The placenta is a highly specialized organ that is formed during human gestation for
conferring protection and generating an optimal microenvironment to maintain the …

Background Congenital infection of the fetus via trans-placental passage of pathogens can
result in severe morbidity and mortality. Even without transmission to the fetus, infection of …

Background Despite readily detectable levels of the HIV-1 (co)-receptors CD4, CCR5 and
DC-SIGN on placental macrophages (Hofbauer Cells [HCs]), the rate of HIV-1 infection in …

Antiretroviral drugs currently in use for treating HIV-1 infection are very effective at
maintaining low viral loads and clinical stability, but have been limited by their inability to …

Background Poor nutrition may be associated with mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of
HIV and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Objective The objective was to examine the …

The role of coreceptors other than CCR5 and CXCR4 in the pathogenesis of human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease is controversial. Here we show that a promiscuous …

Maternal-infant transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) is the primary
cause of this retrovirus infection in neonates. Trophoblasts have been proposed to play a …

Viral latency is a long-term pathogenic condition in patients infected with HIV-1. Low but
sustained virus replication in chronically infected cells can be activated by stimulation with …

Several viruses can pass the maternal-fetal barrier, and cause diseases of the fetus or the
newborn. Recently, however, it became obvious, that viruses may invade fetal cells and …

Objectives: To examine whether wasting during pregnancy, as measured by weight loss and
low weight gain, is associated with increased mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV-1 …