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In 2019, the National Institutes of Health combined the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) and the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) into the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS). In this paper, participants who made a study visit during October 2018–September 2019 (targeted for MWCCS enrollment) are described by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serostatus and compared with people living with HIV (PLWH) in the United States. Participants include 2,115 women and 1,901 men with a median age of 56 years (interquartile range, 48–63); 62% are PLWH. Study sites encompass the South (18%), the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast (45%), the West Coast (22%), and the Midwest (15%). Participant race/ethnicity approximates that of PLWH throughout the United States. Longitudinal data and specimens collected for 35 years (men) and 25 years (women) were combined. Differences in data collection and coding were reviewed, and key risk factor and comorbidity data were harmonized. For example, recent use of alcohol (62%) and tobacco (28%) are common, as are dyslipidemia (64%), hypertension (56%), obesity (42%), mildly or severely impaired daily activities (31%), depressive symptoms (28%), and diabetes (22%). The MWCCS repository includes serum, plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, cell pellets, urine, cervicovaginal lavage samples, oral samples, B-cell lines, stool, and semen specimens. Demographic differences between the MACS and WIHS can confound analyses by sex. The merged MWCCS is both an ongoing observational cohort study and a valuable resource for harmonized longitudinal data and specimens for HIV-related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) but show no apparent progression of the disease appear to have a relatively low viral load and their lymph nodes and immune functions appear to remain effective. A percentage of people infected with HIV-1 show no progression of the disease for years. A study compared 15 of these patients, who had been infected at least 7 years, with 18 patients with progressive HIV disease. The lymph nodes of the non-progressive patients did not show the large germinal centers, follicle lysis, hyperplasia and lymphocyte depletion found in the nodes of the progressive patients. HIV-1 levels in plasma and peripheral-blood mononuclear cell were significantly lower for the non-progressive patients, who also had higher tithers of neutralizing antibodies than were found in the progressive subjects. Replication of the virus was found in the lymph nodes of the non-progressive patients, however.

HIV infection may not progress more rapidly in intravenous (IV) drug users than in those who do not use IV drugs. Of 859 individuals between 18 and 49 years old who injected drugs within the past 10 years and had not developed AIDS, 152 were HIV-negative, 621 were HIV-positive, and 86 converted from HIV-negative to HIV-positive during the study. Levels of T-lymphocytes, or cells of the immune system, in the blood of these individuals was measured at six-month intervals over a two and a half year period. Levels of CD4 T-lymphocytes in HIV-1 positive individuals slowly decreased compared to the HIV-1 negative individuals over the two and a half year study period. But the decrease in CD4 T-lymphocyte levels was slower among HIV-positive IV drug users than among HIV-positive homosexual men in another study who had never used IV drugs., Objective. - To evaluate changes in T-cell subjects in prevalent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) seronegative and seropositive intravenous drug users (IVDUs) and in HIV-1 seropositive IVDUs with known time of seroconversion. Design. - Cohort study with a median 18-month follow-up. Setting. - Community-based clinic established to study the natural history of HIV infection in IVDUs. Subjects. - Eight hundred fifty-nine self-referred IVDUs aged 18 through 49 years who injected drugs within the last 10 years and who did not have an AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndromw) - defining illness; 152 were seronegative for HIV-1, 621 were seropositive, and 86 seroconverted during the study. Outcome Measures. - Proportions and absolute numbers of lymphocytes and CD3, CD4, and CD8 T cells as determined at 6-month intervals by flow cytometry and complete blood cell counts with automated differential. Results. - Median numbers of CD4 lymphocytes at enrollment were 1061/[mu]L (1.06 x[10.sup.9]/L) for seronegative IVDUs, 508/[mu]L for seropositive IVDUs, and 733/[mu]L for those who seroconverted (enrolled a median of 4.5 months after seroconversion); the corresponding figures for CD8 lymphocytes were 628,894, and 889/[mu]L, respectively. Median rates of decline in absolute numbers and percentages of CD4 lymphocytes per 6 months were 7.6/[mu]L (0.0%) for seropositive IVDUs and 55.1/[mu]L (1.9%) for IVDUs who seroconverted (median follow-up after seroconversion was 12 months). Multivariate regression analysis that incorporated the within-individual correlation of the CD4 lymphocyte counts showed no significant change in these cells over time and no change due to use of drugs. Conclusion. - Our data suggest that progression of HIV-1 infection in IVDUs, as reflected in decline of CD4 cell counts, is no more rapid than that reported for other risk groups.

This article presents a description and preliminary evidence on validity of self-report interview methods being used in a study of HIV-1 infection and AIDS among intravenous drug users (IVDUs). The study population includes 2,616 currently active IVDUs living in or near Baltimore City, Maryland (USA), many of them reporting no prior treatment for drug dependence, and many with no history of criminal arrest or incarceration. These IVDUs were recruited in 1988-89 by extensive community outreach efforts; most learned of the study by word-of-mouth. To study IV drug use and HIV-1 infection in relation to onset of AIDS, the subjects are being interviewed, examined, and tested at baseline (recruitment), and periodically thereafter. This report compares information from the self-report baseline interview with independently collected data on physical stigmata of drug injection. T-lymphocyte cell subsets, and HIV-1 serostatus. The evidence generally supports the validity of these self-report data on IV drug use, including data from a year-by-year history of sharing injection equipment, obtained by retrospection at baseline.

Abstract Background While initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) during primary HIV-1 infection occasionally results in transient control of viral replication after treatment interruption, the vast majority of patients eventually experience a rebound in plasma viremia. Results Here we report a case of a patient who was started on HAART during symptomatic primary infection and who has subsequently maintained viral loads of < 50 copies/mL for more than nine years after the cessation of treatment. This patient had a high baseline viral load and has maintained a relatively high frequency of latently infected CD4+ T cells. In addition, he does not have any known protective HLA alleles. Thus it is unlikely that he was destined to become a natural elite controller or suppressor. The mechanism of control of viral replication is unclear; he is infected with a CCR5/CXCR4 dual-tropic virus that is fully replication-competent in vitro. In addition, his spouse, who transmitted the virus to him, developed AIDS. The patient's CD4+ T cells are fully susceptible to HIV-1 infection, and he has low titers of neutralizing antibodies to heterologous and autologous HIV-1 isolates. Furthermore, his CD8+ T cells do not have potent HIV suppressive activity. Conclusion This report suggests that some patients may be capable of controlling pathogenic HIV-1 isolates for extended periods of time after the cessation of HAART through a mechanism that is distinct from the potent cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) mediated suppression that has been reported in many elite suppressors.

Abstract Background Fat abnormalities are common among HIV-infected persons, but few studies have compared regional body fat distribution, including visceral fat, in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected persons and their subsequent trajectories in body composition over time. Methods Between 1999 and 2002, 33 men with clinical evidence of lipodystrophy (LIPO+), 23 HIV-infected men without clinical evidence of lipodytrophy (LIPO-), and 33 HIV-uninfected men were recruited from the four sites of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). Participants underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, quantitative computerized tomography of the abdomen and thigh, and circumference measurements of the waist, hip and thigh. Circumference measurements at each semi-annual MACS visit between recruitment and 2008 were used to compare average annual anthropometric changes in the 3 groups. Results Body mass index (BMI) was lower in LIPO+ men than in the LIPO- men and the HIV- uninfected controls (BMI: 23.6 ± 0.4 vs 26.8 ± 1.5 vs 28.7 ± 0.9 kg/m2, respectively, p < 0.001). The average amount of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was similar in all three groups (p = 0.26), but after adjustment for BMI, VAT was higher in the LIPO+ group (169 ± 10 cm2) compared to the LIPO- men (129 ± 12 cm2, p = 0.03) and the HIV-uninfected group (133 ± 11 cm2, p = 0.07). Subcutaneous adipose tissue (thigh, abdomen) and total extremity fat were less in the HIV-infected men (LIPO+ and LIPO-) than in the HIV-uninfected men. Over an average of 6 years of follow-up, waist circumference increased at a faster rate in LIPO+ group, compared to the LIPO- men (0.51 cm/year vs 0.08 cm/year, p = 0.02) and HIV-uninfected control men (0.21 cm/year, p = 0.06). The annual changes in hip and thigh circumferences were similar in all three groups Conclusion Subcutaneous lipoatrophy was observed in HIV-infected patients, even those without clinical evidence of lipodystrophy, compared to age-matched HIV-uninfected men. Despite markedly lower BMI, HIV-infected men with lipodystrophy had a similar amount of VAT as HIV-uninfected men and tended to have more rapid increases in waist circumference over 6 years of follow-up. These longitudinal increases in waist circumference may contribute to the development of cardiovascular risk in HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy.

With increasing effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy, people with HIV (PWH) are living longer and the prevalence of older PWH continues to increase. Accordingly, PWH are experiencing an increased burden of age-related comorbidities. With this shifting demographics, clinicians and researchers face additional challenges in how to identify, address, and manage the complex intersections of HIV- and aging-related conditions. Established in 2009, the International Workshop on HIV and Aging brings together clinicians and researchers in cross-disciplinary fields along with community advocates and PWH to address the multidisciplinary nature of HIV and aging. This article summarizes plenary talks from the 10th Annual International Workshop on HIV and Aging, which took place in New York City on October 10 and 11, 2019. Presentation topics included the following: the burdens of HIV-associated comorbidities, aging phenotypes, community engagement, and loneliness; these issues are especially important for older PWH, considering the current COVID-19 pandemic. We also discuss broad questions and potential directions for future research necessary to better understand the interaction between HIV and aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]