The N-terminal domain of HIV-1 glycoprotein 41,000 (gp41) participates in viral fusion processes. Here, we use physical and computational methodologies to examine the secondary structure of a peptide based on the N terminus (FP; residues 1–23) in aqueous and detergent environments. C-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated greater -helix for FP in lipid-detergent sodium dodecyl...

Fusion between viral and host cell membranes is the initial step of human immunodeficiency virus infection and is mediated by the gp41 protein, which is embedded in the viral membrane. The approximately 20-residue N-terminal fusion peptide (FP) region of gp41 binds to the host cell membrane and plays a critical role in fusion catalysis. Key gp41 fusion conformations include an early pre-hairpin...

PURPOSE Cystine knot (knottin) peptides, engineered to bind with high affinity to integrin receptors, have shown promise as molecular imaging agents in living subjects. The aim of the current study was to evaluate tumor uptake and in vivo biodistribution of (18)F-labeled knottins in a U87MG glioblastoma model. PROCEDURES Engineered knottin mutants 2.5D and 2.5F were synthesized using solid ph...

BACKGROUND A combination of salmeterol and fluticasone propionate (SAL/FP) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of asthma. We compared the efficacy and tolerability of SAL/FP (50/250 μg) with fluticasone propionate (FP) 250 μg administrated twice daily for 2 weeks in treating patients with mild to moderate asthma. METHODS This was a randomized, double-blind study in adult patients ...

Even though feather pecking (FP) in laying hens has been extensively studied, a good solution to prevent chickens from this behavior under commercial circumstances has not been found. Selection against FP behavior is possible, but for a more effective selection across different populations, it is necessary to characterize the genetic mechanism associated with this behavior. In this study, we us...

In the study of nonspecific preparation, the response time (RT) to an imperative stimulus is analyzed as a function of the foreperiod (FP), the interval between a warning stimulus and the imperative stimulus. When FP is varied within blocks of trials, a downward sloping FP-RT function is usually observed. The slope of this function depends on the distribution of FPs (the more negative the skewn...

This study examined the mechanical properties of roots combined with prefabricated fiber post. Three types of specimens were evaluated: (1) prefabricated fiber post alone (FP); (2) core composite resin with FP (CFP); and (3) root with CFP (RCFP). The volume fractions of the prefabricated fiber post in the core composite resin (FP/CFP ratio) were set to 0, 0.16, 0.22, 0.28, and 0.48. Bending tes...

We visualized a fluorescent-protein (FP) fusion to Rab6, a Golgi-associated GTPase, in conjunction with fluorescent secretory pathway markers. FP-Rab6 defined highly dynamic transport carriers (TCs) translocating from the Golgi to the cell periphery. FP-Rab6 TCs specifically accumulated a retrograde cargo, the wild-type Shiga toxin B-fragment (STB), during STB transport from the Golgi to the en...

We documented the presence of fibropapillomatosis (FP), a debilitating tumor-forming disease, in marine turtles in Espirito Santo Bay (Brazil) from March 2007 to April 2008, and assessed the value of a specific environmental index for predicting the prevalence of FP. Turtles were captured monthly with entanglement nets and scored for presence and severity of FP. For the assessment of habitat qu...