Antiretroviral Therapy Intensification for Neurocognitive Impairment in Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

BACKGROUND: Neurocognitive impairment (NCI) in people with HIV (PWH) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is common and may result from persistent HIV replication in the central nervous system. METHODS: A5324 was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 96-week trial of ART intensification with dolutegravir (DTG) + MVC, DTG + Placebo, or Dual - Placebo in PWH with plasma HIV RNA <50 copies/mL on ART and NCI. The primary outcome was the change on the normalized total z score (ie, the mean of individual NC test z scores) at week 48. RESULTS: Of 357 screened, 191 enrolled: 71% male, 51% Black race, 22% Hispanic ethnicity; mean age 52 years; mean CD4+ T-cells 681 cells/µL. Most (65%) had symptomatic HIV-associated NC disorder. Study drug was discontinued due to an adverse event in 15 (8%) and did not differ between arms (P = .17). Total z score, depressive symptoms, and daily functioning improved over time in all arms with no significant differences between them at week 48 or later. Adjusting for age, sex, race, study site, efavirenz use, or baseline z score did not alter the results. Body mass index modestly increased over 96 weeks (mean increase 0.32 kg/m2, P = .006) and did not differ between arms (P > .10). CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of ART intensification for NCI in PWH. The findings do not support empiric ART intensification as a treatment for NCI in PWH on suppressive ART. They also do not support that DTG adversely affects cognition, mood, or weight.

Characteristics associated with virologic failure in high-risk HIV-positive participants with prior failure: a post hoc analysis of ACTG 5251.

UNLABELLED: Patients with prior virologic failure (VF) are at an increased risk of subsequent failure, emergence of resistance, and death. This analysis identifies outcomes and correlates of VF in a high-risk population. METHODS: A5251 was designed to evaluate an enhanced adherence counseling intervention delivered by nurses from a central call site on virologic suppression. Due to slow enrollment, the study was closed prematurely and revised study endpoints were evaluated (week 24 VF (HIV-1 RNA ≥200 copies/ml) and non-perfect adherence (<100% self-reported using both the ACTG adherence questionnaire and visual analog scale (VAS)). RESULTS: Fifty-nine participants were enrolled, 43 (73%) black non-Hispanic and 23 (39%) women. Median prior antiretroviral regimen changes were three and the co-morbidity in this population was higher than typical for HIV clinical trials. At week 24 (n = 41), 24 (59%) failed to reach virologic suppression (HIV-1 RNA <200 copies/ml) and 25 (63%) reported non-perfect adherence. Higher depression (CES-D10) and adverse illness perceptions (IPQ-B) were associated with week 24 non-adherence. Early clinical assessments (week 12 HIV-RNA ≥200 copies/mL and non-perfect adherence) as well as higher depression and adverse illness perceptions were associated with week 24 VF. DISCUSSION: In this high-risk population, the proportion of participants with suboptimal adherence and VF was unacceptably high. Interventions to address this treatment gap are clearly needed. Depression and a higher illness perception score, failure to achieve virologic suppression by week 12, and less than perfect adherence could be used to target individuals for early interventions in treatment-experienced, high-risk individuals at high risk for VF.

Neurocognition with maraviroc compared with tenofovir in HIV.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine whether maraviroc (MVC) has unique neurocognitive benefits in the context of initial antiretroviral therapy (ART). DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 48-week trial. SETTING: Participants were enrolled in US AIDS Clinical Trials Group clinical trial sites. PARTICIPANTS: Total 262 ART-naive, chemokine coreceptor 5 tropic HIV, and HIV RNA greater than 1000 copies/ml participants were randomized, 230 participants completed the study. INTERVENTION: Participants received MVC 150 mg or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) 300 mg on a background of ritonavir-boosted darunavir and emtricitabine. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The neuropsychological battery of 15 tests done at baseline, week 24 and week 48 assessed seven domains, and were standardized into z-scores then converted into deficit scores and a global deficit score. The 48-week changes from baseline in the neuropsychological scores and the global deficit score were compared by Wilcoxon or Kruskal-Wallis test between arms, and among baseline impairment groups [classified as normal, mild (2 deficit scores ≥1) and moderate (2 deficit scores ≥2)]. It was hypothesized that the MVC arm would have improved neuropsychological performance over TDF. RESULTS: In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, there were no differences in neuropsychological performance between MVC and TDF. Those with moderate neuropsychological impairment at baseline experienced greater ART-mediated neuropsychological improvement than those with mild or no neuropsychological impairment. CONCLUSION: Improvement in neurocognitive functioning was greater with more baseline impairment but was comparable with MVC or TDF.

The use of beta-D-2,6-diaminopurine dioxolane with or without mycophenolate mofetil in drug-resistant HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the safety, tolerability and antiretroviral activity of beta-D-2,6-diaminopurine dioxolane (DAPD; amdoxovir) with or without mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in HIV-1 infection following extensive antiretroviral therapy (ART). METHODS: Oral DAPD 500 mg twice daily with placebo or MMF 500 mg twice daily was added to failing ART. HIV-1 RNA viral load (VL) decline to week 2 was analyzed by intent-to-treat, using rank-based tests. Patients with VL decline > 0.5 log10 copies/ml at week 2 (virologic response, VR) optimized ART and continued therapy for up to 96 weeks. RESULTS: Forty adults with median VL 4.5 log10 copies/ml, median 184 CD4+ cells/microl, and a median of 6 nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) mutations (range, 1-8) were randomized. Median VL reduction at week 2 was -0.26 log10 copies/ml (P < 0.0001). Response to DAPD/placebo (median -0.37 log10 copies/ml) was unexpectedly greater than to DAPD/MMF (median -0.23 log10 copies/ml), although this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.59). MMF appeared to lower concentrations of DAPD and its metabolite dioxolane guanosine. Of 10 patients with VR (DAPD 7, DAPD/MMF 3), four persisted beyond week 24. VR was more frequent with < or = 5 baseline NRTI mutations (P = 0.12) or < 4 thymidine-associated mutations (TAMs) without E44D or V118I (P = 0.08). Twenty-three patients received extended DAPD +/- MMF; five beyond week 24. Few adverse events were related to study medications. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of DAPD +/- MMF to failing therapy appears safe and well tolerated. DAPD had significant activity at week 2 (mean -0.35 log10) in heavily pretreated patients that was not augmented by MMF.

The central image of a gravitationally lensed quasar.

A galaxy can act as a gravitational lens, producing multiple images of a background object. Theory predicts that there should be an odd number of images produced by the lens, but hitherto almost all lensed objects have two or four images. The missing 'central' images, which should be faint and appear near the centre of the lensing galaxy, have long been sought as probes of galactic cores too distant to resolve with ordinary observations. There are five candidates for central images, but in one case the third image is not necessarily the central one, and in the others the putative central images might be foreground sources. Here we report a secure identification of a central image, based on radio observations of one of the candidates. Lens models using the central image reveal that the massive black hole at the centre of the lensing galaxy has a mass of <2 x 10(8) solar masses (M(o)), and the galaxy's surface density at the location of the central image is > 20,000M(o) pc(-2), which is in agreement with expections based on observations of galaxies that are much closer to the Earth.