Severe hepatotoxicity associated with the combination of enfuvirtide and tipranavir/ritonavir: case report.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to F D Goebel.
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Renal disease is becoming an increasingly prevalent entity in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients; it occurs in a variety of clinical settings and is associated with histopathological changes. HIV-related renal impairment can present as acute or chronic kidney disease; it can be caused directly or indirectly by HIV and/or by drug-related effects that are directly nephrotoxic or lead to changes in renal function by inducing metabolic vaculopathy and renal damage. Acute renal failure is frequently caused by the toxic effects of antiretroviral therapy or nephrotoxic antimicrobial substances used in the treatment of opportunistic infections. Chronic renal disease can be caused by multiple pathophysiological mechanisms, leading to HIV-associated nephropathy, a form of collapsing focal glomerulosclerosis, thrombotic microangiopathy, and various forms of immune complex glomerulonephritis. The increase in life expectancy and alteration of lipid metabolism due to receipt of highly active antiretroviral therapy are expected to result in an increased prevalence of diabetes and hypertension and, thus, to secondary diabetic and hypertensive renal damage. Antiretroviral agents, such as indinavir and tenofovir, have been associated with nephrotoxic drug effects that have been shown to be reversible in most cases. In this article, we review the current knowledge about acute and chronic HIV-associated renal disease, metabolic alterations and related nephropathies, and toxic drug effects of combination antiretroviral pharmacotherapy.
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Continuous HAART is standard of care for HIV-infected patients but lifelong adherence and tolerance are important concerns. Use of ART is associated with potential risks, e. g., adverse events, metabolic and cardiovascular complications, and HIV resistance. Stopping HIV therapy may reduce costs and side effects, but carries the risk of increased immune suppression and of emergence of resistance. Treatment interruption is a strategy of much interest, but its safety and efficacy have not been established. The clinical and biological characteristics that influence the outcome of structured treatment interruptions have not been fully clarified. In the following we will present the results of recent studies aimed to compare the long-term consequences of two antiretroviral-management strategies: continuous therapy versus scheduled treatment interruption.
Topics highlighted at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto included HIV/AIDS vaccine research, entry inhibitors, integrase inhibitors, new NNRTIs and PIs, single-agent therapies, pre-exposure prophylaxis and microbicides. Beside the large scientific part, policy and funding were of great concern. Within this article we are trying to focus on topics with direct clinical relevance. This includes new epidemiological and resistance data, results from current studies investigating established and novel antiretroviral drugs and drug classes as well as new findings in therapy management and strategies.
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has markedly decreased HIV-associated mortality. It consists of a combination of three antiretroviral drugs from four different classes: nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitors and inhibitors of virus-cell fusion. Increasing resistance against antiretroviral drugs calls for the development of new compounds and drug classes. The growing understanding of molecular mechanisms in HIV-replication led to the identification of further steps which might serve as novel antiretroviral targets. Uninfected cells could be protected from HIV by inhibiting extracellular binding mechanisms. Improvement of existing antiretroviral drugs and further development of novel therapeutic targets will enrich antiretroviral treatment.
After the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 1995 it took 3 years to recognize the new syndrome of lipodystrophy as a long-term complication of HAART [1]. It was found to be a direct toxic consequence of the various drugs used in combination regimens. Another 2 years later, an additional syndrome was described in patients who recently initiated HAART-the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) [2-4]. Although already recognized in the pre-HIV era in patients with treatment for tuberculosis [5, 6] and leprosy [7], it became substantially more frequent in HIV-infected patients on HAART. The term IRIS describes a collection of different inflammatory disorders which are associated with paradoxical deterioration of various preexisting infectious processes following commencement of HAART in HIV-infected patients. These preexisting infections in individuals with IRIS may have been previously diagnosed and treated or may have been symptomless and later revealed by the patient's improved capacity to mount an inflammatory response.
Susceptibility to HIV-1 infections is, beside other factors, determined by individual host genetic variants like HLA class I alleles, CCR5 and CCR2 variants and levels of CCR5 binding chemokines. A new approach to determine the individual risk of acquiring an HIV infection or to estimate the disease progression could now be possible. In a recent study, a significant interindividual and interpopulation difference in the copy number of a segmental duplication encompassing the gene encoding CCL3L1, a potent human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV- 1)-suppressive chemokine was found. Possession of a CCL3L1 copy number lower than the population average was associated with markedly enhanced HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) susceptibility. This could lead to a screening test that identifies people who have a higher or lower susceptibility to HIV/ AIDS, potentially enabling clinicians to adapt treatment regimens. Also, this is particularly important for assessment of the efficacy of a protective vaccine.
At least nine different genetic HIV-1 subtypes and several circulating recombinant forms exist, which in addition to HIV-1 subgroups and HIV-2 account for the global AIDS pandemic. Even though HIV-1 subtype C and A predominate globally, antiretroviral drugs have been designed based on sequences of clade B reverse transcriptase (RT) and protease enzymes due to the domination of HIV-1 subtype B in highly industrialized countries. Since there is no clarity about possible effects of the genetic diversity of HIV-1 on therapy outcome and drug resistance, multiple studies have been performed with divergent results. Up to now this question remains to be answered.
Neutralizing antibodies work as a second line of defence. They are detected more or less in nearly every HIV-1-infected individual. 2G12, 2F5 and 4E10 represent antibodies with broadly neutralizing activity made from B cells of HIV- 1-infected humans. Unfortunately these antibodies are extremely rare and all attempts to elicit them via vaccine immunogens have failed. The discovery of autoreactive features of these antibodies could now explain why. Additionally, new results show the delayed viral rebound under antibody treatment in some HIV-1-infected individuals.
Chemokine receptors are essential for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cell entry. CXCR4 and CCR5 are the two most relevant receptors and by inhibition of each of them a delayed onset of disease could be achieved. As both receptors are used at different stages of disease due to the domination of different HIV strains, a dual blockage of CXCR4 and CCR5 could be highly valuable for inhibiting viral transmission and replication.
Nucleoside analogues can induce toxic effects on mitochondria by inhibiting the human DNA polymerase-gamma. The clinically observed toxicities can range from slightly increased serum lactate levels to potentially severe and fatal lactic acidosis. A growing interest exists for detection of changes in mitochondrial (mt) DNA content in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Most studies use peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) fractions to investigate mt DNA content via Real-Time PCR in patients, not accounting platelets falsifying the mitochondrial (mt)DNA:nuclear (n)DNA-ratio. In this study we suggest a procedure to eliminate disturbing platelets totally. 8 healthy controls (G1), 6 therapy-naive HIV-infected patients (G2) and 9 HIV-infected patients under HAART (G3) were examined for mtDNA:nDNA-ratio using Real-Time PCR technology. Different blood collection and/or PBMC isolation strategies were analysed for variances of outcome at examinations of the same blood donor. Using DNA prepared of whole blood specimens, mtDNA:nDNA-ratios showed no differences in all investigated groups (G1, G2, G3). Comparing mtDNA:nDNA-ratios of platelet-depleted PBMC fractions of G1 with G2 revealed a reduction of 22% (p = 0.128) and a steeper reduction of 40% (p = 0.0036) comparing specimens of G1 with G3. Scrutinising differently processed specimens within the groups themselves, in G2 whole blood versus platelet-containing PBMC specimens showed a difference in mtDNA:nDNA-ratios of 26% (p = 0.0406), whereas a comparison of whole blood versus platelet-free PBMC specimens led to a comparatively more distinct reduction of 35% (p = 0.0089). The same effect was seen in G3, where whole blood versus platelet-containing PBMC specimens revealed a reduction of 32% (p = 0.01) and whole blood versus platelet-free PBMC specimens showed a 42% (p = 0.0011) decrease. Furthermore analysing each single patient in relation to the different methods, a minor fluctuation margin could be found using platelet-free PBMC specimens for Real-Time PCR. Using platelet-free PBMCs for mt DNA content detection, a correlation of low mtDNA:nDNA-ratios to clinical signs, like elevated lactate levels or lipodystrophy, could be observed. Light-microscopic evaluation for platelets, comparing platelet-containing PBMC fractions versus platelet-depleted PBMC fractions reinforced the Real-Time PCR results. Our data demonstrate that the first step of the blood sample collection/preparation is critical for valid illustration of mt DNA content in HIV-infected patients using ultra-sensitive Real-Time PCR technology. The use of serum tubes for blood collection is an easy and low-cost alternative to expensive cell sorting for elimination of disturbing platelets. Using platelet-free PBMC fractions for measurement mt DNA content could be a surrogate marker for clinical signs mediated by HAART.
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Plasmablastic leukemia (PL) as a complication of human herpes virus 8 (HHV8)-associated Castleman's disease is marked by a rapid and fatal outcome. In patients with AIDS, survival of 7 to 14 days after diagnosis has been reported. Prompt splenectomy and chemotherapy might lead to a significant survival benefit. Here we report a case of long-term survival in a patient with AIDS and multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) complicated by PL.
Recently, the 15th International AIDS Conference took place in Bangkok, Thailand. This conference used to be an almost exclusively science-oriented conference reporting on new developments in diagnostic tools, drug discovery, and other medical advances, making it a "must attend" event for most scientists. In the year 2000, this congress was hosted by South Africa in Durban, for the first time in a developing country - focusing on the particular needs of poor countries and also stressing that scientific approaches are not the only relevant and important aspects of this global epidemic. While many scientist (including this author) perceived the changing emphasis of the meeting with regret ("only science will solve this problem"), the immediate view on the epidemic in areas with poor resources has proven beyond doubt that HIV is far more than just a viral infection. With the latest conference taking place in Bangkok, several particular aspects were demonstrated: after Africa, Asia is the largest hot spot in the worldwide spread of HIV with the highest increase in infections. Also, this country can serve as an admirable example of political will and successful battle to constrain the epidemic despite a serious lack of resources.
As highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) prolongs the life of HIV-infected individuals and reduces mortality associated with opportunistic infections, liver diseases have become a major challenge in the management of these patients. up to 45% of deaths of persons with HIV are related to endstage liver disease, some of which might have been avoided with a less hesitant approach to hepatitis C treatment in the setting of HIV/ hepatitis C (HCV) coinfection.
OBJECTIVES: Approximately 10% of HIV-infected patients fail to respond properly to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Among other factors, genetic variants of chemokine receptors have been shown to modify the course and outcome of HIV infection. Our objective was to investigate whether a failure of virological response is associated with polymorphisms of the chemokine receptors or cofactors. METHODS: A total of 256 HIV-infected patients receiving HAART and 221 healthy controls were analysed for the chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5)-Delta32-bp, stromal derived factor 1 (SDF1)-3'A and chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2)-64I polymorphisms. Treatment failure was defined as failure to lower the viral load below 50 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL within the first year of treatment despite good adherence. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: Successful treatment was associated with heterozygosity for the CCR5-Delta32-bp variant found in 24 of 184 responders (13%) vs. one of 72 nonresponders (1.4%; P=0.004). Eighty-four of 184 responders (45.7%) vs. 25 of 72 nonresponders (34.7%) were heterozygous for the SDF1-3'A allele (P=0.073). The CCR2-64I polymorphism was rare in both groups: 4.9% in responders vs. 1.4% in nonresponders (P=0.175). The odds ratio for successful treatment was 4.7 for individuals who tested positive for at least one variant allele of the three polymorphisms. Comparison of genotype frequencies between HIV-infected and healthy individuals showed highly significant differences (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Chemokine receptor polymorphisms have a modifying effect on the virological response to HAART. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that heterozygosity for the CCR5-Delta32-bp variant is an independent prognostic factor for treatment outcome.
Highly active antiretroviral therapy has resulted in remarkable reduction of morbidity and mortality of HIV infection. With increasing duration of therapy metabolic alterations such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus type 2 and lipodystrophy are encountered which considerably reduced quality of life for the patients. These adverse events are most likely due to protease inhibitors and nucleoside analogues with synergistic effects. The pathogenesis is related to metabolic alterations of the adipocytes with cellular insulin resistance and enhanced apoptosis of these cells caused by adipocytic cytokines such as adiponectin, leptin, TNF-alpha and interleukin 2. Switch of therapy regimens with elimination of the most suspicious substances and certain protease inhibitors can lead to improvement of deranged metabolism. Also symptomatic therapy is possible to cope with hyperlipidemia and diabetes, although no effective treatment is available to reverse already existing lipodystrophy. Our knowledge about the pathogenesis of these alterations might lead to new concepts and causal therapy in the future.