In Vitro Anti-HIV-1 Activity of Fucoidans from Brown Algae.

Due to the developing resistance and intolerance to antiretroviral drugs, there is an urgent demand for alternative agents that can suppress the viral load in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Recently, there has been increased interest in agents of marine origin such as, in particular, fucoidans to suppress HIV replication. In the present study, the anti-HIV-1 activity of fucoidans from the brown algae , , , , , and was studied in vitro.

Graphene-Based Artificial Dendrites for Bio-Inspired Learning in Spiking Neuromorphic Systems.

Analog neuromorphic computing systems emulate the parallelism and connectivity of the human brain, promising greater expressivity and energy efficiency compared to those of digital systems. Though many devices have emerged as candidates for artificial neurons and artificial synapses, there have been few device candidates for artificial dendrites. In this work, we report on biocompatible graphene-based artificial dendrites (GrADs) that can implement dendritic processing.

A non-invasive approach to skin cancer diagnosis via graphene electrical tattoos and electrical impedance tomography.

Making up one of the largest shares of diagnosed cancers worldwide, skin cancer is also one of the most treatable. However, this is contingent upon early diagnosis and correct skin cancer-type differentiation. Currently, methods for early detection that are accurate, rapid, and non-invasive are limited.

Reversible Transition of Semiconducting PtSe and Metallic PtTe for Scalable All-2D Edge-Contacted FETs.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) layers are highly promising as field-effect transistor (FET) channels in the atomic-scale limit. However, accomplishing this superiority in scaled-up FETs remains challenging due to their van der Waals (vdW) bonding nature with respect to conventional metal electrodes. Herein, we report a scalable approach to fabricate centimeter-scale all-2D FET arrays of platinum diselenide (PtSe) with in-plane platinum ditelluride (PtTe) edge contacts, mitigating the aforementioned challenges.

Alarming Rise of Primary HIV Drug Resistance in Major Regions of Russia.

Objective: The study aimed to compare the prevalence of surveillance HIV drug resistance mutations (SDRMs) across the main federal districts of Russia.

Methods: A pooled analysis was conducted to examine data on HIV primary drug resistance (HIV PrimDR). The analysis was based on published results primarily from Russian regional clinical and scientific laboratories, covering a span of 20 years.

Graphene Field Effect Biosensor for Concurrent and Specific Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the need for devices capable of carrying out rapid differential detection of viruses that may manifest similar physiological symptoms yet demand tailored treatment plans. Seasonal influenza may be exacerbated by COVID-19 infections, increasing the burden on healthcare systems. In this work, we demonstrate a technology based on liquid-gated graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs), for rapid and ultraprecise sensing and differentiation of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 surface protein.

Female Sex Hormones Upregulate the Replication Activity of HIV-1 Sub-Subtype A6 and CRF02_AG but Not HIV-1 Subtype B.

More than 50% of all people living with HIV worldwide are women. Globally, HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among women aged 15 to 44. The safe and effective methods of hormonal contraception are an essential component of preventive medical care in order to reduce maternal and infant mortality.

Graphene-based cardiac sensors and actuators.

Graphene, a 2D carbon allotrope, is revolutionizing many biomedical applications due to its unique mechanical, electrical, thermal, and optical properties. When bioengineers realized that these properties could dramatically enhance the performance of cardiac sensors and actuators and may offer fundamentally novel technological capabilities, the field exploded with numerous studies developing new graphene-based systems and testing their limits. Here we will review the link between specific properties of graphene and mechanisms of action of cardiac sensors and actuators, analyze the performance of these systems from inaugural studies to the present, and offer future perspectives.

HIV-1 Drug Resistance among Treatment-Naïve Patients in Russia: Analysis of the National Database, 2006-2022.

In Russia, antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage has significantly increased, which, in the absence of routine genotyping testing, could lead to an increase in HIV drug resistance (DR). The aim of this study was to investigate the patterns and temporal trends in HIV DR as well as the prevalence of genetic variants in treatment-naïve patients from 2006 to 2022, using data from the Russian database (4481 protease and reverse transcriptase and 844 integrase gene sequences). HIV genetic variants, and DR and DR mutations (DRMs) were determined using the Stanford Database.

Graphene Biointerface for Cardiac Arrhythmia Diagnosis and Treatment.

Heart rhythm disorders, known as arrhythmias, cause significant morbidity and are one of the leading causes of mortality. Cardiac arrhythmias are frequently treated by implantable devices, such as pacemakers and defibrillators, or by ablation therapy guided by electroanatomical mapping. Both implantable and ablation therapies require sophisticated biointerfaces for electrophysiological measurements of electrograms and delivery of therapeutic stimulation or ablation energy.

Technology Roadmap for Flexible Sensors.

Humans rely increasingly on sensors to address grand challenges and to improve quality of life in the era of digitalization and big data. For ubiquitous sensing, flexible sensors are developed to overcome the limitations of conventional rigid counterparts. Despite rapid advancement in bench-side research over the last decade, the market adoption of flexible sensors remains limited.

Identification of Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Viral Infection Progression Based on Text Mining: Case Study for HIV Infection.

Viruses cause various infections that may affect human lifestyle for durations ranging from several days to for many years. Although preventative and therapeutic remedies are available for many viruses, they may still have a profound impact on human life. The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 is the most common cause of HIV infection, which represents one of the most dangerous and complex diseases since it affects the immune system and causes its disruption, leading to secondary complications and negatively influencing health-related quality of life.

Engineering Geobacter pili to produce metal:organic filaments.

The organized self-assembly of conductive biological structures holds promise for creating new bioelectronic devices. In particular, Geobacter sulfurreducens type IVa pili have proven to be a versatile material for fabricating protein nanowire-based devices. To scale the production of conductive pili, we designed a strain of Shewanella oneidensis that heterologously expressed abundant, conductive Geobacter pili when grown aerobically in liquid culture.

Prevalence of Pretreatment HIV-1 Drug Resistance in Armenia in 2017-2018 and 2020-2021 following a WHO Survey.

The increased antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage of patients in the absence of routine genotyping tests and in the context of active labor migration highlight the importance of HIV-1 drug resistance (DR) surveillance in Armenia. We conducted a two-phase pretreatment DR (PDR) study in 2017-2018 (phase I; 120 patients) and 2020-2021 (phase II; 133 patients) according to the WHO-approved protocol. The analysis of HIV-1 genetic variants showed high degrees of viral diversity, with the predominance of A6.

Metaplastic and energy-efficient biocompatible graphene artificial synaptic transistors for enhanced accuracy neuromorphic computing.

CMOS-based computing systems that employ the von Neumann architecture are relatively limited when it comes to parallel data storage and processing. In contrast, the human brain is a living computational signal processing unit that operates with extreme parallelism and energy efficiency. Although numerous neuromorphic electronic devices have emerged in the last decade, most of them are rigid or contain materials that are toxic to biological systems.

Molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 in Oryol Oblast, Russia.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia is growing, with approximately 100,000 people infected annually. Molecular epidemiology can provide insight into the structure and dynamics of the epidemic. However, its applicability in Russia is limited by the weakness of genetic surveillance, as viral genetic data are only available for <1 per cent of cases.

Continuous cuffless monitoring of arterial blood pressure via graphene bioimpedance tattoos.

Continuous monitoring of arterial blood pressure (BP) in non-clinical (ambulatory) settings is essential for understanding numerous health conditions, including cardiovascular diseases. Besides their importance in medical diagnosis, ambulatory BP monitoring platforms can advance disease correlation with individual behaviour, daily habits and lifestyle, potentially enabling analysis of root causes, prognosis and disease prevention. Although conventional ambulatory BP devices exist, they are uncomfortable, bulky and intrusive.

Spectrum of Atazanavir-Selected Protease Inhibitor-Resistance Mutations.

Ritonavir-boosted atazanavir is an option for second-line therapy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We analyzed publicly available HIV-1 protease sequences from previously PI-naïve patients with virological failure (VF) following treatment with atazanavir. Overall, 1497 patient sequences were identified, including 740 reported in 27 published studies and 757 from datasets assembled for this analysis.

Prevalence of HIV-1 drug resistance in Eastern European and Central Asian countries.

Background: Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) is one of the regions where the HIV epidemic continues to grow at a concerning rate. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage in EECA countries has significantly increased during the last decade, which can lead to an increase in the risk of emergence, transmission, and spread of HIV variants with drug resistance (DR) that cannot be controlled. Because HIV genotyping cannot be performed in these countries, data about HIV DR are limited or unavailable.

Real-time detection of ochratoxin A in wine through insight of aptamer conformation in conjunction with graphene field-effect transistor.

Mycotoxins comprise a frequent type of toxins present in food and feed. The problem of mycotoxin contamination has been recently aggravated due to the increased complexity of the farm-to-fork chains, resulting in negative effects on human and animal health and, consequently, economics. The easy-to-use, on-site, on-demand, and rapid monitoring of mycotoxins in food/feed is highly desired.

Graphene-Based Scaffolds: Fundamentals and Applications for Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering.

Cardiac tissue engineering requires materials that can faithfully recapitulate and support the native microenvironment while providing a seamless bioelectronic interface. Current limitations of cell scaffolds include the lack of electrical conductivity and suboptimal mechanical properties. Here we discuss how the incorporation of graphene into cellular scaffolds, either alone or in combination with other materials, can affect morphology, function, and maturation of cardiac cells.

Roll-to-Roll Dry Transfer of Large-Scale Graphene.

A major challenge for graphene applications is the lack of mass production technology for large-scale and high-quality graphene growth and transfer. Here, a roll-to-roll (R2R) dry transfer process for large-scale graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition is reported. The process is fast, controllable, and environmentally benign.

RHIVDB: A Freely Accessible Database of HIV Amino Acid Sequences and Clinical Data of Infected Patients.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains one of the most severe problems for humanity, particularly due to the development of HIV resistance. To evaluate an association between viral sequence data and drug combinations and to estimate an effect of a particular drug combination on the treatment results, collection of the most representative drug combinations used to cure HIV and the biological data on amino acid sequences of HIV proteins is essential. We have created a new, freely available web database containing 1,651 amino acid sequences of HIV structural proteins [reverse transcriptase (RT), protease (PR), integrase (IN), and envelope protein (ENV)], treatment history information, and CD4+ cell count and viral load data available by the user's query.

Fabrication, characterization and applications of graphene electronic tattoos.

Numerous fields of science and technology, including healthcare, robotics and bioelectronics, have begun to switch their research direction from developing 'high-end, high-cost' tools towards 'high-end, low-cost' solutions. Graphene electronic tattoos (GETs), whose fabrication protocol is discussed in this work, are ideal building blocks of future wearable technology due to their outstanding electromechanical properties. The GETs are composed of high-quality, large-scale graphene that is transferred onto tattoo paper, resulting in an electronic device that is applied onto skin like a temporary tattoo.

Multipurpose and Reusable Ultrathin Electronic Tattoos Based on PtSe and PtTe.

Wearable bioelectronics with emphasis on the research and development of advanced person-oriented biomedical devices have attracted immense interest in the past decade. Scientists and clinicians find it essential to utilize skin-worn smart tattoos for on-demand and ambulatory monitoring of an individual's vital signs. Here, we report on the development of ultrathin platinum-based two-dimensional dichalcogenide (Pt-TMDs)-based electronic tattoos as advanced building blocks of future wearable bioelectronics.