The New England journal of medicine
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic airway inflammation that is greater in patients with advanced disease. We asked whether there is a link between the severity of disease and the reduction in histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity in the peripheral lung tissue of patients with COPD of varying severity. HDAC is a key molecule in the repression of production of proinflammatory cytokines in alveolar macrophages. ⋯ Patients with COPD have a progressive reduction in total HDAC activity that reflects the severity of the disease.
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Comparative Study
Detection of acute infections during HIV testing in North Carolina.
North Carolina has added nucleic acid amplification testing for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to standard HIV antibody tests to detect persons with acute HIV infection who are viremic but antibody-negative. ⋯ The addition of nucleic acid amplification testing to an HIV testing algorithm significantly increases the identification of cases of infection without impairing the performance of diagnostic testing. The detection of highly contagious, acutely infected persons creates new opportunities for HIV surveillance and prevention.