Digital Commons Network^™

Molecular Chaperones At The Host-Virus Interface: Heat Shock Protein Roles In Hiv-1 And Emerging Insights For Hiv-2 And Dual Infection, Sabastine Eugene Arthur, Kirk Klogo, Emmanuel Kobina Mensah, Maame Ama Pentsiwa Cudjoe, Adomia Baaba Mensah, Nyamekye Amoabeng Ankrah, Catherine Laaripuoh Omosule, Evelyn Yayra Bonney, George Boateng Kyei

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are essential molecular chaperones involved in protein folding, cellular stress responses, and homeostasis. Recent studies reveal their critical and dual roles in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) life cycle, both promoting and restricting viral replication, latency, and immune modulation. This review synthesizes current evidence on how key HSP families, HSP70, HSP90, and HSP40, interact with HIV proteins such as Tat, Rev, Nef, and Vpx, affecting viral transcription, protein trafficking, and latency. We also highlight Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1) as a direct regulator of the HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR), facilitating latency reversal via recruitment of …

"I Feel Like People Would Look At Me Like I'M Dirty Or Like I'M A Thief:" A Qualitative Exploration Of Interpersonal And Intrapersonal Experiences That Influence Recovery Among Adults At Risk Of Opioid-Related Overdose, Hannah S Szlyk, Sara Jones, Jordan Michener, Zhuoran Zhang, Nina Kaiser, Heidi Holtz, Melody Rachel Konadu Frempong, Husain Lateef, William Hutson, Patricia Cavazos-Rehg

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Due to the nature of early termination of treatment and the transient lifestyles of many people who use substances, many providers are unaware of the factors that may have contributed to their client's engagement in treatment. Treatment providers and researchers need a better understanding of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors that impact recovery from the clients' perspective. This study uses qualitative methods to explore these factors.

METHODS: Eligible participants were adults who had used opioids and/or stimulants and were receiving treatment at a consenting facility. Participants completed one-month follow-up interviews after using a mobile health intervention. Transcripts were analyzed using …

Barriers And Facilitators To Implementing A Task-Sharing Mental Health Intervention For Sickle Cell Disease Populations In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Qualitative Analysis Using The Consolidated Framework For Implementation Research (Cfir), John Patena, Leah Elster, Tania Hameed, Sumedha Kulkarni, Alden Yuanhong Lai, Annika C Sweetland, Joyce Gyamfi, Temitope Ojo, Angela Odoms-Young, Charmaine Royal, Emmanuel Peprah

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: People living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) experience higher rates of common mental disorders (CMD). There is an alarming treatment gap in the provision of adequate mental health services for CMDs in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). One solution is the implementation of task-sharing interventions such as the Friendship Bench which utilizes concepts of problem-solving therapy (PST). This investigation uses a qualitative study design to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of implementing a PST-based task-sharing mental health intervention for SCD populations in LMICs using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).

METHODS: Purposive, convenience, and snowball sampling strategies were …

The Perfect Storm: Unraveling The Interplay Of Genetic Predisposition And Viral Triggers In Type 1 Diabetes Pathogenesis, Daniel A Veronese-Paniagua, Jeffrey R Millman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the T cell-mediated destruction of insulin-secreting pancreatic β cells, leaving patients reliant on exogenous insulin to establish normoglycemia. Despite advancements in glucose management, the precise pathological mechanisms linking genetic predisposition and environmental triggers to the loss of immune tolerance remain incompletely understood, hindering the development of preventative therapies. This comprehensive review synthesizes clinical, experimental, and epidemiological data to detail the intricate pathogenesis of T1D, focusing on the convergence of autoimmunity, high-risk genetics, and enteroviral infection. We discuss how T1D is fundamentally a disease caused by failures in central and …

Sauna Use As A Novel Management Approach For Cardiovascular Health And Peripheral Arterial Disease, Sergio Sastriques-Dunlop, Santiago Elizondo-Benedetto, Mohamed A Zayed

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Heat therapy (HT), particularly in the form of whole-body sauna bathing, has emerged as a promising intervention for the management of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Passive HT can induce both local and systemic physiological responses, primarily through repeated thermal stress consisting of short-term passive exposure to high temperatures. Such responses closely parallel the physiological adaptations observed during aerobic exercise. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) poses significant health challenges, impacting millions of individuals worldwide. Supervised exercise is considered a cornerstone therapy for PAD, yet many patients face significant health-related barriers that complicate its broad implementation.

METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive review of …

Assessing The Efficacy Of The Natural Disaccharide Trehalose In Ameliorating Diet-Induced Obesity And Metabolic Dysfunction, Yu-Sheng Yeh, Trent D Evans, Se-Jin Jeong, Ziyang Liu, Ali Ajam, Carlos Cosme, Jun Huang, Doureradjou Peroumal, Xiangyu Zhang, Ali Javaheri, Jaehyung Cho, Irfan J Lodhi, Babak Razani

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Trehalose is a naturally occurring disaccharide with versatile commercial applications and health benefits, including promise as a therapeutic for obesity and diabetes. Although numerous previous reports purport the therapeutic uses of orally ingested trehalose, the abundance of glycosidases in the gastrointestinal tract suggest the potential for significant limitations of oral trehalose that have not been addressed. We first fed mice a high-fat diet (HFD) while providing trehalose by both oral and intraperitoneal routes. This combined strategy was broadly efficacious in reversing HFD-induced weight gain, fat mass, insulin resistance, and the development of hepatosteatosis. In contrast, oral-only trehalose failed to improve …