Chicken recombinant antibodies against infectious bursal disease virus are able to form antibody-virus immune complex.

Virus particles exposed to specific anti-virus antibodies result in the formation of immune complexes (Icx). Recent vaccination strategies have employed this feature, and an infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) vaccine based on Icx has been released and is expected to replace conventional IBDV vaccines. We evaluated whether chicken recombinant antibodies (rAb) specific for IBDV, rather than conventional chicken anti-IBDV sera, could be used to generate Icx. Out of 14 rAb expressed as soluble single-chain variable fragments (scFv), nine were able to completely neutralize Bursavac, a live IBDV vaccine, when tested in ovo. When these rAb were mixed with IBDV and inoculated into either 18-day-old embryos, or 1-day-old or 2-week-old specific pathogen free chicks, a rAb.IBDV complex was formed. These Icx were similar to those produced by polyclonal chick anti-IBDV sera and IBDV. Following inoculation of the rAb.IBDV complex, the virus was rendered non-infectious for 5 to 7 days. After this time virus was released from the Icx, resulting in infection of the inoculated chicks and subsequent induction of an immune response and protection against virulent IBDV challenge. The results indicated that genetically derived antibodies can replace polyclonal sera in the formulation of Icx vaccines.     

Emotional intelligence and smoking risk factors in adolescents: interactions on smoking intentions.

PURPOSE: To examine interactions between emotional intelligence (EI) and smoking risk factors on smoking intentions in adolescents. METHODS: EI ios defined as the ability to: accurately perceive, appraise, and express emotion; access and/or generate feelings in facilitating thought; understand emotion and emotional knowledge; and regulate emotions. EI of 416 6th graders (53% girls) from middle schools in the Los Angeles area (mean age = 11.3 years; 32% Latino, 29% Asian/Pacific Islander, 13% white, 19% Multiethnic, 6% Other) was assessed with an abbreviated version of the Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale, Adolescent Version (MEIS). This was a competence-based measure assessing an individual's ability to perceive, understand, and manage emotion. Logistic regression models were fit to test interactions between EI and ever trying cigarettes, hostility, and perceived ability to refuse a cigarette from someone just met, on intentions to smoke in the next year. RESULTS: High EI adolescents were more likely to intend to smoke in the next year if they had previously experimented with smoking. Those with low EI were more likely to intend to smoke if their perceived ability to refuse a cigarette offer from a person they just met was low or hostility level was high. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results indicate that EI interacts with risk factors to reduce smoking intentions, and contributes evidence to a link between EI and smoking in adolescents.     

Hydration status,body composition,and anxiety status in aeronautical military personnel from Spain: a cross-sectional study

Background: An adequate hydration status is critical to ensure efficiency during mental and physical activities.Our goal was to assess the hydration status of a Spanish group of aeronautical military men and to determine the association of hydration status with body composition and anxiety.Methods: A total of 188 men were evaluated through a validated hydration questionnaire, anthropometric and biochemical parameters, and an anxiety questionnaire. Based on these methods, the criteria of hydratio...     

The increase in longitudinally measured sleepiness across adolescence is related to the maturational decline in low-frequency EEG power

OBJECTIVES: A changing sleep schedule that reduces sleep duration is thought to produce the increasing daytime sleepiness of adolescents. We tested the hypothesis that adolescent daytime sleepiness also results from adolescent brain maturational processes indexed by declining delta electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. DESIGN: Data are from the first 3 years of a semilongitudinal study of EEG changes in adolescence. All-night EEG was recorded semiannually. SETTING: EEG was recorded with ambulatory recorders in the subjects' homes. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-one subjects were 9 years old (cohort C9), and 38 subjects were 12 years old (cohort C12) at the start of the study. MEASUREMENTS: EEG power density (power/minute) was calculated for the first 5 hours of non-rapid eye movement sleep. Subjects rated sleepiness on a modified Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Habitual sleep schedules were assessed with self-reports and actigraphy. RESULTS: In C9 subjects, sleepiness increased slightly and was related only to age. In C12 subjects, the increase in subjective sleepiness was related to changes in age, bedtime, time in bed, and a wide frequency range of EEG power density. Sleepiness was not related to rise time, non-rapid eye movement sleep duration, rapid eye movement sleep duration, or total sleep time. With sleep schedule measures statistically controlled, the increase in sleepiness in the C12 group was strongly related to declining delta power density and, unexpectedly, even more strongly related to declining theta power density. CONCLUSIONS: The data support our hypothesis that, independent of sleep schedule changes, increasing adolescent daytime sleepiness is related to brain maturational changes indexed by declining EEG power. Our working hypothesis is that the declines in delta and theta power are correlates of an adolescent synaptic pruning that reduces waking arousal levels.