A population-based examination of maltreatment history among adolescent mothers in California.

Purpose: To document the abuse and neglect histories of adolescent mothers using official child protection records.

Methods: Vital birth records were used to identify adolescents 12-19 years of age who were born in California and gave birth in 2009. These records were linked to statewide child protective service data to determine maternal history of alleged and substantiated maltreatment victimization, as well as placement in foster care.

Multiplex RT-PCR amplification of HIV genes to create a completely autologous DC-based immunotherapy for the treatment of HIV infection.

Background: Effective therapy for HIV-infected individuals remains an unmet medical need. Promising clinical trials with dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy consisting of autologous DC loaded with autologous virus have been reported, however, these approaches depend on large numbers of HIV virions to generate sufficient doses for even limited treatment regimens.

Methodology/principal Findings: The present study describes a novel approach for RT-PCR amplification of HIV antigens.