In HIV-1-infected individuals, plasma viral loads were monitored by NucliSense HIV-1 QT assay and T cell counts and expression of the activation marker CD38 were determined by flow cytometry.
Interestingly, a triple positive (CD300a+PD1+CD38+) subset was expanded in naïve HIV-1 infected patients, while it was very rare in healthy donors and patients on cART.
At the end of therapy and 1 month later, there were significant reductions in the expression of HLA-DR and CD38 in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, as well as levels of proviral HIV DNA, sCD14, LPS, 16S rDNA, and D-dimer (P < .001).
Expression of CD38 and HLA- DR on CD8+T cells, a measure of HIV-associated immune activation, was inversely related to pyrazinamide clearance, with increasing immune activation associated with decreasing pyrazinamide clearance.
In rectal tissue, there were positive associations between integrated HIV DNA with PD-1+ CD4+ T-cells (1.44 fold-change in integrated HIV DNA per 10-unit increase in PD-1+ CD4+ T cells; 95% CI = 1.01-2.05; P = .045) and CD38+HLA-DR+ CD8+ T cells (1.40 fold-change in integrated HIV DNA per 1-unit increase in CD38+HLA-DR+ CD8+ T cells; 95% CI = 1.05-1.86; P = .02).
After LcS ingestion, peripheral CD4⁺ T-cell and Th2 (CXCR3<sup>-</sup>CCR6<sup>-</sup>CD4⁺) counts significantly increased in both HIV-infected groups; Th17 (CXCR3<sup>-</sup>CCR6⁺CD4⁺) counts increased in all three groups; regulatory T-cell (CD25<sup>high</sup>CD4⁺) counts decreased in the ART(+) and HIV(-) groups; activated CD8⁺ cells (CD38⁺HLA-DR⁺CD8⁺) decreased from 27.5% to 13.2% (<i>p</i> < 0.001) in HIV(+) children; and plasma HIV load decreased slightly but significantly among HIV(+) children.
We purified CD38+++CD4+ T cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, measured their level of HIV-1 DNA by PCR, and found that about 10% of this population was infected.
A higher HIV RNA level also was associated with increases in activated CD8(+)CD38(+) and CD8(+)HLA-DR(+) cells (P<.05), and a higher level of activated CD8(+)CD38(+) cells was independently associated with reduced CD4 gain (P<.05).