Essay About Cd4 Cells And Boston Childrens Hospital

An Attempt to Decrease Maternal Hiv Through Examination of Its Predictors
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AN ATTEMPT TO DECREASE MATERNAL HIV THROUGH EXAMINATION OF ITS PREDICTORS
INTRODUCTION
Maternal HIV infection continues to be a problem worldwide. According to
Boston Childrens Hospital, “There are between 6,000 to 7,000 children who are born to
HIV-infected mothers each year in the United States alone. Many of theses children were
infected during pregnancy, birth, or through breast feeding. The aim of this project is to
examine decreasing the spread of the virus, by understanding its predictors. I will
research maternal HIV and many of its determinants through the use of statistical
analysis.
DATA DESCRIPTION
The data was gathered from a study that was approved by the New York State
Department of Health in 1995. 30 HIV infected women enrolled in an investigative study
to test mother-to-child HIV transmission. The study was conducted at Stony Brook
Hospital in Stony Brook, NY and St. Josephs Medical Center in Patterson, NJ. The
study measured factors that predict a transmission-positive family versus factors that
predict a transmission-negative family.
DEFINITION OF THE VARIABLES
(Maternal HIV Transmission=HIV-1 RNA levels+cd4 cells+cd8+AZT)
The dependant variable in this study is maternal HIV infection. “In 2009, around
400,000 children under 15 became infected with HIV, mainly through mother-to-child
transmission.”(International HIV and Aids Charity) The dependant variable is
determined by independent variables including the amount of HIV-1 RNA levels in the
mother, amount of cd4 cells present in the mother, the amount of cd8 cells present in the
mother, and whether or not the mother was using any antiviral medications.
The primary independent variable, or X1, is HIV-1 RNA levels (expressed in
copies per ml) of the expectant mother. The reason this measure of the mothers viral
load is so important is because it determines how much active HIV is in the blood.
The level of HIV-1 RNA can take on any range of values therefore we define it as a
continuous variable. We must also report the correlation coefficient for this variable as
positive, which means that higher levels in the viral load indicate an infection to the
The second independent variable, or X2, is amount of cd4 cells present in the
mother (expressed in cells per mm³). According to The Aids InfoNet (2010), “When HIV
infects humans, the cells it infects most often are cd4 cells. The virus becomes part of
the cells, and when they multiply to fight an infection, they also make more copies of
HIV.”(Para 2) The level of cd4 cells can take on any range of values therefore
we define it as a continuous variable. We must also report the correlation coefficient for
this variable as positive, since studies have found a potential association between the
level of cd4 cells and HIV transmission.
The third independent variable, or X3, is amount of cd8 cells present in the
mother