THEGAYUK

Day: 18 July 2014

  • Theory: What causes the loss of CD4 T cells in people infected with HIV?

    A Theory for HIV infection: What causes the loss of CD4 T cells in people infected with HIV?

    HIV infection causes dysfunction and destruction of CD4 T cells that, without antiretroviral therapy (ART: a cocktail of drugs that interrupts the HIV life cycle), result in AIDS and eventual death within 7 to 10 years).
    Scientists believe that most CD4 T cells die, not because of direct infection by HIV of these cells, but through a process called inflammation, by which immune cells secrete toxic molecules to get rid of the virus.

    However, the logic behind how inflammation causes cell death has been a mystery for decades.

    But now, research conducted by scientists at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and published in the premiere HIV/AIDS Journal, AIDS in 2014, shows for the first time that HIV infection not only disturbs the functions of CD4 T cells but affects how these cells use energy (1). The team, led by chief investigator Dr Clovis Palmer, proposed a new model of how CD4 T cells are destroyed in people infected with HIV.

    In healthy persons, immune cells such as CD4 T cells take up low levels of glucose through a protein known as Glucose transporter 1 (Glut1). By a series of steps the glucose is broken down to produce pockets of energy called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to maintain the general wellbeing of the cells

    The Burnet team showed that the Glucose transporter (Glut1) level is increased on CD4 T cells in people infected with HIV, and that this causes more glucose to enter the cells. This is a survival mechanism because the CD4 T cells need more energy to divide and manufacture antiviral and inflammatory molecules to fight the infection. This is what is called CD4 T cell activation or immune activation.
    In this activated state, instead of breaking down glucose to form energy pockets (ATP), glucose is broken down into a substance called lactic acid through a process called aerobic glycolysis. Glycolysis is only moderately efficient in energy production and, as a result, the CD4 T cells die of exhaustion. The researchers called this process ‘metabolic exhaustion’

    Dr Palmer believes that this finding could lead to new drugs that delay the start of anti-retroviral therapy and will strengthen the immune systems of HIV-positive people.

    Healthy adults have between 600 to 1,200 CD4 T cells in their blood but up to 30 percent of HIV infected adults have a CD4 cell count consistently less than 350, well below the normal range despite being on ART and having undetectable viral load. The team showed that glycolysis remains elevated in CD4 T cells from these persons and that this could explain why they are unable to reconstitute their normal CD4 T cell levels. These low levels of CD4 T cells put HIV-positive people on ART at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, liver disease, kidney failure and other life-threatening diseases.

    The results from this study suggest that CD4 T cells in HIV infected people cannot replenish themselves because they exhaust their energy reserves through their high metabolic activity. What’s exciting about this is a very real scenario where, by returning metabolic activity to normal, these cells could be re-energised to fight the infection by themselves.

    Dr Clovis Palmer heads the immunometabolism group at the world renowned Burnet Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia. Dr Palmer is a reviewer for several top-ranked international journals including Hepatology, AIDS and Antioxidants and Redox Signalling. He is the chief scientific editor for Natural Immunity-Health, Australia (www.naturalimmunity.com.au).

    by Doctor Clovis Palmer

     

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  • Simon Cowell’s rep responds to gay claim

    Yesterday, Jurors in the Tulisa Drug Trial heard claims from Tulia’s manager that the record exec was gay, today Simon Cowell’s camp responds.

    Yesterday an undercover, secret recording emerged in which Tulisa’s manager Gareth Varey, speaking to Mr Mahmood stated that X Factor boss Simon Cowell was gay.

    In an undercover and off camera recording Mr Mahmood asked Mr Varey whether Cowell was gay, in which the manager replied ‘Yes’.

    Mr Mahmood then asked,‘Have you slept with him?’, Mr Varey replied: ‘No’.

    When questioned on why he hadn’t slept with Mr. Cowell Mr Varey replied, ‘One day I will when I make my move’. Mr Mahmood said: ‘Do you fancy him or not?’

    Mr Varey answered: ‘No’. Mr Mahmood then questioned: ‘How do you know he’s gay?’

    Mr Varey replied: ‘I know people who have’.

    Cowell’s camp has since stated: ‘We are bound by contempt of court rules so cannot respond to these claims in the manner we wish to.

    ‘We are speaking to the Attorney General’s office – and we intend to make a statement in court as soon as possible.’

  • FILM REVIEW | Five Dances

    ★★★★ | Five Dances

    Alan Brown’s latest movie has one of the most accurate titles that pulls no punches and is exactly what it promises i.e five dances.

    Held together by the strands of a wisp of a tenuous plot, it is however still a sweet and sensual coming-out-tale thanks to the presence of a charming young dancer who proves he is quite a mean actor too, despite his inexperience.

    Four dancers and a choreographer are in a Manhattan studio learning a new piece of contemporary dance to perform at the opening night of a Festival. Amongst their number is naive 18 year old Chip who is fresh off the bus from Kansas having won a scholarship to study with the Joffry Ballet. The others assume that his parents back in the Midwest must be proud of him, but the reality is that his divorced alcoholic mother is about to be evicted so makes daily menacing phone calls to her only son.

    Chip is homeless so when Cathy one of the other dancers discovers this, she takes pity on him and takes him home and lets him sleep on his couch. Theo another of the quartet takes another type of interest in the newbie and late one night makes a pass at him. A totally confused (and virginal) Chip runs off but not for long as next night he is back and this time encouraging Theo to go all the way.

    That’s essentially it in terms of plot, but this one after all is all about the dancing, and in particular young Chip learning how to really express himself through movement. The choreography by Jonah Bokaer is exhilarating and so beautifully photographed to accentuate every graceful move, and it’s capped by a sensuous soundtrack by singer/songwriter Scott Matthew.

    Brown is quite the master at bringing every sinew of sexuality into stories of young love into his movies as he did so wonderfully well in ‘Private Romeo’. Here when Chip and Theo are making love it mirrors the dancing in terms of its intimacy and is sensuous rather than explicit. The whole cast dance like angels and young Ryan Steele as Chip maintains that purity and innocence when in the very sparse script he so cutely conveys his turmoil coming to terms with both his threatening mother and the fact that he now has his first ever boyfriend.

    You don’t have to be a contemporary dance fan to love this one, but if you are, it does help.

  • The Lancet: Causes of death shifting in people with HIV

    HIV-positive adults in high income countries face a substantially reduced risk of death from AIDS-related causes, cardiovascular disease, and liver disease compared with a decade ago, according to a large international study published in The Lancet.

    The study which involved nearly 50 000 HIV-positive adults receiving care and antiretroviral therapy (ART) at more than 200 clinics across Europe, USA, and Australia found that overall death rates have almost halved since 1999, while deaths due to AIDS-related causes and cardiovascular disease have declined by around 65% and liver-related deaths by more than 50%.
    Although deaths from most causes declined over the study period, there was no reduction in death rates from non-AIDS cancers which remained stable over time (1.6 deaths per 1000 years 1999–2000 to 2.1 in 2009–2011). Non-AIDS cancers are now the leading cause of non-AIDS deaths in people with HIV, accounting for 23% of all deaths.

    Using data from the Data collection on Adverse events of anti-HIV Drugs (D:A:D) study, the researchers looked at trends in underlying causes of death in people with HIV between 1999 and 2011, who were followed-up for a median of 6 years.
    Of the 3909 deaths that occurred over the study period, around 29% of individuals died from an AIDS-related cause, which remains the most common cause of death. Cancers (15%; mainly lung cancer) were the most frequent causes of non-AIDS deaths, followed by liver disease (13%; mainly due to hepatitis), and cardiovascular disease (11%).

    Mortality decreased from about 17.5 deaths per 1000 person-years in 1999–2000 to 9.1 deaths per 1000 years in 2009–2011—a drop of around 50%. Similar decreases in deaths related to AIDS (5.9 deaths per 1000 person-years to 2.0), liver disease (2.7 to 0.9), and cardiovascular disease (1.8 to 0.9) were also seen. The proportion of all deaths due to AIDS (34% to 23%) and liver disease (16% to 10%) declined over the decade, while the proportion of deaths due to cardiovascular disease remained constant at 10%.

    The researchers note that substantially reduced death rates from liver and cardiovascular disease cannot be fully explained by changes in patient demographics or improvements in viral suppression or CD4 count, and might result from the better management of traditional risk factors such as smoking, alcohol use, and hepatitis, or the use of less toxic ART regimens.

    They conclude by calling for further research to gain a clearer understanding of why the risk of dying from a non-AIDS cancer remains high and to assess the effect of specific antiretroviral drugs on non-AIDS cancer rates.

    According to study leader Dr Colette Smith from University College London in the UK, ‘These recent reductions in rates of AIDS-related deaths are linked with continued improvement in CD4 count and provide further evidence of the substantial net benefits of ART. But despite these positive results, AIDS-related disease remains the leading cause of death in this population. Continued efforts to ensure good ART adherence and to diagnose more individuals at an earlier stage before the development of severe immunodeficiency are important to ensure that the low death rate from AIDS is sustained and potentially decreased even further.’*

    Writing in a linked Comment, Steven Deeks and Peter Hunt from the University of California in San Francisco, USA, say, ‘The benefits of ART are unquestioned, and their beneficial effect on the HIV epidemic continues to grow. Still, clear limitations exist because many patients are not accessing treatment, and some problems persist even in those on ART, including a higher than expected risk of non-AIDS cancers and other morbidities. Finally, it needs to be emphasised that we are still early in the ART era. In the absence of a cure, most patients will need to continue on ART for decades. Continued monitoring for unexpected consequences of treatment will be needed indefinitely.’

    The study appears in a special issue of The Lancet published ahead of AIDS 2014, the 20th international AIDS conference of the IAS, taking place in Melbourne, Australia, from 20-25 July, 2014.

  • Atari: First Ever Gay Themed Computer Game

    Atari, one of the world’s most recognised publishers and producers of interactive entertainment, today announced the development of Pridefest™ an original social-sim game for tablets and mobile devices. Pridefest™ empowers players to create and launch their very own personalised pride parade in a city of their choosing.

    The first LGBT-themed game from Atari, Pridefest™ gives players the opportunity to customise their own parade flotillas with colourful decorations and adorn their locale with eye-catching attractions and entertainment – with the goal of keeping their city happy and vibrant. Players will need to solve challenges and complete quests to unlock new parade and festival supplies, or receive other bonuses. The game will incorporate various personalization and social features, including the opportunity to chat with friends, visit each other’s city and create avatars bedecked in clothes and jewellery.

    “We are excited to be developing Atari’s first LGBT-themed game that will give players of all backgrounds the chance to play a fun and unique game that represents a passionate cause,” said Todd Shallbetter, Chief Operating Officer, Atari Inc. “We will continue offering a variety of games that are inclusive for all Atari fans and Pridefest™ is another example of how we are doing that.”

    Atari recently sponsored and attended the second-ever GaymerX convention where LGBT gamers and allies united in celebration of equality and diversity in gaming.

    “Gaming is the largest entertainment sector in the world, and Atari is one of the most recognisable and iconic brands. To have them support our conference and cause, as well as bring an LGBTQ-themed game to market is a huge step toward equality in gaming,” said Matt Conn, founder of GaymerX. “It’s extremely important that we see these large publishers like Atari stepping up to the plate, and I’m excited that they have the courage to take the first step in supporting the community.”

    To register to learn more about Pridefest™ in the upcoming months, please visit www.PridefestGame.com, “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @PridefestGame.