In our study population, CMV/HIV coinfection was associated with the risk of severe non-AIDS-defining events/non-AIDS-related death, especially with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, independently of other prognostic factors. This finding supports a potential independent role of CMV coinfection in vascular/degenerative organ disorders in HIV-infected subjects.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) inhibit HIV-1 expression by either modulating host innate immunity or by directly interfering with viral mRNAs. We evaluated the expression of 377 miRNAs in CD4 ؉ T cells from HIV-1 é lite long-term nonprogressors (é LTNPs), naive patients, and multiply exposed uninfected (MEU) patients, and we observed that the é LTNP patients clustered with naive patients, whereas all MEU subjects grouped together. The discriminatory power of miRNAs showed that 21 miRNAs significantly differentiated é LTNP from MEU patients and 23 miRNAs distinguished naive from MEU patients, whereas only 1 miRNA (miR-155) discriminated é LTNP from naive patients. We proposed that miRNA expression may discriminate between HIV-1-infected and -exposed but negative patients. Analysis of miRNAs expression after exposure of healthy CD4 ؉ T cells to gp120 in vitro confirmed our hypothesis that a miRNA profile could be the result not only of a productive infection but also of the exposure to HIV-1 products that leave a signature in immune cells. The comparison of normalized Dicer and Drosha expression in ex vivo and in vitro condition revealed that these enzymes did not affect the change of miRNA profiles, supporting the existence of a Dicer-independent biogenesis pathway. (Blood. 2012;119(26):6259-6267)

The applicability of Cu/C catalysts is limited by sintering of Cu leading to deactivation in catalytic reactions.We show that the problem of sintering could be resolved by N-doping of the carbon support. Cu nanocatalysts with 1 at% of metal were synthesized by Cu acetate decomposition on N-free and Ndoped (5.7 at% N) mesoporous carbon supports as well as on thermally expanded graphite oxide.Catalytic properties of these samples were compared in hydrogen production from formic acid decomposition. The N-doping leads to a strong interaction of the Cu species with the support providing stabilization of Cu in the form of clusters of less than 5 nm in size and single Cu atoms, which were observed in a significant ratio by atomic resolution HAADF/STEM even after testing the catalyst under harsh conditions of the reaction at 600 K. The mean size of the obtained Cu clusters was by a factor of 7 smaller than that of the particles in the N-free catalyst. The N-doped Cu catalyst possessed good stability in the formic acid decomposition at 478 K for at least 7 h on-stream and a significantly higher catalytic activity than the N-free Cu catalysts. The nature of the strongly interacting Cu species was studied by XPS, XRD and other methods as well as by DFT calculations. The presence of single Cu atoms in the N-doped catalysts should be attributed to their strong coordination by pyridinic nitrogen atoms at the edge of the graphene sheets of the support. We believe that the N-doping of the carbon support will allow expanding the use of Cu/C materials for different applications avoiding sintering and deactivation.

Rhodococcus equi causes a rare infection in immunocompromised hosts. We describe 24 cases of infection in patients with AIDS-related complex (ARC)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Pneumonia was always the first manifestation of R. equi infection, but extrapulmonary involvement was also observed. The main sources of bacteria were sputum, bronchial washings and blood. The strains isolated were mainly susceptible to erythromycin, vancomycin, teicoplanin, rifampicin, imipenem and aminoglycosides. Initial treatment should involve an intravenously administered antibiotic combination therapy including imipenem or vancomycin or teicoplanin, followed by orally administered maintenance combination therapy. Drug combinations should be investigated for serum bactericidal activity in vitro. Surgery does not increase survival time and should only be performed in cases that do not respond to antibiotic treatment. Presumptive risks of infection (contact with horses or farm dust, or cohabiting with people affected by R. equi infection) were present in more than 50% of patients. This finding, and the frequency of bacteria in the sputum, are not sufficient proof of transmission between humans, but do suggest the need for respiratory isolation of patients affected by R. equi pneumonia.

BackgroundCountry-specific forecasts of the growing non-communicable disease (NCD) burden in ageing HIV-positive patients will be key to guide future HIV policies. We provided the first national forecasts for Italy and the Unites States of America (USA) and quantified direct cost of caring for these increasingly complex patients.Methods and SettingWe adapted an individual-based model of ageing HIV-positive patients to Italy and the USA, which followed patients on HIV-treatment as they aged and developed NCDs (chronic kidney disease, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, non-AIDS malignancies, myocardial infarctions and strokes). The models were parameterised using data on 7,469 HIV-positive patients from the Italian Cohort Naïve to Antiretrovirals Foundation Study and 3,748 commercially-insured patients in the USA and extrapolated to national level using national surveillance data.ResultsThe model predicted that mean age of HIV-positive patients will increase from 46 to 59 in Italy and from 49 to 58 in the USA in 2015–2035. The proportion of patients in Italy and the USA diagnosed with ≥1 NCD is estimated to increase from 64% and 71% in 2015 to 89% and 89% by 2035, respectively, driven by moderate cardiovascular disease (CVD) (hypertension and dyslipidaemia), diabetes and malignancies in both countries. NCD treatment costs as a proportion of total direct HIV costs will increase from 11% to 23% in Italy and from 40% to 56% in the USA in 2015–2035.ConclusionsHIV patient profile in Italy and the USA is shifting to older patients diagnosed with multiple co-morbidity. This will increase NCD treatment costs and require multi-disciplinary patient management.

Li 6 C 60 is so far the best performing fullerene-based hydrogen storage material. The mechanism of its reversible hydrogen absorption is not, however, totally known. Here we report the thermal evolution of Li 6 C 60 upon deuterium absorption up to 330 °C and under 60 bar deuterium gas pressure using in situ high-intensity neutron powder-diffraction. The temporal resolution of the collected data allowed the hydrogenation of Li 6 C 60 and the segregation of lithium hydride (here LiD) processes to be distinguished from a mechanistic point of view. During absorption, Li 6 C 60 undergoes several phase transitions, involving the partial segregation of Li in form of hydride and the expansion of the face-centered cubic (fcc) lattice followed by a body-centered cubic (bcc) rearrangement of the deuterated fullerenes. The amount of absorbed deuterium was determined by the analysis of the variation in the scattered neutron intensity and confirmed by an ex situ desorption measurement. This analysis clarifies the complex physico-chemical reactions behind the absorption mechanism of this model material and highlights the importance of intercalated lithium in triggering the hydrogenation process.

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The performance of graphene, and a few selected derivatives, was investigated as a negative electrode material in sodium‐ and lithium‐ion batteries. Hydrogenated graphene shows significant improvement in battery performance compared with as‐prepared graphene, with reversible capacities of 488 mA h g−1 for lithium‐ion batteries after 50 cycles and 491 mA h g−1 for sodium‐ion batteries after 20 cycles. Notably, high rates of 1 A g−1 for graphene and 5 A g−1 for hydrogenated graphene indicate higher capacities in sodium‐ion batteries than in lithium‐ion batteries. Alternatively, nickel‐nanoparticle‐decorated graphene performed relatively poorly in lithium‐ion batteries. However, in sodium‐ion batteries they showed the highest reversible capacities of all studied batteries and graphene derivatives, with 826 mA h g−1 after 25 cycles with ≈97 % coulombic efficiency. Overall, minor modifications to graphene can dramatically improve electrochemical performance in both lithium‐ion and sodium‐ion batteries.