INTRAHEPATIC HEPATITIS C REPLICATION IN PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT HIV INFECTION

该子项目是利用NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的许多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为中心，不一定是研究者所在机构。与HIV阴性者相比，HCV感染者合并HIV感染者发生肝硬化和肝功能衰竭的风险显著增加。此外，严重的HIV相关免疫缺陷似乎是晚期肝病的独立预测因子。我们假设免疫缺陷与HCV复制增强有关，而HCV复制增强是合并感染患者中晚期肝病的部分原因。为了检验这些假设，我们将利用一种新的，链特异性原位杂交检测HCV RNA在肝组织中的一个良好的特征队列的HCV感染的受试者与艾滋病毒合并感染。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. HCV-infected individuals who are co-infected with HIV have a significantly increased risk of cirrhosis and liver failure when compared to those who are HIV-negative. Furthermore, severe HIV-related immunodeficiency appears to be an independent predictor of advanced liver disease. We hypothesize that immunodeficiency is associated with enhanced HCV replication, and that increased HCV replication is in part responsible for the advanced liver disease seen in co-infected patients. In order to test these hypotheses, we will utilize a novel, strand-specific in situ hybridization assay for HCV RNA in liver tissue from a well-characterized cohort of HCV-infected subjects with and without HIV co-infection.