Therapeutics and Prevention
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionPeptide Self-Assembly Is Linked to Antibacterial, but Not Antifungal, Activity of Histatin 5 DerivativesAntimicrobial peptides are important modulators of host defense against bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens in humans and other multicellular organisms. Two converging paradigms point to a link between antimicrobial peptides that self-assemble into amyloid-like nanoassemblies and classical amyloidogenic peptides that often have potent broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, suggesting that antimicrobial and amyloidogenic peptides may...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionHIV Env-Specific IgG Antibodies Induced by Vaccination of Neonatal Rhesus Macaques Persist and Can Be Augmented by a Late Booster Immunization in InfancyThe majority of new HIV-1 infections occur in young adults, with adolescent women being 3 times more likely to acquire HIV than young men. Implementation of HIV prevention strategies has been less successful in this age group; thus, a vaccine given prior to adolescence remains a high priority. We propose that instead of starting HIV vaccination during adolescence, an HIV vaccine regimen initiated in early infancy, aligned with the well-...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionMultiple Bactericidal Mechanisms of the Zinc Ionophore PBT2More antimicrobials are used in food-producing animals than in humans, and the extensive use of medically important human antimicrobials poses a significant public health threat in the face of rising antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, the elimination of antimicrobial crossover between human and veterinary medicine is of great interest. Unfortunately, the development of new antimicrobials is an expensive high-risk process fraught with...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionEstrogen Attenuates the Growth of Human Papillomavirus-Positive Epithelial CellsHuman papillomaviruses cause around 5% of all human cancers, yet there are no specific antiviral therapeutic approaches available for combatting these cancers. These cancers are currently treated with standard chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Specific antiviral reagents are desperately required, particularly for HPV+HNSCC whose incidence is increasing and for which there are no diagnostic tools available for combatting this disease. Using...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionBifidobacterium longum R0175 Protects Rats against d-Galactosamine-Induced Acute Liver FailureOur research investigated the protective and preventive roles of B. longum R0175 in a rat model of acute liver failure. The results illustrated that this probiotic strain exhibited protective effects in rats with acute liver failure. Thus, B. longum R0175 showed clinical application prospects that...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionEffect of HIV Envelope Vaccination on the Subsequent Antibody Response to HIV InfectionThere is a wealth of information on HIV-specific vaccine-induced immune responses among HIV-uninfected participants; however, data on immune responses among participants who acquire HIV after vaccination are limited. Here we show that HIV-specific binding antibody responses in individuals with breakthrough HIV infections were not affected by prior vaccination with HIV envelope-containing immunogens. We also found that these vectored...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionCorrelation between Bioassay and Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification for Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Decontamination StudiesCreutzfeldt-Jakob diseases are neurodegenerative disorders for which transmission linked to medical procedures have been reported in hundreds of patients. As prion diseases, they are characterized by an unusual resistance to conventional decontamination processes. Moreover, their large tissue distribution and the ability of prions to attach to many surfaces raised the risk of transmission in health care facilities. It is therefore of...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionCell-Mediated Immunity Generated in Response to a Purified Inactivated Vaccine for Dengue Virus Type 1Dengue is a tropical disease transmitted by mosquitoes, and nearly half of the world’s population lives in areas where individuals are at risk of infection. Several vaccines for dengue are in development, including one which was recently licensed in several countries, although its utility is limited to people who have already been infected with one of the four dengue viruses. One major hurdle to understanding whether a dengue vaccine...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionSystematic Analysis of Efflux Pump-Mediated Antiseptic Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus Suggests a Need for Greater Antiseptic StewardshipS. aureus remains a significant cause of disease within hospitals and communities. To reduce the burden of S. aureus infections, antiseptics are ubiquitously used in our daily lives. Furthermore, many antiseptic compounds are dual purpose and are found in household products. The increased abundance...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionBinding of the von Willebrand Factor A Domain of Capillary Morphogenesis Protein 2 to Anthrax Protective Antigen Vaccine Reduces Immunogenicity in MiceThe anthrax toxin PA is the major immunogen in the current anthrax vaccine (anthrax vaccine adsorbed). Improving the anthrax vaccine for avoidance of a cold chain necessitates improvements in the thermodynamic stability of PA. We address how stabilizing PA using sCMG2 affects PA immunogenicity in BALB/c mice. Although the stability of PA is increased by binding to sCMG2, PA immunogenicity is decreased. This study emphasizes that, while...