Appearance-based interventions to reduce ultraviolet exposure and/or increase sun protection intentions and behaviours: a systematic review and meta-analyses.

OBJECTIVES: A systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted to identify and review research examining the impact of appearance-based interventions on sun protection intentions and/or ultraviolet (UV) exposure behaviour. METHODS: A search of 16 databases including PsycARTICLES, Cochrane Library and Web of Knowledge was conducted to identify studies examining the impact of appearance-based interventions on reducing UV exposure and/or increasing sun protection intentions and behaviours. A total of 21 articles met the inclusion criteria, and these studies were subjected to a systematic review and meta-analyses to determine the effectiveness of the interventions. RESULTS: Interventions used a variety of techniques including UV technology and photoaging information. Study design and outcome measures varied. The research indicated that appearance-based interventions have a positive effect on UV exposure and sun protection intentions and behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that interventions based on the appearance-damaging effects of UV exposure, and the positive effects of sun protection, may have a role in health promotion. It is concluded that there is a need for further research incorporating a wider range of participants, and using qualitative and mixed methods designs. STATEMENT OF CONTRIBUTION: What is already known on the subject? Recreational exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, are the primary causes of all melanomas, leading to skin cancer. A previous systematic review (Dodd & Forshaw, ) looking at the efficacy of appearance-focussed interventions in skin cancer prevention, suggested that there were significant effects for UV protection behaviour after such interventions. What does this study add? An up-to-date systematic review of studies that has carried out appearance-based interventions to reduce UV exposure and/or increase sun protection intentions and behaviours. A meta-analysis of data providing statistical evidence indicating that appearance-based interventions have a positive effect on UV exposure and sun protection intentions and behaviour.

Time dependence of protective post-exposure prophylaxis with human monoclonal antibodies against pathogenic SHIV challenge in newborn macaques.

In a primate model of postnatal virus transmission, we have previously shown that 1 h post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with a triple combination of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nmAbs) conferred sterilizing protection to neonatal macaques against oral challenge with pathogenic simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV). Here, we show that nmAbs can also partially protect SHIV-exposed newborn macaques against infection or disease, when given as 12 or 24 h PEP, respectively. This work delineates the potential and the limits of passive immunoprophylaxis with nmAbs. Even though 24 h PEP with nmAbs did not provide sterilizing immunity to neonatal monkeys, it contained viremia and protected infants from acute disease. Taken together with our results from other PEP studies, these data show that the success of passive immunization depends on the nmAb potency/dose and the time window between virus exposure and start of immunotherapy.

Live attenuated, nef-deleted SIV is pathogenic in most adult macaques after prolonged observation.

OBJECTIVE: A live attenuated SIV vaccine strain, termed SIVmac239Delta3 and containing large deletions in, and the negative regulatory element, was previously shown to cause AIDS mostly in monkeys vaccinated as infants. In the present study, we demonstrate that SIVmac239Delta3 is pathogenic in most vaccinated adult monkeys, given enough time. METHODS: Eleven rhesus macaques vaccinated as adults with SIVmac239Delta3 were followed for extended periods (up to 6.8 years). RESULTS: We found signs of immune dysregulation in all 11 adult vaccinees. All animals developed persistently inverted CD4 : CD8 T-cell ratios, seven (64%) had persistent recurrent viremia, and six (55%) had decreased CD4 T-cell counts (< 500 x 10 cells/l). Further signs included low CD4CD29 lymphocyte subsets, loss of anti-Gag antibodies, anemia, thrombocytopenia, wasting, and opportunistic infections. Two adult vaccinees (18%) subsequently developed AIDS. Development of chronic, recurrent viremia with plasma viral RNA loads > or = 10 copies/ml and cytoviremia was a poor prognostic sign. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that with time, a live attenuated, multiply deleted SIV vaccine can cause immune dysregulation in most vaccine recipients, even in initially immune competent, healthy adults. Immune dysfunction can progress to full AIDS. However, pathogenic effects became evident only several years after vaccination. Thus, mass vaccination of humans with similarly constructed live attenuated HIV vaccines, recently suggested for countries with high HIV-1 transmission rates, seems contraindicated.

Quantitation of simian cytokine and beta-chemokine mRNAs, using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction: variations in expression during chronic primate lentivirus infection.

Cytokines and beta-chemokines are important mediators of the immune system and are expressed in many infectious diseases. To study cytokine and beta-chemokine profiles during pathogenesis of lentiviral infection and progression to AIDS in rhesus macaques, we established new quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays based on TaqMan chemistry. Using synthetic RNA standards, we quantified mRNAs of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12 p40, interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), RANTES, macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha (MIP-1 alpha), and MIP-1 beta in unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and lymph nodes from macaques chronically infected with SIV or SHIV. Viremic monkeys with decreased CD4(+) T cell counts (<500 cells/microl) had significantly higher IL-10 mRNA expression than uninfected controls, which parallels the findings in HIV-1-infected humans. In addition, MIP-1 alpha, MIP-1 beta, and RANTES mRNA expression increased in viremic monkeys with decreased CD4(+) T cell counts; gene expression was inversely correlated with CD4(+) T cell counts, but not viral load. The newly established quantitative real-time RT-PCR assays will allow the determination of cytokine and beta-chemokine patterns in rhesus macaques in studies of microbial pathogenesis or vaccine development.