Serum IgG levels according to AOM history and nasopharyngeal colonisation.

<p>Adjusted (age, gender, day-care attendance) geometric mean concentration of serum IgG in Arbitrary Units/mL (95% CI) against pneumococcal and NTHi proteins in children positive (black bar) or negative (white bar) for nasopharyngeal colonisation with <i>S. pneumoniae</i> for IgG against PspA1, PspA2, CbpA, and Ply or nasopharyngeal colonisation with NTHi for IgG against P4, P6, and PD in children with a history of rAOM (top panel A) or healthy controls (bottom panel B). P-value determined using linear regression correcting for age, gender and day-care attendance… <i>PspA1/2, pneumococcal surface protein A families 1 and 2; CbpA, choline binding protein A; Ply, pneumolysin; P4, outer membrane protein 4; P6, outer membrane protein 6; PD, protein D.</i></p

Interactive effects.

<p>Interactive effects calculated using general linear model of rAOM * age (panel A; p = 0.003) and rAOM * day-care attendance (panel B; p = 0.04) on geometric mean CbpA levels (AU/mL) and the effect of rAOM * gender on GMC of anti-P4 IgG levels (panel C; p = 0.05). <i>CbpA, choline binding protein A; P4, outer membrane protein 4.</i></p

Serum IgG according to detection of <i>S. pneumoniae</i> in the middle ear.

<p>Geometric mean concentration of serum IgG in Arbitrary Units/mL (95% CI) against pneumococcal proteins in children with a history of rAOM who do or do not have <i>S. pneumoniae</i> (Pnc) detected in middle ear effusion (MEE) using PCR. P-value determined using Students <i>t</i> test.</p><p> <i>PspA1/2, pneumococcal surface protein A families 1 and 2; CbpA, choline binding protein A; Ply, pneumolysin.</i></p

Serum IgG levels according to AOM history and age.

<p>Adjusted (gender, day-care attendance) geometric mean concentration according to age of serum IgG in Arbitrary Units/mL (95% CI) against pneumococcal and NTHi protein antigens in healthy children (white bars) and children with a history of rAOM (black bars).General linear model followed by Tukey honestly significant difference test was used to compare differences between age groups within the group of children with rAOM and within the healthy control group, where p<0.05 was considered significant; <i>a</i>  =  p<0.05 when comparing <12 months with 12–14 months, <i>b</i>  =  p<0.05 when comparing <12 months with 24–36 months, <i>c</i>  =  p<0.05 when comparing 12–24 months with 24–36 months. <i>PspA1/2, pneumococcal surface protein A families 1 and 2; CbpA, choline binding protein A; Ply, pneumolysin; P4, outer membrane protein 4; P6, outer membrane protein 6; PD, protein D.</i></p

Serum IgG according to detection of NTHi in the middle ear.

<p>Geometric mean concentration of serum IgG in Arbitrary Units/mL (95% CI) against NTHi proteins in children with a history of rAOM who do or do not have NTHi detected in middle ear effusion (MEE) using PCR. P-value determined using Students <i>t</i> test.</p><p> <i>P4, outer membrane protein 4; P6, outer membrane protein 6; PD, protein D.</i></p

IgG Responses to Pneumococcal and Haemophilus Influenzae Protein Antigens Are Not Impaired in Children with a History of Recurrent Acute Otitis Media

Background: Vaccines including conserved antigens from Streptococcus pneumoniae and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) have the potential to reduce the burden of acute otitis media. Little is known about the antibody response to such antigens in young children with recurrent acute otitis media, however, it has been suggested antibody production may be impaired in these children. Methods: We measured serum IgG levels against 4 pneumococcal (PspA1, PspA 2, CbpA and Ply) and 3 NTHi (P4, P6 and PD) proteins in a cross-sectional study of 172 children under 3 years of age with a history of recurrent acute otitis media (median 7 episodes, requiring ventilation tube insertion) and 63 healthy age-matched controls, using a newly developed multiplex bead assay. Results: Children with a history of recurrent acute otitis media had significantly higher geometric mean serum IgG levels against NTHi proteins P4, P6 and PD compared with healthy controls, whereas there was no difference in antibody levels against pneumococcal protein antigens. In both children with and without a history of acute otitis media, antibody levels increased with age and were significantly higher in children colonised with S. pneumoniae or NTHi compared with children that were not colonised. Conclusions: Proteins from S. pneumoniae and NTHi induce serum IgG in children with a history of acute otitis media. The mechanisms in which proteins induce immunity and potential protection requires further investigation but the dogma of impaired antibody responses in children with recurrent acute otitis media should be reconsidered. © 2012 Wiertsema et al

Informing future cartilage repair strategies: a comparative study of three different human cell types for cartilage tissue engineering.

A major clinical need exists for cartilage repair and regeneration. Despite many different strategies having been pursued, the identification of an optimised cell type and of pre-treatment conditions remains a challenge. This study compares the cartilage-like tissue generated by human bone marrow stromal cells (HBMSCs) and human neonatal and adult chondrocytes cultured on three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds under various conditions in vitro and in vivo with the aim of informing future cartilage repair strategies based upon tissue-engineering approaches. After 3 weeks in vitro culture, all three cell types showed cartilage-like tissue formation on 3D poly (lactide-co-glycolide) acid scaffolds only when cultured in chondrogenic medium. After 6 weeks of chondro-induction, neonatal chondrocyte constructs revealed the most cartilage-like tissue formation with a prominent superficial zone-like layer, a middle zone-like structure and the thinnest fibrous capsule. HBMSC constructs had the thickest fibrous capsule formation. Under basal culture conditions, neonatal articular chondrocytes failed to form any tissue, whereas HBMSCs and adult chondrocytes showed thick fibrous capsule formation at 6 weeks. After in vivo implantation, all groups generated more compact tissues compared with in vitro constructs. Pre-culturing in chondrogenic media for 1 week before implantation reduced fibrous tissue formation in all cell constructs at week 3. After 6 weeks, only the adult chondrocyte group pre-cultured in chondrogenic media was able to maintain a more chondrogenic/less fibrocartilaginous phenotype. Thus, pre-culture under chondrogenic conditions is required to maintain a long-term chondrogenic phenotype, with adult chondrocytes being a more promising cell source than HBMSCs for articular cartilage tissue engineering