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Methamphetamine Induces The Release Of Proadhesive Extracellular Vesicles And Promotes Syncytia Formation: A Potential Role In Hiv-1 Neuropathogenesis, Subhash Chand, Catherine Demarino, Austin Gowen, Maria Cowen, Sarah Al-Sharif, Fatah Kashanchi, Sowmya V. Yelamanchili

Journal Articles: Anesthesiology

Despite the success of combinational antiretroviral therapy (cART), the high pervasiveness of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) poses a significant challenge for society. Methamphetamine (meth) and related amphetamine compounds, which are potent psychostimulants, are among the most commonly used illicit drugs. Intriguingly, HIV-infected individuals who are meth users have a comparatively higher rate of neuropsychological impairment and exhibit a higher viral load in the brain than infected individuals who do not abuse meth. Effectively, all cell types secrete nano-sized lipid membrane vesicles, referred to as extracellular vesicles (EVs) that can function as intercellular communication to modulate the physiology …