Additive and antagonist effects of therapeutic gene combinations for suppression of HIV-1 infection.

A previously described Moloney-based vector expressing a double copy anti-tat antisense tRNA (DC-tRNA-AT) (Biasolo et al., 1996. J.

Human coronavirus polyadenylated RNA sequences in cerebrospinal fluid from multiple sclerosis patients.

Human coronaviruses, represented by the two prototype strains HCV-OC43 and HCV-229E, are important human respiratory pathogens, also associated with necrotizing enterocolitis. Two previous studies, one describing the electron microscopic observation of doughnut-shaped particles, resembling coronaviruses, in a perivascular inflammatory lesion of brain tissue taken at autopsy from a multiple sclerosis patient, and the other one reporting the isolation of coronaviruses from the brains of two multiple sclerosis patients, suggested the possible association between coronaviruses and human demyelinating diseases. We analysed polyadenylated RNAs extracted from cerebrospinal fluid of twenty randomly selected multiple sclerosis patients and ten patients with other neurological diseases (medullary atrophy, Parkinson's disease, polyneuropathy, senile dementia, headache and toxic polyneuropathy) by reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction searching for HCV-OC43 and HCV-229E sequences.

DNA probe for the human coronavirus OC43 also detects neonatal calf diarrhea coronavirus (NCDCV).

Human coronaviruses (HCV) OC43 and 229E are the second most frequently isolated agents of common colds, and have also been associated with severe upper respiratory infections in children and with gastroenteritis of unknown etiology, such as infantile necrotizing enterocolitis. While HCV-OC43 and neonatal calf diarrhea coronavirus NCDCV cannot be held responsible for enteric infection in man, serological data suggest the possible existence of a human coronavirus, antigenically related to HCV-OC43 and NCDCV, and responsible for enteric infections. We developed a rapid and sensitive method for the diagnosis of the human respiratory coronavirus infections, and for detecting these viruses in suspect coronavirus infections.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa proteases: purification procedures for an enzymatic standard.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa may cause severe infections in debilitated patients. Strains of this microorganism produce several extracellular space proteins, some of which are believed to be virulence factors. There are experimental correlations between the ability to produce proteases and virulence.

HIV type 1 intraperitoneal infection of rabbits permits early detection of serum antibodies to Gag, Pol, and Env proteins, neutralizing antibodies, and proviral DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

The aim of this study is the development of an animal model useful for studying HIV-1 pathogenesis, candidate vaccines, and antiviral drugs. Aseptic thioglycolate peritonitis was induced in six rabbits. After 4 days, four rabbits were infected with 1 ml of HIV-1 stock containing 100 times the MID50.