The Construction of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) by Prevention Professionals as a Tool for Black African Migrant Women … or Not?

While sub-Saharan African migrants are recognized as a key population in the HIV epidemics, they are absent from the PrEP delivery system and in particular women. The central argument of this article is that PrEP for Black African migrant women is an ambivalent offer that makes it necessary to understand how migration, gender, sexuality, and origin interact. Bringing together a sociologist and a prevention project manager, this article looks at how Belgian prevention professionals navigate with this ambivalent offer.

Analysis of nuclear targeting activities of transport signals in the human immunodeficiency virus Rev protein.

The human immunodeficiency Rev protein shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm, while accumulating to high levels in the nucleus. Rev has a nuclear localization signal (NLS; AA 35-50) with an arginine-rich motif (ARM) that interacts with importin beta and a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES; AA 75-84) recognized by CRM1/exportin 1. Here we explore nuclear targeting activities of the transport signals of Rev.

MS-8209, an amphotericin B analogue, delays the appearance of spongiosis, astrogliosis and PrPres accumulation in the brain of scrapie-infected hamsters.

The histopathological response of scrapie-infected hamsters treated at the late stage of the infection with an "anti-scrapie" drug, a polyene macrolide antibiotic designated MS-8209, was evaluated in the brain. The results showed that (1) MS-8209 prolonged significantly the incubation time of the experimental disease, (2) MS-8209 delayed the appearance of spongiosis and astrogliosis in the brain, (3) immunodetection of abnormal prion protein and glial fibrillary acidic protein was significantly reduced in the central nervous system. In addition, this report indicates that polyene antibiotics markedly delay the development of the classical brain lesions that result from scrapie infection.

New insight into abnormal prion protein using monoclonal antibodies.

Studies of abnormal prion protein (PrPres) are hindered by the lack of specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and the relationships between PrPres, infectivity, and strain specificity in prion diseases are still subject to debate. We have studied PrPres with new mAbs produced against PrP in mice using various immunization strategies. PrPres was analyzed by Western blot with different prion strains in various hosts.

MS-8209, a water-soluble amphotericin B derivative, affects both scrapie agent replication and PrPres accumulation in Syrian hamster scrapie.

Amphotericin B (AmB) has been shown to delay hamster scrapie. Infectivity studies have been performed previously using AmB in order to understand the relationship between the accumulation of an abnormal isoform (PrPres) of the prion protein and 263K scrapie agent replication in the brain. The first study reported that AmB had no effect upon agent replication, although it delayed the development of both clinical signs and PrPres accumulation.