Human immune deficiency virus-related structural alterations in the brain are dependent on age.

Currently, it is still unknown whether human immune deficiency virus (HIV)-related structural alterations in the brain are dependent on age. With people living with HIV at different ages, we aim to investigate age-specific structural alterations in HIV patients. Eighty-three male HIV patients and eighty-three age-matched male controls were enrolled, and high-resolution T1 weighted images were collected and analyzed with four morphological metrics. Then, statistical analyses were respectively conducted to ascertain HIV effects, age effects, and medication effects in brain structure of HIV patients, and the relationship with neuropsychological evaluations were further explored. Finally, discriminative performances of these structural abnormalities were quantitatively testified with three machine learning models. Compared with healthy controls, HIV patients displayed lower gray matter volumes (GMV), lower gyrification index, deeper sulcus depth, and larger cortical thickness (CTH). Age-specific differences were found in GMV and CTH: young-aged HIV patients displayed more obvious morphological alterations than middle-aged HIV patients when comparing corresponding age-matched healthy controls. Furthermore, age-specific long-term medication effect of combination antiretroviral therapy were also presented. Additionally, several subcortical structural changes were negatively associated with language, attention and motor functions. Finally, three machine learning models demonstrated young-aged HIV patients were easier to be recognized than middle-aged HIV patients. Our study indicated young-aged HIV patients were more vulnerable to HIV infection in brain structure than middle-aged patients, and future studies should not ignore the age effect in studying the HIV-related abnormalities.

Low-frequency fluctuation characteristics in rhesus macaques with SIV infection: a resting-state fMRI study.

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected macaque is a widely used model to study human immunodeficiency virus. The purpose of the study is to discover the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF) changes in SIV-infected macaques. Seven rhesus macaques were involved in the longitudinal MRI scans: (1) baseline (healthy state); (2) SIV infection stage (12 weeks after SIV inoculation). ALFF and fALFF were subsequently computed and compared to ascertain the changes caused by SIV infection. Whole-brain correlation analysis was further used to explore the possible associations between ALFF/fALFF values and immune status parameters (CD4+ T cell counts, CD4/CD8 ratio and virus load). Compared with the baseline, macaques in SIV infection stage displayed strengthened ALFF values in left precuneus, postcentral gyrus, and temporal gyrus, and weakened ALFF values in orbital gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus. Meanwhile, increased fALFF values were found in left superior frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus, while decreased fALFF values existed in left hippocampus, left caudate, and right inferior frontal gyrus. Furthermore, ALFF and fALFF values in several brain regions showed significant relationships with CD4+ T cell counts, CD4/CD8 ratio, and plasma virus load. Our findings could promote the understanding of neuroAIDS caused by HIV infection, which may provide supplementary evidences for the future therapy study in SIV model.

Chinese expert consensus on imaging diagnosis of drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the major infectious diseases in the world with a high incidence rate. Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is a key and difficult challenge in the prevention and treatment of TB. Early, rapid, and accurate diagnosis of DR-TB is essential for selecting appropriate and personalized treatment and is an important means of reducing disease transmission and mortality. In recent years, imaging diagnosis of DR-TB has developed rapidly, but there is a lack of consistent understanding. To this end, the Infectious Disease Imaging Group, Infectious Disease Branch, Chinese Research Hospital Association; Infectious Diseases Group of Chinese Medical Association of Radiology; Digital Health Committee of China Association for the Promotion of Science and Technology Industrialization, and other organizations, formed a group of TB experts across China. The conglomerate then considered the Chinese and international diagnosis and treatment status of DR-TB, China's clinical practice, and evidence-based medicine on the methodological requirements of guidelines and standards. After repeated discussion, the expert consensus of imaging diagnosis of DR-PB was proposed. This consensus includes clinical diagnosis and classification of DR-TB, selection of etiology and imaging examination [mainly X-ray and computed tomography (CT)], imaging manifestations, diagnosis, and differential diagnosis. This expert consensus is expected to improve the understanding of the imaging changes of DR-TB, as a starting point for timely detection of suspected DR-TB patients, and can effectively improve the efficiency of clinical diagnosis and achieve the purpose of early diagnosis and treatment of DR-TB.

Cardiac Involvement in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Patients: An Observational Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Study.

Objectives: To investigate the subclinical imaging changes in terms of myocardial inflammation and fibrosis and to explore the risk factors associated with myocardial fibrosis by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) approach in a Chinese HIV/AIDS cohort. Methods: We evaluated myocardial function (cine), myocardial inflammation (T1, T2), and myocardial fibrosis (through extracellular volume fraction [ECV] and late gadolinium enhancement [LGE]) by a multiparametric CMR scan protocol in a total of 68 participants, including 47 HIV-infected individuals, who were divided into two groups: asymptomatic HIV (HIV+) (n = 30), and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (n = 17), and 21 healthy controls. Results: HIV-infected patients had lower left (55.3 ± 6.5 vs. 63.0 ± 7.9%, P < 0.001) and right ventricular systolic function (35.9 ± 15.7 vs. 50.8 ± 9.3%, P < 0.001). Radial systolic strain (30.7 ± 9.3 vs. 39.3 ± 9.4%, P = 0.001), circumferential systolic strain (-17.5 ± 2.6 vs. -19.4 ± 2.7%, P = 0.008), and longitudinal systolic strain (-9.4 ± 5.7 vs. -12.8 ± 3.1%, P = 0.012) were also decreased in HIV. Native T1 relaxation time (1,337.2 ± 70.2 vs. 1,249.5 ± 47.0 ms, P < 0.001), ECV value (33.5 ± 6.2 vs. 28.5 ± 2.9 ms, P = 0.026), and T2 relaxation time (45.2 ± 3.5 vs. 42.0 ± 2.6 ms, P = 0.001) were higher in HIV-infected patients compared with controls. Myocardial fibrosis, predominantly in the mid-inferior wall, was detected in 24.4% of the HIV-infected patients. HIV+ had a significantly lower value of ECV [29.1 (26.1, 31.8) vs. 35.2 (31.8, 41.9) %, P < 0.001] and frequency of LGE [3/25 (8%) vs. 7/16 (43.8%), P = 0.014)] compared with AIDS. AIDS was associated with myocardial fibrosis. Conclusions: HIV-infected patients were associated with changes in myocardial function and higher rates of subclinical myocardial inflammation and fibrosis, which were more abnormal with greater severity of the disease. AIDS was associated with myocardial fibrosis, where the observations supported earlier initiation of antiretroviral therapy in the Chinese HIV/AIDS cohort.