Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) is etiologically associated with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), body cavity-based lymphoma (BCBL), and multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD). These HHV-8-associated diseases arise predominantly in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. Human interleukin-6 (huIL-6) elevated in the serum of AIDS patients is suggested to stimulate the growth of KS and BCBL and to augment the symptoms of MCD. To determine whether huIL-6 stimulates HHV-8 replication directly, expression of the HHV-8 ORF-50 immediate-early gene (transcription activator) and ORF-26 late lytic gene (a capsid protein) was assessed in a BCBL-1 cell line stimulated by huIL-6 by means of real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. huIL-6 induced both ORF-50 and ORF-26 expression, and the maximal ORF-50 expression appeared earlier than that of ORF-26. The data indicate that huIL-6 reactivates HHV-8 in BCBL-1 cells through inducing ORF-50. We also confirmed the previously reported activities of HHV-8-encoded huIL-6 homologue (viral interleukin-6 [vIL-6]) on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication in U1 cell line and huIL-6 production by MT-4 T cells, and utilizing monoclonal antibodies to the huIL-6 receptor components, we elucidated that gp130 is the signaling molecule necessary for these vIL-6 activities. These data suggest the possible existence of interaction between HIV and HHV-8 via IL-6, and that the blockade of IL-6 signal by anti-IL-6R antibody or anti-gp130 antibody can constitute a strategy to treat HIV/HHV-8 dually infected patients.
Detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in donor eyes was performed. DNAs were extracted from the uvea, and they were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Amplified viral DNAs were detected with liquid hybridisation and chemiluminescent assay in which no radioactive materials were used. This method was shown to have a sensitivity limit of fewer than 10 copies of HIV, making it much more sensitive than the current techniques employed in eye banks. The method was applied to 120 donor eyes, including four from donors seropositive for HBV. The HBV gene was detected in one case in which the donor's blood had not been tested for HBV. HIV and HCV genes were not detected in any of the samples. The assay could be an effective screening test for the detection of these viruses in eye bank eyes. (BrJ Ophthalmol 1994; 78: 859-862)
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in cats has been reported to be a useful animal model for human AIDS studies, especially in the early stages of infection. We examined the temporal changes in provirus detection in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and the distribution of FIV-DNA and RNA in feline tissues by the polymerase chain reaction at 10, 35, 70 days after intravenous inoculation of FIV. Viral DNA in the PBMC was detected three to four weeks after infection and its fluctuation was demonstrated for the first time. Ten days after infection, before seroconversion, proviruses were detected only in the mesenteric lymph nodes and intestines. At 35 and 70 days after infection, after seroconversion, proviruses were detected in most lymphoid organs and the salivary glands, but the expression of FIV-RNA was limited to the thymus at 70 days after infection. These results show that FIV-RNA is transcribed from proviral DNA exclusively in the thymus at this stage. We suggest that the quantitative changes in detectable proviruses in the PBMC depend on the relation between the decrease in infected cells caused by cytolytic T lymphocytes and/or apoptosis and their increase caused by the release of a new supply of lymphocytes from the thymus.
We investigated the dynamic nature of a highspeed CMOS comparator, and present a comparator frequencyresponse model based on small-signal linear analysis of a latch. The analytical frequency model offers good insight into the linearity of the quantizer utilized in CT∆Σ modulators. In addition, a novel design guideline for a high-speed CMOS comparator to ensure the quantizer linearity is presented.
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