Dr. Louie Gangcuangco talks about chronic complications of HIV

Dr. Louie Mar Gangcuangco at CROI 2018 (Boston, Massachusetts)

Department of Science & Technology confers the "Balik Scientist" Award to Dr. Louie Gangcuangco

Hon. Fortunato de la Pena, secretary of The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and USec. Carol Yorobe conferred the Balik Scientist (Returning Scientist) Award to Dr. Louie Mar Gangcuangco last December 1, 2017 at Sofitel Hotel & Conference Center in Manila, Philippines.

Dr. Gangcuangco is a recipient of the award for his contributions to HIV research. He is currently working with doctors from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital and the Hawaii Center for AIDS to investigate immune activation and neurologic complications of HIV among Filipinos.

The certificate reads: "In recognition of your contributions and continuing support to the initiatives of the DOST; In helping nurture and expand research and development capability and expertise... all over the country"

Dr. Louie Gangcuangco's novel endorsed at CNN Philippines

Faustine Luell Angeles, HIV awareness advocate and founder of the organization "Pedal for HIV," talks about how understanding within the gay community is key to acceptance, respect and addressing the stigma against the virus.

Mr. Luell Angeles cited Dr. Louie Gangcuangco's novel, "Orosa-Nakpil, Malate" as a book that honestly depicts the LGBT community of Manila and how we can holistically address the HIV epidemic through respect and understanding.

Clip courtesy of CNN Philippines:

HIV start-up meeting with the University of Hawai'i

Dr. Louie Mar Gangcuangco facilitated the visit of Scott Bowler, laboratory trainor and MSc in Tropical medicine candidate, and Dr. Cecilia Shikuma, Director of the Hawai'i Center for AIDS last November 13, 2017 to jumpstart the research collaboration with the University of Hawai'i and the Philippine General Hospital.

The research protocol entitled, "Immune activation dynamics of HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy in the Philippines" is an IRB-approved project of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital and the Hawaii Center for AIDS-University of Hawaii. The primary goal of the study is to describe the degree of immune activation/inflammation among HIV-infected patients in the Philippines. This study will also look at the neuro-psychiatric performance of the HIV patients in the Philippine General Hospital.

The principal investigator from the Philippine General Hospital is Dr. Marissa Alejandria. Dr. Christian Francisco will serve as the project leader, and Ms. Concepcion Ang of the Medical Research Laboratory will supervise the lab operations of the study. Dr. Gangcuangco will serve as the over-all research liaison between the two institutions.

(Left  to Right) Kenneth Bongulto, (lab tech); Jerome Villena (research associate), Concepcion Ang (lab supervisor), Dr. Christian Francisco (project leader, PGH), Dr. Marissa Alejandria (principal investigator, PGH), Dr. Cecilia Shikuma (principal investigator, Univ. of Hawaii), Dr. Louie Gangcuangco (research liaison and returning scientist, Univ. of Hawaii), and Scott Bowler (lab trainor, Univ. of Hawaii).

Dr. Louie Gangcuangco invited to be the technical writer of the Diarrhea Guidelines of the Philippines

Dr. Louie Mar Gangcuangco, with his excellent medical writing skills and extensive international publication experience, was invited to be the Technical Writer and Editor of the Acute Gastroenteritis Clinical Practice Guidelines of the Philippines. This joint project of the Department of Health and the Philippine Society of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases is very important in a country where cholera, Salmonella, and other forms of food-borne and water-borne infections remain common.

The guidelines are set to be released in March 2018.

Very high vitamin D levels and inflammation

High 25-hydroxyvitamin D is associated with unexpectedly high plasma inflammatory markers in HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy.

Louie Mar A. Gangcuangco, MD, a, b Lindsay B. Kohorn, a Dominic C. Chow, MD, PhD, a, cSheila M. Keating, PhD, d Philip J. Norris, MD, d, e Lorna S. Nagamine, RN, a Lishomwa C. Ndhlovu, MD, PhD, a Scott A. Souza, PharmD, a, c Kalpana J. Kallianpur, PhD, a and Cecilia M. Shikuma, MD a, ∗

Monitoring Editor: Giuseppe Lapadula.

aUniversity of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI

bBridgeport Hospital-Yale New Haven Health, Bridgeport, CT

cQueen's Medical Center, Honolulu, HI

dBlood Systems Research Institute

eUniversity of California, San Francisco, CA.

∗Correspondence: Cecilia M. Shikuma, Hawaii Center for AIDS, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 651 Ilalo St., Biomedical Sciences Building 231, Honolulu, HI 96813 (e-mail: ude.iiawah@amukihs).

Inflammation associated with low 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality among HIV-infected patients with vitamin D deficiency. We investigated the association between 25(OH)D and soluble biomarkers among HIV-infected patients on stable antiretroviral therapy. This is a cross-sectional study. This study focuses on assessment in subjects 40 years or older on stable antiretroviral therapy (ART) for >3 months. Chemiluminescent immunoassay was used to determine plasma 25(OH)D levels. Plasma soluble biomarkers were measured by Luminex technology. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to assess the associations between log10-25(OH)D and soluble biomarkers.

Of 138 patients, median age was 50.5 (45, 57) years and 25(OH)D was 34.0 (25.0, 42.3) ng/mL. The majority were males (88%) and had undetectable HIV RNA (84.8%); 19 (13.8%) had 25(OH)D ≥50 ng/mL. Spline regression analyses suggested a J-shaped relationship between various plasma biomarkers and 25(OH)D. Among subjects with 25(OH)D ≥20 ng/mL, multivariable linear regression showed positive association between 25(OH)D and interleukin (IL)-10 (β = 1.84, P < 0.001), IL-6 (β = 0.72, P = 0.02), MPO (β = 0.47, P = 0.02), serum amyloid A (β = 1.20, P = 0.04), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (β = 0.51, P = 0.04). High 25(OH)D (≥50 ng/mL) was associated with higher IL-6 (β = 0.30, P = 0.009), IL-8 (β = 0.14, = 0.005), IL-10 (β = 0.43, P = 0.02), and TNF-α (β = 0.20, P = 0.04), independent of age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index, hepatitis C co-infection, current smoking status, CD4%, and HIV RNA.

In older HIV-infected patients, high 25(OH)D was associated with higher (not lower) levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Higher-than-optimal 25(OH)D may be associated with immune dysregulation and may pose a potential health risk among HIV-infected patients.

Full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5089119/

Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections!

Excited to hear about the latest updates on HIV and AIDS at the up-coming Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) 2017, which will be held in Seattle, Washington.

This blog will keep you posted on the most interesting research abstracts at the conference!

CROI 2017: Seattle

The annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) brings together top basic, translational, and clinical researchers from around the world to share the latest studies, important developments, and best research methods in the ongoing battle against HIV/AIDS and related infectious diseases. CROI is a global model of collaborative science and the premier international venue for bridging basic and clinical investigation to clinical practice in the field of HIV and related viruses.

CROI 2017 will be held from February 13 to February 16, 2017, in Seattle, Washington, at the Washington State Convention Center. Webcasts, abstracts, electronic posters, and other electronic resources from CROI 2017 will be available online after the conference ends.

The CROI Foundation partners with the International Antiviral Society–USA (IAS–USA) for organization of the conference.

Source: http://www.croiconference.org/