Impact of meningococcal ACWY conjugate vaccines on pharyngeal carriage in adolescents: evidence for herd protection from the UK MenACWY programme

Objective: Serogroup W and Y invasive meningococcal disease increased globally from 2000 onwards. Responding to a rapid increase in serogroup W clonal complex 11 (W:cc11) invasive meningococcal disease, the UK replaced an adolescent booster dose of meningococcal C conjugate vaccine with quadrivalent MenACWY conjugate vaccine in 2015. By 2018, the vaccine coverage in the eligible school cohorts aged 14 to 19 years was 84%. We assessed the impact of the MenACWY vaccination programme on meningococcal carriage. Methods: An observational study of culture-defined oropharyngeal meningococcal carriage prevalence before and after the start of the MenACWY vaccination programme in UK school students, aged 15 to 19 years, using two cross-sectional studies: 2014 to 2015 “UKMenCar4” and 2018 “Be on the TEAM” (ISRCTN75858406). Results: A total of 10 625 participants preimplementation and 13 434 postimplementation were included. Carriage of genogroups C, W, and Y (combined) decreased from 2.03 to 0.71% (OR 0.34 [95% CI 0.27–0.44], p < 0.001). Carriage of genogroup B meningococci did not change (1.26% vs 1.23% [95% CI 0.77–1.22], p = 0.80) and genogroup C remained rare (n = 7/10 625 vs 17/13 488, p = 0.135). The proportion of serogroup positive isolates (i.e. those expressing capsule) decreased for genogroup W by 53.8% (95% CI –5.0 to 79.8, p = 0.016) and for genogroup Y by 30.1% (95% CI 8.9–46·3, p = 0.0025). Discussion: The UK MenACWY vaccination programme reduced carriage acquisition of genogroup and serogroup Y and W meningococci and sustained low levels of genogroup C carriage. These data support the use of quadrivalent MenACWY conjugate vaccine for indirect (herd) protection

Noncovalent and Nonspecific Molecular Interactions of Polymers with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Polymer composites containing variable amounts of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) have been prepared using solution dispersion and melt-shear mixing. Various polymer composites with 1 wt % MWNTs have been found to dissolve homogeneously in organic solvents. The amount of polymer coated or wrapped MWNTs dissolved in the solution was quantified using UV-vis absorbance at 500 nm and the concentration ratio of [MWNTs]solution/[MWNTs]composite was close to 1. A nonspecific polymer adsorption through multiple-weak molecular interactions of CH groups with MWNTs in the composites has been identified through FTIR spectroscopy. The composites of polybutadiene with different wt % of MWNTs showed slight changes in the CH bending vibrations, indicating the presence of intermolecular CH-π interactions. The dissolution of various polymer composites containing low concentration of MWNTs in organic solvents was attributed to polymer coating on the MWNTs via noncovalent and nonspecific CH-π interactions. The dissolution of MWNTs in organic solvents using common polymers used in this study indicates that the coating or wrapping is a general phenomenon occurring between polymers and carbon nanotubes

Carbon Nanotubes with Covalently Linked Porphyrin Antennae: Photoinduced Electron Transfer

Functionalization of carbon nanotubes through surface modification has attracted significant interest recently. Covalent and noncovalent functionalization strategies involving reactions of organic or polymeric molecules onto carbon nanotubes have primarily focused on dispersion or dissolution properties. Incorporation of light absorbing antenna chromophores through a covalent linkage with the extended π electrons of a carbon nanotube would constitute an ideal supramolecular nanoassembly for generating singlet excited energy and its conversion to chemical energy. Porphyrins are one such class of molecules used in assemblies of donor-acceptor materials in molecular electronics and photovoltaic devices. Several fullerene-based molecular systems with covalently linked porphyrins and metalloporphyrins have been synthesized; their interesting photoinduced electron-transfer processes have been studied. Noncovalent interaction of metalloporphyrins and freebase porphyrins with single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) has been used for dispersion and also for separation of semiconducting and metallic tubes. Recently, a noncovalently interacting donoracceptor system consisting of an anionically functionalized porphyrin and a cationically functionalized pyrene stacked on SWNTs has been shown to exhibit electron-transfer properties. A donor-acceptor system with a covalent linkage between the light-harvesting antenna and the acceptor reaction center could enhance the efficiency of photoinduced electron transfer and energy transfer. Supramolecular structures consisting of covalently grafted porphyrins to carbon nanotubes have not been synthesized so far as an efficient donor-acceptor system. In this communication, we report the synthesis of meso-substituted porphyrin-grafted carbon nanotubes ((por)n-g-CNTs), including multiwalled nanotubes ((por)n-g- MWNTs) and SWNT ((por)n-g-SWNTs), and the study of their photoinduced electron-transfer properties

Stronger Together: Results from a Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial of a Dyadic Intervention to Improve Engagement in HIV Care Among Serodiscordant Male Couples in Three US Cities

Engagement in HIV care and a high level of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence for people living with HIV is crucial to treatment success and can minimize the population burden of the disease. Despite this, there is a critical gap in HIV prevention science around the development of interventions for serodiscordant male couples. This paper reports on the results of a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of Stronger Together, a dyadic counseling intervention aimed at increasing engagement in and optimizing HIV care among serodiscordant male couples in Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, and Chicago, IL. Between 2014 and 2017, 159 male serodiscordant couples (total N = 318) in Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, and Chicago, IL were enrolled and equally randomized to either the Stronger Together intervention arm (a three-session dyadic intervention involving HIV testing and adherence counseling) or a standard of care (SOC) control arm. Couples completed individual study assessments via an audio computer assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) system at baseline, 6, 12 and 18&nbsp;months. Primary outcomes included being prescribed and currently taking ART, and fewer missed doses of ART in the past 30 days;&nbsp;because the trial was not powered to examine&nbsp;viral suppression, we examined this as an exploratory outcome.&nbsp;Longitudinal data analysis was by an intention-to-treat approach. Participants ages ranged from 18 to 69 (mean = 35.9), and are predominantly white (77.5%), and college educated (68.4% earned a college degree or higher). Participants randomized to the Stronger Together arm had a significantly greater odds of being prescribed and currently taking ART over time than those in the SOC arm (at 12&nbsp;months OR 2.75, 95%CI 1.35-4.67, p-value 0.020, and at 18&nbsp;months OR 2.91, 95%CI 1.61-4.88, p-value 0.013). Similarly, those in the Stronger Together arm had a significantly lower odds of missing a dose of ART in the past 30&nbsp;days over time compared to those in the SOC arm (at 12&nbsp;months OR 0.28, 95%CI 0.09-0.81, p-value 0.019, and at 18 months OR 0.25, 95%CI 0.07-0.82, p-value 0.023). Among male couples in serodiscordant relationships, the Stronger Together intervention resulted in significantly improved HIV treatment outcomes at both 12 and 18&nbsp;months of follow-up. This trial is the first to date to demonstrate evidence of efficacy for a dyadic counseling intervention and has the potential to fill a critical gap in secondary HIV prevention interventions for serodiscordant male couples

Correction: Zoonotic risk factors associated with seroprevalence of Ebola virus GP antibodies in the absence of diagnosed Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009566.]