Re: Old Explanation of AIDS Newly Supported

James Michael Howard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) may Actually be
>Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Deficiency Syndrome
>
>(A Response to Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 2003; 33:
>635-641)
>
>Copyright 2003, James Michael Howard, Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.A.
>
>In 1985, I first suggested that a "reduced level of DHEA is responsible
for
>AIDS."  The first reports of reduced DHEA in AIDS appeared in the literature
in
>1989.  I have continued to study this connection of reduced DHEA and AIDS
since
>1985.  However, this is a response to data reported in a new report that
allows
>me to better demonstrate that "acquired immune deficiency syndrome" may
actually
>be "HIV-Induced DHEA deficiency syndrome."
>
>It is my hypothesis that DHEA was selected by evolution because it may
>"optimize" replication and transcription of DNA.  Therefore, DHEA should
>positively affect all tissues, some tissues more than others.  I decided
that
>the immune system was one of these tissues.  As DHEA declines during AIDS,
all
>tissues would be adversely affected, hence, I decided that the decline of
AIDS
>is due to the decline of DHEA.  That is, the symptoms of AIDS are symptoms
of
>loss of DHEA.  Since I also think that the decline of old age is due to
the
>natural reduction of DHEA, I suggest AIDS is a form of premature aging.
>
>I have not written about my hypothesis regarding DHEA and AIDS in some time;
I
>have been pursuing other functions of DHEA.  Much information has been published
>regarding a possible connection of DHEA and AIDS since my last attention
to this
>connection.  It is my contention that testosterone reduces availability
of DHEA
>and, therefore, testosterone increases the effects of AIDS.  It is known
that
>males and blacks exhibit more negative effects from AIDS.  Males and blacks
>produce more testosterone.
>
>This treatise is an attempt to reconcile levels of DHEA and testosterone
with
>CD4+ and CD8+ levels in HIV infection.  JAIDS 2003; 33: 635-641 provides
a set
>of data which may support a connection of DHEA with HIV infection.  HIV
alters
>the ratios of CD4+ and CD8+ and reduces DHEA, therefore increasing the
>testosterone to DHEA ratio.  I suggest increasing this ratio may be shown
to
>affect the ratio of CD4+ and CD8+ alone.
>
>Here is the abstract of JAIDS 2003; 33: 635-641 produced by the "European
>Collaborative Study," (ECS).  I contend that the data within this article
>demonstrates a connection of DHEA and testosterone levels with levels of
CD4+
>and CD8+ lymphocytes in uninfected and HIV infected children.
>
>"This study investigated whether age-related patterns of immunologic markers
in
>1488 uninfected (9789 measurements) and 186 infected (3414 measurements)
>children differed by gender and race. CD4+, CD8+, and absolute lymphocytes
by
>HIV infection status, gender, and race were assessed using linear mixed-effects
>natural cubic spline models, allowing for prematurity and maternal CD4+
cell
>count. In uninfected children, levels of all 3 markers peaked twice in the
first
>few months of life, declining to adult levels by around 8 years of age;
>uninfected boys and uninfected black children had significantly reduced
CD4+ and
>absolute lymphocyte counts; the gender difference was especially pronounced
in
>black children. Infected children had substantially lower levels and distinctly
>different patterns; with, e.g., by age 6 months CD4+ cell counts nearly
1200 per
>mm3 lower than in uninfected infants. Levels also significantly differed
by
>gender and race for infected children, although for gender in the opposite
>direction. The gender and race differences in CD4+ levels were not explained
by
>a general lymphocytosis nor were they confounded by treatment. These substantial
>differences in immunologic markers may reflect underlying genetic influence
on
>the cellular immune system and may have implications for clinical decisions
>about therapeutic management."
>
>To demonstrate the connection of DHEA and testosterone levels with these
>lymphocytes, I will show chronological correspondence of levels of the hormones
>with levels of lymphocytes.  (It is derived from a combination of data in
>Adrenal Androgens, A.R. Genazzani, Raven Press, 1980.) 
>
>(A chart of DHEA during the human life span available in "Acquired Immune
>Deficiency Syndrome" at bottom of www.anthropogeny.com/research.html )
> 
>
>Period A is the first year; B is from one year to adrenarche; C is childhood;
D
>is the reproductive period; E and F are redundancy, with E being reproductive
>redundancy and F, fatal redundancy. 
>
>
>"…a testosterone surge with peak values in the normal range of male adults
>occurs in healthy male infants during the first 6 months and elevated estradiol
>concentrations comparable to levels seen during advanced puberty can be
observed
>in healthy female infants during the first 2 years of life." (Fortschr Med.
>1980; 98: 235-8)
>
>"Boys older than 3 weeks had higher values [of testosterone] than boys younger
>than 2 weeks." (Acta Endocrinol (Copenh). 1976; 82: 842-50)
>
>In boys, testosterone peaks around three weeks, declines around six months,
then
>increases again near puberty.  For sake of the following interpretation,
assume
>the hypotheses that DHEA stimulates CD4+ and whole lymphocyte count while
>testosterone reduces the effects of DHEA.  When testosterone reduces DHEA
>availability, this reduces CD4+ count, but not CD8+ count.  This may indicate
>that CD8+ cells response to lower levels of DHEA and may explain why the
ratio
>of CD8+ to CD4+ increases in people with HIV disease.  According to my
>explanation of AIDS, the HIV reduces DHEA so the effects of HIV infection
and
>testosterone should be additive.
>
>ECS reports the following findings in Uninfected Children.
>
>"CD4+ cell counts peaked at 3 weeks of age, then dipped before peaking again
at
>6 months and declining gradually thereafter.  The pattern for CD8+ cell
counts
>was similar although with a more protracted second peak, while for the absolute
>lymphocytes both peaks were smoothed out." Page 636.
>
>At birth DHEA is very high, declines rapidly the first year, then begins
a large
>increase around age five to six years (adrenarche).  I suggest this large
level
>of DHEA stimulates CD4+ cells.  It peaks around 3 weeks of age and then
declines
>because of the increase in testosterone.  That is, the onset of testosterone
>around 3 weeks begins a decline in the CD4+s.  When the "testosterone surge"
>declines around six months of age, there is a momentary increase in CD4+s
as the
>testosterone ebbs.  DHEA at this time is beginning to decline so this momentary
>increase is not maintained.
>
>"CD4+ cell counts approach adult values some time after age 6 years.  For
>instance, the predicted CD4+ cell counts peak at 3238 per mm3 at 3 weeks,
then
>again at 3009 at 6 months, dropping to 2597 at 1 year of age and to 1096
by age
>5.  For CD8+ cell counts, the predicted values peak at 1343 per mm3 at 2
weeks
>and then at 11 months at 1219; the subsequent …  The predicted absolute
>lymphocyte values peak at 6470 per mm3 at 3 weeks, again at 6702 at 7 months;
>there was a subsequent gradual decline to 6149 at 1 year, falling to 3016
by 5
>years." Page 636.
>
>"CD4+ cells as a percentage of absolute lymphocyte counts fell rapidly from
>around 55% at birth, leveling off to just <40% by 2 years of age, asymptoting
>thereafter." Pages 636-7.
>
>Here, again, one may suggest the same explanation as above.  Additionally,
one
>should notice that the CD4+ cell count and absolute lymphocyte follow the
same
>pattern and increase again when DHEA begins to increase around 5-6 years
>(adrenarche).
>
>"Contrary to what was seen for CD4+ cell counts, estimated levels of CD8+
cell
>counts did not vary by gender, although levels of absolute lymphocytes did.
 The
>direction of the association with race and gender was similar to that seen
for
>CD4+ cell counts, with levels for white children higher than those for black
>children for both CD8+ and absolute lymphocyte counts.  Predicted CD4% was
>higher for girls and white children, indicating that the gender and race
>differences seen in CD4 cell counts were not due to a general increase in
>absolute lymphocytes." Page 637.
>
>Testosterone levels are higher in black people.  Since the pattern of lymphocyte
>production in these data fit by gender in these children and my hypothesis
>regarding the effects of testosterone, I will assume that testosterone is
also
>higher in black children.  Accordingly, gender did not affect CD8+ counts
but
>did reduce absolute lymphocytes.  Girls and white children produce less
>testosterone.
>
>ECS reports the following findings in Infected Children.
>
>Remember, from above, that I think the effects of HIV and testosterone should
be
>additive.
>
>"Observed CD4+ cell counts fell quickly below CD8+ cell counts before recovering
>slightly at around 8 years of age.  …Similar to predictions for uninfected
>children, the peak of 1723 per mm3 for the predicted level of CD8+ occurs
at 4
>months, falling to 1639 at 1 year, reaching a nadir of 719 at just after
8
>years." Page 637.
>
>"The peak for absolute lymphocytes occurs at 2 months at 6738 per mm3, declining
>to 5098 at 1 year and falling to the lowest value of 1718 at 8.6 years."
>"Similar to the models for uninfected children CD4+ cell levels for white
>children are generally higher than those for black children, and both these
and
>gender differences persisted after adjustment by antiretroviral treatment.
 The
>patterns by gender did not vary according to race." Page 638.
>
>One may see the additive effects of HIV and testosterone in the data above.
 
>concatenated



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