Associations of inflammatory markers with AIDS and non-AIDS clinical events after initiation of antiretroviral therapy: AIDS clinical trials group A5224s, a substudy of ACTG A5202.

BACKGROUND: The association of inflammatory biomarkers with clinical events after antiretroviral therapy initiation is unclear. METHODS: A5202 randomized 1857 treatment-naive subjects to abacavir/lamivudine or tenofovir-DF/emtricitabine with efavirenz or atazanavir/ritonavir. Substudy A5224s measured inflammatory biomarkers on subjects with available plasma from baseline and week 24 or 96. An exploratory analysis of the association of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 (IL-6), soluble receptors of tumor necrosis factor α (sTNF)-RI, sTNF-RII, TNF-α, soluble vascular cellular adhesion molecules (sVCAM-1), and soluble intercellular adhesion molecules (sICAM-1) with times to AIDS and to non-AIDS events used Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: Analysis included 244 subjects; 85% men and 48% white non-Hispanic with median age 39 years, HIV-1 RNA of 4.6 log10 copies per milliliter, and CD4 of 240 cells per microliter. Overall, 13 AIDS events (9 opportunistic infections, 3 AIDS-cancers, and 1 recurrent bacterial pneumonia) and 18 non-AIDS events (6 diabetes, 4 cancers, 3 cardiovascular, and 5 pneumonias) occurred. Higher baseline IL-6, sTNF-RI, sTNF-RII, and sICAM-1 were significantly associated with increased risk of AIDS-defining events. Adjustment for baseline HIV-1 RNA did not change results, whereas adjusting for baseline CD4 count left only sTNF-RI and sICAM-1 significantly associated with increased risk. Time-updated values of IL-6, sTNFR-I and II, and sICAM-1 were also associated with an increased risk. For non-AIDS events, only higher baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein was significantly associated with increased risk, whereas higher IL-6 was marginally associated with higher risk. Analyses of time-updated biomarker values showed tumor necrosis factor α to be significantly associated with increased risk, even after adjustment for antiretroviral therapy, and CD4 count or HIV-1 RNA. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of several inflammatory biomarkers were independently associated with increased risk of AIDS and non-AIDS events.

Weight and lean body mass change with antiretroviral initiation and impact on bone mineral density.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect that initiating different antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens has on weight, BMI, and lean body mass (LBM) and explore how changes in body composition are associated with bone mineral density (BMD). METHODS: A5224s was a sub-study of A5202, a prospective trial of 1857 ART-naive participants randomized to blinded abacavir-lamivudine (ABC/3TC) or tenofovir DF-emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) with open-label efavirenz (EFV) or atazanavir-ritonavir (ATV/r). All participants underwent dual-energy absorptiometry (DXA) and abdominal computed tomography for body composition. Analyses used two-sample t-tests and linear regression. RESULTS: A5224s included 269 participants: 85% men, 47% white non-Hispanic, median age 38 years, HIV-1 RNA 4.6 log10 copies/ml, and CD4 cell count 233 cells/µl. Overall, significant gains occurred in weight, BMI, and LBM at 96 weeks post-randomization (all P<0.001). Assignment to ATV/r (vs. EFV) resulted in significantly greater weight (mean difference 3.35 kg) and BMI gain (0.88 kg/m; both P=0.02), but not LBM (0.67 kg; P=0.15), whereas ABC/3TC and TDF/FTC were not significantly different (P≥0.10). In multivariable analysis, only lower baseline CD4 cell count and higher HIV-1 RNA were associated with greater increase in weight, BMI, or LBM. In multivariable analyses, increased LBM was associated with an increased hip BMD. CONCLUSION: ABC/3TC vs. TDF/FTC did not differ in change in weight, BMI, or LBM; ATV/r vs. EFV resulted in greater weight and BMI gain but not LBM. A positive association between increased LBM and increased hip BMD should be further investigated through prospective interventional studies to verify the impact of increased LBM on hip BMD.

Inflammation markers after randomization to abacavir/lamivudine or tenofovir/emtricitabine with efavirenz or atazanavir/ritonavir.

BACKGROUND: The effect of specific antiretrovirals on inflammation is unclear. METHODS: A5224s was a substudy of A5202, which randomized HIV-infected treatment-naïve patients to blinded abacavir/lamivudine (ABC/3TC) or tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) with open-label efavirenz (EFV) or atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r) in a factorial design. Our analysis compared changes in inflammation markers from baseline to week 24 between ABC/3TC and TDF/FTC. Secondary analyses included changes at week 96 and comparisons of EFV vs. ATV/r. RESULTS: Analyses included 244 patients (85% male, 48% white non-Hispanic), median age 39 years, HIV-1 RNA 4.6 log10 copies/ml, CD4 240 cells/µl. TNF-α, soluble receptors of TNF-α (sTNFR)-I and II, soluble vascular cellular adhesion molecule (sVCAM)-1 and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1 decreased significantly at weeks 24 and 96, without significant differences between components (P ≥ 0.44). At week 24, ABC/3TC had a greater high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) mean fold change than TDF/FTC {1.43 vs. 0.88, estimated mean fold change percentage difference [Δ] 61.5% [95% confidence interval (CI) 13.6%, 129.5%]; P = 0.008}. Similar results were seen at week 96 (P = 0.021). At week 24 (but not 96), EFV had a greater hsCRP mean fold change than ATV/r [1.41 vs. 0.88; Δ = 60.2% (12.6%, 127.7%); P = 0.009]. IL-6 decreased significantly at week 24 with TDF/FTC but not with ABC/3TC (between-components P = 0.019). At week 96, IL-6 decreased significantly in both nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor components (between-components P = 0.11). IL-6 changes were not significantly different between ATV/r and EFV at either time point (P ≥ 0.89). CONCLUSIONS: Soluble TNF-receptors and adhesion molecules decreased following treatment initiation and did not differ by regimens. Differences were seen on hsCRP and IL-6 changes with ABC/3TC vs. TDF/FTC and on hsCRP with EFV vs. ATV/r.

Abacavir/lamivudine versus tenofovir DF/emtricitabine as part of combination regimens for initial treatment of HIV: final results.

BACKGROUND: AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5202 compared blinded abacavir/lamivudine (ABC/3TC) to tenofovir DF/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) with efavirenz (EFV) or atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected treatment-naive patients, stratified by screening HIV RNA (< or ≥ 10(5) copies/mL). Due to higher virologic failure with ABC/3TC in the high HIV RNA stratum, blinded treatment was stopped in this group, but study follow-up continued for all patients. METHODS: Primary endpoints were times to virologic failure, regimen modification, and safety event. RESULTS: In the low HIV RNA stratum, time to virologic failure was similar for ABC/3TC vs TDF/FTC with ATV/r (hazard ratio [HR] 1.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76, 2.05) or EFV (HR 1.23, 95% CI 0.77, 1.96), with significantly shorter times to regimen modification for ABC/3TC with EFV or ATV/r and to safety events with EFV. Prior to stopping blinded treatment in the high stratum, higher virologic failure rates were seen with ABC/3TC with EFV (HR 2.46, 95% CI 1.20, 5.05) or ATV/r (HR 2.22, 95% CI 1.19, 4.14). CONCLUSIONS: In the low HIV RNA stratum, times to virologic failure for ABC/3TC or TDF/FTC were not different with EFV or ATV/r. In the high stratum, virologic failure rate was significantly higher for ABC/3TC than for TDF/FTC when given with either EFV or ATV/r.

Peripheral and central fat changes in subjects randomized to abacavir-lamivudine or tenofovir-emtricitabine with atazanavir-ritonavir or efavirenz: ACTG Study A5224s.

BACKGROUND: We compare the effect of 4 different antiretroviral regimens on limb and visceral fat. METHODS: A5224s was a substudy of A5202, a trial of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected, treatment-naive subjects randomized to blinded abacavir-lamivudine (ABC-3TC) or tenofovir DF-emtricitabine (TDF-FTC) with open-label efavirenz (EFV) or atazanavir-ritonavir (ATV-r). The primary endpoint was the presence of lipoatrophy (≥ 10% loss of limb fat) at week 96 by intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis. Secondary endpoints included changes in limb and visceral fat. Statistical tests included linear regression, binomial, two-sample t test, and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: A5224s enrolled 269 subjects; 85% were male, and 47% were white non-Hispanic. The subjects had a median baseline HIV-1 RNA level of 4.6 log(10) copies/mL, a median age of 38 years, a median CD4+ cell count of 233 cells/µL, median limb fat of 7.4 kg, median visceral adipose tissue (VAT) of 84.1 cm(2), and VAT: total adipose tissue (TAT) ratio of 0.31. At week 96, estimated prevalence of lipoatrophy (upper 95% confidence interval [CI]) was 18% (25%) for ABC-3TC and 15% (22%) for TDF-FTC (P = .70); this was not significantly less than the hypothesized 15% for both (P ≥ .55 for both). The secondary as-treated (AT) analysis showed similar results. At week 96, the estimated mean percentage change from baseline in VAT was higher for the ATV-r group than for the EFV group (26.6% vs 12.4%; P = .090 in ITT analysis and 30.0% vs 14.5%; P = .10 in AT analysis); however, the percentage change in VAT:TAT was similar by ITT and AT analysis (P ≥ .60 for both). Results were similar for absolute changes in VAT and VAT:TAT. CONCLUSIONS: ABC-3TC- and TDF-FTC-based regimens increased limb and visceral fat at week 96, with a similar prevalence of lipoatrophy. Compared to the EFV group, subjects assigned to ATV-r had a trend towards higher mean percentage increase in VAT. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT00118898.

Bone mineral density and fractures in antiretroviral-naive persons randomized to receive abacavir-lamivudine or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate-emtricitabine along with efavirenz or atazanavir-ritonavir: Aids Clinical Trials Group A5224s, a substudy of ACTG A5202.

BACKGROUND: Long-term effects of abacavir (ABC)-lamivudine (3TC), compared with tenofovir (TDF)-emtricitabine (FTC) with efavirenz (EFV) or atazanavir plus ritonavir (ATV/r), on bone mineral density (BMD) have not been analyzed. METHODS: A5224s was a substudy of A5202, in which HIV-infected treatment-naive participants were randomized and blinded to receive ABC-3TC or TDF-FTC with open-label EFV or ATV/r. Primary bone end points included Dual-emission X-ray absorbtiometry (DXA)-measured percent changes in spine and hip BMD at week 96. Primary analyses were intent-to-treat. Statistical tests used the factorial design and included linear regression, 2-sample t, log-rank, and Fisher's exact tests. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-nine persons randomized to 4 arms of ABC-3TC or TDF-FTC with EFV or ATV/r. At baseline, 85% were male, and 47% were white non-Hispanic; the median HIV-1 RNA load was 4.6 log(10) copies/mL, the median age was 38 years, the median weight was 76 kg, and the median CD4 cell count was 233 cells/µL. At week 96, the mean percentage changes from baseline in spine and hip BMD for ABC-3TC versus TDF-FTC were -1.3% and -3.3% (P = .004) and -2.6% and -4.0% (P = .024), respectively; and for EFV versus ATV/r were -1.7% and -3.1% (P = .035) and -3.1% and -3.4% (P = .61), respectively. Bone fracture was observed in 5.6% of participants. The probability of bone fractures and time to first fracture were not different across components. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with ABC-3TC, TDF-FTC-treated participants had significantly greater decreases in spine and hip BMD, whereas ATV/r led to more significant losses in spine, but not hip, BMD than EFV. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT00118898.

Atazanavir plus ritonavir or efavirenz as part of a 3-drug regimen for initial treatment of HIV-1.

BACKGROUND: Limited data compare once-daily options for initial therapy for HIV-1. OBJECTIVE: To compare time to virologic failure; first grade-3 or -4 sign, symptom, or laboratory abnormality (safety); and change or discontinuation of regimen (tolerability) for atazanavir plus ritonavir with efavirenz-containing initial therapy for HIV-1. DESIGN: A randomized equivalence trial accrued from September 2005 to November 2007, with median follow-up of 138 weeks. Regimens were assigned by using a central computer, stratified by screening HIV-1 RNA level less than 100 000 copies/mL or 100 000 copies/mL or greater; blinding was known only to the site pharmacist. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00118898) SETTING: 59 AIDS Clinical Trials Group sites in the United States and Puerto Rico. PATIENTS: Antiretroviral-naive patients. INTERVENTION: Open-label atazanavir plus ritonavir or efavirenz, each given with with placebo-controlled abacavir-lamivudine or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (DF)-emtricitabine. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcomes were time to virologic failure, safety, and tolerability events. Secondary end points included proportion of patients with HIV-1 RNA level less than 50 copies/mL, emergence of drug resistance, changes in CD4 cell counts, calculated creatinine clearance, and lipid levels. RESULTS: 463 eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive atazanavir plus ritonavir and 465 were assigned to receive efavirenz, both with abacavir-lamivudine; 322 (70%) and 324 (70%), respectively, completed follow-up. The respective numbers of participants in each group who received tenofovir DF-emtricitabine were 465 and 464; 342 (74%) and 343 (74%) completed follow-up. Primary efficacy was similar in the group that received atazanavir plus ritonavir and and the group that received efavirenz and did not differ according to whether abacavir-lamivudine or tenofovir DF-emtricitabine was also given. Hazard ratios for time to virologic failure were 1.13 (95% CI, 0.82 to 1.56) and 1.01 (CI, 0.70 to 1.46), respectively, although CIs did not meet prespecified criteria for equivalence. The time to safety (P = 0.048) and tolerability (P < 0.001) events was longer in persons given atazanavir plus ritonavir than in those given efavirenz with abacavir-lamivudine but not with tenofovir DF-emtricitabine. LIMITATIONS: Neither HLA-B*5701 nor resistance testing was the standard of care when A5202 enrolled patients. The third drugs, atazanavir plus ritonavir and efavirenz, were open-label; the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors were prematurely unblinded in the high viral load stratum; and 32% of patients modified or discontinued treatment with their third drug. CONCLUSION: Atazanavir plus ritonavir and efavirenz have similar antiviral activity when used with abacavir-lamivudine or tenofovir DF-emtricitabine. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Institutes of Health.

A cluster of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) in an office setting: additional evidence of the importance of environmental factors in IBC etiology.

We investigated a cluster of three cases of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) diagnosed within 10 months in an office setting of 24 people. Information about medical history, pregnancy history, family history of breast cancer, oral contraceptive use/hormone replacement therapy, exposure to possible oncogenic agents and tumor promoters were obtained to determine whether there were differences in risk factors for IBC between cases and controls. The physical environment and location of the cases' office raised concern about air and water quality as well as radiation as being contributory risk factors for developing IBC. Of the three women with IBC, two had high exposures to pesticides/herbicides, all three used oral contraceptives and two used hormone replacement therapy at the time of diagnosis, two had a family history of breast cancer, and two were obese. Among fifteen controls four had pesticide/herbicide exposure, one had a family history of breast cancer, nine used oral contraceptives, seven used hormone replacement therapy, and five were obese. No specific environmental causes were established for this cluster. Several promoting factors have been suggested that could result in subclinical breast cancer emerging as IBC. Among them are exogenous hormones and exposure to herbicides/pesticides.

Abacavir-lamivudine versus tenofovir-emtricitabine for initial HIV-1 therapy.

BACKGROUND: The use of fixed-dose combination nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) with a nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor or a ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor is recommended as initial therapy in patients with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, but which NRTI combination has greater efficacy and safety is not known. METHODS: In a randomized, blinded equivalence study involving 1858 eligible patients, we compared four once-daily antiretroviral regimens as initial therapy for HIV-1 infection: abacavir-lamivudine or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (DF)-emtricitabine plus efavirenz or ritonavir-boosted atazanavir. The primary efficacy end point was the time from randomization to virologic failure (defined as a confirmed HIV-1 RNA level > or = 1000 copies per milliliter at or after 16 weeks and before 24 weeks, or > or = 200 copies per milliliter at or after 24 weeks). RESULTS: A scheduled interim review by an independent data and safety monitoring board showed significant differences in virologic efficacy, according to the NRTI combination, among patients with screening HIV-1 RNA levels of 100,000 copies per milliliter or more. At a median follow-up of 60 weeks, among the 797 patients with screening HIV-1 RNA levels of 100,000 copies per milliliter or more, the time to virologic failure was significantly shorter in the abacavir-lamivudine group than in the tenofovir DF-emtricitabine group (hazard ratio, 2.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.46 to 3.72; P<0.001), with 57 virologic failures (14%) in the abacavir-lamivudine group versus 26 (7%) in the tenofovir DF-emtricitabine group. The time to the first adverse event was also shorter in the abacavir-lamivudine group (P<0.001). There was no significant difference between the study groups in the change from the baseline CD4 cell count at week 48. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with screening HIV-1 RNA levels of 100,000 copies per milliliter or more, the times to virologic failure and the first adverse event were both significantly shorter in patients randomly assigned to abacavir-lamivudine than in those assigned to tenofovir DF-emtricitabine. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00118898.)

A pilot study evaluating time to CD4 T-cell count <350 cells/mm(3) after treatment interruption following antiretroviral therapy +/- interleukin 2: results of ACTG A5102.

BACKGROUND: Although an intermittent antiviral treatment (ART) strategy may limit long-term toxicity and cost, there is concern about the risk for virologic failure, selection of drug resistance mutations, and disease progression. By boosting CD4 T-cell counts, interleukin 2 (IL-2) could safely prolong the duration of treatment interruption (TI) in a CD4-driven strategy. METHODS: The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) study A5102 evaluated 3 cycles of IL-2 before TI, on clinical and immunologic outcomes, using a CD4 T-cell count of <350 cells/mm as the threshold for restarting ART. Forty-seven HIV-infected subjects on potent ART with CD4 T-cell counts of > or =500 cells/mm or more and HIV RNA levels of less than 200 copies/mL were randomized to arm A (ART + three 5-day cycles of IL-2 at 4.5 million U, Sc, BID every 8 weeks, n = 23) or arm B (ART alone, n = 24) for 18 weeks (step 1). At the end of step 1, subjects with a CD4 T-cell count of > or =500 cells/mm or more stopped ART until a CD4 count of <350 cells/mm (step 2). CD4 T-cell count, time to return of viremia, and the emergence of drug resistance mutations after TI were compared between study arms. RESULTS: IL-2 recipients maintained higher CD4 counts during TI for 48 weeks with a waning of the CD4 effect by 72 weeks. A sustained CD4 T-cell count of more than 350 cells/mm and more durable TI were associated with a higher nadir CD4 T-cell count before ART and higher naive CD4 T-cell count at entry. After TI, a higher viral set point and drug resistance mutations at virologic rebound were associated with a shorter time to CD4 T-cell count of less than 350 cell/mm. There were no differences in the magnitude of virologic rebound (at week 8 of step 2, median log10 HIV RNA level was 4.23 for arm A and 4.21 for arm B) or the steady-state HIV-1 RNA level after week 8. CONCLUSIONS: IL-2 before TI did not prolong time to CD4 of less than 350 cells/mm. A TI strategy utilizing a CD4 T-cell threshold of less than 350 cells/mm for restarting ART appears generally safe with most subjects in both arms remaining off ART for more than 1 year. Implications of our results for TI strategies include the potential advantage of starting ART at higher CD4 T-cell levels while avoiding any drug resistance and evaluating immunomodulators or drugs to reduce T-cell activation and HIV-1 RNA rebound during the TI.