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The quality of predicted plant‐, soil‐, and animal‐response values from near‐infrared (NIR) reflectance spectra depends on the ability to generate appropriate NIR models. The first step in the development of NIR models is collection of spectral data. Limited work, however, has been reported that compares NIR models for prediction of forage nutritive value when the spectra are obtained from devices with different spectral ranges and resolutions. The objectives of this study were to (a) develop and evaluate NIR spectroscopy models using a benchtop‐type (FOSS) and two handheld NIR devices (microPHAZIR and DLP NIRscan Nano EVM) to predict crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), amylase and sodium sulfite‐treated neutral detergent fiber (aNDF), and in vitro true dry matter digestibility (IVTD) of dried ground forage grass samples and (b) compare predictions among the three NIR devices. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers] hay samples were scanned with the NIR devices and analyzed with wet chemistry for development of NIR prediction models. Among devices, the r2 of validation values for aNDF models ranged from.81 to.87; all other r2 values were >.86 and as high as.98 with standard error of prediction (SEP; g kg−1) ranging from 8.1 to 11.5 for CP, 19.1 to 23.8 for aNDF, 14.2 to 20.0 for ADF, and 26.8 to 49.9 for IVTD. The FOSS benchtop NIR prediction models consistently had the highest r2 and lowest SEP values; however, the predictive power for both handheld devices was similar to the benchtop‐type device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Non-eosinophilic asthma (NEA) is a distinct, often corticosteroid-resistant inflammatory asthma phenotype. NK and NKT-like cells are effector lymphocytes that we have shown, like CD28null T cells, to be relatively resistant to steroids and major sources of pro-inflammatory/cytotoxic mediators. We hypothesized that these cells and mediators would be increased in peripheral blood in NEA. Methods Adults with severe asthma and variable airflow obstruction, poorly controlled despite maintenance therapy with inhaled glucocorticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators, were recruited. Blood was assessed in those with eosinophilic asthma (n = 12), NEA (n = 25) and healthy non-smoking controls (n = 30). We applied flow cytometry to measure T, CD28null, NK and NKT-like cells and their expression of granzyme B, perforin, and killer inhibitory/activating receptors CD94(Kp43), CD158b and CD107A. Intracellular pro-inflammatory cytokine production (IFN-γ and TNF-α) was assessed in 18 controls and 10 patients with asthma/group. Results In NEA, there was increased expression of granzyme B by CD8+ T cells vs. controls. There was increased expression of granzyme B and CD158 and decreased CD94 on NK cells, vs. healthy controls and those with eosinophilic asthma. IFN-γ production by NK cells and TNF-α production by NKT-like cells in NEA were significantly increased vs. controls. In both eosinophilic and NEA phenotypes, there were significant increases in CD4+28null T cells (72% and 81% increases, respectively, vs. controls) and their expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Significant correlations were noted between blood CD4+28null T cells and neutrophil numbers in induced sputum, and between corticosteroid dose and blood NKT-like cells, and their production of granzyme B and TNF-α and NK IFN-γ. Conclusion and clinical relevance In poorly controlled asthma, altered expression of cytotoxic/ pro-inflammatory mediators can be seen on a variety of lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood; these changes are most apparent in NEA. Whether this pattern of expression is a marker of treatment responsiveness and future risk of exacerbations remains to be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Anthropology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Anthropology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A minimalist and deontological focus of anthropological ethics, and the current lack of consensus in the field about ethical and methodological rigor, produces conference presentations, monographs, and ethnographic essays of questionable quality. Research that fulfills its IRB-defined duties is ethically problematic if it reproduces colonial relationships, ignores community input into agenda and risk, offers no real possibility for improving human life, or uses so loose a methodology that it cannot be relied upon to produce scientifically valid data. Finally, the modernist fetish of 'knowledge' - assumed in the Code to be a value in itself, detached from human wellbeing - grants legitimacy to research that has little purpose other than to further academics' careers. In the following essay I reflect upon my experience conducting ethnographic research into the underground economies of marginalized youth in Havana, New York, and Hartford. What emerges are four principles, which together suggest a departure from the standard catalogue of deontological AAA Code of Ethics concerns toward greater methodological integrity and a more carefully delineated commitment toward the well-being of the communities with whom we work. An entirely detached and passive anthropology is not an ethical one, but our moral engagement must be based on a solid foundation of data that are analyzed according to sound principles. Thus, ethnographic practice that is methodologically sloppy is not ethical, even if deontological duties-prescribed by the AAA Code and the IRB-have been scrupulously upheld. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current immunosuppression protocols to prevent lung transplant rejection reduce pro-inflammatory and T-helper type 1 (Th1) cytokines. However, Th1 T-cell pro-inflammatory cytokine production is important in host defense against bacterial infection in the lungs. Excessive immunosuppression of Th1 T-cell pro-inflammatory cytokines leaves patients susceptible to infection. To investigate whether pulmonary infection in lung transplant recipients is associated with reduced Th1 T-cell pro-inflammatory cytokines, whole blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from 13 stable lung transplant patients with ‘culture-negative’ BAL and 13 patients with ‘culture-positive’ BAL was stimulated in vitro, and cytokine production by CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell subsets was determined using multiparameter flow cytometry. In BAL samples, there was a significant decrease in interleukin-2 (IL2) in CD3+ T cells and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in CD8+ T cells (but not CD4+) in ‘culture-positive’ compared with ‘culture-negative’ transplant patients. There was no difference in blood Th1 T-cell cytokines between ‘culture-positive’ compared with ‘culture-negative’ transplant patients. A decrease in Th1 cytokines IL-2 and TNF-α in BAL T-cell subsets is associated with isolation of potentially pathogenic organisms in the lungs in stable lung transplant patients. Excessive immunosuppression of these Th1 T-cell pro-inflammatory cytokines in stable transplant patients may leave them susceptible to infection. Modifying immunosuppression by monitoring intracellular Th1 pro-inflammatory cytokines in BAL T cells may help to improve morbidity and infection rates in stable lung transplant patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhibitor formation in haemophilia patients receiving factor VIII (FVIII) concentrate is a serious problem requiring tolerance induction therapy. Inhibitor antibody formation is dependent on interactions between leucocyte cytokines with their corresponding receptors. To investigate this we studied the effect of FVIII on cytokine receptor expression using multiparameter flow cytometry and a whole blood stimulation assay. Upregulation of many cytokine receptors was inhibited by plasma-derived FVIII (pdFVIII) in a dose-dependent manner on T cells, B cells and monocytes although interleukin (IL)-4R α and IL-7R α were upregulated on T cells. The decrease in cytokine receptor upregulation on B cells in the presence of pdFVIII, may result in reduced antibody production. Inhibition of CD132 in the presence of pdFVIII may result in immune tolerance in some recipients of pdFVIII. The immunomodulatory effects of pdFVIII were dose and batch dependent, some being more inhibitory than others. The inhibitory effects of prednisolone with pdFVIII, on cytokine receptor upregulation, were additive. Cytokine receptor expression was not altered in the presence of human recombinant FVIII (rFVIII) concentrate. These findings may explain the reports of less frequent inhibitor antibody formation in some recipients of pdFVIII concentrates. The use of pdFVIII, particularly the more inhibitory batches, may be more suitable than rFVIII for tolerance induction protocols. A clinical study needs to be undertaken to determine the significance of these in vitro findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are reports of immaturity of the neonatal immune system, which may explain the low incidence of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) after cord blood transplantation. The CD40 ligand (CD40L)–CD40 interaction is important in regulating the cellular immune response. We hypothesized that the neonatal immune system may show immaturity in this interaction. We studied the function of the CD40L–CD40 interaction in the T-cell interaction with B cells and monocytes in cord blood compared with adult blood in vitro. Consistent with previous reports, CD4+ T cells do not express CD40L after T-cell activation. In whole blood, adult monocytes, but not neonatal monocytes, were activated following T-cell activation. However, the activation of adult monocytes was not dependent on the CD40L–CD40 interaction. Using the CD40L trimer (Lt), we showed that cord B cells have comparable responses to CD40 ligation to those of the adult B cells. Both cord and adult monocytes do not respond as well as B cells and this is probably related to low density of expression of CD40. However, interferon-γ up-regulated CD40 on adult monocytes but not on cord monocytes. This potentiated the adult monocyte response to CD40 ligation by CD40Lt. Our findings suggest that the neonatal CD40L–CD40 pair is immature in the cellular immune response involving monocytes and that interferon-γ fails to activate neonatal monocytes for a response to CD40L. These findings suggest that in the inflammatory microenvironment of cord blood transplantation neonatal monocytes may play a minor role in the effector arm of the immune response. This finding may be one of several mechanisms for the low incidence of GVHD that is observed following cord blood transplantation. Also the ligand-receptor immaturity may contribute to the increased susceptibility of newborns to certain infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Salt sensitive hypertension, which occurs as a result of treatment with nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, is associated with a loss of the usual down-regulatory effect of dietary sodium on angiotensin II (Ang II) synthesis. In the spontaneous hypertensive rat (SHR), which suffers a relative NO deficiency, the hypertension is in part salt sensitive. We sought to determine therefore whether the salt sensitive component to the hypertension was associated with a loss of the regulatory effect of dietary sodium on Ang II synthesis. (2) Male SHR were placed on low, intermediate or high salt diets for 4 weeks and their blood pressure recorded. After 4 weeks, blood was collected for determination of renin, angiotensinogen, Ang I, Ang II and aldosterone concentrations, as well as ACE activity. (3) The increase in systolic blood pressure in rats on the high salt diet was significantly greater than in those on the low (P < 0.005) and intermediate salt diets (P < 0.0005). Plasma renin and aldosterone concentrations and ACE activity decreased with increasing dietary sodium. However, the concentrations of Ang II and angiotensinogen both increased in the rats on the high salt diet (Ang II: P < 0.05; angiotensinogen: P < 0.05). (4) We conclude that the hypertension in the SHR is in part salt sensitive and that this salt sensitive component is associated with a loss of the normal down-regulatory effect of dietary sodium on Ang II and angiotensinogen synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which characterized the anti-proliferative effects of plasma-derived factor VIII and also described apoptotic-promoting effects. Effect of factor VIII (FVIII) concentrate on Annexin V staining of T-cell subsets in whole blood after phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation; Effect of FVIII concentrate on DNA cell cycle analysis after PHA stimulation of purified T cells; Effect of FVIII concentrate on DNA fragmentation.

Inhibitor antibody formation in patients with haemophilia receiving factor VIII (FVIII) concentrate is a serious problem. T helper type 2 (Th2) cytokines are necessary for antibody production by B cells and have been shown to be produced predominantly by CD30+/CD45RO+/CD3+ cells. We have previously shown that the Th2 cytokine, interleukin (IL)-6, is inhibited but IL-10 is upregulated, in the presence of plasma-derived FVIII (pdFVIII). To clarify further the overall effect of FVIII on Th2 cytokine production, the percentage of T cells expressing the CD30+/CD45RO+/CD3+ Th2 phenotype was studied over 72 h and the production of the Th2 cytokines, IL-4 and IL-5, determined at 24 h in the presence of FVIII following whole-blood stimulation using multiparameter flow cytometry. The production of IL-4 and IL-5 by T cells was significantly inhibited in the presence of pdFVIII. The percentage of CD30+/CD45RO+/CD3+ increased with stimulation of whole blood cultures over 72 h but was significantly inhibited by the presence of pdFVIII or TGF-β at 72 h. The combined inhibitory effect of prednisolone (a commonly used immunosuppressive agent used to treat patients with inhibitors) with pdFVIII on T-cell CD30+/CD45RO+ upregulation, was additive. There was no significant alteration in Th2 cytokine production or phenotype noted in the presence of recombinant FVIII (rFVIII) concentrate. Neutralizing antibody to TGF-β significantly abrogated the inhibitory effects of pdFVIII on Th2 upregulation, indicating TGF-β to be a major inhibitory component of pdFVIII on Th2 cytokine production. We now provide evidence that pdFVIII, by inhibiting Th2 cytokine production, may result in decreased antibody formation and may be more appropriate than rFVIII at reducing inhibitor formation. A clinical study needs to be undertaken to determine the significance of... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cellular immune system of the newborn infant is immature and hypo-responsive when compared with adults. The extent to which immaturity of the leucocyte function underlies hyporesponsiveness in the newborn is incompletely understood. In this study flow cytometric techniques were applied to investigate the concurrent expression of a range of surface and intracellular leucocyte functional molecules and cytokines in resting and stimulated cord and adult blood. Production of interleukin (IL)-2 and expression of the components of its receptor, IL-2Rα/β/γ, were investigated. No differences in the proportion of leucocytes producing IL-2Rα and IL-2Rγ were observed for newborns and adults. A lower proportion of T cells and natural killer (NK) cells from newborns expressed IL-2Rβ and upregulation of expression was slower. We hypothesize that reduced IL-2Rβ may curtail early autocrine IL-2 activation of immune responses in the newborn. This hypothesis was supported by the observation that an increased proportion of stimulated T cells from newborns produced IL-2 at 4 h poststimulation, but at 24 h the proportion was lower than for adult T cells. The very low levels of interferon (IFN)-γ produced by neonatal T cells and NK cells may also be partly explained by a curtailment of early autocrine activation of T cells. Expression and kinetics of upregulation for other functional molecules were studied. CD71, HLA-DR, tissue factor and CD152 levels were not significantly different for adults and newborns, suggesting that cord blood leucocytes, in some respects, may demonstrate functional maturity. IL-6 secretion by stimulated monocytes was also comparable in cord and adult blood. However, IL-1α and IL-1β were produced by a lower proportion of monocytes from newborns than adults. Similarly, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α production for monocytes and T cells was lower in cord blood. The mean fluorescence intensity for IL-1α, IL-1β and TNF-α was also lower for leucocytes from cord blood. These findings are significant in relation to the inability of newborn infants to mount a febrile response to infection. The findings of lower expression of IL-2Rβ and lower production of inflammatory cytokines IL-1α, IL-1β and TNF-α is a basis for improved understanding of the immunological immaturity of leucocytes in the newborn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a reply to the commentary by Wadhwa, Barrowcliffe and Thorpe on a study on the modulatory effect of plasma-derived factor VIII on the synthesis of cytokines. Effect of plasma-derived factor concentrate on leucocyte; Use of whole blood culture in the study.

Inhibitor formation in patients with haemophilia receiving factor VIII (FVIII) concentrate is a common problem requiring tolerance induction therapy. Immune tolerance is dependent on defective T cell/antigen-presenting cell (APC) interactions and inhibitor antibody formation is associated with effective T-cell/B-cell interaction. We studied the expression of the cell-surface molecules involved with these interactions using multiparameter flow cytometry and a whole blood stimulation assay–phytohaemaglutinin (PHA) to activate T cells and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to activate monocytes and B cells. Up-regulation of T-cell co-stimulatory receptors CD11a, CD40 ligand (CD40L) and CTLA4 were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by plasma-derived (pd)FVIII, but CD28 was unchanged. Up-regulation of monocyte and B-cell co-stimulatory ligands CD4O, B7-1 (CD80) and B7-2 (CD86) were also inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by pdFVIII, but LFA-3 (CD58) was unchanged. The combined inhibitory effect of prednisolone, an immunosuppressive agent used in several tolerance induction protocols, with pdFVIII on co-stimulatory molecules, was additive. There was no significant alteration in T-cell/APC adhesion or co-stimulatory molecules noted in the presence of recombinant (rh)FVIII concentrate. The inhibitory effect of pdFVIII on molecules involved in interaction between T cells and APCs may result in immune tolerance in recipients of pdFVIII concentrate. The inhibitory effect of pdFVIII on CD40/CD40L up-regulation may result in defective antibody formation. We now provide evidence that the use of pdFVIII, through interfering with APC/T-cell interactions, may be more appropriate than rhFVIII for tolerance induction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

- Many patients with Peyronie's disease suffer severe penile curvature, impotence, and respond poorly to conservative management. Sixteen patients with intractable Peyronie's disease had surgical incision of Peyronie's plaque and insertion of semi-rigid or inflatable penile implants. Patients had satisfactory results with elimination of curvature and resumption of coitus. Surgical procedures are indicated for impotent patients with Peyronie's disease who are unresponsive to conservative treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an overview of the public career of the Harvard University anthropologist and medical activist Jim Yong Kim. Details are given outlining the parallel accomplishments of Kim within the academic world as well as in advocacy and leadership in public medicine. Particular attention is given to his work with the World Health Organization and in researching global health issues on a demographic scale. Concluding comments are also included reflecting on the nature of Kim's influence as an anthropologist.

The article cites a study on rapid simultaneous measurement of multiple cytokines in childhood oncology patients with febrile neutropenia. Findings revealed that there was a significant increase in interleukin (IL)-5 levels in the culture-positive group compared with the culture-negative group. There was a significant increase in IL-8 in the remaining four of eight culture-positive patients compared with the culture-negative group. There was no correlation between the culture-positive group and CRP levels or hematological parameters.

An acute hospital environment is a confusing place for many patients requiring admission, especially when they are presenting as acutely unwell. This can be particularly difficult for people living with dementia. As cognition changes it is not uncommon for people living with dementia to have difficulties with their ability to orientate to time, place and person. These disorientating moments can lead to personal distress, and at times behavioural changes. As well as being distressing for the person living with dementia, it can also be emotionally and ethically challenging for acute hospital staff, including nurses. One area found to be particularly challenging is the concept of whether actively engaging with a person living with dementia's living truth is deceitful. This raises further questions of what forms of nurse responses to temporal disorientation might be constituted as lying, colluding, or alternatively validating. This article uses autoethnography as a research methodology with which to explore a mental health nurse's lived experience of the challenges of responding truthfully to disorientation and distress in an acute hospital. This article is not attempting to offer conclusive answers to these challenging ethical questions. It is instead re-opening and re-visiting the discourse of what is truth in dementia from a personal and professional nurse perspective through a lived narrative. The conclusion to the concept of truth in dementia is complex, nuanced and individualized. However, it is essential that a nurse's response to disorientation and distress is always person and living present focused, and not lie focused., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In this study we sought to determine whether early myocardial fibrosis is associated with depletion of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in the heart, thereby suggesting a possible pathogenetic role for depletion of myocardial VIP levels in the development of fibrosis in the heart. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and normotensive control Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKYs) were assigned randomly to low, intermediate or high sodium diets and their blood pressure was recorded twice weekly for 4 weeks. At the end of this period the rats were anaesthetised, blood was sampled for plasma VIP concentration and the hearts were harvested for histology and determination of the concentration of VIP in the heart. The degree of myocardial fibrosis increased with increasing dietary sodium intake in both the WKYs (P < 0.001) and the SHRs (P < 0.01). Myocardial VIP concentration decreased with increasing dietary sodium intake in the WKYs (P < 0.01) and in the SHRs (P < 0.01). There was a negative correlation between myocardial VIP concentration and the degree of myocardial fibrosis in both the WKYs (P < 0.0005) and the SHRs (P < 0.005). Dietary sodium intake induces myocardial fibrosis in a dose-dependent manner. Further, in early myocardial fibrosis resulting from increasing dietary sodium intake in both normotensive and hypertensive rats the concentration of VIP in the heart was negatively correlated with the degree of fibrosis. This suggests a possible role for depletion of VIP in the myocardium in the pathogenesis of myocardial fibrosis.

A 'cytokine storm' consisting of IL-1, IL-2, IL-12, IFNgamma and TNFalpha is considered important in the development of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). These cytokines activate effector cells or damage host tissues. Cord blood transplantation has been associated with a low incidence of GvHD. We hypothesized that the low incidence of GvHD relates to the cord mononuclear cells being poor producers of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The cytokine profile (IL-1alpha/beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IFNgamma and TNFalpha) of cord blood cells induced by immune stimuli was determined in heparinized whole blood. Compared to adult, cord blood CD3+ and NK cells produced less IFNgamma, less cord blood CD3+ cells and monocytes produced TNFalpha and less monocytes produced IL-1alpha/beta. Although more cord T cells produced IL-2 compared to adult T cells at 4 h, adult T cells produced more at 24 h. Cord blood had similar proportions of monocytes to adult producing IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12. Both adult and cord mononuclear cells constitutively expressed receptors for IFNgamma and TNFalpha but not IL-12. In contrast to the adult cells, cord CD3+ and NK cells did not express IL-12 receptor but did up-regulate IL-10 receptor after mitogenic stimulation. The findings of this study indicate that the cord blood cytokine-receptor network is biased towards anti-inflammatory activity compared to adult and helps to explain the decreased incidence of GVHD in cord blood transplantation.

Clinical and subclinical immunological abnormalities have been reported in HIV-seronegative haemophiliacs. The mechanisms by which these abnormalities arise remain unclear. As cytokines are important biological response modifiers, the effect of a FVIII concentrate on production of a range of cytokines, by a variety of cells, was investigated. A whole blood technique was used and the in vitro modulation of cytokine synthesis by an intermediate-purity plasma-derived factor VIII (pdFVIII) concentrate was analysed using multiparameter flow cytometry. In cell cultures exposed to pdFVIII, T cells showed reduced production of TNF-alpha, IL-2 and IFN-gamma; monocytes showed reduced production of TNF-alpha, IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-12 but an increase in IL-10 synthesis; IFN-gamma synthesis by NK cells was reduced. All changes in cytokine synthesis and the reduction in cell surface expression of CD69, a signal transduction molecule contributing to both cytokine and cytokine receptor synthesis, were in a dose-dependent manner in cultures exposed to FVIII concentrate. These changes were characteristic of TGF-beta. Addition of anti-TGF-beta to FVIII reduced these changes in T-cell cytokine production, suggesting TGF-beta may be an important immunomodulatory agent in the pdFVIII concentrate. The Th2 cytokine bias shown in the presence of pdFVIII concentrate, in vitro, may explain the increase in rates of certain types of infections reported in these patients, which require Th1 cytokine production for an effective response.

Immune abnormalities have been reported in recipients of cellular and plasma blood products. To document the effect of current transfusion practices, we performed ex vivo lymphocyte immunophenotypic studies on patients with thalassaemia major who had received multiple (leucocyte-depleted) transfusions and patients with haemophilia A and B who had received heat viral-inactivated factor concentrates. Patients with thalassaemia major showed a significant lymphocytosis, with mainly B-cell changes consistent with ongoing B-cell stimulation associated with chronic exposure to red cell antigens. Reduced T-cell IL-2Ralpha expression would be consistent with inhibition by desferrioxamine chelation therapy. In contrast, patients with haemophilia showed predominantly T-cell changes. Patients with haemophilia A showed significantly elevated activated CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes whereas those with haemophilia B showed an increase in CD8+CD11adim and CD4+CD45RA+ suppressor T cells. Several of the immune abnormalities found may be due to the presence of cytokines not removed by leucocyte filtration or destroyed by factor concentrate production (e.g. TGF-beta) causing a T-helper-2-like response. The extensive lymphocyte characterization in this study has not previously been performed and has enabled a closer examination of the functional lymphocyte immunophenotypes seen in patients treated according to current transfusion practices.

Background: The context for this study was the Higher School Certificate examination in New South Wales, Australia., Aims: The main research aim was to investigate the association between the Higher School Certificate, the reported distress and anxiety levels of the adolescent students who prepare for and sit for the examination, and various other internal and environmental variables., Sample: The random sample consisted of 445 students in their last two years of secondary schooling, with approximately equal numbers of males and females from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds., Methods: Analysis was carried out using principal components analysis and multiple regression., Results: The most significant contribution to distress associated with the examination was made by the personality trait, anxiety proneness. Lower socio-economic status, self-confidence, academic and verbal self-concepts and perceived ability to cope were also found, to a lesser extent, to be associated with increased distress. The interactions sex with ethnic background and year with ethnic background were of particular interest. Students who were male and had an English speaking background, and students in year 11 who had an English speaking background were least likely to experience distress than others in the context of the examination., Conclusions: Whilst results must be treated with caution, particular groups of students potentially vulnerable to distress were identified and directions for future research indicated.