Biologically functional clade C envelope (Env) glycoproteins from the chronically (donor) and newly (recipient) infected partners of four heterosexual transmission pairs in Zambia were cloned and characterized previously. In each case, the donor viral quasispecies contained Envs that were resistant to autologous neutralization by contemporaneous plasma, while the recipient Envs were sensitive t...

A serological survey was carried out to determine the prevalence rate of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infections in water buffalo (Bubalusbubalis) in Ahvaz, which is the center of the Khouzestan province in Iran. For this purpose, blood samples were taken from 310 slaughtered buffaloes at the abattoir. Sera were tested via the serum neutralization test. Serum neutralization was performed ...

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are potential therapeutic agents against Bacillus anthracis toxins, since there is no current treatment to counteract the detrimental effects of toxemia. In hopes of isolating new protective MAbs to the toxin component lethal factor (LF), we used a strain of mice (C57BL/6) that had not been used in previous studies, generating MAbs to LF. Six LF-binding MAbs were ob...

The purpose of this study was to examine whether immune neutralization of muscle-produced insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) would prevent an appropriate anabolic response to refeeding in diabetic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were made diabetic by partial pancreatectomy and were randomly assigned to be either control-fed, fasted, or fasted-refed (n = 7-8 per group). Diabetes decreased rates...

BACKGROUND Transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) is upregulated in chronic inflammation, where it plays a key role in wound healing and promoting fibrosis. However, little is known about the peripheral effects of TGFβ on nociception. METHODS We tested the in vitro effects of TGFβ1 on the excitability of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons and the function of potassium (K) channels. We also stu...

The PU.1 transcription factor is a member of the Ets family of DNA binding proteins. PU.1 binds to DNA via a loop-helix-loop domain and functions in the differentiation of hematopoietic cells. The structure of a PU.1-DNA complex was recently reported (Kodandapani, R., Pio, F., Ni, C.-Z., Piccialli, G., Klemsz, M., McKercher, S., Maki, R., and Ely, K. (1996) Nature 380, 456–460). The DNA in this...

Adrenal chromaffin cells and sympathetic neurons are related, but phenotypically distinct derivatives of the neural crest. Molecular cues that determine the chromaffin cell phenotype have not yet been identified; in contrast to a widely held belief, glucocorticoid signaling is apparently not relevant (Development 126 (1999) 2935). Transforming growth factor-betas (TGF-betas) regulate various as...

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) have been implicated in cardiac dysfunction during endotoxemia. Because IL-18 is a proinflammatory cytokine known to mediate the production of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta and to induce the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), we hypothesized that neutralization...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW In this review we present current advances in our understanding of HIV-1 neutralization assays that employ primary cell types, as compared with those that utilize cell lines and the newer, more standardized pseudovirus assays. A commentary on the challenges of standardizing in-vitro neutralization assays using primary cells is included. RECENT FINDINGS The data from reporter...

Longitudinal compression of a velocity-tailored, intense neutralized beam at 300 keV, 25 mA has been demonstrated. The compression takes place in a 1-2 m drift section filled with plasma to provide space-charge neutralization. An induction cell produces a head-to-tail velocity ramp that longitudinally compresses the neutralized beam, enhancing the beam peak current by a factor of 50 and produci...