The human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is capable of inducing a variety of host cellular genes including many of the cytokines responsible for immune regulation and osteoclast activation. This derangement in cytokine expression may contribute to the panoply of disease states associated with HTLV-I infection such as the adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). We wished to determine if there was a correlation between ...

A state of T-cell activation, reflected by a marked degree of spontaneous proliferation in vitro, exists among patients with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) but not in those with retroviral-induced adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). We wished to define the mechanism by which the immune activation of circulating cells from HAM/TSP is driven, thus gaining insight into the pathogenesis of this HTLV-I-associated disease. ...

Human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is an inflammatory neurological disease caused by HTLV-I infection. It has been shown that HAM/TSP patients have high proviral loads and an extraordinarily high frequency of circulating CD8 + cytotoxic T lymphocytes specific for HTLV-I in their peripheral blood when compared to asymptomatic HTLV-I carriers (AC). We have previously described an intracellular cytokine detection assay, in ...

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is widely accepted as the primary etiologic agent in the development of cervical cancer. DNA of a particular HPV type, HPV 16, is found in about half of tumors tested. Inconsistent with this causal relationship, however, population-based studies of HPV DNA prevalence have often failed to find high rates of anogenital HPV infection in countries with high cervical cancer rates. To examine this issue, we used serology to compare HPV 16 exposure in healthy ...

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) has been implicated in the aetiology of adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma in Japan and elsewhere, particularly the Caribbean. We have carried out parallel case-control studies in Jamaica and in Trinidad and Tobago to quantify the role of HTLV-I in the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). 135 cases of NHL were enrolled in Jamaica and 104 in Trinidad and Tobago. Controls were selected from patients treated in the same wards or clinics at ...

Although human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is the etiologic agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), the role of viral gene expression in the progression to and maintenance of the leukemic state in vivo is unclear because of the inability of most previous studies to readily detect HTLV-I RNA in infected individuals. By using the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, we detected spliced messages for the HTLV-I pX regulatory genes in primary uncultured cells ...

BACKGROUND: In recent years, brain lymphoma incidence has dramatically increased, presumably because of elevated risk of brain lymphoma among persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to estimate independent incidence and survival rates of brain lymphoma among persons with or without AIDS and to understand the epidemiologic features of this cancer.

METHODS: We linked AIDS and cancer registry reports at nine state and local health ...

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) is indispensable for viral DNA replication and episome maintenance in latency. Four promoters, Cp, Wp, Qp, and Fp, are known to drive EBNA1 expression. Here we show that the TATA-less Qp is constitutively active in a variety of EBV-positive [EBV(+)] tumors and cell lines, irrespective of the activities of other EBNA1 promoters, the type of viral latency, and the cell type. The transcription of highly regulated promoters such as the EBV ...

BACKGROUND: The presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the prostate and its role in prostate carcinoma are in dispute. To address these issues, two laboratories with extensive HPV experience were selected to test specimens from two populations at different risk for prostate carcinoma, using three different polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and two serologic assays for HPV.

METHODS: The cases were comprised of 51 African-American (men at high risk for prostate carcinoma) and 15 ...

BACKGROUND: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is linked to adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM; also known as tropical spastic paraparesis [TSP]), a chronic neurodegenerative disorder. Worldwide, several million HTLV-I carriers are at risk for disease, with an estimated lifetime cumulative risk of 1%-5%. However, the determinants of disease progression are relatively unknown. We studied human leukocyte antigens (HLA class II) that have ...