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Background Interleukin 7 (IL-7) plays a key role in T cell survival and proliferation. Both cell-surface expressed and soluble forms of the IL-7 receptor (sIL7R) are recognised. sIL7R has been shown to prolong IL-7 activity in inflammation(. 1 IL7R polymorphisms are associated with multiple inflammatory diseases including ankylosing spondylitis(AS). Higher levels of circulating sIL7R are present in those carrying the risk variant but the cellular sources of soluble IL7R are unclear. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies have shown genetically regulated IL7R gene upregulation in monocytes after innate immune stimuli(. 2 Objectives This study aims to characterise the genotypic effects of IL7R polymorphism on monocyte protein surface expression and sIL7R release. Methods Monocyte cell surface IL7R expression was measured by flow cytometry in the presence or absence of LPS or TNF in a cohort of volunteers recruited from the Oxford biobank. Soluble IL7R was quantified by ELISA in purified monocyte cultures stimulated with LPS. RNA sequencing was performed for 8 paired samples of control and recombinant IL-7 exposed stimulated monocytes. Results Surface IL7R expression was induced after 24 hours of LPS stimulation both in isolated monocytes (n=84, p= ex-vivo staining of monocytes from inflamed synovial fluid of SpA showed significant upregulation of IL7R compared to paired PBMC monocytes (n=4, p= Conclusions Monocytes upregulate IL7R expression and soluble IL7R secretion after LPS treatment in a functional, genotype- and TNFalpha-dependant manner. SpA synovial monocytes express IL7R suggesting preactivation. These data draw attention to an unappreciated key myeloid role for AS risk variants at IL7R. References [1] Lundstrom W, et al. PNAS 2013. [2] Fairfax BP, et al. Science 2014. Acknowledgements BPF and PB contributed equally to this work Disclosure of Interest None declared

Background Immune Checkpoint blockade for the treatment of metastatic melanoma is associated with highly variable clinical outcomes between individuals in terms of both oncological benefit and immune-related adverse events. Early markers of response are urgently sought. Whereas numerous intra-tumoural determinants of sensitivity to immunotherapy are known, the identification of peripheral predictors of response is limited. We aimed to characterize the CD8+ T-cell transcriptomic and clonal changes to treatment across a large cohort of patients in an effort to gain further insight into the peripheral markers of response. Methods We performed paired-end 75bp read RNA-sequencing to assay the peripheral CD8+ response at baseline and across multiple cycles of treatment (n = 105 patients, 69 controls, 315 separate transcriptomes). We validated identified clonal subsets indicative of response using 10X Chromium single cell sequencing (16 samples, 8 patients), flow-cytometry and targeted PCR. Results After adjusting for multiple testing, we identify >5,800 transcripts induced by treatment. These fall into discrete gene modules, with several markedly diverging between combination immunotherapy and anti-PD1 alone. Patients demonstrating a durable radiological response to checkpoint immunotherapy (absence of progression at 6 months) have significantly increased numbers of large peripheral CD8+ circulating clones by day 21 after treatment, compared to non-responders and controls. We replicate this observation in a separately recruited cohort. Large peripheral clones have a distinct gene expression profile, characterized by high expression of CCL5, BCL2L1and NKG7 amongst other genes. Conclusions We identify robust and reproducible predictors of 6 month clinical and radiological responses to immune checkpoint blockade in the transcriptomes of peripheral circulating CD8+ T-cells from metastic melanoma patients after 21 days of treatment. These observations can be used to further our understanding of determinants of patient response, and may provide a mechanism for early treatment stratification of patients with a non-favourable peripheral profile. Legal entity responsible for the study Oxford Radcliffe Biobank. Funding Wellcome Trust, Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Cancer Research UK. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

The restrictions inherent in the use of the conventional reference in capillary viscometry, the viscosity of water at 20 °C, have led to increased interest in absolute viscometers. The viscosity laboratory of the Bureau National de Metrologie, Laboratoire National d'Essais (BNM-LNE) has begun the study of an absolute falling-ball viscometer. The principal difficulties with this system are the measurement of the velocity of the ball and the corrections to compensate for the effects exercised on the ball. Results from a preliminary experiment indicate that uncertainties better than those of capillary viscometers can be obtained. The use of a velocity measurement video system should further reduce the uncertainties.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence, clinical aspects and management of wounds in a hospital. Method: A one-day survey was undertaken in our university hospital. All hospitalised patients (n=624) were examined. The clinical aspects, aetiology and management (pain, cleansing and primary dressing) of wounds were systematically evaluated. Results: A total of 327 patients (52%) had 933 wounds (mean 2.8 per patient). The prevalence was higher in surgical departments (82%) than medical departments (37%), although wounds in the latter departments were larger, deeper, more painful and less numerous per patient. Pain at wound dressing changes was treated in 89% of cases; antiseptics were used for wound cleansing in 14% of cases; the primary dressing used was appropriate in fewer than 50% of cases in the medical departments. Conclusion: This study highlights the high prevalence of wounds in this hospital setting. Many problems with their management have been identified and measures will be taken to optimise care. Declaration of interest: None.

Cost-efficient anti-reflection coatings on solar modules can help reduce the cost of photovoltaics. The efficiency increase that can be expected from such coatings is in the range of 2 - 3%. While this effect is noticeable and important, it is still small; and precise measurements as well as suitable experimental procedures are required if anti-reflection coatings are to be evaluated using only a small number of modules. This paper highlights optical effects related to the interface between the solar cell and the glass/EVA (lamination foil). We show by means of optical simulation that neglecting these effects can easily obscure the benefit of an anti-reflection coating.

Summary Background Psoriasis is a T-cell-mediated immunological disease characterized by epidermal proliferation. The nature of the antigen(s) responsible for T-cell activation is still unknown. It has been suggested that the human papillomaviruses (HPVs) associated with epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV), including the oncogenic HPV5, may contribute to the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Objectives To determine whether EV-HPVs may play a role early in the disease, we searched for these viruses in children with psoriasis. The influence of clinical data on EV-HPV infection was investigated. Methods We studied scrapings of involved skin from 26 children aged 1·5–13 years with psoriasis. As controls, we analysed scrapings from 28 adults with psoriasis and 15 children with atopic dermatitis, as well as scrapings from normal skin of 28 adults with no known history of HPV infection. We searched for EV-HPV DNA sequences with a nested polymerase chain reaction method using degenerate primers specific for EV-HPVs and primers specific for HPV5 and HPV36, two EV-HPVs frequently detected in adults with psoriasis. Results Similar high prevalences were observed in children and adults with psoriasis for EV-HPVs (38·5% vs. 35·7%), HPV5 (46·2% vs. 46·4%) and HPV36 (15·4% vs. 25·0%). As in adults, we found several EV-HPV genotypes and HPV5 and HPV36 variants. A novel HPV36 subtype, HPV36b, was identified. Lower prevalences were observed in children with atopic dermatitis and in adults from the general population (6·7–10·1%). No correlation was observed between frequency of detection of HPVs and clinical data. It is noteworthy that HPV5 was identified in an 18-month-old girl and in a boy with psoriasis developing for only 1 week. Conclusions The early detection of several EV-HPV genotypes in children further supports the link between psoriasis and EV-HPVs and suggests a putative role for these viruses in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

An SOA, designed and fabricated with a thin wide active layer, has given a low noise ( 16.5 dBm) across the C-band. The device is proven to be a successful system booster.

The authors have reviewed their clinical experiences with 92 cases of blepharoplasties treated during the past 10 years and discuss the principal approaches used, depending on the age of the patient, the amount of adipose tissue present, the degree of lower lid tarsal and muscle laxity present, and the quality of the skin excess encountered. On the upper eyelid, skin excision is combined with an orbicular muscle strip and in older patients a suspension of the lateral canthus. On the lower eyelid the transconjunctival approach is emphasized in young and or colored patients, using an undermined musculocutaneous flap in the classical technique. A good choice between these different approaches avoids the rare complications of ectropion and scleral show because the procedure used is considered to be a variable "geometric" operation.