Detection of IgG3 antibodies specific to the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) p24 protein as marker for recently acquired infection.

Reducing the risk of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmission is still a public health priority. The development of effective control strategies relies on the quantification of the effects of prophylactic and therapeutic measures in disease incidence. Although several assays can be used to estimate HIV incidence, these estimates are limited by the poor performance of these assays in distinguishing recent from long-standing infections. To address such limitation, we have developed an assay to titrate p24-specific IgG3 antibodies as a marker of recent infection. The assay is based on a recombinant p24 protein capable to detect total IgG antibodies in sera using a liquid micro array and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Subsequently, the assay was optimised to detect and titrate anti-p24 IgG3 responses in a panel of sequential specimens from seroconverters over 24 months. The kinetics of p24-specific IgG3 titres revealed a transient peak in the 4 to 5-month period after seroconversion. It was followed by a sharp decline, allowing infections with less than 6 months to be distinguished from older ones. The developed assay exhibited a mean duration of recent infection of 144 days and a false-recent rate of ca. 14%. Our findings show that HIV-1 p24-specific IgG3 titres can be used as a tool to evaluate HIV incidence in serosurveys and to monitor the efficacy of vaccines and other transmission control strategies.

Development of potent class II transactivator gene delivery systems capable of inducing de novo MHC II expression in human cells, in vitro and ex vivo.

Class II transactivator (CIITA) induces transcription of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II genes and can potentially be used to improve genetic immunotherapies by converting non-immune cells into cells capable of presenting antigens to CD4+ T cells. However, CIITA expression is tightly controlled and it remains unclear whether distinct non-immune cells differ in this transactivator regulation. Here we describe the development of gene delivery systems capable of promoting the efficient CIITA expression in non-immune cell lines and in primary human cells of an ex vivo skin explant model. Different human cell types undergoing CIITA overexpression presented high-level de novo expression of MHC II, validating the delivery systems as suitable tools for the CIITA evaluation as a molecular adjuvant for gene therapies.

Positive impact of dietary water on in vivo epidermal water physiology.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The importance of water in human physiology is well known, also for skin functionality. This study was conducted to assess the effects of dietary water on epidermal skin hydration in healthy females. METHODS: Thirty-four healthy females (mean 24.5 ± 6.34 years old) were selected and characterized according to their dietary daily habits, by a previously validated Food Frequency Questionnaire. For 1 month, these subjects were asked to add 2 L/day of water to their regular dietary habits. Measurements took place at day D0, D15, and D30, and involved general variables (body weight, blood pressure, Body Mass Index) and specific skin physiological variables in five anatomical sites (ventral forearm, anterior leg, dorsal hand, zygomatic area, and forehead) involving epidermal superficial and deep hydration, by capacitance and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). RESULTS: This water overload (2 L/day/30 days) did not change the blood volume or weight of the individuals. However, both superficial and deep skin hydration were clearly in those individuals that regularly consumed lees water per day. No significant effect was observed in the TEWL. CONCLUSIONS: This study clearly suggests that dietary water intake seems to influence skin water content. Nevertheless further in vivo investigations involving other variables, such as biomechanical descriptors, should follow to look deeper into this aspect of skin physiology.