Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 2 complete abstracts (548 words), 8 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A prodromal phase of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Laboratory criteria separating aids-related complex (ARC) from AIDS include elevated or hyperactive B-cell humoral immune responses, compared to depressed or normal antibody reactivity in AIDS; follicular or mixed hyperplasia in ARC lymph nodes, leading to lymphocyte degeneration and depletion more typical of AIDS; evolving succession of histopathological lesions such as localization of Kaposi's sarcoma, signaling the transition to the full-blown AIDS.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: AIDS Related Complex; Complex, AIDS-Related; ARC; Lymphadenopathy Syndrome; Lymphadenopathy Syndromes; Syndrome, Lymphadenopathy; Syndromes, Lymphadenopathy.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- HIV Infections; Slow Virus Diseases
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 2,041 records tagged with the MeSH heading “AIDS-Related Complex” (counts retrieved 2026-10-29). 5 of them (0.2%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 1,930 records.
Reviews account for 177 records (8.7%) and meta-analyses for 1. Randomized controlled trials number 86 (4.2%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 1,930 |
| 2000-2009 | 50 |
| 2010-2019 | 56 |
| 2020 onward | 5 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 177 | 8.7% |
| Meta-analyses | 1 | 0.0% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 86 | 4.2% |
Method: PubMed query "AIDS-Related Complex"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-29.
Reading the evidence in infectious diseases
Infectious disease evidence combines microbiology, epidemiology and clinical trials. Laboratory studies identify pathogens and how they cause harm; surveillance and outbreak investigations describe who is affected and how infection spreads; trials establish whether treatments and vaccines work. Results depend on place and time, because pathogens evolve and resistance patterns and population immunity change. Check when and where the data were collected, how cases were defined and how up to date the evidence is.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tau pathology does not affect experience-driven single-neuron and network-wide Arc/Arg3.1 responses | 2014 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 26 | cc by PMID 24915991 · DOI · PMC4229905 |
| Higher Arc Nucleus-to-Cytoplasm Ratio during Sleep in the Superficial Layers of the Mouse Cortex | 2017 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 11 | cc by PMID 28878629 · DOI · PMC5572345 |
Tau pathology does not affect experience-driven single-neuron and network-wide Arc/Arg3.1 responses [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) - a characteristic pathological feature of Alzheimer's and several other neurodegenerative diseases - are considered a major target for drug development.
- Closing excerpt
- Our findings suggest that intraneuronal NFTs do not affect signaling cascades leading to experience-dependent gene expression required for long-term synaptic plasticity.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (193 words)
Intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) - a characteristic pathological feature of Alzheimer's and several other neurodegenerative diseases - are considered a major target for drug development. Tangle load correlates well with the severity of cognitive symptoms and mouse models of tauopathy are behaviorally impaired. However, there is little evidence that NFTs directly impact physiological properties of host neurons. Here we used a transgenic mouse model of tauopathy to study how advanced tau pathology in different brain regions affects activity-driven expression of immediate-early gene Arc required for experience-dependent consolidation of long-term memories. We demonstrate in vivo that visual cortex neurons with tangles are as likely to express comparable amounts of Arc in response to structured visual stimulation as their neighbors without tangles. Probability of experience-dependent Arc response was not affected by tau tangles in both visual cortex and hippocampal pyramidal neurons as determined postmortem. Moreover, whole brain analysis showed that network-wide activity-driven Arc expression was not affected by tau pathology in any of the brain regions, including brain areas with the highest tangle load. Our findings suggest that intraneuronal NFTs do not affect signaling cascades leading to experience-dependent gene expression required for long-term synaptic plasticity.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 24915991 · DOI · PMC4229905
Higher Arc Nucleus-to-Cytoplasm Ratio during Sleep in the Superficial Layers of the Mouse Cortex [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The activity-regulated cytoskeleton associated protein Arc is strongly and quickly upregulated by neuronal activity, synaptic potentiation and learning.
- Closing excerpt
- Similarly, it remains to be determined whether the entry of Arc into specific synapses is gated by sleep.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (355 words)
The activity-regulated cytoskeleton associated protein Arc is strongly and quickly upregulated by neuronal activity, synaptic potentiation and learning. Arc entry in the synapse is followed by the endocytosis of glutamatergic AMPA receptors (AMPARs), and its nuclear accumulation has been shown in vitro to result in a small decline in the transcription of the GluA1 subunit of AMPARs. Since these effects result in a decline in synaptic strength, we asked whether a change in Arc dynamics may temporally correlate with sleep-dependent GluA1 down-regulation. We measured the ratio of nuclear to cytoplasmic Arc expression (Arc Nuc/Cyto) in the cerebral cortex of EGFP-Arc transgenic mice that were awake most of the night and then perfused immediately before lights on (W mice), or were awake most of the night and then allowed to sleep (S mice) or sleep deprived (SD mice) for the first 2 h of the light phase. In primary motor cortex (M1), neurons with high levels of nuclear Arc (High Arc cells) were present in all mice, but in these cells Arc Nuc/Cyto was higher in S mice than in W mice and, importantly, ~15% higher in S mice than in SD mice collected at the same time of day, ruling out circadian effects. Greater Arc Nuc/Cyto with sleep was observed in the superficial layers of M1, but not in the deep layers. In High Arc cells, Arc Nuc/Cyto was also ~15%-30% higher in S mice than in W and SD mice in the superficial layers of primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and cingulate cortex area 1 (Cg1). In High Arc Cells of Cg1, Arc Nuc/Cyto and cytoplasmic levels of GluA1 immunoreactivities in the soma were also negatively correlated, independent of behavioral state. Thus, Arc moves to the nucleus during both sleep and wake, but its nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio increases with sleep in the superficial layers of several cortical areas. It remains to be determined whether the relative increase in nuclear Arc contributes significantly to the overall decline in the strength of excitatory synapses that occurs during sleep. Similarly, it remains to be determined whether the entry of Arc into specific synapses is gated by sleep.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 28878629 · DOI · PMC5572345
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Renal complications of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 [3]
- Research article AIDS commentary. Azidothymidine [4]
- Research article Experience-dependent immediate early gene expression in the adult central nervous system: evidence from enriched-environment studies [5]
- Research article Projecting the medical costs of AIDS and ARC in the United States [6]
- Research article Safety and tolerance of dideoxycytidine as a single agent. Results of early-phase studies in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or advanced AIDS-related complex. Study Group of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [7]
- Research article The epidemiology of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and associated tumours in Europe [8]
References
- Rudinskiy N, Hawkes JM, Wegmann S, Kuchibhotla KV, Muzikansky A, Betensky RA, et al.. Tau pathology does not affect experience-driven single-neuron and network-wide Arc/Arg3.1 responses. . 2014. PMID 24915991 · DOI · PMC4229905
- Honjoh S, de Vivo L, Okuno H, Bito H, Tononi G, Cirelli C. Higher Arc Nucleus-to-Cytoplasm Ratio during Sleep in the Superficial Layers of the Mouse Cortex. . 2017. PMID 28878629 · DOI · PMC5572345
- Bourgoignie JJ. Renal complications of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Kidney Int. 1990. PMID 2194069 · DOI
- Hirsch MS. AIDS commentary. Azidothymidine. J Infect Dis. 1988. PMID 3278063 · DOI
- Pinaud R. Experience-dependent immediate early gene expression in the adult central nervous system: evidence from enriched-environment studies. Int J Neurosci. 2004. PMID 14754658 · DOI
- Hay JW, Osmond DH, Jacobson MA. Projecting the medical costs of AIDS and ARC in the United States. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr (1988). 1988. PMID 3065476
- Merigan TC, Skowron G. Safety and tolerance of dideoxycytidine as a single agent. Results of early-phase studies in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or advanced AIDS-related complex. Study Group of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Am J Med. 1990. PMID 2159703 · DOI
- Serraino D, Franceschi S, Tirelli U, Monfardini S. The epidemiology of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and associated tumours in Europe. Ann Oncol. 1992. PMID 1450040 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-29.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.