Efficacy of a Group-Based Multimedia HIV Prevention Intervention for Drug-Involved Women under Community Supervision: Project WORTH

Importance

This study is designed to address the need for evidence-based HIV/STI prevention approaches for drug-involved women under criminal justice community supervision.

Objective

We tested the efficacy of a group-based traditional and multimedia HIV/STI prevention intervention (Project WORTH: Women on the Road to Health) among drug-involved women under community supervision.

Design, Setting, Participants, and Intervention

We randomized 306 women recruited from community supervision settings to receive either: (1) a four-session traditional group-based HIV/STI prevention intervention (traditional WORTH); (2) a four-session multimedia group-based HIV/STI prevention intervention that covered the same content as traditional WORTH but was delivered in a computerized format; or (3) a four-session group-based Wellness Promotion intervention that served as an attention control condition. The study examined whether the traditional or multimedia WORTH intervention was more efficacious in reducing risks when compared to Wellness Promotion; and whether multimedia WORTH was more efficacious in reducing risks when compared to traditional WORTH.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Primary outcomes were assessed over the 12-month post-intervention period and included the number of unprotected sex acts, the proportion of protected sex acts, and consistent condom use. At baseline, 77% of participants reported unprotected vaginal or anal sex (n = 237) and 63% (n = 194) had multiple sex partners.

Results

Women assigned to traditional or multimedia WORTH were significantly more likely than women assigned to the control condition to report an increase in the proportion of protected sex acts (β = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.02–0.18) and a decrease in the number of unprotected sex acts (IRR = 0.72; 95% CI = 0.57–0.90).

Conclusion and Relevance

The promising effects of traditional and multimedia WORTH on increasing condom use and high participation rates suggest that WORTH may be scaled up to redress the concentrated epidemics of HIV/STIs among drug-involved women in the criminal justice system.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT01784809","term_id":"NCT01784809"}}NCT01784809     

A novel approach to monitor clearance of host cell proteins associated with monoclonal antibodies

Co‐purification of a subset of host cell proteins (HCPs) with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) during the capture of mAbs on Protein A affinity chromatography is primarily caused by interactions of HCPs with the mAbs. To date, there is limited information about the identity of those HCPs due to the difficulty in detecting low abundance HCPs in the presence of a large amount of the mAb. Here, an approach is presented that allows identification of HCPs that specifically associate with the mAb, while avoiding interference from the mAb itself. This approach involves immobilization of purified mAb onto chromatography resin via cross‐linking, followed by incubation with HCPs obtained from supernatant of non‐mAb producer cells that are representative of the expression systems used in mAb manufacturing. The HCPs that bind to the mAb are recovered and identified using mass spectrometry. This approach has not only allowed a comprehensive comparison of HCP subpopulations that associate with different mAbs, but also enabled monitoring of the effects of a variety of wash modifiers on the dissociation of individual HCP–mAb interactions. The dissociation of HCPs that associated with the mAb was monitored by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and mass spectrometry. This approach can be utilized as a screening tool to assist the development of effective and targeted wash steps in Protein A chromatography that ensures not only reduction of HCP levels copurified with the mAb but also removal of specific HCPs that may have a potential impact on mAb structural stability and patient safety. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 30:1114–1124, 2014     

Intragenic allele pyramiding combines different specificities of wheat Pm3 resistance alleles

Some plant resistance genes occur as allelic series, with each member conferring specific resistance against a subset of pathogen races. In wheat, there are 17 alleles of the Pm3 gene. They encode nucleotide‐binding (NB‐ARC) and leucine‐rich‐repeat (LRR) domain proteins, which mediate resistance to distinct race spectra of powdery mildew. It is not known if specificities from different alleles can be combined to create resistance genes with broader specificity. Here, we used an approach based on avirulence analysis of pathogen populations to characterize the molecular basis of Pm3 recognition spectra. A large survey of mildew races for avirulence on the Pm3 alleles revealed that Pm3a has a resistance spectrum that completely contains that of Pm3f, but also extends towards additional races. The same is true for the Pm3b and Pm3c gene pair. The molecular analysis of these allelic pairs revealed a role of the NB‐ARC protein domain in the efficiency of effector‐dependent resistance. Analysis of the wild‐type and chimeric Pm3 alleles identified single residues in the C‐terminal LRR motifs as the main determinant of allele specificity. Variable residues of the N‐terminal LRRs are necessary, but not sufficient, to confer resistance specificity. Based on these data, we constructed a chimeric Pm3 gene by intragenic allele pyramiding of Pm3d and Pm3e that showed the combined resistance specificity and, thus, a broader recognition spectrum compared with the parental alleles. Our findings support a model of stepwise evolution of Pm3 recognition specificities.     

On the mechanism of nitrate uptake by plant roots

Summary A study has been made on the influx and outflux of nitrogen compounds by the excised roots of barley, wheat and peas. A two way movement of nitrogen compounds was found to occur between root and external medium. Factors such as initial N content in the roots, species of plant and external concentration of N highly affect the extent to which this two-way movement proceeds. Further investigations are needed for more understanding of the nitrogen balance between plant roots and external medium.     

Endocytosis and intracellular transport of transferrin across the lactating rabbit mammary epithelial cell.

To study the transcytosis and segregation of ligand in the mammary epithelial cell, endocytosis and intracellular transit of human blood transferrin were followed in lactating rabbit mammary epithelial cells. Human transferrin labeled with biotin added to an incubation medium was bound to the basal membrane of mammary epithelial cells and carried across the cell to the lumen of the acini within 5-60 min. At the same time, biotinylated human transferrin accumulated at the apex of the cell. After incubation with human transferrin labeled with colloidal gold, label was detected inside endosome-like structures, vesicles and saccules of the Golgi apparatus, and inside the lumen within 2-5 min. A significant label accumulated at the apex of the cell after 30-60 min. Biotin labeling did not modify the time of transit of human transferrin, as attested by comparison with the time of transit of native transferrin. Human transferrin was never detected inside vesicles containing casein micelles. In contrast, rabbit milk transferrin was immunocytochemically detected inside vesicles containing casein micelles. These results indicate that transcytosis of human transferrin follows a pathway different from vesicles that carry casein micelles.     

Multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry is a powerful tool to study glycerolipid composition in plants with different level of desaturase activity

In plants, two lipid desaturation pathways exist. A so-called prokaryotic pathway is active in plastids and responsible for unsaturation of 16 carbon fatty acids. An eukaryotic one, in the endoplasmic reticulum, acts on 18 carbon fatty acids. Desaturase activities are affected in stressed plants, and conversely, they have an impact on the capability of plants to adapt to stress. So knowing lipid unsaturation is important for physiological studies. Analysis of lipids by mass spectrometry, in the multiple reaction mode, gives access to the molecular species present in each membrane lipid class. We illustrate the powerfulness of this technique by applying it to phospholipids and galactolipids extracted from plants where the desaturation pathways are present at variable level.