Journal of Immunology Research

Immunity to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection


Publishing date
01 May 2012
Status
Published
Submission deadline
01 Nov 2011

Lead Editor

1HIV/AIDS Unit, Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Brescia, Spedali Civili Square 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy

2School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA

3Division of Infectious Diseases, San Gerardo Hospital, University of Milano-Bicocca, Pergolesi Street 33, 20052 Monza, Italy


Immunity to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection

Description

The advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) provoked a dramatic decrease in AIDS morbidity and mortality in the developed countries through significant reconstitution of the immune function. It is currently believed that normalization of CD4+ T-cell count (i.e., >500 cells/mm3) is necessary to decrease the morbidity and mortality of HIV-infected patients to levels similar to the HIV-uninfected population of the same age and regional provenance. However, major problems still exist: (i) a number of patients do not normalize CD4+ counts notwithstanding sustained virological control of the HIV replications for many years, (ii) deficits of the immune function and immune activation persist even in patients with virological control, and (iii) incomplete immune reconstitution could increase the risk not only of AIDS-related events, but also events not originally related to HIV infection which are emerging as further clinical complications (e.g., myocardial infarction or non-AIDS defining cancers). These complications have been related to aging of the HIV-infected patients, whose immune system displays alterations similar to those found in older people. Therefore, the “immune aging” phenomenon has become one of the most important topics in the immunology research of HIV infection. Moreover, coinfections with other agents (e.g., hepatitis C virus or cytomegalovirus) may influence immune recovery and provoke clinical complications as well. Last but not least, immune therapy and vaccine approaches have been hypothesized as a means to increase CD4+ T-cell count and improve immune function in patients with suboptimal immune responses after HAART, and this requires further studies. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • HIV pathogenesis with focus on immune activation and the “immune-aging” phenomenon
  • Reconstitution of the immune function after HAART and possible causes of suboptimal immune responses
  • Influence of coinfections (e.g., hepatitis C virus, cytomegalovirus) on subverting the immune function in HIV-infected patients
  • Immune correlates of emerging diseases in HIV patients (e.g., metabolic disorders, non-AIDS-related cancers)
  • Identification of immune markers that may predict AIDS and non-AIDS-related complications
  • Development of immunotherapeutic and vaccine strategies to boost immunity in patients infected with HIV virus
  • Characterization of different patterns of immunological alterations and evolution in relation to virological aspects (e.g., viral tropism, HIV load, HIV subtypes) during the natural history and after HAART

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jir/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable:


Articles

  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2012
  • - Article ID 629356
  • - Editorial

Immunity to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection

Carlo Torti | Mirko Paiardini | Andrea Gori
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2012
  • - Article ID 805151
  • - Review Article

Suboptimal Immune Reconstitution in Vertically HIV Infected Children: A View on How HIV Replication and Timing of HAART Initiation Can Impact on T and B-cell Compartment

Nicola Cotugno | Iyadh Douagi | ... | Paolo Palma
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2012
  • - Article ID 467154
  • - Clinical Study

Neurocognitive Impairment in HIV-Infected Naïve Patients with Advanced Disease: The Role of Virus and Intrathecal Immune Activation

Monica Airoldi | Alessandra Bandera | ... | Andrea Gori
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2012
  • - Article ID 515962
  • - Review Article

HIV RNA Suppression and Immune Restoration: Can We Do Better?

Marilia Rita Pinzone | Michelino Di Rosa | ... | Giuseppe Nunnari
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2012
  • - Article ID 670957
  • - Review Article

Incomplete Immune Recovery in HIV Infection: Mechanisms, Relevance for Clinical Care, and Possible Solutions

Julie C. Gaardbo | Hans J. Hartling | ... | Susanne D. Nielsen
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2012
  • - Article ID 829584
  • - Clinical Study

Emergence of Exhausted B Cells in Asymptomatic HIV-1-Infected Patients Naïve for HAART is Related to Reduced Immune Surveillance

Manuela Fogli | Carlo Torti | ... | Arnaldo Caruso
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2012
  • - Article ID 958404
  • - Research Article

Protection against SHIV-KB9 Infection by Combining rDNA and rFPV Vaccines Based on HIV Multiepitope and p24 Protein in Chinese Rhesus Macaques

Chang Li | Zhenwei Shen | ... | Ningyi Jin
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2012
  • - Article ID 592187
  • - Review Article

Influence of Dendritic Cells on B-Cell Responses during HIV Infection

Johanne Poudrier | Josiane Chagnon-Choquet | Michel Roger
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2012
  • - Article ID 935425
  • - Clinical Study

Role of In Vitro Stimulation with Lipopolysaccharide on T-Cell Activation in HIV-Infected Antiretroviral-Treated Patients

Camilla Tincati | Giusi M. Bellistrì | ... | Giulia Marchetti
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2012
  • - Article ID 784740
  • - Review Article

HIV and Malnutrition: Effects on Immune System

Shalini Duggal | Tulsi Das Chugh | Ashish Kumar Duggal
Journal of Immunology Research
 Journal metrics
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Acceptance rate11%
Submission to final decision121 days
Acceptance to publication27 days
CiteScore6.000
Journal Citation Indicator0.560
Impact Factor4.1
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