SAVVY vaginal gel (C31G) for prevention of HIV infection: a randomized controlled trial in Nigeria

Background

The objective of this trial was to determine the effectiveness of 1.0% C31G (SAVVY) in preventing male-to-female vaginal transmission of HIV infection among women at high risk.

Methodology/Principal Findings

This was a Phase 3, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Participants made up to 12 monthly follow-up visits for HIV testing, adverse event reporting, and study product supply. The study was conducted between September 2004 and December 2006 in Lagos and Ibadan, Nigeria, where we enrolled 2153 HIV-negative women at high risk of HIV infection. Participants were randomized 1∶1 to SAVVY or placebo. The effectiveness endpoint was incidence of HIV infection as indicated by detection of HIV antibodies in oral mucosal transudate (rapid test) or blood (ELISA), and confirmed by Western blot or PCR testing. We observed 33 seroconversions (21 in the SAVVY group, 12 in the placebo group). The Kaplan-Meier estimates of the cumulative probability of HIV infection at 12 months were 0.028 in the SAVVY group and 0.015 in the placebo group (2-sided p-value for the log-rank test of treatment effect 0.121). The point estimate of the hazard ratio was 1.7 for SAVVY versus placebo (95% confidence interval 0.9, 3.5). Because of lower-than-expected HIV incidence, we did not observe the required number of HIV infections (66) for adequate power to detect an effect of SAVVY. Follow-up frequencies of adverse events, reproductive tract adverse events, abnormal pelvic examination findings, chlamydial infections and vaginal infections were similar in the study arms. No serious adverse event was attributable to SAVVY use.

Conclusions/Significance

SAVVY did not reduce the incidence of HIV infection. Although the hazard ratio was higher in the SAVVY than the placebo group, we cannot conclude that there was a harmful treatment effect of SAVVY.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00130078","term_id":"NCT00130078"}}NCT00130078     

Treatment of saline municipal wastewater using hybrid growth system

Background

In this study, a hybrid treatment system (Fluidized Bed positioned in a biological reactor of an Activated Sludge process) was used to treat saline domestic wastewater. The performance of the mentioned hybrid system was compared with the conventional activated sludge. A pilot study was conducted, and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and pH were measured to investigate treatment efficiency. Three saline wastewater samples with salt concentrations of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 % and detention times of 2, 4 and 6 h were loaded into both rectors of hybrid system and activated sludge.

Results

The results showed that Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removals at salt concentrations of 0.5, 1, 1.5 % were equal to 80, 71, 48.5 for the hybrid system and 62, 47.7, 26.5 for the activated sludge system respectively. Likewise, similar results obtained for other contamination indices indicating the superiority of the hybrid system in comparison to activated sludge system. Moreover, another advantage of the hybrid system was that the activated sludge needed sludge returning while sludge returning was not required in the hybrid system. In addition, by loading fixed rate of air into both systems, dissolved oxygen concentration in the hybrid reactor is higher than the conventional reactor.

Conclusions

Therefore, the hybrid system had a significantly higher efficiency than conventional reactor to treat saline domestic wastewater.

     

The taste of polycose in hamsters

Hamsters show a preference for Polycose, a mixture of starch-derived glucose polymers, that is as strong as their preference for sucrose. However, in the hamster, taste aversions to Polycose may be less easily acquired than taste aversions to sucrose and the qualitative aspects of Polycose are unknown in this species. In order to examine the taste of Polycose in the hamster, we utilized a taste-aversion protocol with two conditioning trials. Animals were trained to avoid one of three different conditioning stimuli: 50 mM sucrose, 100 mM Polycose and a mixture of 50 mM sucrose with 100 mM Polycose. Control animals were conditioned with deionized water. After the second conditioning trial, generalization testing began for the three conditioning stimuli plus 3 mM citric acid, 300 mM KCI and 30 mM NaCl. The results showed that aversions to Polycose, sucrose or the Polycose/sucrose mixture cross- generalized, demonstrating that Polycose and sucrose share a common taste percept in the hamster. None of the aversions generalized to NaCl, citric acid or KCI. In addition, comparisons among the patterns of taste generalizations indicated that the tastes of Polycose and sucrose also had distinct qualitative components. Finally, although the taste of 100 mM Polycose was more salient than the taste of 50 mM sucrose, the taste of sucrose could still be detected in a mixture with Polycose.      

Production and conversion of haploid embryos in chickpea (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cicer arietinum</Emphasis> L.) anther cultures using high 2,4-D and silver nitrate containing media

Due to recalcitrant nature of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) to androgenesis, the production of double haploid plants has been only reported by Grewal et al. (Plant Cell Rep 28:1289–1299, 2009) using some physical stresses such as anther centrifugation and electrical shock. In the present study, we successfully obtained haploid plants from cultured anthers of two chickpea cultivars, Bivanij and Arman, using high 2,4-D and silver nitrate containing media without applying of these time and labor consuming stresses. For induction of androgenesis, different concentrations of 2, 4-D (0, 2, 5 and 10 mg/l) and silver nitrate (0, 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50 mg/l) were used in embryo development medium. In Bivanij cultivar, anther induction medium containing 10 mg/l 2,4-D and 15 mg/l silver nitrate produced the highest number of embryos (0.188) and regenerated plants (0.1) per each cultured anther, while the highest frequencies of embryos (0.1) and regenerated plants (0.075 and 0.063) were obtained from Arman cultivar when 10 mg/l 2,4-D was combined with 15 and 50 mg/l silver nitrate in anther culture medium, respectively. In second part of this study, different cold (4 °C for 4 and 7 days) and heat (30 °C for 10 days, 32 °C for 2 days and 35 °C for 8 h) pretreatments were applied on cultured anthers of Bivanij cultivar. Incubation of cultured anthers at 32 °C for 2 days significantly enhanced the rate of embryo formation up to 0.222 embryos per each anther, while the highest number of regenerated plants/anther (0.0332) was obtained when cold treated anthers at 4 °C for 7 days incubated at 30 °C for 10 days. Taken together, these results provide a good basis for large-scale generation of DH plants in this important legume species.     

The comparison of insulin and uric acid levels in adolescents with and without metabolic syndrome

Background and Aim

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) increased in recent years in both adolescents and children groups. The aim of the study is evaluating the relationship between insulin and uric acid (UA) level in MS in adolescents

Materials and Methods

we studied 120 adolescence aged 10 to 19 in two groups: control group without metabolic syndrome and case group with metabolic syndrome. The Criteria of ATP III was considered as a diagnosis factor for metabolic syndrome.

Discussion

Various studies have been conducted in various populations to evaluate the relationship between UA level and MS in adolescents. Abdominal obesity, low HDL, hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension are associated with high UA level. In their analysis, the MS OR in UA level?4.9, 4.9-5.8 and ?5.8 mg/dl was 1, 2.53 and 9.03, respectively, which were higher than our findings in current study. Hyperinsulinemia caused by insulin resistance is one of the complications associated with MS, which puts individuals at risk of diabetes and cardiovascular events.

Results

Uric acid level in the Case group was significantly higher than the control group (p = 0.0001, 43.8±1.4 vs. 4.1±1 mg/dl, respectively). Insulin level was significantly higher in the case group in compare to the control group (p = 0.008, 9.8± 5.3 vs. 12.2±6 μU/ml, respectively).

Conclusion

The findings of this case-control study showed that adolescents with metabolic syndrome have a higher uric acid and insulin level in compare to normal subjects. We hypothesis that increase in serum insulin and uric acid level can be a risk factor in the development of metabolic syndrome.

     

Direct correlation between Th1 and Th17 responses in immunity to Brucella infection

Th1 cells play a central role in immunity to brucellosis, while the exact role of Th17 cells has remained unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the peripheral distributions of Th1 and Th17 cells and serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-17A and IL-22 cytokines in brucellosis patients. One hundred patients (36 acute, 41 under-treatment and 23 relapsed) and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included. The frequencies of Th1 and Th17 cells were determined by flow cytometric analysis. Serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-17A and IL-22 were measured by multi-analyte flow assay. Increased frequencies of Th1 and Th17 cells were observed in acute and relapsed brucellosis versus under-treatment patients and healthy controls (P < 0.05). The mean serum levels of IFN-γ were significantly elevated in acute and relapsed groups compared to under-treatment patients (P = 0.002 and P = 0.01 respectively). Acute patients showed higher levels of IL-22 than under-treatment (P = 0.008). Direct correlations were found between increased frequencies of Th1 and Th17 cells in acute and relapsed patients (P = 0.007 and P = 0.001 respectively) and between IL-17A and IL-22 in both groups of patients. Our findings indicate a cooperative role for Th1 and Th17 cells in immunity to brucellosis which is more evident during acute and relapse phases of brucellosis.     

A Low-Cost Stable SERS Substrate Based on Modified Silicon Nanowires

Plasmonics - In this paper, we report fabrication of a simple, stable, low-cost, and easy-to-fabricate substrate for&nbsp;surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) applications. Silicon...     

Purification of galectin-3 from ovine placenta: developmentally regulated expression and immunological relevance

Galectins, beta-galactoside-binding lectins, are extensively distributed in the animal kingdom and share some basic molecular properties. Galectin-3, a member of this family, is generally associated with differentiation, morphogenesis, and metastasis. In this study, galectin-3 was isolated from ovine placental cotyledons round the middle of the gestation period by lactose extraction followed by affinity chromatography on lactosyl-agarose, and separated from galectin-1 by size exclusion chromatography on a Superose 12 column. Under native conditions this lectin behaved as a monomer with an apparent molecular weight of approximately 29,000 and an isoelectric point of 9.0. The partial amino acid sequence of the peptides obtained by tryptic digestion of this protein followed by HPLC separation showed striking homology with other members of the galectin-3 subfamily. Furthermore, ovine placental galectin-3 exhibited specific mitogenic activity toward rat spleen mononuclear cells. Besides, this protein strongly reacted with a rabbit antiserum raised against a chicken galectin. Results obtained by Western blot analysis showed that its expression was greatly decreased in term placenta with respect to the middle of the gestation period, suggesting a regulated expression throughout development.