HPV Serology Testing Confirms High HPV Immunisation Coverage in England

Background

Reported human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage in England is high, particularly in girls offered routine immunisation at age 12 years. Serological surveillance can be used to validate reported coverage and explore variations within it and changes in serological markers over time.

Methods

Residual serum specimens collected from females aged 15–19 years in 2010–2011 were tested for anti-HPV16 and HPV18 IgG by ELISA. Based on these results, females were classified as follows: seronegative, probable natural infection, probable vaccine-induced seropositivity, or possible natural infection/possible vaccine-induced seropositivity. The proportion of females with vaccine-induced seropositivity was compared to the reported vaccination coverage.

Results

Of 2146 specimens tested, 1380 (64%) were seropositive for both types HPV16 and HPV18 and 159 (7.4%) positive for only one HPV type. The IgG concentrations were far higher for those positive for both HPV types than those positive for only one HPV type. 1320 (62%) females were considered to have probable vaccine-induced seropositivity. Among vaccine-induced seropositives, antibody concentrations declined with increasing age at vaccination and increasing time since vaccination.

Conclusions

The proportion of females with vaccine-induced seropositivity was closest to the reported 3-dose coverage in those offered the vaccination at younger ages, with a greater discrepancy in the older females. This suggests either some under-reporting of immunisations of older females and/or that partial vaccination (i.e. one- or two-doses) has provided high antibody responses in 13–17 year olds.     

Control of the exotic bulb, Yellow Soldier (Lachenalia reflexa) invading a Banksia woodland, Perth, Western Australia

Summary In recent times managers have become increasingly aware of the South African bulbous species Yellow Soldier ( Lachenalia reflexa ) becoming a serious weed of bushland on the Swan Coastal Plain. In 1998, trials were implemented to investigate control options for Yellow Soldier invading the understorey of a Banksia ( Banksia attenuata ) Woodland west of Perth. Our trials showed that hand removal over two seasons left all natives intact but was very labour intensive, only reducing cover of Yellow Soldier by 44%. It also triggered germination by ephemeral weeds. Wiping the leaves of individual plants with a 10% glyphosate solution was not effective and was also highly labour intensive. Spot spraying with metsulfuron methyl at 0.2 g/15 L (5 g/ha) reduced the cover of Yellow Soldier by 65%, was easier to implement and appeared to have had insignificant effects on natives. We hope that this trial will encourage other workers in the field to undertake controlled trials to refine treatments at restoration sites.     

Sources of nitrate in rivers draining sixteen watersheds in the northeastern U.S.: Isotopic constraints

The feasibility of using nitrogen and oxygenisotope ratios of nitrate (NO₃ ^–) forelucidating sources and transformations ofriverine nitrate was evaluated in a comparativestudy of 16 watersheds in the northeastern U.S.A. Stream water was sampled repeatedly at theoutlets of the watersheds between January andDecember 1999 for determining concentrations,¹⁵N values, and ¹⁸Ovalues of riverine nitrate.In conjunction with information about land useand nitrogen fluxes,¹⁵N_nitrate and¹⁸O_nitrate values providedmainly information about sources of riverinenitrate. In predominantly forested watersheds,riverine nitrate had mean concentrations ofless than 0.4 mg NO₃ ^–-N L^–1,¹⁵N_nitrate values of lessthan +5, and ¹⁸O_nitratevalues between +12 and +19. This indicatesthat riverine nitrate was almost exclusivelyderived from soil nitrification processes withpotentially minor nitrate contributions fromatmospheric deposition in some catchments. Inwatersheds with significant agricultural andurban land use, concentrations of riverinenitrate were as high as 2.6 mg NO₃ ^–-NL^–1 with ¹⁵N_nitratevalues between +5 and +8 and¹⁸O_nitrate values generallybelow +15. Correlations between nitrateconcentrations, ¹⁵N_nitratevalues, and N fluxes suggest that nitrate inwaste water constituted a major, and nitrate inmanure a minor additional source of riverinenitrate. Atmospheric nitrate deposition ornitrate-containing fertilizers were not asignificant source of riverine nitrate inwatersheds with significant agricultural andurban land use. Although complementary studiesindicate that in-stream denitrification wassignificant in all rivers, the isotopiccomposition of riverine nitrate sampled at theoutlet of the 16 watersheds did not provideevidence for denitrification in the form ofelevated ¹⁵N_nitrate and¹⁸O_nitrate values. Relativelylow isotopic enrichment factors for nitrogenand oxygen during in-stream denitrification andcontinuous admixture of nitrate from theabove-described sources are thought to beresponsible for this finding.     

The digestive gland of the Southern Dumpling Squid (Euprymna tasmanica): structure and function

The cephalopod digestive gland plays an important role in the efficient assimilation of nutrients and therefore the fast growth of the animal. The histological and enzymatic structure of Euprymna tasmanica was studied and used in this experiment to determine the dynamics of the gland in response to feeding. The major roles of the digestive gland were secretion of digestive enzymes in spherical inclusions (boules) and excretion of metabolic wastes in brown body vacuoles. High levels of trypsin, chymotrypsin and α-amylase, low levels of α-glucosidase and negligible carboxypeptidase activity were produced by the gland. There was no evidence of secretion of digestive enzymes in other organs of the digestive tract. Within 60 min of a feeding event, the gland produced increasing numbers of boules to replace those lost from the stomach during the feeding event. Initially, small boules were seen in the digestive cells, they increased in size until they are released into the lumen of the gland where they are transported to the stomach. There was no evidence of an increase in activity of digestive enzymes following a feeding event, despite structural changes in the gland. However, there was large variation among individuals in the level of digestive enzyme activity. A negative correlation between boule and brown body vacuole density suggested that the large variation in enzyme activity may be due to the digestive gland alternating between enzyme production and excretion.     

Deciphering the role of histidine 252 in mycobacterial adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (APS) reductase catalysis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate reductase (APR) catalyzes the first committed step in sulfate reduction for the biosynthesis of cysteine and is essential for survival in the latent phase of tuberculosis infection. The reaction catalyzed by APR involves the nucleophilic attack by conserved Cys-249 on adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate, resulting in a covalent S-sulfocysteine intermediate that is reduced in subsequent steps by thioredoxin to yield the sulfite product. Cys-249 resides on a mobile active site lid at the C terminus, within a K(R/T)ECG(L/I)H motif. Owing to its strict conservation among sulfonucleotide reductases and its proximity to the active site cysteine, it has been suggested that His-252 plays a key role in APR catalysis, specifically as a general base to deprotonate Cys-249. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we have changed His-252 to an alanine residue and analyzed the effect of this mutation on the kinetic parameters, pH rate profile, and ionization of Cys-249 of APR. Interestingly, our data demonstrate that His-252 does not perturb the pK(a) of Cys-249 or play a direct role in rate-limiting chemical steps of the reaction. Rather, we show that His-252 enhances substrate affinity via interaction with the α-phosphate and the endocyclic ribose oxygen. These findings were further supported by isothermal titration calorimetry to provide a thermodynamic profile of ligand-protein interactions. From an applied standpoint, our study suggests that small-molecules targeting residues in the dynamic C-terminal segment, particularly His-252, may lead to inhibitors with improved binding affinity.     

DNA damage during G2 phase does not affect cell cycle progression of the green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda

DNA damage is a threat to genomic integrity in all living organisms. Plants and green algae are particularly susceptible to DNA damage especially that caused by UV light, due to their light dependency for photosynthesis. For survival of a plant, and other eukaryotic cells, it is essential for an organism to continuously check the integrity of its genetic material and, when damaged, to repair it immediately. Cells therefore utilize a DNA damage response pathway that is responsible for sensing, reacting to and repairing damaged DNA. We have studied the effect of 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, zeocin, caffeine and combinations of these on the cell cycle of the green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda. The cells delayed S phase and underwent a permanent G2 phase block if DNA metabolism was affected prior to S phase; the G2 phase block imposed by zeocin was partially abolished by caffeine. No cell cycle block was observed if the treatment with zeocin occurred in G2 phase and the cells divided normally. CDKA and CDKB kinases regulate mitosis in S. quadricauda; their kinase activities were inhibited by Wee1. CDKA, CDKB protein levels were stabilized in the presence of zeocin. In contrast, the protein level of Wee1 was unaffected by DNA perturbing treatments. Wee1 therefore does not appear to be involved in the DNA damage response in S. quadricauda. Our results imply a specific reaction to DNA damage in S. quadricauda, with no cell cycle arrest, after experiencing DNA damage during G2 phase.     

Review of Florida Red Tide and Human Health Effects

This paper reviews the literature describing research performed over the past decade on the known and possible exposures and human health effects associated with Florida red tides. These harmful algal blooms are caused by the dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, and similar organisms, all of which produce a suite of natural toxins known as brevetoxins. Florida red tide research has benefited from a consistently funded, long term research program, that has allowed an interdisciplinary team of researchers to focus their attention on this specific environmental issue-one that is critically important to Gulf of Mexico and other coastal communities. This long-term interdisciplinary approach has allowed the team to engage the local community, identify measures to protect public health, take emerging technologies into the field, forge advances in natural products chemistry, and develop a valuable pharmaceutical product. The Review includes a brief discussion of the Florida red tide organisms and their toxins, and then focuses on the effects of these toxins on animals and humans, including how these effects predict what we might expect to see in exposed people.     

Importance of plant integrity in crop research,breeding, and production

Plant integrity looks like a “very easy and expanded topic,” but the reality is totally different. Thanks to the very high specialization of scientists, we are losing a holistic view of plants and are making mistakes in our research due to this drawback. It is necessary to sense a plant in their whole complexity—in both roots and shoot, as well as throughout their life cycles. Only such an integrated approach can allow us to reach correct interpretations of our experimental results.     

Are Ants Useful Indicators of Restoration Success in Temperate Grasslands?

Assessments of restoration are usually made through vegetation community surveys, leaving much of the ecosystem underexamined. Invertebrates, and ants in particular, are good candidates for restoration evaluation because they are sensitive to environmental change and are particularly important in ecosystem functioning. The considerable resources currently employed in restoring calcareous grassland on ex‐arable land mean that it is important to gather as much information as possible on how ecosystems change through restoration. We compared ant communities from 40 ex‐arable sites where some form of restoration work had been implemented between 2 and 60 years previously, with 40 paired reference sites of good quality calcareous grassland with no history of improvement or cultivation. A total of 11 ant species were found, but only two of these were found to be significantly different in abundance between restoration and reference sites: Myrmica sabuleti was more likely to be present in reference sites, whereas Lasius niger was more likely to be found in restoration sites. Myrmica sabuleti abundance was significantly positively correlated with age of restoration sites. The potential number of ant species found in temperate grasslands is small, limiting the information their assemblages can provide about ecosystem change. However, M. sabuleti is a good indicator species for calcareous grassland restoration success and, alongside information from the plant community, could increase the confidence with which restoration success is judged. We found the survey to be quick and simple to carry out and recommend its use.     

Genetic diversity of Typha latifolia (Typhaceae) and the impact of pollutants examined with tandem-repetitive DNA probes

Genetic diversity at variable-number-tandem-repeat (VNTR) loci was examined in the common cattail, Typha latifolia (Typhaceae), using three synthetic DNA probes composed of tandemly repeated “core” sequences (GACA, GATA, and GCAC). The principal objectives of this investigation were to determine whether: (1) the previously reported almost complete lack of polymorphism at allozyme loci in this species was indicative of a reduced amount of genetic diversity at VNTR loci as well; (2) VNTR markers were informative about possible clonal propagation; and (3) significant differences in genetic structure of sampling sites were associated with differences in environmental levels of pollutants at those sites. Previously, widespread sampling across the eastern United States, surveying across ten allozyme loci, has detected only two genotypes, involving a difference at a single locus, among 104 populations. In this study, the amount of genetic diversity detected at VNTR loci: (1) among ramets (N = 40; 40 genotypes detected) collected at ∼8-km intervals along a 320-km transect; (2) among ramets (N = 220; 117 genotypes detected) from five study sites separated by 50–3000 m; and (3) even among ramets within each study site [N = 44 per site; from 13 to 34 genotypes detected per site (270 m²)] exceeds that previously found in those more geographically widespread allozyme surveys. Among the 260 ramets analyzed here, the mean number of bands scored per individual was 48.61 (SD = 2.80). Mean genetic similarity among ramets collected along the 320-km transect was 0.91, which was within the range of mean genetic similarity within the five study sites (range: 0.89–0.95). Among the five study sites, 61% of the samples analyzed appeared to be clonal ramets, with up to 12 clones detected for 44 ramets sampled within a site. Clones grew intermingled and ranged up to 39 m in extent. Permutation tests of genetic similarity revealed significant genetic differentiation between each of the five study sites. Consistent with the previous allozyme studies, T. latifolia was characterized by extremely low genetic variation relative to levels of polymorphism detected at VNTR loci in other plant species. Estimated heterozygosity among ramets along the 320-km transect ranged from 0.11 to 0.13, while that within the five study sites ranged from 0.05 to 0.12. Estimates of F_st (0.32–0.41) also indicated considerable genetic subdivision among these stands. Significantly higher genetic diversity was detected at the two study sites that chemistry and toxicity data indicate to be the most severely impacted by pollutants. Although this correlation does not establish cause and effect, the results of this study indicate that the analysis of genetic diversity at VNTR loci may be a useful tool for monitoring anthropogenic-induced changes in the genetic structure of natural populations of plants.