Switching Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) to Tenofovir Alafenamide Fumarate (TAF) in Hepatitis B/HIV Co-Infection: A Feasibility Study.

Purpose: Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) delivers the active metabolite more efficiently to target cells compared with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). Recent studies suggest that TAF is efficacious in treatment naïve individuals who are co-infected with HBV/HIV and may have superior effects on HBV e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion in this setting. The primary objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of switching from TDF to TAF in HBV/HIV co-infection.

Genetic Influences of the Microbiota on the Life Span of Drosophila melanogaster.

To better understand how associated microorganisms ("microbiota") influence organismal aging, we focused on the model organism We conducted a metagenome-wide association (MGWA) as a screen to identify bacterial genes associated with variation in the life span. The results of the MGWA predicted that bacterial cysteine and methionine metabolism genes influence fruit fly longevity. A mutant analysis, in which flies were inoculated with strains bearing mutations in various methionine cycle genes, confirmed a role for some methionine cycle genes in extending or shortening fruit fly life span.

Bacterial Methionine Metabolism Genes Influence Drosophila melanogaster Starvation Resistance.

Animal-associated microorganisms (microbiota) dramatically influence the nutritional and physiological traits of their hosts. To expand our understanding of such influences, we predicted bacterial genes that influence a quantitative animal trait by a comparative genomic approach, and we extended these predictions via mutant analysis. We focused on starvation resistance (SR).

Rearing the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster Under Axenic and Gnotobiotic Conditions.

The influence of microbes on myriad animal traits and behaviors has been increasingly recognized in recent years. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a model for understanding microbial interactions with animal hosts, facilitated by approaches to rear large sample sizes of Drosophila under microorganism-free (axenic) conditions, or with defined microbial communities (gnotobiotic). This work outlines a method for collection of Drosophila embryos, hypochlorite dechorionation and sterilization, and transfer to sterile diet.

Theoretical studies on iron surface coating: adsorption of furan derivatives over Fe(n) clusters (n = 1-4).

In the transition from small molecules to solids, atomic clusters are studied widely not only because they can own unique properties due to the nanosized effect but also because they represent an intermediate stage. A systematic study on the structures and properties of clusters as a function of size could give information on the transition from clusters to bulk and determine at what size a cluster can mimic the bulk solid at least to some extent. The adsorption capability of furan derivatives 2-furfurylamine, 2-furfuryl alcohol and 2-furfuryl mercaptan with different iron-clusters was studied by DFT.