Neurological aspects of HTLV-1 infection: symptoms in apparently asymptomatic carriers
This study aims to demonstrate the neurological symptoms of Brazilian patients living with HTLV-1 classified as not-HAM.TSP. This observational study evaluated patients treated i n an HTLV reference center in Bahia, Brazil, between February 2022 and July 2023. The data were obtained through the analysis of medical records and neurological consultation. Those individuals classified as HAM/ TSP were excluded from this study. 74 patients were submitted to a careful neurological evaluation: 23 HAM/TSP, 22 were classified with intermediate syndrome (IS), and 29 were oligosymptomatic. Self-reported symptoms were significantly m...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - April 23, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Modeling HIV-1 infection and NeuroHIV in hiPSCs-derived cerebral organoid cultures
In this study, we first generated and characterized several hiPSC lines from health y human donor skin fibroblast cells. hiPSCs were then used for the generation of microglia-containing human cerebral organoids (hCOs). Once fully characterized, hCOs were infected with HIV-1 in the presence and absence of cART regimens and viral infection was studied by cellular, molecular/biochemic al, and virological assays. Our results revealed that hCOs were productively infected with HIV-1 as evident by viral p24-ELISA in culture media, RT-qPCR and RNAscope analysis of viral RNA, as well as ddPCR analysis of proviral HIV-1 in genomic D...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - April 10, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Mapping ACE2 and TMPRSS2 co-expression in human brain tissue: implications for SARS-CoV-2 neurological manifestations
AbstractThe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) primarily targets respiratory cells, but emerging evidence shows neurological involvement, with the virus directly affecting neurons and glia. SARS-CoV-2 entry into a target cell requires co-expression of ACE2 (Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2) and TMPRSS2 (Trans membrane serine protease-2). Relevant literature on human neurological tissue is sparse and mostly focused on the olfactory areas. This prompted our study to map brain-wide expression of these entry proteins and assess age-related changes. The nor...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - April 10, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Differences in neuroinflammation in people who started antiretroviral treatment during primary versus chronic HIV infection: an 18kDa Translocator protein (TSPO) positron emission tomography (PET) study
AbstractPersistent inflammation is described in people with HIV (PWH) on antiretroviral treatment (ART). Early ART initiation is associated with reduced inflammation. We aimed to evaluate neuroinflammation, using translocator protein (TSPO) [11C]PBR28 PET neuroimaging in PWH who initiated ART during acute HIV (aPWH) versus chronic HIV infection (cPWH) versus a control population. This was a cross-sectional, observational study. All participants underwent [11C]PBR28 PET-CT neuroimaging. Using a two-tissue compartment model, total volume of distribution (VT) and distribution volume ratios (DVR) using cortical grey matter as ...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - April 4, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19-associated encephalopathy in children
This study aimed to assess the features of COVID-19-associated encephalopathy/encephalitis in children. We retrospectively analyzed a single cohort of 13 hospitalized children with COVID-19-associated encephalopathy. The primary outcome was the descriptive analysis of the clinical characteristics, magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography findings, treatment progression, and outcomes. Thirteen children among a total of 275 (5%) children with confirmed COVID-19 developed associated encephalopathy/encephalitis (median age, 35 months; range, 3 –138 months). Autoimmune encephalitis was present in six patients, ac...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - April 3, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Implications of vascular depression for successful cognitive aging in HIV Disease
AbstractAlthough older adults with HIV are at high risk for mild neurocognitive disorders, a subset experience successful cognitive aging (SCA). HIV is associated with an increased risk of vascular depression (VasDep), which can affect cognitive and daily functioning. The current study examined whether VasDep impedes SCA among older adults with HIV. 136 persons with HIV aged 50 years and older were classified as either SCA+ (n = 37) or SCA- (n = 99) based on a battery of demographically adjusted neurocognitive tests and self-reported cognitive symptoms. Participants were also stratified on the presence of vascular ...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 28, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy associated with systemic lupus erythematosus: longitudinal observation of lymphocytes, JC virus in cerebrospinal fluid, and brain magnetic resonance imaging
This report presents the case of a patient who developed PML due to SLE-associated multiple factors. A 60-year-old woman diagnosed with SLE undergoing multiple immunosuppressive therapies, including azathioprine, presented with cerebral cortical symptoms, lymphocytopenia, and vitamin B12 deficiency and was subsequently diagnosed with SLE-associated PML. We evaluated the cause and disease activity of PML, focusing on the longitudinal assessment of lymphocytopenia, JC virus (JCV) DNA copy number in the cerebrospinal fluid, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Discontinuing azathioprine and initiating alternative im...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 19, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
RNA-Seq time-course analysis of neural precursor cell transcriptome in response to herpes simplex Virus-1 infection
AbstractThe neurogenic niches within the central nervous system serve as essential reservoirs for neural precursor cells (NPCs), playing a crucial role in neurogenesis. However, these NPCs are particularly vulnerable to infection by the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). In the present study, we investigated the changes in the transcriptome of NPCs in response to HSV-1 infection using bulk RNA-Seq, compared to those of uninfected samples, at different time points post infection and in the presence or absence of antivirals. The results showed that NPCs upon HSV-1 infection undergo a significant dysregulation of genes playing a...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 13, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Tryptophan-kynurenine metabolic pathway and daytime dysfunction in women with HIV
AbstractSleep disturbances are prevalent in women with HIV (WWH). Tryptophan-kynurenine (T-K) pathway metabolites are associated with alterations in actigraphy derived sleep measures in WWH, although may not always correlate with functional impairment. We investigated the relationship between T-K pathway metabolites and self-reported daytime dysfunction in WWH and women without HIV (WWoH). 141 WWH on stable antiretroviral therapy and 140 demographically similar WWoH enrolled in the IDOze Study had targeted plasma T-K metabolites measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. We utilized the daytime dysfunct...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 12, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers of Symptomatic Neurosyphilis in People With HIV Compared with Uninfected Individuals
AbstractWe evaluated the diagnostic clinical performance characteristics (DCPC) of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) total protein (TP), white blood cell count (WBC), and lactate (LA) with different cutoff points as adjunct biomarkers of confirmed or presumptive symptomatic neurosyphilis (NS) and the impact of HIV infection. From 5,640 participants who underwent lumbar punctures, 236 participants were included, and classified as either people with HIV (PWH) or people without HIV (PWoH) according to the CDC criteria for confirmed NS (n = 42), presumptive NS (n = 74), systemic syphilis (SS) (n = 38), serological diagnos...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 12, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Simian varicella virus infection and reactivation in rhesus macaques trigger cytokine and A β40/42 alterations in serum and cerebrospinal fluid
AbstractSimian varicella virus (SVV) produces peripheral inflammatory responses during varicella (primary infection) and zoster (reactivation) in rhesus macaques (RM). However, it is unclear if peripheral measures are accurate proxies for central nervous system (CNS) responses. Thus, we analyzed cytokine and A β42/Aβ40 changes in paired serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during the course of infection. During varicella and zoster, every RM had variable changes in serum and CSF cytokine and Aβ42/Aβ40 levels compared to pre-inoculation levels. Overall, peripheral infection appears to affect CNS cytokin e and Aβ42/Aβ40...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 7, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
The synergistic effect of insomnia and depression on risk of herpes zoster
This study examined subjects with insomnia or a combination of insomnia and depression and their risk of HZ. This retrospective cohort study included a total of 47,256 participants, with a control comprising 31,504 age- and sex-matched patients. Clinical data from 2000 to 2013 in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database were used for analysis. Insomnia, depression, and HZ were defined according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification. Subjects with insomnia had a significantly higher incidence of HZ (2.77 per 1000 person-years) than the controls (1.81 per 1000 pe...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - February 21, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
HIV-1 mRNA knockdown with CRISPR/CAS9 enhances neurocognitive function
AbstractMixed glia are infiltrated with HIV-1 virus early in the course of infection leading to the development of a persistent viral reservoir in the central nervous system. Modification of the HIV-1 genome using gene editing techniques, including CRISPR/Cas9, has shown great promise towards eliminating HIV-1 viral reservoirs; whether these techniques are capable of removing HIV-1 viral proteins from mixed glia, however, has not been systematically evaluated. Herein, the efficacy of adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9)-CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing for eliminating HIV-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) from cortical mixed glia was evaluated in...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - February 14, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Correction to: Reduced neuronal population in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in infant macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)
(Source: Journal of NeuroVirology)
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - February 1, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Fentanyl dysregulates neuroinflammation and disrupts blood-brain barrier integrity in HIV-1 Tat transgenic mice
AbstractOpioid overdose deaths have dramatically increased by 781% from 1999 to 2021. In the setting of HIV, opioid drug abuse exacerbates neurotoxic effects of HIV in the brain, as opioids enhance viral replication, promote neuronal dysfunction and injury, and dysregulate an already compromised inflammatory response. Despite the rise in fentanyl abuse and the close association between opioid abuse and HIV infection, the interactive comorbidity between fentanyl abuse and HIV has yet to be examined in vivo. The HIV-1 Tat-transgenic mouse model was used to understand the interactive effects between fentanyl and HIV. Tat is a...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - January 27, 2024 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
