University of Zimbabwe

About: University of Zimbabwe is a education organization based out in Harare, Harare, Zimbabwe. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The organization has 4378 authors who have published 6800 publications receiving 160720 citations. The organization is also known as: UZ & University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

Safety and effectiveness of BufferGel and 0.5% PRO2000 gel for the prevention of HIV infection in women

Abstract: Results of the HPTN 035 trial. Abstract 48LB (16th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, 2009).

Hierarchical Targeting of Subtype C Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Proteins by CD8+ T Cells: Correlation with Viral Load

Abstract: An understanding of the relationship between the breadth and magnitude of T-cell epitope responses and viral loads is important for the design of effective vaccines. For this study, we screened a cohort of 46 subtype C human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals for T-cell responses against a panel of peptides corresponding to the complete subtype C genome. We used a gamma interferon ELISPOT assay to explore the hypothesis that patterns of T-cell responses across the expressed HIV-1 genome correlate with viral control. The estimated median time from seroconversion to response for the cohort was 13 months, and the order of cumulative T-cell responses against HIV proteins was as follows: Nef > Gag > Pol > Env > Vif > Rev > Vpr > Tat > Vpu. Nef was the most intensely targeted protein, with 97.5% of the epitopes being clustered within 119 amino acids, constituting almost one-third of the responses across the expressed genome. The second most targeted region was p24, comprising 17% of the responses. There was no correlation between viral load and the breadth of responses, but there was a weak positive correlation (r = 0.297; P = 0.034) between viral load and the total magnitude of responses, implying that the magnitude of T-cell recognition did not contribute to viral control. When hierarchical patterns of recognition were correlated with the viral load, preferential targeting of Gag was significantly (r = 0.445; P = 0.0025) associated with viral control. These data suggest that preferential targeting of Gag epitopes, rather than the breadth or magnitude of the response across the genome, may be an important marker of immune efficacy. These data have significance for the design of vaccines and for interpretation of vaccine-induced responses.

Hormonal contraception and the risk of HIV acquisition.

Abstract: Combined oral contraceptives (COC) and depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) are among the most widely used family planning methods; their effect on HIV acquisition is not known. The objective was to evaluate the effect of COC and DMPA on HIV acquisition and any modifying effects of other sexually transmitted infections. Methods: This multicenter prospective cohort study enrolled 6109 HIV-uninfected women aged 18-35 years from family planning clinics in Uganda Zimbabwe and Thailand. Participants received HIV testing quarterly for 15-24 months. The risk of HIV acquisition with different contraceptive methods was assessed (excluding Thailand where there were few HIV cases). HIV infection occurred in 213 African participants (2.8/100 woman-years). Use of neither COC [hazard ratio (HR) 0.99; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69-1.42] nor DMPA (HR 1.25; 95% CI 0.89-1.78) was associated with risk of HIV acquisition overall including among participants with cervical or vaginal infections. While absolute risk of HIV acquisition was higher among participants who were seropositive for herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) than in those seronegative at enrolment among the HSV-2-seronegative participants both COC (HR 2.85; 95% CI 1.39-5.82) and DMPA (HR 3.97; 95% CI 1.98-8.00) users had an increased risk of HIV acquisition compared with the non-hormonal group. No association was found between hormonal contraceptive use and HIV acquisition overall. This is reassuring for women needing effective contraception in settings of high HIV prevalence. However hormonal contraceptive users who were HSV-2 seronegative had an increased risk of HIV acquisition. Additional research is needed to confirm and explain this finding. (authors)