Introduction
HIV-associated dementia, HAD
ASTROCYTOSIS, NEURODEGENERATION, OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS
Since the introduction and widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy [HAART], incidence and prevalence of central nervous system [CNS] opportunistic infections and HIV-associated dementia [HAD] significantly diminished (Nightingale et al. Aim of this study was to describe whether and how CSF biomarkers of astrocytosis, immune activation and neurodegeneration, IMT and Fibroscan values change in patients randomized to a less-neurotoxic antiretroviral treatment (darunavir/cobicistat plus emtricitabine plus maraviroc) and to assess potential inter-relationships between the dynamic changes eventually observed. Not being a standard one, the choice of this regimen has been based on relevant data. In particular, in an in vitro model on rat neurons, all antiretroviral drugs were associated with a certain degree of functional damage, although those with a milder effect were found to be emtricitabine, tenofovir, darunavir, and maraviroc (Robertson et al. 