Publications by authors named "Syim Salahuddin"

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among people with HIV (PWH), with increased incidence and poor outcomes. This study explored whether the tumor microenvironment (TME) of HIV-associated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) limits tumor-specific immune responses. With a matched cohort of NSCLC samples from PWH and from people without HIV (PWOH), we used imaging mass cytometry, a linear mixed-effects model, and an artificial intelligence-based (AI-based) PageRank mathematical algorithm based on spectral graph theory to demonstrate that HIV-associated tumors have differential distribution of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, enriched for the expression of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and lymphocyte-activating gene 3 (LAG3), as well as activation and proliferation markers.

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Article Synopsis
  • HIV reservoirs persist in various tissues even during effective antiretroviral therapy, with significant differences observed between anatomical compartments and individuals.
  • Intact HIV genomes are primarily found in secondary lymphoid organs, such as the spleen and lymph nodes, comprising 2% and 25% of proviruses in the study participants.
  • Identical HIV genomes are frequently found across multiple tissues, indicating that infected cells can expand, migrate, and circulate among different anatomical sites.
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Background: Head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) occurs at higher rates among persons with HIV (PWH). This study compares the impact of sociodemographic and clinicopathologic characteristics on outcomes among PWH-HNSCC compared with HNSCC patients without HIV.

Methods: Patient data from HNSCC individuals were collected at a single academic hospital center between 2002 and 2018.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluates the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines in older people living with HIV (PWH), focusing on antibody durability over six months following the initial vaccination.
  • At the six-month mark, all participants had detectable levels of antibodies, but there was a noted decline in antibody levels from the second visit to the third.
  • The research also looks at T-cell responses and the side effects of booster shots, showing a comprehensive approach to understanding vaccine effectiveness in this demographic.
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Alterations in the components of the immune system occur with aging. The introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) has dramatically improved life expectancy in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals by suppressing viral replication and increasing CD4 T-cell counts. Immunosenescence-like changes, including the expansion of memory CD8 T cells with senescent features, are reported in young HIV-infected individuals who do not have clinically detectable viremia on ART.

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The use of unique cell surface markers to target and eradicate HIV-infected cells has been a longstanding objective of HIV-1 cure research. This approach, however, overlooks the possibility that intracellular changes present within HIV-infected cells may serve as valuable therapeutic targets. For example, the identification of dysregulated antiviral signaling in cancer has led to the characterization of oncolytic viruses capable of preferentially killing cancer cells.

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People living with HIV have high burdens of chronic lung disease, lung cancers, and pulmonary infections despite antiretroviral therapy (ART). The rates of tobacco smoking by people living with HIV vastly exceed that of the general population. Furthermore, we showed that HIV can persist within the lung mucosa despite long-term ART.

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Macrophages are a target of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and may serve as a viral reservoir during antiretroviral therapy (ART). Their susceptibility to HIV-1 infection is subject to variations from permissiveness to resistance depending on their origin, tissue localization, and polarization profile. This is in part due to the expression of regulatory microRNAs.

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The lungs are relatively unexplored anatomical human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reservoirs in the antiretroviral therapy (ART) era. Double negative (DN) T cells are a subset of T cells that lack expression of CD4 and CD8 (CD4 CD8) and may have both regulatory and effector functions during HIV infection. Notably, circulating DN T cells were previously described as cellular HIV reservoirs.

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Rates of cannabis consumption range from 40% to 74% among people living with HIV (PLWH). Little is known about the reasons for cannabis use, related modes of administration, effectiveness for symptom relief, or undesirable effects in the modern antiretroviral therapy (ART) era. Our aim was to conduct an exploratory study to identify potential areas for further evaluation and intervention.

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Bronchoscopy is a medical procedure whereby normal saline is injected into the lungs via a bronchoscope and then suction is applied, removing bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. The BAL fluid is rich in cells and can thus provide a 'snapshot' of the pulmonary immune milieu. CD4 T cells are the best characterized HIV reservoirs, while there is strong evidence to suggest that tissue macrophages, including alveolar macrophages (AMs), also serve as viral reservoirs.

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Background: The lungs were historically identified as one of the major anatomic sites for HIV replication in the pre-antiretroviral therapy (ART) era. However, their contribution to HIV persistence in individuals under suppressive ART remains understudied.

Design: We assessed HIV persistence and comprehensively characterized pulmonary mucosal CD4 T cells in HIV-infected (HIV) individuals receiving long-term suppressive ART versus uninfected participants.

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Introduction: Low levels of nasal NO have been associated with increased propensity to rhinosinusitis and respiratory tract infections. Our objective was to describe nasal NO levels in HIV-infected individuals versus healthy controls and determine possible risk factors for reduced nasal NO levels.

Materials And Methods: HIV-infected individuals and healthy controls were recruited.

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