Preterm birth (PTB) is one of the leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality. HIV-infected pregnant women have a greater incidence of PTB and this population warrants further studies to determine the risk factors. Some risk factors such as low maternal CD4 count, high viral load, co-infections, co-morbidities and treatment regimen are associated with increased preterm birth, but whether and the extent to which inflammation, a risk factor for PTB in HIV-uninfected populations, affects adverse birth outcomes among HIV- infected women remains to be studied. I am seeking the Pathway to Independence Award in order to gain additional training to meet my career goals: to become an independent investigator conducting research on maternal immune, microbiological and nutritional factors that affect maternal-child health in the context of infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS. In doing so, I will productively bridge the different disciplines of public health epidemiology, immunology, microbiology and nutrition. The training plan for this proposal combines various forms of learning methods including didactic courses, workshops, apprenticeships resulting in publications, directed readings and career development seminars and activities. These are designed for me to gain specific skills in: 1) Nutritional Epidemiology and Perinatal Nutrition, and 2) Microbiome data analyses. The competencies I learn from the training plan will then be applied to the research phase of the proposal (K99, and especially R00). The research component proposes to study the relationship between maternal diet, gut microbiome and inflammation and their association with PTB among HIV-infected pregnant women. Leveraging a recently funded NIH cohort immunology study of 400 HIV-infected and uninfected pregnant women, I will nest my study within this parent trial to collect dietary information and stool samples to address my specific aims: 1) Examine association between inflammation during pregnancy and incidence of adverse birth outcomes among HIV-infected pregnant women, and 2) Determine the relationship of a) dietary intake and b) gut microbiome with inflammation status among HIV-infected pregnant women. Given that diet and gut microbiome are two environmentally modifiable factors that can affect inflammation, my study will identify mechanisms to reduce inflammation and improve infant outcomes in HIV-infected populations. The proposed training and research plan will result in publications and conference presentations leading to career development to become an independent investigator during the R00 phase and with the ability to successfully compete for a R01 grant.

Public Health Relevance

India has the highest burden of preterm birth and the third highest burden of HIV. Infants born to HIV-infected women are more likely to have preterm birth. In this study, we will assess the role of maternal inflammation, diet and gut microbes on infant birth outcomes in an Indian setting as this information will help identify anti- inflammatory and dietary interventions for HIV-infected pregnant women in order to reduce infant morbidity and mortality.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Career Transition Award (K99)
Project #
5K99HD089753-02
Application #
9335413
Study Section
AIDS Clinical Studies and Epidemiology Study Section (ACE)
Program Officer
Chakhtoura, Nahida Abdo
Project Start
2016-08-19
Project End
2018-07-31
Budget Start
2017-08-01
Budget End
2018-07-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Johns Hopkins University
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
001910777
City
Baltimore
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
21205
Gupte, A N; Mave, V; Meshram, S et al. (2018) Trends in HbA1c levels and implications for diabetes screening in tuberculosis cases undergoing treatment in India. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 22:800-806
Shivakoti, Rupak; Gupte, Nikhil; Tripathy, Srikanth et al. (2018) Inflammation and micronutrient biomarkers predict clinical HIV treatment failure and incident active TB in HIV-infected adults: a case-control study. BMC Med 16:161
Shivakoti, Rupak; Ewald, Erin R; Gupte, Nikhil et al. (2018) Effect of baseline micronutrient and inflammation status on CD4 recovery post-cART initiation in the multinational PEARLS trial. Clin Nutr :
Shivakoti, Rupak; Gupte, Nikhil; Kumar, Nathella Pavan et al. (2018) Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction and Microbial Translocation in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Pregnant Women Are Associated With Preterm Birth. Clin Infect Dis 67:1103-1109
Mave, V; Meshram, S; Lokhande, R et al. (2017) Prevalence of dysglycemia and clinical presentation of pulmonary tuberculosis in Western India. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 21:1280-1287
Shivakoti, Rupak; Sharma, Davina; Mamoon, Gabeena et al. (2017) Association of HIV infection with extrapulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review. Infection 45:11-21