Recent key advances in human immunodeficiency virus medicine and implications for China

In this article we summarize several recent major developments in human immunodeficiency virus treatment, prevention, outcome, and social policy change. Updated international guidelines endorse more aggressive treatment strategies and safer antiretroviral drugs. New antiretroviral options are being tested. Important lessons were learned in the areas of human immunodeficiency virus vaccines and microbicide gels from clinical studies, and additional trials in prevention, especially pre-exposure prophylaxis, are nearing completion. Insight into the role of the virus in the pathogenesis of diseases traditionally thought to be unrelated to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome has become a driving force for earlier and universal therapy. Lastly, we review important achievements of and future challenges facing China as she steps into her eighth year of the National Free Antiretroviral Treatment Program

Detection of enantiomers of chiral primary amines by 1H NMR analysis via enamine formation with an enantiopure γ-position aldol product of a β-keto ester

A 1H NMR analysis method that detects enantiomers of molecules bearing a primary amino group has been developed. The method uses a β-keto ester-derived probe that forms enamines with the amines and is able to discriminate enantiomers of functionalized amines and amines that have chiral centers at positions remote from the amine group

Massively parallel pyrosequencing-based transcriptome analyses of small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus), a vector insect transmitting rice stripe virus (RSV)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The small brown planthopper (<it>Laodelphax striatellus</it>) is an important agricultural pest that not only damages rice plants by sap-sucking, but also acts as a vector that transmits rice stripe virus (RSV), which can cause even more serious yield loss. Despite being a model organism for studying entomology, population biology, plant protection, molecular interactions among plants, viruses and insects, only a few genomic sequences are available for this species. To investigate its transcriptome and determine the differences between viruliferous and naïve <it>L. striatellus</it>, we employed 454-FLX high-throughput pyrosequencing to generate EST databases of this insect.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We obtained 201,281 and 218,681 high-quality reads from viruliferous and naïve <it>L. striatellus</it>, respectively, with an average read length as 230 bp. These reads were assembled into contigs and two EST databases were generated. When all reads were combined, 16,885 contigs and 24,607 singletons (a total of 41,492 unigenes) were obtained, which represents a transcriptome of the insect. BlastX search against the NCBI-NR database revealed that only 6,873 (16.6%) of these unigenes have significant matches. Comparison of the distribution of GO classification among viruliferous, naïve, and combined EST databases indicated that these libraries are broadly representative of the <it>L. striatellus </it>transcriptomes. Functionally diverse transcripts from RSV, endosymbiotic bacteria <it>Wolbachia </it>and yeast-like symbiotes were identified, which reflects the possible lifestyles of these microbial symbionts that live in the cells of the host insect. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that <it>L. striatellus </it>encodes similar innate immunity regulatory systems as other insects, such as RNA interference, JAK/STAT and partial Imd cascades, which might be involved in defense against viral infection. In addition, we determined the differences in gene expression between vector and naïve samples, which generated a list of candidate genes that are potentially involved in the symbiosis of <it>L. striatellus </it>and RSV.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>To our knowledge, the present study is the first description of a genomic project for <it>L. striatellus</it>. The identification of transcripts from RSV, <it>Wolbachia</it>, yeast-like symbiotes and genes abundantly expressed in viruliferous insect, provided a starting-point for investigating the molecular basis of symbiosis among these organisms.</p

HIV testing and care systems focused on sexually transmitted HIV in China

Over three-quarters of new HIV infections in China during 2009 were estimated to be from sexual transmission. Over half of those living with HIV do not know their serostatus and identifying and treating individuals with sexually transmitted HIV infection has been challenging

Recent key advances in human immunodeficiency virus medicine and implications for China

Abstract In this article we summarize several recent major developments in human immunodeficiency virus treatment, prevention, outcome, and social policy change. Updated international guidelines endorse more aggressive treatment strategies and safer antiretroviral drugs. New antiretroviral options are being tested. Important lessons were learned in the areas of human immunodeficiency virus vaccines and microbicide gels from clinical studies, and additional trials in prevention, especially pre-exposure prophylaxis, are nearing completion. Insight into the role of the virus in the pathogenesis of diseases traditionally thought to be unrelated to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome has become a driving force for earlier and universal therapy. Lastly, we review important achievements of and future challenges facing China as she steps into her eighth year of the National Free Antiretroviral Treatment Program