Fernandez-Botran R, Vega AR, García Y, et al. - Including 39 HIV-seropositive and 34 HIV-seronegative cases without COPD, this inquiry was undertaken to determine if potentially predisposing abnormal pulmonary cytokine/chemokine environment is evident in HIV-positive patients without COPD, and to examine the link between pulmonary and systemic cytokine levels. Significantly raised circulating levels of pro-inflammatory and Th1-related cytokines (IL-12p70), as well as many chemokines (CXCL11 and CX3CL1), were detected in the plasma of HIV-infected patients. The findings were compatible with the presence of a systemic pro-inflammatory state in HIV-infected patients but the comparison of HIV-positive people with HIV-negative controls did not reveal significant differences in cytokine levels and other inflammatory markers in the lungs of the former group.