Do early changes in T-cell activation predict antiretroviral success in salvage therapy of HIV infection?
Reduced CD4 T-cell expression of CD38 and CD95 occurring within 2 weeks of salvage therapy is associated with subsequent viral suppression. Monitoring CD38 and CD95 may allow earlier assessment of the response to ART.
This study illustrates that there is a downregulation of adiponectin in morbidly obese patients with inflammatory infiltrates in the liver. Variations in adiponectin levels could be an indicator of disease progression since inflammatory infiltrates are commonly associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in morbidly obese patients. Currently, we are using human myofibroblasts derived from livers of morbidly obese people to further investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of fatty liver to fibrosis and cirrhosis.