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Scholarly Works (4 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2013)

Background: There is paucity of study about HIV prevalence among the wives of migrant workers from rural areas of Bihar, India. This is the first population-based study conducted among the wives of migrant workers of Muzaffarpur district with objectives to estimate the prevalence of HIV, and describe the sexual and other risk behaviors; and delineate the knowledge, attitudes and risk perception related to HIV/AIDS.

Methods: We used a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. First we conducted in-depth interviews among 24 wives of migrant workers. Based on the information collected, structured questionnaire was developed and tested. A cluster survey was conducted selecting 34 villages as primary selection units (PSUs), and then selecting 25 eligible wives randomly from sampling frames. A total of 850 wives were interviewed and blood samples were collected for HIV testing.

Results: HIV prevalence was 0.59% (95% CI : 0.19 - 1.37%) among the wives of migrant workers. The odds of risk of HIV infection among wives of migrant workers was more than 3-folds as compared to women in the general population (0.19%). In course of in-depth interviews, 15 out of 24 wives (62.5%) wives were found to be aware of HIV/AIDS, whereas in main interview the proportion of wives who were aware of HIV/AIDS was nearly 15.52% (95% CI : 14.5 - 16.5). Knowledge was found significantly associated with age group 15-24 years, education level of women, TV set in house and husbands' education in a multivariate regression analysis. Condoms use (OR = 3.21 (95% CI : 1.22 - 7.90) and premarital sex (OR=7.44 (95% CI: 1.6 - 33.67) were found significantly associated with HIV knowledge of wives. Out of 132 wives having knowledge about HIV, 72% of them had good level of knowledge about transmission and protection, and high positive attitude towards HIV/AIDS. Wives had very low level of perception about their own risk, but perceived their husband at higher risk. Condoms use was very low among them.

Conclusions: HIV prevalence among the wives of migrant workers was higher than the prevalence among women in the general population. Education was found to be associated with good level of awareness about HIV. Our findings can support the designing and implementation of effective interventions for prevention of HIV among wives of migrant workers.

    Cover page: HIV prevalence and awareness among wives of rural migrant workers of Muzaffarpur district in Bihar, India
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UCLA Previously Published Works (2023)
    HIV can establish a long-lived latent infection in cells harboring integrated non-expressing proviruses. Latency reversing agents (LRAs), including protein kinase C (PKC) modulators, can induce expression of latent HIV, thereby reducing the latent reservoir in animal models. However, PKC modulators such as bryostatin-1 also cause cytokine upregulation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), including cytokines that might independently reverse HIV latency. To determine whether cytokines induced by PKC modulators contribute to latency reversal, primary human PBMCs were treated with bryostatin-1 or the bryostatin analog SUW133, a superior LRA, and supernatant was collected. As anticipated, LRA-treated cell supernatant contained increased levels of cytokines compared to untreated cell supernatant. However, exposure of latently-infected cells with this supernatant did not result in latency reactivation. These results indicate that PKC modulators do not have significant indirect effects on HIV latency reversal in vitro and thus are targeted in their latency reversing ability.
      Cover page: Secreted factors induced by PKC modulators do not indirectly cause HIV latency reversal
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UCLA Previously Published Works (2024)

      Background

      Latency reversing agents (LRAs) such as protein kinase C (PKC) modulators can reduce rebound-competent HIV reservoirs in small animal models. Furthermore, administration of natural killer (NK) cells following LRA treatment improves this reservoir reduction. It is currently unknown why the combination of a PKC modulator and NK cells is so potent and whether exposure to PKC modulators may augment NK cell function in some way.

      Methods

      Primary human NK cells were treated with PKC modulators (bryostatin-1, prostratin, or the designed, synthetic bryostatin-1 analog SUW133), and evaluated by examining expression of activation markers by flow cytometry, analyzing transcriptomic profiles by RNA sequencing, measuring cytotoxicity by co-culturing with K562 cells, assessing cytokine production by Luminex assay, and examining the ability of cytokines and secreted factors to independently reverse HIV latency by co-culturing with Jurkat-Latency (J-Lat) cells.

      Results

      PKC modulators increased expression of proteins involved in NK cell activation. Transcriptomic profiles from PKC-treated NK cells displayed signatures of cellular activation and enrichment of genes associated with the NFκB pathway. NK cell cytotoxicity was unaffected by prostratin but significantly decreased by bryostatin-1 and SUW133. Cytokines from PKC-stimulated NK cells did not induce latency reversal in J-Lat cell lines.

      Conclusions

      Although PKC modulators have some significant effects on NK cells, their contribution in "kick and kill" strategies is likely due to upregulating HIV expression in CD4+ T cells, not directly enhancing the effector functions of NK cells. This suggests that PKC modulators are primarily augmenting the "kick" rather than the "kill" arm of this HIV cure approach.
        Cover page: Defining the Effects of PKC Modulator HIV Latency-Reversing Agents on Natural Killer Cells
        • Article
        • Peer Reviewed
        UC Davis Previously Published Works (2014)
        A new series of fifteen 5-, 6-, and 8-appended 4-methylquinolines were synthesized and evaluated for their neural protective activities. Selected compounds were further examined for their inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and protein kinase C (PKC). Two most potent analogs, compounds 3 and 10, show nanomolar protective activities in amyloid β-induced MC65 cells and enzymatic inhibitory activities against GSK-3β, but poor PKC inhibitory activities. Using normal mouse model, the distribution of the most potent analog 3 in various tissues and possible toxic effects in the locomotors and inhibition of liver transaminases activities were carried out. No apparent decline of locomotor activity and no inhibition of liver transaminases were found. The compound appears to be safe for long-term use in Alzheimer's disease mouse model.
          Cover page: Syntheses, neural protective activities, and inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3β of substituted quinolines
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