Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
 31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Ocular complication of AIDS are seen in about 75% of patients. Viral infections are predominant and can involve either external segment in the eye (Herpes type 8 in Kaposi sarcoma, molluscum contagiosum, Herpes simplex and zoster), or the posterior segment of the eye (CMV retinitis). The introduction of a Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) which associates two reverse transcriptase inhibitors and one antiprotease has changed the evolution of AIDS. The decrease of onset of CMV retinitis in AIDS patient is one of the best exemple. For the first time it was possible to stop the maintenance therapy against CMV retinitis in patients that have a sufficient increase in CD4+ cells and they did not present any relapse of CMV retinitis. But an increase of ocular inflammation can be observed with the onset of HAART such as uveitis or cystoid macular edema.
 ...
PMID:[Diagnosis and treatment of ocular viral infections in AIDS patients]. 986 23

Since 1996, major advances in the treatment of AIDS have markedly changed the incidence and the prognosis of CMV retinitis. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is a combination of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and protease inhibitors. This new therapeutic strategy is highly efficient in reducing the HIV viral load and increasing CD(4)+ T-lymphocyte count. These biological effects are associated with an improvement of immune functions. Clinically, the completely quiescent CMV retinitis and the unusual prolonged relapse-free interval suggest a certain restoration of immune functions, making possible the discontinuation of maintenance therapy. For most authors, the decision to stop anti-CMV maintenance therapy is based on a CD4+ cell count >100 cells/microl with a low HIV viral load for at least four months. The improvement of CMV retinitis on HAART may also be associated with an intraocular inflammation called immune recovery vitritis. For some patients, this vitritis may be associated cystoid macular edema and an epiretinal membrane responsible for visual loss.
 ...
PMID:CMV retinitis in the era of HAART. 1061 32

Transplantation study of neural retina, retinal pigment epithelial (RPE), or iris pigment epithelial (IPE) cells have been performed not only in animal model but in human age-related macular degeneration, and some of the findings reported with cystoid macular edema may have been due to graft rejection. In this investigation, we examined cytokine gene expression by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction at the transplanted subretinal space. Transplantation was performed in normal Royal College of Surgeon's rats using cultured human RPE and rat IPE. They were followed without immunosupression. Gene expression for melanogenesis of transplanted human RPE was observed only in the early days after transplantation. Rat interleukin (IL)-1alpha, -1beta1, -2, -6, interferon gamma, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) genes were also expressed after the early days of transplantation. Cytokine expression was observed not only after cell transplantation but also after vehicle-only injection, which was considered a reaction to the surgical trauma. However, statistically significant amount of expressions of IL-1alpha, -1beta, and -6 were observed after the early days of transplantation of human RPE or IL-1alpha, -1beta, and TNF alpha of rat IPE, if we compare them to vehicle-only injection. These cytokines may play an important role for the local reaction after transplantation.
 ...
PMID:Cytokine gene expression after subretinal transplantation. 1067 20