0.334, P = 0.025), and negatively with HIV-1 viral loads (r = -0.306, P = 0.038, r = -0.301 P = 0.044). The levels of hA3G and hA3B mRNA in HIV-infected subjects were lower than in HIV-negative controls (P < 0.05), and hA3G and hA3B mRNA levels were significantly higher in SP than in AIDS patients (P < 0.05). There was no correlation between the hA3F mRNA level and CD4 + T-cell counts or between the hA3F mRNA level and HIV-1 viral loads. Conclusions: Higher expression levels of hA3G and hA3B mRNA in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of Chinese HIV-infected individuals were found to be associated with slower HIV disease progression, suggesting their potential roles in antiviral innate immunity.