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41/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 41 out of 100. Tau biomarkers

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs) are currently broadly prescribed for the treatment of HIV infection but are also thought to prevent Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression by protecting against amyloidosis. Our study evaluates the hypothesis that reverse transcriptase inhibitors protect against Alzheimer-type brain amyloidogenesis in the context of HIV infection. We compiled a case series of participants from a prospective study of the neurological consequences of HIV infection at the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP) who had serial neuropsychological and neurological assessments and were on RTIs.

Key findings

Our study evaluates the hypothesis that reverse transcriptase inhibitors protect against Alzheimer-type brain amyloidogenesis in the context of HIV infection.
We compiled a case series of participants from a prospective study of the neurological consequences of HIV infection at the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP) who had serial neuropsychological and neurological assessments and were on RTIs.
Two participants had gross and microscopic examination and immunohistochemistry of the brain at autopsy; one was assessed clinically for Alzheimer's disease by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis of phosphorylated-Tau, Total-Tau and Aβ42.
Additionally, a larger cohort of 250 autopsied individuals was evaluated for presence of amyloid plaques, Tau, and related pathologies.

Why it matters

This case series evaluated the hypothesis that reverse transcriptase inhibitors protect against Alzheimer-type brain amyloidogenesis in people with HIV infection. It is a small case series and does not establish that these drugs treat, cure or prevent Alzheimer's disease.

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Study details

Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 41/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology)
Journal's citation record	1 / 4	Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology: journal h-index 108 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	3 / 5	Rated “moderate” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	4 / 5	2024 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	0 / 4	Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (pubmed indexes it as a clinical or observational study)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	1 / 7	Cited 3 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	0 / 5	0.8 citations a year over 4 year(s) since 2024
Impact for its field and year	1 / 6	Cited 0.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	0 / 6	No other study in this library cites it
Still being cited	1 / 4	Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author Howard Feldman: h-index 105 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	University of California San Diego: institution h-index 1,852 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	0 / 3	OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete)
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 38829507)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	41 / 100	—

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Read the original

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

APA 7th

Ellis, R. J., Pal, S., Achim, C. L., Sundermann, E., Moore, D. J., Soontornniyomkij, V., et al. (2024). Alzheimer-Type Cerebral Amyloidosis in the Context of HIV Infection: Implications for a Proposed New Treatment Approach. Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11481-024-10126-w

Vancouver

Ellis RJ, Pal S, Achim CL, Sundermann E, Moore DJ, Soontornniyomkij V, et al. Alzheimer-Type Cerebral Amyloidosis in the Context of HIV Infection: Implications for a Proposed New Treatment Approach. Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology. 2024. doi:10.1007/s11481-024-10126-w. PMID: 38829507.

BibTeX

@article{ellis2024-38829507,
  author  = {Ellis, R. J. and Pal, S. and Achim, C. L. and Sundermann, E. and Moore, D. J. and Soontornniyomkij, V. and Feldman, H.},
  title   = {{Alzheimer-Type Cerebral Amyloidosis in the Context of HIV Infection: Implications for a Proposed New Treatment Approach}},
  journal = {Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology},
  year    = {2024},
  doi     = {10.1007/s11481-024-10126-w},
  pmid    = {38829507},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11481-024-10126-w}
}

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