HIV Seropositivity: Walmsley SL

Burdge DR, Money DM, Forbes JC, Walmsley SL, Smaill FM, Boucher M, Samson LM, Steben M, Anonymous00199. · Oak Tree Clinic, Children's and Women's Health Centre of British Columbia and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC. · CMAJ. · Pubmed #12821620 links to  free full text

This publication has no abstract.

Tsoukas CM, Turner HM, Hatzakis GE, Blake GP, Goodhew JE, Kilby DL, Kovacs CM, Luetkehoelter JR, Routy JP, Walmsley SL, Bernard NF. · Immunodeficiency Treatment Centre, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. · AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. · Pubmed #11461675 No free full text.

Abstract: Five HIV-seropositive twins were treated with HAART and given cycles of treatment consisting of adoptive cellular therapy from their HIV-seronegative identical twins followed by a 5-day course of intravenous IL-2. Changes in absolute and percent CD4(+) and CD8(+) cell count were monitored and compared with changes in these parameters occurring in seven age-, sex-, and disease stage-matched HIV-infected patients treated with HAART alone. Increase in the magnitude and breadth of HIV-specific immune responses was monitored in three twin subjects who received multiple treatment cycles. Absolute and percent CD4(+) cell counts rose dramatically and to significantly higher levels in the recipient twins than in control subjects treated with HAART only. The subjects who received multiple cycles of treatment developed new and increased levels of HIV-specific activated and memory cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses, and interferon gamma-secreting effector cells. Treatment consisting of HAART, adoptive cellular therapy, and IL-2 was superior to treatment with HAART alone for improving absolute and percent CD4(+) cell counts and inducing new, or increasing the magnitude of, HIV-specific immune responses in HIV infected patients.

Burdge DR, Money DM, Forbes JC, Walmsley SL, Smaill FM, Boucher M, Samson LM, Steben M, Anonymous00200. · Oak Tree Clinic, Children's and Women's Health Centre of British Columbia and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC. · CMAJ. · Pubmed #12821622 links to  free full text

This publication has no abstract.

Shafran SD, Conway B, Prasad E, Greer J, Vincelette J, Ellis CE, Haase DA, Walmsley SL, Lalonde RG, Cameron DW. · Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2B7. · Clin Infect Dis. · Pubmed #11823955 No free full text.

Abstract: The Merlin Immediate HIV-1 and -2 Test (Merlin point-of-care [POC] test; Merlin Biomedical & Pharmaceutical) is a nitrocellulose membrane flow immunoassay performed at the POC with the use of blood obtained from a fingerprick. The results of this test were compared with those of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) performed on venous blood samples in the laboratory. Positive results of both tests were confirmed by a Western blot (WB). The study included 553 adults with known HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) seropositivity (all of whom had positive Merlin POC test results) and 2659 adults with unknown HIV serostatus (20 of whom had positive EIA/WB results; 19 of the 20 also had positive Merlin-POC test results). The sensitivity of the Merlin POC test was 95.0% for patients with an unknown HIV serostatus and 99.83% for those with a positive serostatus. For previously untested subjects, the test's specificity and positive predictive value were 100%, its negative predictive value was 99.96%, and its overall accuracy was 99.96%. The Merlin POC test is highly accurate for the detection of HIV antibodies.