Category: Immunosenescence
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Webcasts from a symposium on this topic, held on May 18 by the Center for AIDS Research at the University of California at San Francisco, are being made available online. Five talks addressing the intersection of HIV and aging have been posted, with more presentations from the afternoon session coming soon. The Intersection of HIV…
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Many years ago a study in mice suggested that maintenance of normal T cell numbers was “blind” to whether the T cells belonged to the CD4 or CD8 lineage. This led some researchers to propose that the increase in CD8 T cell counts seen in HIV-positive people reflected an effort by the immune system to…
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A large body of data points to CMV infection as the strongest risk factor for the development of the “immune risk profile” (IRP) in elderly individuals without HIV infection, a profile that is associated with ill health (including neurocognitive decline) and relatively earlier mortality. The association between the IRP and CMV infection is linked to…
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The Cell Press journals Neuron and Immunity have collaborated to produce a timely free-access special issue focusing on the interrelatedness of neural and immune systems. The editors of Neuron write: "The brain was once thought to be a largely 'immune-privileged' system. Traditionally, research has reflected this segregation, with neuroscientists focusing on the nervous system and immunologists…
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In the November 9th issue of New York Magazine, David France reports on the emerging issue of accelerated aging in people with HIV infection. The article offers a series of disturbing vignettes about the complications some individuals are facing as they age, such as bone problems and impaired cognitive function, and raises important questions about…
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One of the signature immunological changes that accompanies aging is the accumulation of CD8 T cells lacking the CD28 co-stimulatory molecule (dubbed CD8+ CD28- T cells). Several studies have found that in elderly cohorts, increased numbers of CD8+CD28- T cells are associated with a significantly elevated risk of mortality. These studies have also reported that…