BACKGROUND Preventing unintended pregnancies among HIV-positive women through family planning (FP) reduces pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality, decreases the number of pediatric HIV infections, and has also proven to be a cost-effective way to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. A key element of a comprehensive HIV prevention agenda, aimed at avoiding unintended pregnancies, is reco...

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 ...