Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Deciphering The Micrornaome In Hiv Associated Lung Comorbidities, Rajib Kumar Dutta

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic Respiratory diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary hypertension, asthma, and pneumonia are emerging as significant comorbidities in people living with HIV in the combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) era. HIV is an independent risk factor for these diseases independent of tobacco smoke, and cigarette smoking exacerbates outcomes in HIV patients. Both tobacco smoke and HIV infection suppress nasal mucociliary clearance (MCC) as well as bronchial MCC, a primary innate defense mechanism in the airway. Optimal MCC depends on airway surface liquid (ASL) lining the airway epithelium that facilitates ciliary beating to clear the mucus. Attenuation of any component …