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HIV is a retrovirus, meaning it has to copy its RNA genome into DNA in order to infect cells. Previously, it wasn't known how the virus acquires the building blocks of genetic material it needs, called nucleotides. Importantly, it also wasn't known how HIV does this without setting off the cells alarm systems that are poised to detect foreign DNA. HIV is surrounded by a protein shell called the capsid. It has now been found that HIV hides within the capsid while it builds DNA. The interdisciplinary team used a hybrid approach that involved discerning the atomic structure of the capsid in different states and creating mutant versions of HIV viruses to see how this altered infection. This allowed the researchers to discover iris-like pores in the capsid that open and close like those in the eye. These pores suck in nucleotides needed for replication at great speed while keeping out any unwanted molecules. This helps to explain why HIV is so successful at evading the immune...

New research from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine shows that just over two-thirds (66.9 percent) of college-aged women engaged in unprotected sex during their last sexual encounter involving alcohol. The study, published online in the  Journal of Behavioral Medicine , set out to understand how one's beliefs about alcohol and sex affect condom use during sexual encounters involving alcohol. Based on participants surveyed, sex without a condom was significantly and positively related to both one's motivation for sexual activity to satisfy personal physical needs and stronger beliefs that alcohol promotes sexual risk-taking. "Understanding the factors that may underlie the association between alcohol and condomless sex among young women is of considerable public health importance," says Jennifer Brown, PhD, lead author and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the UC College of Medicine. "Particular...

Influenza A is one of the most prolific and diverse viruses on Earth; its ability to rapidly mutate to resist treatment challenges the management of future pandemics. Now, A*STAR researchers have identified thousands of segments of RNA that could act as potential new antiviral drug targets, and provide protection against all strains of Influenza A. During a pandemic, which could take only two months to spread across the world, the creation of a new vaccine to target a specific strain of Influenza A could take up to six months. A new avenue being explored includes antiviral drugs created using so-called antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) -- synthetic polymers that can block disease progression by altering viral RNA activity. "The next Influenza A pandemic is inevitable, given how easy it is for an animal-based subtype to mutate and infect humans," says Keng Boon Wee at the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing, who worked on the project with scientists across Sin...