In Vivo Behavior of the Antibacterial Peptide Cyclo[RRRWFW], Explored Using a 3-Hydroxychromone-Derived Fluorescent Amino Acid

Labeling biomolecules with fluorescent labels is an established tool for structural, biochemical, and biophysical studies; however, it remains underused for small peptides. In this work, an amino acid bearing a 3-hydroxychromone fluorophore, 2-amino-3-(2-(furan-2-yl)-3-hydroxy-4-oxo-4H-chromen-6-yl)propanoic acid (FHC), was incorporated in a known hexameric antimicrobial peptide, cyclo[RRRWFW] (cWFW), in place of aromatic residues. Circular dichroism spectropolarimetry and antibacterial activity measurements demonstrated that the FHC residue perturbs the peptide structure depending on labeling position but does not modify the activity of cWFW significantly. FHC thus can be considered an adequate label for studies of the parent peptide. Several analytical and imaging techniques were used to establish the activity of the obtained labeled cWFW analogues toward animal cells and to study the behavior of the peptides in a multicellular organism. The 3-hydroxychromone fluorophore can undergo excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), resulting in double-band emission from its two tautomeric forms. This feature allowed us to get insights into conformational equilibria of the labeled peptides, localize the cWFW analogues in human cells (HeLa and HEK293) and zebrafish embryos, and assess the polarity of the local environment around the label by confocal fluorescence microscopy. We found that the labeled peptides efficiently penetrated cancerous cells and localized mainly in lipid-containing and/or other nonpolar subcellular compartments. In the zebrafish embryo, the peptides remained in the bloodstream upon injection into the cardinal vein, presumably adhering to lipoproteins and/or microvesicles. They did not diffuse into any tissue to a significant extent during the first 3 h after administration. This study demonstrated the utility of fluorescent labeling by double-emission labels to evaluate biologically active peptides as potential drug candidates in vivo

Questioning the “Ease” in disease: Was living with HIV a burden or boost during the first wave of Covid-19 in France? A qualitative study (COVIDHIV)

Introduction Clinical research has focused on risk factors and treatment for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2), particularly in people with a comorbidity including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but little attention has been paid to the care pathway. This article aims to show how living with HIV may have been a biopsychosocial burden or boost in care pathways for Covid-19. Method People living with HIV (PLHIV) from 9 clinical centers were invited to participate in this qualitative study. The sampling was purposive with a maximum variation in their sociodemographic profiles. Semi-structured interviews were conducted until data saturation, then coded for thematic analysis, using an inductive general approach. Results We interviewed 34 PLHIV of which 20 had SARS-COV-2 once. They were 24 males, 26 born in France; median age: 55. Twenty had a CD4 number above 500, and all were on antiretroviral therapy (ART). HIV appeared as a burden when Covid-19 symptoms reminded HIV seroconversion, fear of contamination, and triggered questions about ART effectiveness. HIV was not considered relevant when diagnosing Covid-19, caused fear of disclosure when participants sought SARS-COV-2 testing, and its care in hospitals was disrupted by the pandemic. ART-pill fatigue caused avoidance for Covid-19 treatment. As a boost, living with HIV led participants to observe symptoms, to get advice from healthcare professionals, and screening access through them. Some participants could accept the result of screening or a clinical diagnosis out of resilience. Some could consider ART or another drug prescribed by their HIV specialist help them to recover from Covid-19. Conclusion Living with HIV could function as a burden and/or a boost in the care pathways for Covid-19, according to patients’ relationship to their HIV history, comorbidities and representation of ART. Covid-19 in PLHIV needs further qualitative study to gain a more comprehensive assessment of the pandemic’s consequences on their lives and coping strategies

Beneficial effects of physical activity in an HIV-infected woman with lipodystrophy: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Lipodystrophy is common in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy, and presents with morphologic changes and metabolic alterations that are associated with depressive behavior and reduced quality of life. We examined the effects of exercise training on morphological changes, lipid profile and quality of life in a woman with human immunodeficiency virus presenting with lipodystrophy.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 31-year-old Latin-American Caucasian woman infected with human immunodeficiency virus participated in a 12-week progressive resistance exercise training program with an aerobic component. Her weight, height, skinfold thickness, body circumferences, femur and humerus diameter, blood lipid profile, maximal oxygen uptake volume, exercise duration, strength and quality of life were assessed pre-exercise and post-exercise training. After 12 weeks, she exhibited reductions in her total subcutaneous fat (18.5%), central subcutaneous fat (21.0%), peripheral subcutaneous fat (10.7%), waist circumference (WC) (4.5%), triglycerides (9.9%), total cholesterol (12.0%) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (8.6%). She had increased body mass (4.6%), body mass index (4.37%), humerus and femur diameter (3.0% and 2.3%, respectively), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (16.7%), maximal oxygen uptake volume (33.3%), exercise duration (37.5%) and strength (65.5%). Quality of life measures improved mainly for psychological and physical measures, independence and social relationships.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings suggest that supervised progressive resistance exercise training is a safe and effective treatment for evolving morphologic and metabolic disorders in adults infected with HIV receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy, and improves their quality of life.</p

Factors that affect quality of life among people living with HIV attending an urban clinic in Uganda: A cohort study

© 2015 Mutabazi-Mwesigire et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Introduction: With the availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and primary general care for people living with HIV (PLHIV) in resource limited settings, PLHIV are living longer, and HIV has been transformed into a chronic illness. People are diagnosed and started on treatment when they are relatively well. Although ART results in clinical improvement, the ultimate goal of treatment is full physical functioning and general well-being, with a focus on quality of life rather than clinical outcomes. However, there has been little research on the relationship of specific factors to quality of life in PLHIV. The objective of this study was to investigate factors associated with quality of life among PLHIV in Uganda receiving basic care and those on ART. Methods: We enrolled 1274 patients attending an HIV outpatient clinic into a prospective cohort study. Of these, 640 received ART. All were followed up at 3 and 6 months. Health related quality of life was assessed with the MOS-HIV Health Survey and the Global Person Generated Index (GPGI). Multivariate linear regression and logistic regression with generalized estimating equations were used to examine the relationship of social behavioral and disease factors with Physical Health Summary (PHS) score, Mental Health Summary (MHS) score, and GPGI. Results: Among PLHIV receiving basic care, PHS was associated with: sex (p=0.045) - females had lower PHS; age in years at enrollment (p=0.0001) - older patients had lower PHS; and depression (

Physical and emotional health outcomes after 12 months of public-sector antiretroviral treatment in the Free State Province of South Africa: a longitudinal study using structural equation modelling

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>African and Asian cohort studies have demonstrated the clinical efficacy of antiretroviral treatment (ART) in resource-limited settings. However, reports of the long-term changes in the physical and emotional quality of life (QoL) of patients on ART in these settings are still scarce. In this study, we assessed the physical and emotional QoL after six and 12 months of ART of a sample of 268 patients enrolled in South Africa's public-sector ART programme. The study also tested the impact of the adverse effects of medication on patients' physical and emotional QoL.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A stratified random sample of 268 patients undergoing ART was interviewed at baseline (< 6 months ART) and follow-up (< 12 months ART). A model of the relationships between the duration of ART, the adverse effects of medication, and physical and emotional QoL (measured using EUROQOL-5D) was tested using structural equation modelling.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The improved physical and emotional QoL shown at baseline was sustained over the 12-month study period, because treatment duration was not significantly associated with changes in the patients' QoL. Physical QoL significantly and positively influenced the patients' emotional QoL (subjective well-being [SWB]) (β = 0.33, <it>P </it>< 0.01). Longitudinal data showed that patients reported significantly fewer adverse effects at follow-up than at baseline (β = -0.38, <it>P </it>< 0.001) and that these adverse effects negatively influenced physical (β = -0.27, <it>P </it>< 0.01) and emotional QoL (β = -0.15, <it>P </it>< 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study provides evidence that the South African public-sector ART programme is effective in delivering sustained improvement in patient well-being. However, the results should encourage clinicians and lay health workers to be vigilant regarding the adverse effects of treatment, because they can seriously affect physical and emotional QoL.</p

Évaporation de gouttes près du point critique : influence de la tension superficielle sur les conditions d'équilibre

The influence of surface tension on droplets in equilibrium in their vapour is investigated here. Equilibra cases for a pure body and for a binary mixture are successively examined by means of classical thermodynamical arguments, without mentioning the equation of state. It appears that the surface tension produces a difference in relation to the plane case, which is, as a first approximation, of the order of the ratio between the molecular diameter and the droplet's one

Radiothérapie et cancer: Des représentations ancrées sur le vécu des patients

In a context of practice change in radiotherapy, this study aims at determining the social representations of this treatment as well as the experience of patients who go through radiotherapy. The qualitative approach used in this study allowed a comprehensive approach of the object. Data gathered among 39 patients treated in a French cancer facility suggest that radiotherapy is still an unknown object and that this treatment is often associated with chemotherapy. © Lavoisier SAS 2018Dans un contexte de changement de pratique en radiothérapie, cette étude a pour objectif d’investiguer à la fois le vécu, mais aussi les représentations de ce traitement chez les patients bénéficiant d’un traitement de radiothérapie. Une approche qualitative a été utilisée dans une visée compréhensive de ce traitement. Les données recueillies auprès de 39 patients traités dans un centre de lutte contre le cancer français suggèrent que la radiothérapie reste un traitement méconnu, mais qu’il est souvent associé avec la chimiothérapie