Validation of the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scales (RCADS) and RCADS short forms adapted for adults.

Background: The life span nature of anxiety and depression has led to an interest in whether assessments designed for use with children and young people are also valid for adults. The Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scales (RCADS) is a commonly used measure and we aimed to explore its structural validity in adults.

Methods: We examined the factorial validity of the original and two short form versions of the (RCADS) adapted for adults, using confirmatory factor analysis with a convenience sample (n = 371) aged 18-67.

The impact of contextual information on the emotion recognition of children with an intellectual disability.

Background: Research suggests that having relevant contextual information can help increase the accuracy of emotion recognition in typically developing (TD) individuals and adults with an intellectual disability. The impact of context on the emotion recognition of children with intellectual disability is unknown.

Method: Emotion recognition tasks, which varied in terms of contextual information, were completed by 102 children (45 with and 57 without intellectual disability).

The views of carers about support for their family member with an intellectual disability: With a focus on positive behavioural approaches.

This qualitative study explored the views of family carers about the support that their adult children with an intellectual disability had received in relation to their behaviour that challenged. There was a particular focus on positive behavioural support (PBS), although some participants spoke more generally in terms of positive approaches. Semi-structured interviews with eight family carers were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

Selective estrogen receptor modulators and betulinic acid act synergistically to target ERα and SP1 transcription factor dependent Pygopus expression in breast cancer.

Aims: Estrogen and progesterone hormone receptor (ER and PR) expression in invasive breast cancer predicts response to hormone disruptive therapy. Pygopus2 (hPYGO2) encodes a chromatin remodelling protein important for breast cancer growth and cell cycle progression. The aims of this study were to determine the mechanism of expression of hPYGO2 in breast cancer and to examine how this expression is affected therapeutically.

Safety and immunogenicity of boosting BCG vaccinated subjects with BCG: comparison with boosting with a new TB vaccine, MVA85A.

Objectives: To investigate the safety and immunogenicity of a booster BCG vaccination delivered intradermally in healthy, BCG vaccinated subjects and to compare with a previous clinical trial where BCG vaccinated subjects were boosted with a new TB vaccine, MVA85A.

Design: Phase I open label observational trial, in the UK. Healthy, HIV-negative, BCG vaccinated adults were recruited and vaccinated with BCG.

A comparison of IFNgamma detection methods used in tuberculosis vaccine trials.

Interferon gamma (IFNgamma) is a critical component of the pro-inflammatory immune response that provides protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the absence of an immunological correlate of protection, antigen-specific production of IFNgamma is a commonly used marker of a protective immune response. To facilitate the evaluation of tuberculosis candidate vaccines three different IFNgamma detection methods were compared.

Boosting BCG vaccination with MVA85A down-regulates the immunoregulatory cytokine TGF-beta1.

In clinical trials recombinant-modified vaccinia virus Ankara expressing the Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen 85A (MVA85A) induces approximately 10 times more effector T cells than any other recombinant MVA vaccine. We have found that in BCG primed subjects MVA85A vaccination reduces transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1) mRNA in peripheral blood lymphocytes and reduces TGF-beta1 protein in the serum, but increases IFN-gamma ELISPOT responses to the recall antigen SK/SD. TGF-beta1 is essential for the generation of regulatory T cells and we see a correlation across vaccinees between CD4+CD25hiFoxP3+ cells and TGF-beta1 serum levels.

Boosting BCG with recombinant modified vaccinia ankara expressing antigen 85A: different boosting intervals and implications for efficacy trials.

Objectives: To investigate the safety and immunogenicity of boosting BCG with modified vaccinia Ankara expressing antigen 85A (MVA85A), shortly after BCG vaccination, and to compare this first with the immunogenicity of BCG vaccination alone and second with a previous clinical trial where MVA85A was administered more than 10 years after BCG vaccination.

Design: There are two clinical trials reported here: a Phase I observational trial with MVA85A; and a Phase IV observational trial with BCG. These clinical trials were all conducted in the UK in healthy, HIV negative, BCG naïve adults.

The HIV protease inhibitor indinavir reduces immature dendritic cell transendothelial migration.

Indinavir (IDV) is a protease inhibitor that successfully suppresses HIV-1 replication as part of anti-retroviral therapy. There is evidence to suggest that IDV may also act non-specifically upon host proteases. In this study we investigated whether IDV could modulate protease-dependent molecules involved in dendritic cell (DC) migration - a pivotal process in immunoregulation.