Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Raphael J. Landovitz, Deborah Donnell, Meredith E. Clement, Brett Hanscom, Leslie Cottle, Lara Coelho, Robinson Cabello, Suwat Chariyalertsak, Eileen F. Dunne, Ian Frank, Jorge A. Gallardo-Cartagena, Aditya H. Gaur, Pedro Gonzales, Ha V. Tran, Juan C. Hinojosa, Esper G. Kallas, Colleen F. Kelley, Marcelo H. Losso, J. Valdez Madruga, Keren Middelkoop, Nittaya Phanuphak, Breno Santos, Omar Sued, Javier Valencia Huamani, Edgar T. Overton, Shobha Swaminathan, Carlos del Rio, Roy M. Gulick, Paul Richardson, Philip Sullivan, Estelle Piwowar-Manning, Mark Marzinke, Craig Hendrix, Maoji Li, Zhe Wang, Jeanne Marrazzo, Eric Daar, Aida Asmelash, Todd T. Brown, Peter Anderson, Susan H. Eshleman, Marcus Bryan, Cheryl Blanchette, Jonathan Lucas, Christina Psaros, Steven Safren, Jeremy Sugarman, Hyman Scott, Joseph J. Eron, Sheldon D. Fields, Nirupama D. Sista, Kailazarid Gomez-Feliciano, Andrea Jennings, Ryan M. Kofron, Timothy H. Holtz, Katherine Shin, James F. Rooney, Kimberly Y. Smith, William Spreen, David Margolis, Alex Rinehart, Adeola Adeyeye, Myron S. Cohen, Marybeth McCauley, Beatriz Grinsztejn
Summary: The study showed that injectable Cabotegravir was more effective in preventing HIV infection among MSM and transgender women compared to daily oral Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate-Emtricitabine. Strategies are needed to prevent INSTI resistance in cases of Cabotegravir PrEP failure.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Kenneth Ngure, Katrina F. Ortblad, Peter Mogere, Ashley R. Bardon, Katherine K. Thomas, Dorothy Mangale, Catherine Kiptinness, Stephen Gakuo, Sarah Mbaire, Jacinta Nyokabi, Nelly R. Mugo, Jared M. Baeten
Summary: Semiannual PrEP clinic visits supplemented with interim home-based HIV self-testing (HIVST) can reduce clinic visits and maintain good HIV testing, drug refilling, and adherence.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Seth Zissette, Elizabeth E. Tolley, Andres Martinez, Homaira Hanif, Katherine Gill, Nelly Mugo, Laura Myers, Ednar Casmir, Menna Duyver, Kenneth Ngure, Gustavo F. Doncel
Summary: This study validated the structure of the adherence screening tool and the construct of the oral PrEP monitoring tool, demonstrating their utility in diverse populations and adapting to the monitoring needs of different HIV prevention products.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, James P. Hughes, Peter Bock, Samuel Gurrion Ouma, Portia Hunidzarira, Dishiki Kalonji, Noel Kayange, Joseph Makhema, Patricia Mandima, Carrie Mathew, Elizabeth Spooner, Juliet Mpendo, Pamela Mukwekwerere, Nyaradzo Mgodi, Patricia Nahirya Ntege, Gonasagrie Nair, Clemensia Nakabiito, Harriet Nuwagaba-Biribonwoha, Ravindre Panchia, Nishanta Singh, Bekezela Siziba, Jennifer Farrior, Scott Rose, Peter L. Anderson, Susan H. Eshleman, Mark A. Marzinke, Craig W. Hendrix, Stephanie Beigel-Orme, Sybil Hosek, Elizabeth Tolley, Nirupama Sista, Adeola Adeyeye, James F. Rooney, Alex Rinehart, William R. Spreen, Kimberly Smith, Brett Hanscom, Myron S. Cohen, Mina C. Hosseinipour
Summary: The study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of injectable cabotegravir compared with daily oral tenofovir diphosphate plus emtricitabine for HIV prevention in HIV-uninfected women. The results showed that cabotegravir was superior to TDF-FTC in preventing HIV infection among women.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Geetha Beauchamp, Sybil Hosek, Deborah J. Donnell, Kwun C. G. Chan, Brian P. Flaherty, Peter L. Anderson, Bonnie J. Dye, Nyaradzo Mgodi, Linda-Gail Bekker, Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, Connie Celum
Summary: This study developed an HIV prevention readiness measure to identify African adolescent girls and young women who are motivated to take pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and in need of adherence support. The measure showed good reliability and validity in assessing medication adherence and prevention readiness. These findings are important for the development and implementation of PrEP adherence support programs.
Review
Microbiology
Raphael J. Landovitz, Hyman Scott, Steven G. Deeks
Summary: In this Review, the authors explore the current state of HIV prevention and treatment, highlighting unmet needs and emerging tools. They discuss the combination of different approaches to achieve better outcomes, and describe recent progress in pre-exposure prophylaxis, vaccines, treatment, and cure. They emphasize the need for continued efforts to develop effective preventative vaccines and scalable cures, as the limitations of antiretroviral drugs become more apparent.
NATURE REVIEWS MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Bryan T. Mayer, Allan C. deCamp, Yunda Huang, Joshua T. Schiffer, Raphael Gottardo, Peter B. Gilbert, Daniel B. Reeves
Summary: Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are a promising drug for the prevention and treatment of HIV. However, due to differences in breadth, potency, and in vivo longevity, it is important to optimize the composition and dose ratio of combination bNAb therapies to enhance efficacy.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Stanley E. Cooper, Joshua Rosenblatt, Roy M. Gulick
Summary: This review discusses the barriers to the uptake of long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (LAI-ART) in high-income countries and explores ongoing research to address these barriers and improve the delivery and uptake of LAI-ART products.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Akash N. Desai, S. Caitlin Conyngham, Antonios Mashas, Champagnae R. Smith, Isabella Z. Casademont, Bikim A. Brown, Melissa M. Kim, Coleman Terrell, Kathleen A. Brady
Summary: The article introduces a Philadelphia-based project focusing on sentinel HIV cases among priority populations, aiming to improve public health infrastructure and prevent future outbreaks. Through data collection and analysis, recommendations were made to enhance pre-exposure prophylaxis provision, integrate testing services, and educate healthcare providers. This model offers health departments a way to respond rapidly to recent transmissions, identify missed prevention opportunities, strengthen community partnerships, and implement programmatic and policy changes to prevent outbreaks and inform long-term strategies.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Definate Nhamo, Sinegugu Duma, Elizabeth Ojewole, Dixon Chibanda, Frances Cowan
Summary: This study aimed to understand the factors motivating female sex workers (FSWs) to initiate PrEP in Harare, Zimbabwe. The findings revealed that intrinsic motivators included self-protection from HIV infection and condom bursting, while external motivators included occupational risk, increased chance of offering unprotected sex, positive encouragement from others, the need to take care of children, prior participation in HIV prevention research, and gender-based violence.
Article
Immunology
Jessica E. Haberer, Elizabeth A. Bukusi, Nelly R. Mugo, Maria Pyra, Catherine Kiptinness, Kevin Oware, Lindsey E. Garrison, Katherine K. Thomas, Nicholas Musinguzi, Susan Morrison, Peter L. Anderson, Kenneth Ngure, Jared M. Baeten
Summary: The study aimed to determine the effect of SMS reminders on PrEP adherence among young women in Kenya over a 2-year period. The findings showed that SMS reminders were ineffective in promoting PrEP adherence among young Kenyan women, highlighting the need for additional interventions to support PrEP use in this population.
Article
Immunology
Mark Dybul, Timothy Attoye, Solange Baptiste, Peter Cherutich, Francois Dabis, Steven G. Deeks, Carl Dieffenbach, Brian Doehle, Maureen M. Goodenow, Adam Jiang, Dominic Kemps, Sharon R. Lewin, Murray M. Lumpkin, Lauren Mathae, Joseph M. McCune, Thumbi Ndung'u, Moses Nsubuga, Holly L. Peay, John Pottage, Mitchell Warren, Izukanji Sikazwe
Summary: Given the increasing global burden of new HIV infections, growing financial requirements, and shifting funding landscape, the global health community must accelerate the development and delivery of an HIV cure. Steps proposed include defining a target product profile and establishing the HIV Cure Africa Acceleration Partnership (HCAAP).
Article
Infectious Diseases
Maarten van Wijhe, Thea K. Fischer, Jannik Fonager
Summary: The study in Denmark found that HIV-1 transmission is mainly driven by early diagnosed, young, and subtype B-infected MSM. Non-Danish heterosexual HIV-1 patients could benefit from improved communication for earlier diagnosis and treatment.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elias P. Rosen, Nicole White, William M. Gilliland, Roy R. Gerona, Monica Gandhi, K. Rivet Amico, Kenneth H. Mayer, Roy M. Gulick, Angela D. M. Kashuba
Summary: Objective measures of adherence for antiretrovirals used as PrEP are critical. In this study, hair samples were used to evaluate long-term adherence behavior. The findings showed that only about 32% of samples exhibited consistent daily adherence over a 30-day retrospective period.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Samuel J. Vidal, Elena Bekerman, Derek Hansen, Bing Lu, Kelly Wang, Judy Mwangi, William Rowe, Federico Campigotto, Jim Zheng, Darryl Kato, Abishek Chandrashekar, Julia Barrett, Shivani Patel, Huahua Wan, Tochi Anioke, Noe B. Mercado, Joseph P. Nkolola, Melissa J. Ferguson, William J. Rinaldi, Christian Callebaut, Wade Blair, Tomas Cihlar, Romas Geleziunas, Stephen R. Yant, Dan H. Barouch
Summary: The study shows that a single subcutaneous injection of GS-CA1 can provide long-term protection against repeated rectal simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) challenges in rhesus macaques. Pharmacokinetic analysis indicates a correlation between GS-CA1 plasma concentration and protection from SHIV challenges. These proof-of-concept data support the development of capsid inhibitors as a novel long-acting PrEP strategy in humans.
Article
Immunology
Smaranda Gliga, Nadine Luebke, Alexander Killer, Henning Gruell, Andreas Walker, Alexander T. Dilthey, Alexander Thielen, Carolin Lohr, Charlotte Flasshove, Sarah Krieg, Joanna Ventura Pereira, Tobias Paul Seraphin, Alex Zaufel, Martin Daeumer, Hans-Martin Orth, Torsten Feldt, Johannes G. Bode, Florian Klein, Joerg Timm, Tom Luedde, Bjoern-Erik Ole Jensen
Summary: Immunocompromised patients infected with Omicron variants experience prolonged viral shedding and the emergence of escape mutations after treatment with sotrovimab. Combination therapy with remdesivir significantly reduces the occurrence of escape variants.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Barbara Testoni, Alexander Ploss
Review
Infectious Diseases
Jakob J. Malin, Stephanie Weibel, Henning Gruell, Nina Kreuzberger, Miriam Stegemann, Nicole Skoetz
Summary: A systematic review found that molnupiravir does not significantly improve mortality and hospitalization or death risk in COVID-19 patients. The effect on symptom resolution is uncertain. In inpatients, there may be an increased risk of mortality. However, overall, molnupiravir is considered safe during treatment.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Felix Dewald, Martin Pirkl, Martha Paluschinski, Joachim Kuehn, Carina Elsner, Bianca Schulte, Jacqueline Knuefer, Elvin Ahmadov, Maike Schlotz, Goeksu Oral, Michael Bernhard, Mark Michael, Maura Luxenburger, Marcel Andree, Marc Tim Hennies, Wali Hafezi, Marlin Maybrit Mueller, Philipp Kuempers, Joachim Risse, Clemens Kill, Randi Katrin Manegold, Ute von Frantzki, Enrico Richter, Dorian Emmert, Werner O. Monzon-Posadas, Ingo Graeff, Monika Kogej, Antonia Buening, Maximilian Baum, Finn Teipel, Babak Mochtarzadeh, Martin Wolff, Henning Gruell, Veronica Di Cristanziano, Volker Burst, Hendrik Streeck, Ulf Dittmer, Stephan Ludwig, Joerg Timm, Florian Klein
Summary: Determining SARS-CoV-2 immunity is crucial for assessing COVID-19 risk and the effectiveness of prevention strategies. In a study of 1,411 patients in Germany, it was found that 95.6% had Spike-IgG antibodies and 24.0% had Nucleocapsid-IgG antibodies. Neutralizing activity against different variants was observed, but it was significantly lower against BA.4/5 and BQ.1.1 compared to Wu01. The study highlights the importance of improving vaccine uptake to reduce the risk of immune evasive variants.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Aaron Gupta, Kevin S. Kao, Rachel Yamin, Deena A. Oren, Yehuda Goldgur, Jonathan Du, Pete Lollar, Eric J. Sundberg, Jeffrey V. Ravetch
Summary: This study presents a synthetic nanobody, X0, that distinguishes IgG glycoforms. The structure of X0 in complex with afucosylated IgG1 reveals its ability to interact with the IgG N-glycan and disrupt pathogenic glycoform interactions. X0 fusion constructs designed based on this structure show promising results in inhibiting dengue virus infection.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yongzhen Liu, Thomas R. R. Cafiero, Debby Park, Abhishek Biswas, Benjamin Y. Y. Winer, Cheul H. H. Cho, Yaron Bram, Vasuretha Chandar, Aoife K. O' Connell, Hans P. P. Gertje, Nicholas Crossland, Robert E. E. Schwartz, Alexander Ploss
Summary: Hepatitis B virus has a limited range of hosts, only infecting humans and chimpanzees. Researchers have identified key residues within the HBV receptor that prevent the virus from infecting non-human primates. By studying different types of monkeys, they found that marmosets are a suitable candidate for HBV infection. They also developed a modified chimeric HBV genome that increases infection efficiency in marmoset hepatocytes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jens Peter Klussmann, Maria Grosheva, Peter Meiser, Clara Lehmann, Eszter Nagy, Valeria Szijarto, Gabor Nagy, Robert Konrat, Michael Flegel, Frank Holzer, Dorothea Gross, Charlotte Steinmetz, Barbara Scherer, Henning Gruell, Maike Schlotz, Florian Klein, Paula Aguiar de Aragao, Henning Morr, Helal Al Saleh, Andreas Bilstein, Belisa Russo, Susanne Mueller-Scholtz, Cengizhan Acikel, Hacer Sahin, Nina Werkhaeuser, Silke Allekotte, Ralph Moesges
Summary: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the efficacy of azelastine nasal spray in treating early COVID-19 infections. The results showed that azelastine treatment significantly reduced viral load with minimal side effects. These findings suggest the potential of azelastine nasal spray as an antiviral treatment.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Robert LeDesma, Brigitte Heller, Abhishek Biswas, Stephanie Maya, Stefania Gili, John Higgins, Alexander Ploss
Summary: This study reveals that the multifunctional protein ORF1 of Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is crucial for genome replication and is not regulated by proteolytic processing. The essential role of six cysteines in the pPCP domain in viral replication is associated with the coordination of divalent metal ions. Moreover, the pPCP domain can only rescue viral genome replication when expressed in the context of the full-length ORF1 protein.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Max Augustin, Ferdinand Heyn, Stella Ullrich, Ute Sandaradura de Silva, Marie-Christine Albert, Viktoria Linne, Maike Schlotz, Philipp Schommers, Elisabeth Pracht, Carola Horn, Isabelle Suarez, Alexander Simonis, Lea Katharina Picard, Alexander Zoufaly, Christoph Wenisch, Gerd Faetkenheuer, Henning Gruell, Florian Klein, Michael Hallek, Henning Walczak, Jan Rybniker, Sebastian J. Theobald, Clara Lehmann
Summary: Symptoms lasting longer than 12 weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection are called post-COVID syndrome (PCS). This study conducted a controlled analysis on unvaccinated patients with and without PCS, and found that PCS patients had significantly increased frequencies of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells and activated plasmacytoid dendritic cells. The findings suggest immunological alterations between inflammation and immunosuppression in COVID-19 convalescents, providing potential directions for future investigations and treatments.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Women's Studies
Kaitlin Casassa, Alexa Ploss, Sharvari Karandikar
Summary: There is a lack of research on trauma bonding in victims of sex trafficking. This qualitative study interviewed 10 service providers to understand how they perceive and observe trauma bonding in their clients. Two themes emerged: defining trauma bonding and the development of trauma bonds. These findings provide valuable insights into the complexities of trauma bonding.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
(2023)
Article
Social Work
Kaitlin Casassa, Alexa Ploss, Sharvari Karandikar
Summary: This study explores the relationship between substance use and trauma bonding among survivors of sex trafficking as seen from the perspective of service providers. Ten licensed social workers or counselors who have direct contact with survivors were interviewed. The findings indicate that substance use can be both a tactic and a risk factor among survivors of sex trafficking, and it may also contribute to the formation of trauma bonds. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing substance use and mental health concerns concurrently in the treatment of sex trafficking survivors and can inform policymakers and legislators.
HEALTH & SOCIAL WORK
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexander Simonis, Christoph Kreer, Alexandra Albus, Katharina Rox, Biao Yuan, Dmitriy Holzmann, Joana A. Wilms, Sylvia Zuber, Lisa Kottege, Sandra Winter, Meike Meyer, Kristin Schmitt, Henning Gruell, Sebastian J. Theobald, Anna-Maria Hellmann, Christina Meyer, Meryem Seda Ercanoglu, Nina Cramer, Antje Munder, Michael Hallek, Gerd Faetkenheuer, Manuel Koch, Harald Seifert, Ernst Rietschel, Thomas C. Marlovits, Silke van Koningsbruggen-Rietschel, Florian Klein, Jan Rybniker
Summary: Drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection poses a serious threat to human health. This study reveals that antibodies produced by chronically infected patients can neutralize PA, providing a new approach for developing anti-PA therapeutics.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emily V. Mesev, Aaron E. Lin, Emma G. Guare, Brigitte L. Heller, Florian Douam, Britt Adamson, Jared E. Toettcher, Alexander Ploss
Summary: Interferons play crucial roles in antiviral defenses, and type I and III interferon receptors exhibit differences in signaling strength and dynamics. These differences are not due to ligand-binding affinity and receptor abundance, but are determined by specific regions within the intracellular domains of the receptors.
Article
Microbiology
Stephanie Maya, Leeor Hershkovich, E. Fabian Cardozo-Ojeda, Elham Shirvani-Dastgerdi, Jay Srinivas, Louis Shekhtman, Susan L. Uprichard, Andrew R. Berneshawi, Thomas R. Cafiero, Harel Dahari, Alexander Ploss
Summary: Chronic infection with hepatitis B and delta viruses (HDV) leads to more severe manifestations and disease progression. This study characterizes the early kinetics of HDV infection in mouse models and provides insights into HDV-host dynamics through mathematical modeling.
Article
Immunology
Matthias Zehner, Mira Alt, Artem Ashurov, Jory A. Goldsmith, Rebecca Spies, Nina Weiler, Justin Lerma, Lutz Gieselmann, Dagmar Stoehr, Henning Gruell, Eric P. Schultz, Christoph Kreer, Linda Schlachter, Hanna Janicki, Kerstin Laib Sampaio, Cora Stegmann, Michelle D. Nemetchek, Sabrina Daehling, Leon Ullrich, Ulf Dittmer, Oliver Witzke, Manuel Koch, Brent J. Ryckman, Ramin Lotfi, Jason S. McLellan, Adalbert Krawczyk, Christian Sinzger, Florian Klein
Summary: This study analyzed the human B cell response to HCMV and identified the structural basis and mechanisms of neutralizing antibodies. Highly potent antibodies were also discovered, which outperformed known antibodies in clinical trials.