title: Brief Report: The Relationship Between Injection Drug Use Risk Behaviors and Markers of Immune Activation.
abstract: High levels of immune activation are reported for people who inject drugs. Studies of the relationship between injection behaviors and immune activation have yielded mixed results, in part due to lack of control for hepatitis C virus in analyses. This study, of 48 HIV-seronegative people who inject drugs, examines this relationship controlling for hepatitis C virus viremia. Frequency of injection was positively related to markers of immune activation (soluble CD14, %CD8CD38HLADR T cells), as was duration of injection (high-specificity C-reactive protein and D-dimer). Sharing injection equipment was not related to markers studied. Findings suggest that efforts to encourage injection cessation or reduction in frequency can have positive health benefits through reducing immune activation.
authors.affiliation: *Center for Drug Use and HIV Research, Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, New York, NY; †Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY; and ‡Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and The Rockefeller University, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Sherry
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deren
authors.forename: Charles M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Cleland
authors.forename: Haekyung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Saurabh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mehandru
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Markowitz
mesh_terms: D051997:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1 / Q000032:analysis; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors / Q000097:blood; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D012309:Risk-Taking; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; C498154:CD38 protein, human; D051997:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1