title: Tumour necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and neurological disorders in HIV infection.
abstract: Tumour necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) concentrations were determined in the CSF from 42 HIV-infected patients, with or without CNS involvement. In addition, 14 subjects with various neurological disorders but without HIV antibodies were included as controls. Raised CSF concentrations of TNF-alpha (greater than 40 ng/l) were detected both in patients with AIDS dementia complex (ADC) (6/9) and with CNS opportunistic infections (10/19) and, less commonly, in HIV infected subjects without CNS diseases (2/14) and in anti-HIV negative controls (1/14). The highest CSF concentrations of TNF-alpha (greater than 100 ng/l), however, were found in seven out of eight patients with cryptococcal meningitis. Although a role for TNF-alpha in demyelinating lesions associated with ADC has been suggested, our results indicate that a clear elevation of TNF-alpha in the CSF from HIV positive patients mostly occurs in acute inflammatory disorders, such as cryptococcal meningitis.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Malattie Infettive, Università La Sapienza Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Mastroianni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paoletti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valenti
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vullo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jirillo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Delia
mesh_terms: D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha