Billions of viruses and new CD4+ cells

[John Cherwonogrodzky]

Dear Colleagues:
     I'm a bacteriologist and so this whole topic is out of my field. I may 
not be understanding the question correctly, but with regards to declining 
lymphocyte populations, isn't all that is needed is a lack of 
synthesis or replacement? Even if the cells were healthy and the natural 
order took place (e.g. turnover, cell death, burn-out) without replacement 
eventually there is a decline.
     There are some blood diseases where blood cell synthesis is shut-down and 
populations eventually decline. Some years ago I recall that there are some 
hormones released from the hypothalamus during deep sleep that are responsible 
for blood synthesis regulation. If HIV affected the hypothalamus, which in 
turn affected hormonal or cytokine regulation, which in turn shut-down 
lymphocyte synthesis, would one see the noted effects?...John