Development of opportunistic lesions in patients with HIV infection in the absence of pronounced immunodeficiency.

AIM: Statistical data concerning patients with opportunistic infections depending on parameters of immunity and the description of a number of clinical cases of development of opportunistic lesions in patients with HIV infection in the absence of the expressed immunodeficiency. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of the patients with HIV infection hospitalized in 2012-2015 in the Infectious Diseases Clinical Hospital No. 2 of Moscow, and the clinical cases of patients with development of opportunistic lesions with satisfactory indicators of the immune status. RESULTS: The distribution of patients with HIV infection who had opportunistic infections, depending on the number of CD4+ lymphocytes at the time of development of the disease revealed a significant group of patients with a sufficiently large number of CD4+ cells. Statistical data on the development of various opportunistic lesions with different parameters of the immune status are presented. The authors describe a number of relevant clinical cases. The possible causes of the development of opportunistic diseases and their recurrence in patients with HIV infection with a satisfactory amount of CD4+ lymphocytes are discussed. In the pathogenesis of this phenomenon are important not only quantitative but also qualitative parameters of immunity, as well as the characteristics of the causative agents of opportunistic lesions.

[A study of the HIV-1 regulatory genes using the polymerase chain reaction].

In this work, a total of 200 samples from the HIV-infected individuals were analyzed: 50 samples from the Saha Republic (Yakutia), 50 samples from the Vologda Region (City of Cherepovets), and 100 samples from the Moscow Region (Moscow and Moscow Region). All samples were obtained from the patients who were not undergoing antiretroviral therapy. It was detected that the regulatory genes vif, vpr, vpu, rev, tat, and nef were amplified with moderate sensitivity after one-stage amplification. When those samples were analyzed by the nested PCR the detection ratio was much higher. While studying nef-gene the phenomena of the splicing in cells cores was detected at the advanced stages of the HIV-infection (3 and 4 stages). At the same time, the splicing was not detected at the earlier stages of the HIV-infection. This effect might be the cause of the transition from asymptomatic stage of the infection to the advanced stage. It was also shown for the first time that the variability of the regulatory genes correlated with the virus subtype.

[A panel of the drug-resistance HIV-1 clinical isolates].

A panel of 16 HIV-1 isolates was designed. Those isolates were isolated from patients undergoing HAART and developing resistance to the antiretroviral drugs. It was shown that the isolates were resistant to nucleoside RT inhibitors (retrovir, epivir) and non-nucleoside inhibitors (viramun). Isolates had stable replication activity. Average rate of cells expressing viral Ag was 14-20%. The infectious titer was 2.4 Ig TCID50. The sequencing showed that all isolates were of the subtype A dominating in the major part of Russian Federation. This panel could be used as the biotechnological base for studying antiretroviral drugs of new generation and for the design of experimental vaccines.

Reproductive development in apomictic populations of Arabis holboellii (Brassicaceae).

Megasporogenesis, megagametogenesis and seed formation were analyzed cytologically in populations of Arabis holboellii originating from North America (Colorado) and Greenland. The Colorado population contained only triploid plants, while the Greenland population consisted of diploid and triploid plants. The penetrance of the apomictic trait was assessed at the level of embryo sac development. All populations showed facultative apomeiotic embryo sac development; however the penetrance of this trait differed between the populations. Apomeiotic and meiotic embryo sac development were characterized by diplosporous dyad formation (Taraxacum-type) and meiotic tetrad formation (Polygonum-type), respectively. Flow cytometric analyses of single mature seeds from all three populations suggest that only unreduced gametes participate in viable seed development. Pseudogamy was the predominant mode of endosperm formation; however, autonomous endosperm development was also observed. The fertilization of unreduced egg cells with unreduced pollen was observed at a low frequency in the Greenland populations. The mechanisms of apomictic reproduction in A. holboellii are discussed.