Publications

In this issue of Blood, Pandrea et al provide a mechanistic link between SIV-associated microbial translocation and both thrombotic and cardiovascular disease in the pigtail macaque model.

Inequality within partner relationships is associated with HIV acquisition and gender violence, but little is known about more pervasive effects on women's health. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of associations between sexual relationship power and nutritional status among women in Uganda. Participants completed questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. We assessed sexual relationship power using the Sexual Relationship Power Scale (SRPS). We performed logistic regression to test for associations between sexual relationship power and poor nutritional status including body mass index, body fat percentage, and mid-upper arm circumference. Women with higher sexual relationship power scores had decreased odds of low body mass index (OR 0.29, p = 0.01), low body fat percentage (OR 0.54, p = 0.04), and low mid-upper arm circumference (OR 0.22, p = 0.01). These relationships persisted in multivariable models adjusted for potential confounders. Targeted interventions to improve intimate partner relationship equality should be explored to improve health status among women living with HIV in rural Africa.

OBJECTIVE

CD4+FoxP3+ Treg cells suppress effector T cells and prevent autoimmune disease. Treg cell function is deficient in active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a loss which may play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease. We previously showed that a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the FCRL3 gene led to higher expression of Fc receptor-like 3 (FcRL3) on Treg cells and that FcRL3+ Treg cells are functionally deficient in comparison to FcRL3- Treg cells. This study was undertaken to investigate the potential role of FcRL3 in RA.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the FCRL3 -169 genotype and FcRL3 expression on T cell subsets, including Treg cells, in peripheral blood samples from 51 patients with RA enrolled in the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) RA Cohort. Clinical data were obtained from the UCSF RA Cohort database.

RESULTS

Patients with the FCRL3 -169C allele (genotype C/C or C/T) expressed higher levels of FcRL3 on Treg cells, and on CD8+ and γ/δ T cells, in comparison to RA patients with the T/T genotype. Higher FcRL3 expression on these T cell subpopulations correlated with RA disease activity in patients harboring the FCRL3 -169C allele. Furthermore, FcRL3 expression on Treg cells was higher in patients with erosive RA, and the FCRL3 -169C allele was overrepresented in patients with erosive RA.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that FcRL3 expression, which is strongly associated with the presence of the FCRL3 -169C allele, may serve as a biomarker for RA disease activity.