title: HIV-1 pol replication capacity predicts disease progression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the influence of pol replication capacity on the natural history of HIV-1 infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pol replication capacity was measured using a recombinant virus single cycle assay on baseline plasma specimens from subjects enrolled in the Hemophilia Growth and Development Study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children and adolescents with hemophilia and HIV-1 infection were enrolled at multiple sites across the USA into a natural history study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Hemophilia Growth and Development Study enrolled 207 HIV-1-infected hemophiliacs between 6 and 19 years of age in 1989 and 1990. Subjects were followed every 6 months through 1997 with pol replication capacity measurements available from 128 of the subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  A univariate model defined the relationship between pol replication capacity and HIV-1 RNA and CD4 T-cell number. A random effects model assessed the ability of this measure to predict CD4 T-cell decline over time and a Cox proportional hazards model and Kaplan-Meier analyses defined how it predicts clinical progression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pol replication capacity measures correlated with baseline HIV-1 RNA, R = 0.189 (P = 0.03) and CD4 T-cell number, -0.197 (P = 0.03). It also independently predicted CD4 T-cell decline over time and progression to AIDS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates that pol replication capacity independently influences the natural history of HIV-1 infection.
authors.affiliation: Los Angeles BioMedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Torrance, California 90502, USA. EDaar@LABioMed.org
authors.forename: Eric S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Daar
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kesler
authors.forename: Terri
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wrin
authors.forename: Christos J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Petropoulo
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lail
authors.forename: Nicholas S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Hellmann
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gomperts
authors.forename: Sharyne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Donfield
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002648:Child; D018450:Disease Progression; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D015751:Genes, pol; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D019562:Viral Load; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral