antviral/dental caries

Emerging studies at the nanoscale on the relationships between the structure, mechanical properties and infectivity of virus particles are revealing important physics-based foundations of virus biology that may have biomedical and nanotechnological applications. Human rhinovirus (HRV) is the major

The oral cavity represents a unique site for mucosal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Unlike other mucosal sites, the oral cavity is rarely a site of HIV transmission despite detectable virus in saliva and oropharyngeal tissues of infected persons. One reason for this

Many viruses, such as human herpesviruses, may be present in the human oral cavity, but most are usually asymptomatic. However, if individuals become immunocompromised by age, illness, or as a side effect of therapy, these dormant viruses can be activated and produce a variety of pathological

Although it is generally assumed that HIV transmission does not occur through casual oral contact, persistent reports in the literature and the well-documented case of the Florida dentist (Ou et al., 1992) have served to elevate concerns and interest about the possibility of oral transmission of

The pathway by which HIV-1 enters host cells is a prime target for novel drug discovery because of its critical role in the life cycle of HIV-1. The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 plays an important role in initiating virus entry by targeting the primary cell receptor CD4. We explored the

In our attempt to optimize the lead HIV-1 entry antagonist, NBD-11021, we present in this study the rational design and synthesis of 60 new analogues and determination of their antiviral activity in a single-cycle and a multicycle infection assay to derive a comprehensive structure-activity

The immunomodulator muramyl tripeptide-phosphatidylethanolamine (MTP-PE) has been shown to enhance host resistance against a variety of experimental infections and to cure influenza virus infection in mice when given in a single dose, even at a late stage of the disease. Tests of its capacity to

Recent X-ray crystallographic determination of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp41 core structure opened up a new avenue to discover antiviral agents for chemotherapy of HIV-1 infection and AIDS. We have undertaken a systematic study to search for anti-HIV-1 lead compounds targeted to gp41. Using

In this contribution, the classification of protein binding sites using the physicochemical properties exposed to their pockets is presented. We recently introduced Cavbase, a method for describing and comparing protein binding pockets on the basis of the geometrical and physicochemical properties

A fetuin-binding peptide with a molecular mass of about 9kDa (designated NTP) was isolated and purified from the bulbs of Chinese daffodil, Narcissus tazetta var. chinensis L., by gel filtration and high-performance liquid chromatography, after removing the mannose-binding proteins by

The authors examine some specific forms of precancerous states of the oral cavity, selecting them from among the 4 classes defined by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Precancerous Lesions. The immunological system is given particular emphasis. In fact, as studies progress, it appears to be more

Infectious diseases are the main cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in humans. The World Health Organization estimated that in 1995 approximately 8 million infants died within the first year of life from infectious diseases, including 5 million during the first week of life. Some of the

Opiates and opioid agents are known to affect the immune system. In humans this includes alterations in natural killer (NK) cell activity. Morphine is reported to reduce in vivo spleen NK activity in rats, whereas for methadone only in vitro data have been described. In the present paper we describe

An experimental model of herpetic infection based on intranasal challenge of 12-day-old mice with herpes simplex virus (type 1) has been developed for assessment of the efficacy of a variety of antiviral compounds with clinical potential: cytosine arabinoside, adenine arabinoside, iododeoxyuridine,