Thursday, June 4, 1998
Community Briefs
HIV-infected adults show thymus activity
Contrary to the widely-held belief that the thymus – an organ
essential for producing competent immune cells – is not functional
in adulthood, researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Virology
and Immunology have shown that half of the HIV-infected patients in
a recent study appear to have substantial thymus function.
Thymus function in HIV-infected patients may mean that their
bodies can compensate for the loss of T cells caused by HIV by
re-awakening a dormant thymus and producing healthy T cells to
fight off HIV infection. It also raises the possibility of
therapies to replenish the immune system, by thymus stimulation or
transplant, for those without a working thymus.
"Given the evidence that HIV can infect and destroy the thymus,
this is an outcome that is not predicted by textbooks or clinical
experience," said Joseph M. McCune, an associate investigator at
the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institute of Virology and
Immunology.
Among the 99 HIV-positive patients in that study, the size of
the thymus corresponded to the number of T cells circulating in the
patient’s blood, regardless of age: a larger thymus meant more T
cells.
All but one of the patients under 40 who were in the early
stages of HIV disease progression had abundant thymic tissue,
indicating that the thymus might be triggered into action by the
first losses of T cells.
The thymus is an organ located at the base of the neck and is
the source of the "T" in T cell. In youth, it acts as a teacher of
T cells, sending out "naive" T cells – those which have not seen
foreign invaders.
Once a naive cell encounters a foreign particle, it becomes
dedicated to reacting to that particle. As that cell multiplies, it
passes on its information as a memory T cell. By late puberty,
education of the T cells is complete, and the thymus is considered
to be non-functional. In uninfected people, memory T cells
circulate for many years, but with HIV-infection, the virus kills
these cells.
Student advertisers win campaign contest
For the second year in a row, the UCLA Student Advertising team
has won the regional competition of the American Advertising
Federation’s National Students Advertising Competition, the
nation’s biggest advertising contest. The UCLA team will move on to
the national competition on June 18th to face off with 13 other
regions. The contest will be held in Minneapolis.
Eight other California schools worked together to create an
overall advertising campaign for Hallmark, the sponsor for the
competition.
The UCLA team was comprised of Bard Holder, Stephanie Sun,
Diance Fleetwood, Cronin Mackenzie and Kristin Techel. The faculty
adviser was Neil Malamuth.
Bruin Belles host annual conference
The UCLA Bruin Belles Service Association will be hosting its
second annual Women’s Leadership Conference, "Where great leaders
are born," this Saturday in Covel Commons.
The conference has three objectives: to expose, educate and
inspire the approximately 300 attendees on various current social
issues.
Organizers also hope to provide an avenue for dialogue between
generations of women in order to maintain visions and goals.
Three keynote addresses will be given by Canadian Consulate
General Kim Campbell, Senior Vice President of Large & Small
Dolls Nancy Zwiers and California State Controller Kathleen
Connell.
To register contact Catherine Campbell at (310) 915-8806 or
e-mail Briana Corso at [email protected]
Compiled from Daily Bruin staff and wire reports.