Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42710484›Full record

ArticleThe American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene2026

Skin Carotenoid Scores Reflect Immune Status among Children Living with HIV in Tanzania.

Wilbert Mbuya, Thobias Boniphace, Michael Mwagala, Peter Agrea, Nazareth M Mbilinyi, Nancy E Moran, Andrew R DiNardo, Mkunde Chachage

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Wilbert MbuyaNational Institute for Medical Research-Mbeya Medical Research Center (NIMR-MMRC), Mbeya, Tanzania.
Thobias BoniphaceDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Dar es Salaam Mbeya College of Health and Allied Sciences (UDSM-MCHAS), Mbeya, Tanzania.
Michael MwagalaMbeya Zonal Referral Hospital, Mbeya, Tanzania.
Peter AgreaNational Institute for Medical Research-Mbeya Medical Research Center (NIMR-MMRC), Mbeya, Tanzania.
Nazareth M MbilinyiMbeya Zonal Referral Hospital, Mbeya, Tanzania.
Nancy E MoranChildren's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Andrew R DiNardoGlobal Tuberculosis Program, Texas Children's Hospital, Immigrant and Global Health, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Mkunde ChachageNational Institute for Medical Research-Mbeya Medical Research Center (NIMR-MMRC), Mbeya, Tanzania.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Many individuals living with HIV experience persistent inflammation despite antiretroviral treatment, increasing their risk for cardiovascular diseases, cognitive decline, and other noncommunicable diseases. Carotenoids can inhibit this inflammation by reducing lipid peroxidation. Carotenoid intake and plasma concentrations can be approximated using a noninvasive cutaneous spectrophotometer. This study quantified skin carotenoid levels in Tanzanian children ages 5 to 15 years old (N = 185) both with and without HIV. Over 95% had low to moderate skin carotenoid scores (<400 units). In children living with HIV, higher viral loads were linked to lower skin carotenoid scores (rho = -0.57, P <0.001), whereas higher CD4 counts correlated with increased skin carotenoid scores (rho = 0.52, P <0.001). Overall, carotenoid levels were low and associated with immune status, suggesting that elevated carotenoid scores correlate with lower inflammation in children living with HIV. Future studies investigating dietary carotenoid interventions to support immune function are warranted.

Identifiers

PMID42710484
PMCPMC13550753

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.