The star of the month

The Dengue Virus Genome
Dengue virus is a small virus that carries a single strand of RNA as its genome. The genome encodes only ten proteins. Three of these are structural proteins that form the coat of the virus and deliver the RNA to target cells, and seven of them are nonstructural proteins that orchestrate the production of new viruses once the virus gets inside the cell. The outermost structural protein, termed the envelope protein, is shown here from PDB entry 1k4r. The virus is enveloped with a lipid membrane, and 180 identical copies of the envelope protein are attached to the surface of the membrane by a short transmembrane segment. The job of the envelope protein is to attach to a cell surface and begin the process of infection.

A Deadly Switch
In the infectious form of the virus, the envelope protein lays flat on the surface of the virus, forming a smooth coat with icosahedral symmetry. However, when the virus is carried into the cell and into lysozomes, the acidic environment causes the protein to snap into a different shape, assembling into trimeric spike, as shown at the bottom from PDB entry 1ok8. Several hydrophobic amino acids at the tip of this spike, colored bright red here, insert into the lysozomal membrane and cause the virus membrane to fuse with lysozome. This releases the RNA into the cell and infection starts. The hemagglutinin protein on the surface of influenza virus plays a similar role, but the two proteins use entirely different mechanisms to perform a similar task.

PDB (Protein Data Bank): http://www.pdb.org/pdb/home/home.do


MENOPAUSE

……..The reality of human reproduction in developing countries is, of course, far from intended goals, as is most visibly illustrated by the escalating HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Programmatically, the RH approach calls for an expansion of the scope (in terms of health problems addressed) of reproductive health services, including, but not limited to, family planning. It also entails broadening the constituencies to which reproduc-tive health services are addressed to include not only women in the childbearing age but also those from adolescence to post-menopause.

http://www.gprg.org/pubs/workingpapers/pdfs/gprg-wps-005.pdf

There are no simple treatments for established osteoporosis. Treatment is therefore aimed at the time of rapid bone loss during the menopause. HRT based on oestrogen, alone or in combination with proges-terone, has been shown to retard, stop or even reverse bone loss after the menopause. HRT is recom-mended for a maximum of 10 years. That leaves a treatment gap of about 15 years between stopping HRT and the age at which fractures become common.

http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/painres/download/Bando003.pdf



... Furthermore, in developing countries, women at later age are more vulnerable to mental health problems - that is as their traditional roles fades out they loose their purpose of life, since their only productive identity vanishes by the order of nature.