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Query: UMLS:C0019693 (HIV)
 170,526 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Nutritional status and risk factors for chronic diseases, including plasma fibrinogen and its determinants, of Africans in the Northwest Province of South Africa, have been studied in a cross-sectional survey. A representative sample of 1854 "apparently healthy" African men and women volunteers aged 15 years and older was recruited from 37 randomly selected sites throughout the Province and stratified for level of urbanisation. Information was collected using validated and culture-sensitive questionnaires. Fasting blood samples were drawn, and all measurements were done with standardised methodology using appropriate equipment, procedures, and controls. Fibrinogen concentration was measured in citrated plasma with the method of Clauss, using the ACL200 automated system and the international fibrinogen standard. The results revealed a population with a high mean plasma fibrinogen (3.17+/-1.10 g/L for HIV-negative men and 3. 64+/-1.12 g/L for HIV-negative women). Factors known to influence plasma fibrinogen, such as age, gender, smoking habit, and physical activity, were also observed in this population. Young rural men and women had the lowest fibrinogen level. Nasal snuff taking and HIV infection did not influence fibrinogen concentration. Multivariate analyses revealed that lower plasma fibrinogen was associated with low to normal body mass index in women, and with dietary intakes compatible with prudent dietary guidelines in men and women (low intakes of animal protein; trans fatty acids and higher intakes of plant protein; dietary fibre, vitamin E, and iron, and a high dietary P/S ratio). Subjects in the higher quartiles of plasma fibrinogen had significantly lower iron, vitamin E, and vitamin B6 (women) status. Increases in fibrinogen were associated with significant increases in serum lipids. Both under- and overnutrition seem to be associated with high plasma fibrinogen. It is concluded that overall nutritional status, possibly in addition to specific nutrients (and foods), influences plasma fibrinogen.
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PMID:Nutritional status influences plasma fibrinogen concentration: evidence from the THUSA survey. 1082 78

The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load and serum vitamin A and E concentrations and vitamin E/cholesterol ratio in HIV-1 infected pregnant women not receiving antiretroviral therapy There were no significant correlations between plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load and serum vitamin A and E concentrations and vitamin E/cholesterol ratio. However, the presence of underlying vitamin A deficiency in these pregnant women was common.
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PMID:Plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load and serum vitamin A and E levels in HIV-1 infected pregnant women. 1087 Jul 86

Between 1995 and 1997, 1,675 HIV-positive men and women using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) were enrolled into the Bastyr University AIDS Research Center's Alternative Medicine Care Outcomes in AIDS (AMCOA) study. Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the AMCOA study collected information on participant demographics, health status and use of conventional and CAM therapies. Participants from 46 states completed a baseline questionnaire, while additional clinical information (such as CD4 count and HIV-RNA viral load) was obtained from laboratory records. AMCOA participants reported using more than 1,600 different types of CAM therapies (1,210 CAM substances, 282 CAM therapeutic activities and 119 CAM provider types) for treating HIV/AIDS. Approximately two-thirds (63% n = 1,054) of the AMCOA cohort reported using antiretroviral drug therapy (ART) during the six-months previous to completing the baseline questionnaire, while 37% (n = 621) indicated they were not using ART. Of those not using ART, 104 subjects reported never having used any conventional medications for their HIV and 12 subjects used only non-prescription diarrhoea medications. The most frequently reported CAM substances were vitamin C (63%), multiple vitamin and mineral supplements (54%), vitamin E (53%) and garlic (53%). CAM provider types most commonly consulted by the AMCOA cohort were massage therapists (49%), acupuncturists (45%), nutritionists (37%) and psychotherapists (35%). CAM activities most commonly used were aerobic exercise (63%), prayer (58%), massage (53%) and meditation (46%). The choice of CAM therapies among the AMCOA cohort does not appear to be solely based on scientific evidence of efficacy of individual therapies. The majority of AMCOA subjects could be characterized as using integrated medicine, since an overwhelming proportion of the cohort consult with both conventional and CAM providers and use both conventional and CAM medications, yet few subjects reported that their conventional and CAM providers work as a team. These data and this cohort set the stage for conducting studies of health status changes associated with specific CAM therapies.
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PMID:Alternative medicine use in HIV-positive men and women: demographics, utilization patterns and health status. 1130 25

In this article we review published studies on the role of serum micronutrient levels in the natural history of HIV infection. Specifically, we have focused on vitamins B12, E, A, and beta-carotene. Deficiencies of one or several of these vitamins have been associated with an accelerated progression of HIV infection to AIDS. Most investigators have used serum micronutrient levels as an indicator of vitamin nutriture. However, serum levels are not always the most sensitive or specific indicators of vitamin status. Nonetheless, serum vitamin levels are relatively easy to obtain and have been studied in various HIV-infected populations in individuals at different stages of disease. Low serum B12 levels have been associated with increased neurologic abnormalities, more rapid HIV disease progression, and increased AZT-related bone marrow toxicity. Low serum vitamin E levels have been associated with an increase in oxidative stress in HIV-infected individuals. However, early studies of vitamin E supplementation suggest that vitamin E may have important immunostimulatory properties. Studies of vitamin A deficiency in HIV-infected populations have shown that low serum vitamin A levels are associated with increased mortality, more rapid disease progression, and increased maternal-fetal transmission. However, there is little evidence that vitamin A supplementation, beyond the correction of deficiency, is beneficial in HIV infection. Finally, several clinical trials of beta-carotene supplementation have failed to show significant or sustained improvements in the immune response of patients with HIV infection or AIDS.
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PMID:Selected vitamins in HIV infection: a review. 1136 50

Nutritional status directly affects immune competence; therefore, dietary supplements can be beneficial. Vitamin A, a fat-soluble nutrient obtained exogenously from animal protein or synthesized endogenously from carotenoids, is important in vision, epithelial tissue maintenance, reproduction, and growth. It is also an antioxidant, and can interfere with HIV-related oxidative destruction. Vitamin C, a water-soluble antioxidant important in hydroxylation reactions and required by erythrocytes for retrieving stored iron, can suppress HIV in vitro. However, this requires long-term administration, and its effect ceases upon termination of treatment. Vitamin E, fat-soluble tocopherols, can be found in plants, vegetable oils, milk, eggs, fish, meats, and cereals. A potent antioxidant because of its electron-donating ability, vitamin E reduces HIV replication. Deficiency reduces inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) and protein kinase C, therefore limiting immunocompetence. Additionally, damaging side effects of AZT, normally reversed or minimized by vitamin E, may induce low leukocyte counts and anemia. Vitamin E acts synergistically with selenium, another antioxidant, to block the rate of lipid peroxidation. Its administration may reduce diarrhea, cramping, and weight loss, and may improve epithelial conditions and reduce the frequency of illness. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a sulfur-containing amino acid, inhibits HIV replication by raising serum glutathione levels through inhibition of TNF-a. Finally, HIV-infected patients should consider gluten-free diets during times of acute gastric distress.
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PMID:Nutrition and HIV. 1136 99

The Dana Farber Institute has added a vitamin E-like compound, OPC-14117, to its study on HIV-related dementia. This drug protects nerve cells from HIV damage, and will hopefully improve patient thinking ability. Participants must be HIV positive; 18 years old or older; and experiencing problems with short-term memory, concentration, and energy level. Seventeen clinical visits over a 24-week period will include tests for neurological, neuropsychological, medical, and functional status.
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PMID:Vitamin E drug. 1136 88

There is renewed interest in antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E as supportive elements in regimens that seek both HIV viral load suppression and immune function restoration with the fewest toxic effects. The electron-deficient free radicals produced in HIV infection have been linked to a long list of tissue damage as well as CD4 cell apoptosis and an inflammatory response through the production of excess tumor necrosis factor. Research has reported that deficiencies in antioxidant nutrients lead to more rapid HIV-associated disease progression; however, correlating antioxidant levels with disease progression is not the same as determining that taking extra vitamins slows HIV progression. Significant amounts of data are mounting that point to potential benefits of antioxidant supplementation, with vitamin E emerging as the most promising. Vitamin A's role as an antioxidant is not completely understood, but its deficiency has been linked to oxidative stress in HIV-positive patients. The body regulates vitamin A levels, so increasing vitamin A is difficult beyond a certain point, and there is no evidence that HIV-influencing levels of vitamin A are achievable, let alone tolerable. Vitamin C research in the lab has shown that very high concentrations help inactivate HIV or kill infected cells, but research on humans is scarce. Studies on the effects of selenium, zinc, thioctic acid, and lecithinized superoxide dismutase on HIV are also being conducted. Results from these studies, like those on vitamins, are generally conflicting and sometimes controversial. How to effectively administer single vitamins as medicine is still not known, and megadose usage is still poorly documented.
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PMID:Antioxidants may still have a role in HIV treatment. 1136 52

Although growth failure is common during pediatric infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and associated with increased mortality, the relation of specific nutrition factors with growth and mortality has not been well characterized. A longitudinal study was conducted with 194 HIV-infected infants in Kampala, Uganda. Plasma vitamin A, carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and lutein/zeaxanthin), and vitamin E were measured at age 14 wk, and weight and height were followed up to age 12 mo. Vitamin A and low plasma carotenoid concentrations were predictive of decreased weight and height velocity. Between ages 14 wk and 12 mo, 32% of infants died. Underweight, stunting, and low concentrations of plasma carotenoids were associated with increased risk of death in univariate analyses. Plasma vitamin A concentrations were not associated with risk of death. In a final multivariate model adjusting for weight-for-age, plasma beta-carotene was significantly associated with increased mortality (odds ratio: 3.16, 95% confidence interval: 1.38 to 7.21, P < 0.006). These data suggest that low concentrations of plasma carotenoids are associated with increased risk of death during HIV infection among infants in Uganda.
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PMID:Relation of vitamin A and carotenoid status to growth failure and mortality among Ugandan infants with human immunodeficiency virus. 1144 74

Human immunodeficiency virus infection is often followed by neurodegeneration, the cause of motor and cognitive impairment in some patients affected by acquired immunodeficiency. Several in vitro data indicate glycoprotein (gp) 120 as one of the substances responsible for the neurodegenerative event that takes place only if non-neuronal cells (glial cells) are present. Our purpose was to investigate the molecular mechanisms through which glial cells could affect neuron viability after exposure to gp120 protein. We used a sandwich co-culture of primary hippocampal neurons and primary glial cells, where the two cell populations face each other but are separable. Exposure of 1-week-old rat hippocampal neurons in co-culture with glia to 600 pM gp120 protein resulted in the death of 30% of neurons after 6 days of treatment. A significant increase of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i), evident 72 h after gp120 exposure (control 45.8+/-7.6 nM, gp120 176.5+/-43.6 nM), preceded neuron death. The gp120 protein affected neither the viability nor the morphology or [Ca2+]i of glial cells. However, a significant amount of reactive oxygen species as well as of interleukin-1beta was produced. Treatment of the co-culture with an antibody against interleukin-1beta prevented neuron increase of [Ca2+]i and cell death but not glial production of reactive oxygen species, whereas prior incubation of glial cells with Trolox, an antioxidant analog of vitamin E, down-regulated interleukin-1beta expression and completely prevented neuron cell death. Our results indicate that reactive oxygen species produced in glial cells by gp120 exposure cause neurodegeneration by inducing the synthesis of interleukin-1beta.
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PMID:Reactive oxygen species generated by glia are responsible for neuron death induced by human immunodeficiency virus-glycoprotein 120 in vitro. 1174 46

HIV/AIDS is a multifactorial and multi-step disease. No single treatment against AIDS can save a patient. Our last report showed that vitamin A, vitamin E and beta-carotene were decreased while malondialdehyde (MDA) was increased. This report aims to evaluate biochemical and hematological parameters in HIV/AIDS patients in Chiang Mai, Thailand by holistic approaches. Sera from HIV/AIDS patients were examined for sugar, cholesterol, uric acid, total protein, albumin, urea, creatinine, AST, ALT, ALP, total/direct bilirubin, vitamin E, MDA, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), beta-carotene, complete blood cell counts, platelet count, CD4 count, prothrombin time, partial prothrombin time and soluble Fas (sFas). The results found that sFas levels in sera prior to holistic approach was not different from reference values and not significantly correlate with CD4 and absolute lymphocyte count. sFas could not serve as putative marker for CD4 destruction. After 3 months CD4 count, MDA, vitamin E and TAC did not change statistically. This approach had no effect on liver and kidney functions, red blood cell, white blood cell, platelet counts, and blood clotting factors. This presentation may be some alternative approaches to combat HIV infections and AIDS, leading to stabilize or extend survival time which should further be elucidated.
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PMID:Biochemical and hematological manifestations of HIV/AIDS in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 1194 6


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