Publications by authors named "Margaret Neja"

Trichinellosis is a parasitic zoonotic disease transmitted through the consumption of meat from animals infected with spp. nematodes. In North America, human trichinellosis is rare and is most commonly acquired through consumption of wild game meat.

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Trichinellosis is a parasitic zoonotic disease transmitted through the consumption of meat from animals infected with Trichinella spp. nematodes. In North America, human trichinellosis is rare and is most commonly acquired through consumption of wild game meat.

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The main barrier to HIV cure is a persistent reservoir of latently infected CD4 T cells harboring replication-competent provirus that fuels rebound viremia upon antiretroviral therapy (ART) interruption. A leading approach to target this reservoir involves agents that reactivate latent HIV proviruses followed by direct clearance of cells expressing induced viral antigens by immune effector cells and immunotherapeutics. We previously showed that AZD5582, an antagonist of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins and mimetic of the second mitochondrial-derived activator of caspases (IAPi/SMACm), induces systemic reversal of HIV/SIV latency but with no reduction in size of the viral reservoir.

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Article Synopsis
  • Nasopharyngeal RT-PCR testing is the standard method for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2, but it doesn't differentiate between active and resolved infections, necessitating alternative testing methods for better clinical guidance.
  • A study analyzed blood plasma nucleocapsid antigen in patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection to assess its potential as a biomarker for active infection while requiring both nasal and blood samples for accuracy.
  • The findings suggest that most patients with active infections show detectable antigen in blood, indicating the possibility of using blood tests as a convenient and sensitive alternative to nasal swabs for diagnosing ongoing SARS-CoV-2 infections.
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Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) significantly improves clinical outcomes and reduces mortality of infants/children living with HIV. However, the ability of infected cells to establish latent viral reservoirs shortly after infection and to persist during long-term ART remains a major barrier to cure. In addition, while early ART treatment of infants living with HIV can limit the size of the virus reservoir, it can also blunt HIV-specific immune responses and does not mediate clearance of latently infected viral reservoirs.

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The "shock and kill" strategy for HIV-1 cure incorporates latency-reversing agents (LRA) in combination with interventions that aid the host immune system in clearing virally reactivated cells. LRAs have not yet been investigated in pediatric clinical or preclinical studies. Here, we evaluated an inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) inhibitor (IAPi), AZD5582, that activates the noncanonical NF-κB (ncNF-κB) signaling pathway to reverse latency.

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