4 research outputs found
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A Critique of Studies on the Effect of HIV/AIDS Conspiracy Beliefs on African Americans
A disproportionate amount of HIV/AIDS cases each year occur among African Americans. The purpose of this study was to review the numerous studies on HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs and their effects into one document. This research was done using research databases to indentify peer-reviewed journal articles on HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs, and then reviewing and critiquing them. A review of the current studies shows that persons holding conspiracy beliefs are found to get more frequent HIV tests. The effect of conspiracy beliefs on treatment adherence is unclear given the current studies. Studies have found that HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs have a negative association with condom use. Historical events, such as the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, segregation of hospitals, the eugenics movement, and the case of Henrietta Lacks, provide a potential explanation for where the sense of distrust may have stemmed from. A review of the current body of knowledge revealed gaps in the absence of random samples, studies focusing on rural populations, studies focusing on women with HIV, and studies that involve people who have not been tested for HIV. Currently, no other compilation and critique of studies of this kind have been located on the subject of HIV/AIDS conspiracy theories and their effect on African Americans
Expanding the diversity of mycobacteriophages: insights into genome architecture and evolution.
Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect mycobacterial hosts such as Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. All mycobacteriophages characterized to date are dsDNA tailed phages, and have either siphoviral or myoviral morphotypes. However, their genetic diversity is considerable, and although sixty-two genomes have been sequenced and comparatively analyzed, these likely represent only a small portion of the diversity of the mycobacteriophage population at large. Here we report the isolation, sequencing and comparative genomic analysis of 18 new mycobacteriophages isolated from geographically distinct locations within the United States. Although no clear correlation between location and genome type can be discerned, these genomes expand our knowledge of mycobacteriophage diversity and enhance our understanding of the roles of mobile elements in viral evolution. Expansion of the number of mycobacteriophages grouped within Cluster A provides insights into the basis of immune specificity in these temperate phages, and we also describe a novel example of apparent immunity theft. The isolation and genomic analysis of bacteriophages by freshman college students provides an example of an authentic research experience for novice scientists
Expanding the diversity of mycobacteriophages: insights into genome architecture and evolution.
Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect mycobacterial hosts such as Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. All mycobacteriophages characterized to date are dsDNA tailed phages, and have either siphoviral or myoviral morphotypes. However, their genetic diversity is considerable, and although sixty-two genomes have been sequenced and comparatively analyzed, these likely represent only a small portion of the diversity of the mycobacteriophage population at large. Here we report the isolation, sequencing and comparative genomic analysis of 18 new mycobacteriophages isolated from geographically distinct locations within the United States. Although no clear correlation between location and genome type can be discerned, these genomes expand our knowledge of mycobacteriophage diversity and enhance our understanding of the roles of mobile elements in viral evolution. Expansion of the number of mycobacteriophages grouped within Cluster A provides insights into the basis of immune specificity in these temperate phages, and we also describe a novel example of apparent immunity theft. The isolation and genomic analysis of bacteriophages by freshman college students provides an example of an authentic research experience for novice scientists