More men than women make mucosal IgA antibodies to Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) and HPV-18: a study of oral HPV and oral HPV antibodies in a normal healthy population

BACKGROUND: We have previously shown the high prevalence of oral anti-human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) antibodies in women with HPV-associated cervical neoplasia. It was postulated that the HPV antibodies were initiated after HPV antigenic stimulation at the cervix via the common mucosal immune system. The present study aimed to further evaluate the effectiveness of oral fluid testing for detecting the mucosal humoral response to HPV infection and to advance our limited understanding of the immune response to HPV. METHODS: The prevalence of oral HPV infection and oral antibodies to HPV types 16, 18 and 11 was determined in a normal, healthy population of children, adolescents and adults, both male and female, attending a dental clinic. HPV types in buccal cells were determined by DNA sequencing. Oral fluid was collected from the gingival crevice of the mouth by the OraSure method. HPV-16, HPV-18 and HPV-11 antibodies in oral fluid were detected by virus-like particle-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. As a reference group 44 women with cervical neoplasia were included in the study. RESULTS: Oral HPV infection was highest in children (9/114, 7.9%), followed by adolescents (4/78, 5.1%), and lowest in normal adults (4/116, 3.5%). The predominant HPV type found was HPV-13 (7/22, 31.8%) followed by HPV-32 (5/22, 22.7%). The prevalence of oral antibodies to HPV-16, HPV-18 and HPV-11 was low in children and increased substantially in adolescents and normal adults. Oral HPV-16 IgA was significantly more prevalent in women with cervical neoplasia (30/44, 68.2%) than the women from the dental clinic (18/69, 26.1% P = 0.0001). Significantly more adult men than women displayed oral HPV-16 IgA (30/47 compared with 18/69, OR 5.0, 95% CI 2.09–12.1, P < 0.001) and HPV-18 IgA (17/47 compared with 13/69, OR 2.4, 95% CI 0.97–6.2, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The increased prevalence of oral HPV antibodies in adolescent individuals compared with children was attributed to the onset of sexual activity. The increased prevalence of oral anti-HPV IgA in men compared with women was noteworthy considering reportedly fewer men than women make serum antibodies, and warrants further investigation

KV7/KCNQ Channels Are Functionally Expressed in Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells

Background: KV7/KCNQ channels are widely expressed in neurons and they have multiple important functions, including control of excitability, spike afterpotentials, adaptation, and theta resonance. Mutations in KCNQ genes have been demonstrated to associate with human neurological pathologies. However, little is known about whether K V7/KCNQ channels are expressed in oligodendrocyte lineage cells (OLCs) and what their functions in OLCs. Methods and Findings: In this study, we characterized KV7/KCNQ channels expression in rat primary cultured OLCs by RT-PCR, immunostaining and electrophysiology. KCNQ2-5 mRNAs existed in all three developmental stages of rat primary cultured OLCs. K V7/KCNQ proteins were also detected in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs, early developmental stages of OLCs) of rat primary cultures and cortex slices. Voltage-clamp recording revealed that the IM antagonist XE991 significantly reduced KV7/KCNQ channel current (IK(Q)) in OPCs but not in differentiated oligodendrocytes. In addition, inhibition of K V7/KCNQ channels promoted OPCs motility in vitro. Conclusions: These findings showed that K V7/KCNQ channels were functionally expressed in rat primary cultured OLCs an

The personal and contextual contributors to school belongingness among primary school students

School belongingness has gained currency among educators and school health professionals as an important determinant of adolescent health. The current cross-sectional study presents the 15 most significant personal and contextual factors that collectively explain 66.4% (two-thirds) of the variability in 12-year old students' perceptions of belongingness in primary school. The study is part of a larger longitudinal study investigating the factors associated with student adjustment in the transition from primary to secondary school. The study found that girls and students with disabilities had higher school belongingness scores than boys, and their typically developing counterparts respectively; and explained 2.5% of the variability in school belongingness. The majority (47.1% out of 66.4%) of the variability in school belongingness was explained by student personal factors, such as social acceptance, physical appearance competence, coping skills, and social affiliation motivation; followed by parental expectations (3% out of 66.4%), and school-based factors (13.9% out of 66.4%) such as, classroom involvement, task-goal structure, autonomy provision, cultural pluralism, and absence of bullying. Each of the identified contributors of primary school belongingness can be shaped through interventions, system changes, or policy reforms

Common variants at ABCA7, MS4A6A/MS4A4E, EPHA1, CD33 and CD2AP are associated with Alzheimer's disease

We sought to identify new susceptibility loci for Alzheimer's disease through a staged association study (GERAD+) and by testing suggestive loci reported by the Alzheimer's Disease Genetic Consortium (ADGC) in a companion paper. We undertook a combined analysis of four genome-wide association datasets (stage 1) and identified ten newly associated variants with P ≤ 1 × 10−5. We tested these variants for association in an independent sample (stage 2). Three SNPs at two loci replicated and showed evidence for association in a further sample (stage 3). Meta-analyses of all data provided compelling evidence that ABCA7 (rs3764650, meta P = 4.5 × 10−17; including ADGC data, meta P = 5.0 × 10−21) and the MS4A gene cluster (rs610932, meta P = 1.8 × 10−14; including ADGC data, meta P = 1.2 × 10−16) are new Alzheimer's disease susceptibility loci. We also found independent evidence for association for three loci reported by the ADGC, which, when combined, showed genome-wide significance: CD2AP (GERAD+, P = 8.0 × 10−4; including ADGC data, meta P = 8.6 × 10−9), CD33 (GERAD+, P = 2.2 × 10−4; including ADGC data, meta P = 1.6 × 10−9) and EPHA1 (GERAD+, P = 3.4 × 10−4; including ADGC data, meta P = 6.0 × 10−10)

Nebulisation of synthetic lamellar lipids mitigates radiation-induced lung injury in a large animal model

Item originally deposited in University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Research Explorer Repository at: https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/nebulisation-of-synthetic-lamellar-lipids-mitigates-radiationinduced-lung-injury-in-a-large-animal-model(ab917c99-7e7f-4fa1-8d1e-40511ca9abd3).htmlMethods to protect against radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) will facilitate the development of more effective radio-therapeutic protocols for lung cancer and may provide the means to protect the wider population in the event of a deliberate or accidental nuclear or radiological event. We hypothesised that supplementing lipid membranes through nebulization of synthetic lamellar lipids would mitigate RILI. Following pre-treatment with either nebulised lamellar lipids or saline, anaesthetised sheep were prescribed fractionated radiotherapy (30 Gray (Gy) total dose in five 6 Gy fractions at 3–4 days intervals) to a defined unilateral lung volume. Gross pathology in radio-exposed lung 37 days after the first radiation treatment was consistent between treatment groups and consisted of deep red congestion evident on the pleural surface and firmness on palpation. Consistent histopathological features in radio-exposed lung were subpleural, periarteriolar and peribronchial intra-alveolar oedema, alveolar fibrosis, interstitial pneumonia and type II pneumocyte hyperplasia. The synthetic lamellar lipids abrogated radiation-induced alveolar fibrosis and reduced alpha-smooth muscle actin (ASMA) expression in radio-exposed lung compared to saline treated sheep. Administration of synthetic lamellar lipids was also associated with an increased number of cells expressing dendritic cell-lysosomal associated membrane protein throughout the lung.This work was supported by Grant MRC/CIC3/025 awarded to D.C., J.L., J.M., G.M. & J.P. The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Dryden Animal Services in the conduct of this work, and the assistance of Dr Helen Brown in relation to experimental design and statistical analysis. The authors are grateful to Lamellar Biomedical Ltd., Strathclyde Business Park, Bellshill, Scotland, United Kingdom, for the supply of LAMELLASOME™ used in this research.8pubpubArticle no: 1331

Mindset for IELTS Level 1: Student's Book and Online Modules with Testbank

An Official Cambridge IELTS Cours