Engaging and Supporting Young Children and their Families in Early Childhood Mental Health Services: The Role of the Family Partner.

This study explores the role of family partners, peer professionals with lived experiences of raising a child with behavioral health needs, and their value in primary and community-care based mental health services for young children aged 0-8 years. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with staff, leadership, and caregiver participants (n = 38) from two early childhood mental health programs and analyzed using thematic analysis. Five interdependent themes emerged: (1) the centrality of lived experience to the family partner role; (2) the importance of the family partner in family engagement and relationship building; (3) the value added by the family partner in navigating systems; (4) the ability of the family partner to build skills and empower caregivers; (5) the role of the family partner in alleviating caregiver stress and other mental health concerns.

Enhancing Early Childhood Mental Health Primary Care Services: Evaluation of MA Project LAUNCH.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an innovative early childhood mental health intervention, Massachusetts Project LAUNCH. Early childhood mental health clinicians and family partners (paraprofessionals with lived experience) were embedded within community pediatric medical homes. Methods A longitudinal study design was used to test the hypotheses that (1) children who received services would experience decreased social, emotional and behavioral problems over time and (2) caregivers' stress and depressive symptoms would decrease over time.

Leflunomide interferes with pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis.

Leflunomide is an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agent which blocks proliferation of transformed cells and mitogen stimulated normal lymphocytes but does not block T cell signaling mechanisms at antiproliferative concentrations. These properties are consistent with a mechanism involving interference with nucleotide metabolism. Leflunomide had anti-proliferative activity against all cells tested here.

Vaccinating guinea pigs with recombinant glycoprotein D of herpes simplex virus in an efficacious adjuvant formulation elicits protection against vaginal infection.

Guinea pigs were immunized with glycoprotein gD-2t in SAF-m or saline, then challenged with herpes simplex virus, type 2 (HSV-2). Animals given gD-2t in SAF-m had higher anti-gD-2t antibodies, fewer and less severe vaginal lesions, and decreased ganglionic latency compared to animals given gD-2t in saline. Leucocytes from animals vaccinated with gD-2t in SAF-m had greater proliferative responses to gD-2t in vitro than cells from control animals.

Human high molecular weight-melanoma associated antigen mimicry by an anti-idiotypic antibody: characterization of the immunogenicity and the immune response to the mouse monoclonal antibody IMel-1.

The mouse anti-idiotype (anti-id) monoclonal antibody (mAb) IMel-1 recognizes an idiotope in the antigen combining site of the immunizing anti-human high molecular weight melanoma-associated antigen (HMW-MAA) mAb 225.28. The mAb IMel-1 is able to induce an immune response against self cross-reacting HMW-MAA in rabbits that express HMW-MAA in normal tissues.

Improvement of hepatitis B vaccine by the use of a new adjuvant.

Humoral and cellular immune responses of mice and guinea-pigs to hepatitis B virus surface antigen when alum-precipitated or administered with Syntex Adjuvant Formulation (SAF) were compared. Two doses of HBsAg in SAF were sufficient to elicit antibody responses, and using SAF the dose of antigen could be reduced to one-tenth of that required to elicit antibody responses by alum-adjuvanted HBsAg. The use of SAF increased and made more consistent the antibody responses in young mice and in strains of mice with inherited low responses to HBsAg.

Immunological adjuvants: desirable properties and side-effects.

Adjuvants can be used with recombinant antigens to elicit cell-mediated immunity and antibodies of protective isotypes (IgG2a in the mouse and IgG1 in primates). Adjuvants should not produce reactions at injection sites, be pyrogenic or induce anterior uveitis or arthritis. Among 130 analogs of muramyl dipeptides tested, N-acetylmuramyl-L-threonyl-D-isoglutamine showed the greatest separation of potency as an adjuvant from potency in the production of side-effects.

Adjuvant formulations and their mode of action.

We have developed an adjuvant formulation (SAF) consisting of a synthetic muramyl dipeptide analogue (N-acetylmuramyl-L-threonyl-D-isoglutamine) in a squalane-Pluronic polymer emulsion. Used with a variety of antigens SAF elicits cell-mediated immunity and antibodies of protective isotypes (IgG2a in the mouse). SAF augments responses to influenza virus haemagglutinin and hepatitis B virus surface antigen.

Idiotype vaccination against murine B cell lymphoma. Humoral and cellular requirements for the full expression of antitumor immunity.

The roles of humoral and cellular antitumor immune responses induced by immunization with tumor-derived idiotypic IgM were studied in a syngeneic, transplantable B cell lymphoma (38C13) of C3H mice. Id vaccination with keyhole limpet hemocyanin-conjugated Id induced protection against a subsequent lethal tumor challenge. Such immunizations elicited anti-idiotypic antibodies that were cytotoxic in in vitro antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity assays as well as in vivo passive transfer experiments.

Enhancement of antibody responses to influenza B virus haemagglutinin by use of a new adjuvant formulation.

Mice and guinea pigs were immunized with the haemagglutinin (HA) of influenza B-USSR/100 virus, either in Syntex Adjuvant Formulation-1 (SAF-1) or in saline. Antibody titres were determined by ELISA, haemagglutination inhibition and virus neutralization. Animals immunized with HA in SAF-1 had significantly higher antibody titres than did animals immunized with HA in saline.

Expression of pre-S2 region of hepatitis B surface antigen in Escherichia coli.

We constructed a recombinant plasmid that can express the entire pre-S2 sequence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) as a fusion protein in E. coli. The hybrid protein, which comprises the bacterial TrpLE protein and the pre-S2 sequence, was the prominent protein that was found in cell extracts.

Formulation of vaccine adjuvant muramyldipeptides. 3. Processing optimization, characterization, and bioactivity of an emulsion vehicle.

An efficacious vaccine adjuvant which elicits both cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and humoral immune response was developed using [thr1]-Muramyldipeptide (MDP) in an oil-in-water emulsion vehicle containing poloxamer 401, polysorbate 80, and squalane. Processing optimization was performed to increase the physical stability of this adjuvant emulsion which, when prepared by conventional mixing methods, demonstrated good bioactivity but poor physical stability. Various manufacturing methods were compared with a microfluidization process, which produced the most stable and elegant emulsion vehicle.

Validation of a first-generation Epstein-Barr virus vaccine preparation suitable for human use.

The efficacy of a new vaccine preparation against Epstein-Barr (EB) virus was investigated in cotton-top tamarins. The vaccine consists of fast protein liquid chromatography-purified EB virus membrane antigen glycoprotein of 340 Kd (MA gp340) mixed with a synthetic muramyl dipeptide adjuvant emulsified in squalane containing a pluronic polymer; it is suitable for both scaled-up batch production and eventual administration to man. Vaccinated tamarins rapidly developed ELISA detectable high titre antibodies to MA gp340, and their sera became strongly EB virus-neutralising.

Adjuvant formulation for use in vaccines to elicit both cell-mediated and humoral immunity.

Adjuvant formulations which elicit both humoral and cell-mediated immunity will be required for vaccines based on peptides, viral and bacterial subunits and genetically engineered antigens. This report describes an adjuvant formulation which increases both cell-mediated and humoral immunity and is free of significant side effects encountered with other adjuvants or vehicles. The components include the threonyl analogue of muramyl dipeptide, Tween 80, Pluronic L121 and squalane.

An adjuvant formulation that selectively elicits the formation of antibodies of protective isotypes and of cell-mediated immunity.

Adjuvants are required to elicit protective immune responses with bacterial toxoids, inactivated viruses and subunit antigens produced by recombinant DNA technology. Some adjuvants, such as muramyl dipeptide (MDP) analog formulations, preferentially induce the formation of antibodies of isotypes that interact with complement and antibody-dependent effector cells, and do not elicit reaginic antibodies. Aluminum salts and mineral oil emulsions increase antibody formation but not cell-mediated immunity (CMI), whereas MDP formulations also elicit CMI.

Two adjuvant-active muramyl dipeptide analogs induce differential production of lymphocyte-activating factor and a factor causing distress in guinea pigs.

Many adjuvant-active analogs of muramyl dipeptide (MDP) have been described. Unfortunately, most have been found to induce pyrexia or other adverse side effects in several species. In the guinea pig, these side effects include the guinea pig distress syndrome, which lasts 24 to 48 h, and enhancement of endotoxin shock.

Induction of constant sensitivity to dinitrochlorobenzene in the cynomolgus monkey.

A technique for the induction of contact sensitivity in the cynomolgus monkey is described. Seventy percent of the monkeys gave a positive reaction when skin-tested 18 days after sensitization with dinitrochlorobenzene. When re-tested on day 27, both the number of reactors and the intensity of the reactions had increased.

Inhibition of rat intestinal anaphylaxis by various anti-inflammatory agents.

Adverse reactions to food may, in some cases, be due to IgE-mediated immune reactions to the ingested antigens. A mast cell protector has been shown to protect patients against challenge with food to which they are sensitive. An IgE-mediated intestinal anaphylaxis reaction in the rat has been developed as a model of some aspects of human food allergy.

Intestinal anaphylaxis in the rat as a model of food allergy.

An animal model of food allergy has been developed in which some aspects of the allergic response could be quantified and the effects of various drugs evaluated. The change in permeability of the intestinal tract of actively sensitized rats, after oral challenge with the sensitizing antigen, was the parameter measured. Rats were sensitized by injection of egg albumin and B.

DNA chain termination by 2',3'-dideoxythymidine in replicating mammalian cells.

The thymidine analog, 2,3-dideoxythymidine (ddT), is rapidly phosphorylated and incorporated terminally at 3-ends of growing DNA chains in replicating mammalian cells. Following some initial loss of ddT incorporated into DNA chains, the major portion is retained for periods equivalent to more than two normal cell generations. Some ddT appears at the termini of oligonucleotides, a portion of which have chromatographic properties suggesting internally complementary sequences.