Development of a human papillomavirus (HPV) multiplex immunoassay to profile HPV antibodies.

Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) are considered the primary mechanism of vaccine-mediated protection against human papillomaviruses (HPV), the causative agent of cervical cancer. However, the minimum level of NAb needed for protection is currently unknown. The HPV pseudovirion-based neutralization assay (PBNA) is the gold standard method for assessing HPV antibody responses but is time-consuming and labor-intensive. With the development of higher valency HPV vaccines, alternative serological assays with the capacity for multiplexing would improve efficiency and output. Here we describe a multiplex bead-based immunoassay to characterize the antibody responses to the seven oncogenic HPV types (HPV16/18/31/33/45/52/58) contained in the current licensed nonavalent HPV vaccine. This assay can measure antibody isotypes and subclasses (total IgG, IgM, IgA1-2, IgG1-4), and can be adapted to measure other antibody features (e.g., Fc receptors) that contribute to vaccine immunity. When tested with serum samples from unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals, we found high concordance between HPV-specific IgG using this multiplex assay and NAbs measured with PBNA. Overall, this assay is high-throughput, sample-sparing, and time-saving, providing an alternative to existing assays for the measurement and characterization of HPV antibody responses.

Epistemic community in transboundary river regime: a case study in the Mekong River Commission regarding mainstream hydropower development.

Despite the importance of transboundary water management, cooperation mechanisms are limited, especially in the case of Mekong River basin where environmental and social aspects are threatened by recent anthropogenic pressures like hydropower development. Existing transboundary mechanism such as the Mekong River Commission (MRC) is challenged to facilitate the cooperation between riparian states. An epistemic community (EC) is considered to effectively influence international governance and is studied as part of transboundary river regimes. The existence of an MRC EC is part of that regime but understanding about its characteristics is yet limited. This research aims to fill in the gap by unraveling the main features of the EC in relation to hydropower development. We analyze shared causal beliefs and policy goals that developed in the EC framework of Haas applying literature review and semi-structured interviews of experts. Results show that the community experts share causal beliefs and policy goals only to a limited extent while disagreeing on many aspects. It resembles a "disciplined" or "professional" group rather than an EC. This suggests that the knowledge factor has not gained proper influence and attention in the region, resulting in incoherent policy advice leading to policymakers developing policies based on incomplete and fragmented knowledge. The role of the MRC in the decision-making process could become more relevant if it would facilitate the development of an EC. Bringing key stakeholders including policymakers and experts into a platform where policy goals and causal beliefs are facilitated to reach possible consensus is recommended. Narrowing the science-policy gap while acknowledging differences in interests and policy objectives is crucial to reach a sustainable transboundary management of the Mekong River given its rapid development, especially on hydropower.

Single-dose HPV vaccine immunity: is there a role for non-neutralizing antibodies?

A single dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine against HPV infection (prerequisite for cervical cancer) appears to be as efficacious as two or three doses, despite inducing lower antibody titers. Neutralizing antibodies are thought to be the primary mediator of protection, but the threshold for protection is unknown. Antibody functions beyond neutralization have not been explored for HPV vaccines. Here, we discuss the immune mechanisms of HPV vaccines, with a focus on non-neutralizing antibody effector functions. In the context of single-dose HPV vaccination where antibody is limiting, we propose that non-neutralizing antibody functions may contribute to preventing HPV infection. Understanding the immunological basis of protection for single-dose HPV vaccination will provide a rationale for implementing single-dose HPV vaccine regimens.

Australia's Role in Pneumococcal and Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Evaluation in Asia-Pacific.

Australian researchers have made substantial contributions to the field of vaccinology over many decades. Two examples of this contribution relate to pneumococcal vaccines and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, with a focus on improving access to these vaccines in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs). Many LLMICs considering introducing one or both of these vaccines into their National Immunisation Programs face significant barriers such as cost, logistics associated with vaccine delivery. These countries also often lack the resources and expertise to undertake the necessary studies to evaluate vaccine performance. This review summarizes the role of Australia in the development and/or evaluation of pneumococcal vaccines and the HPV vaccine, including the use of alternative vaccine strategies among countries situated in the Asia-Pacific region. The outcomes of these research programs have had significant global health impacts, highlighting the importance of these vaccines in preventing pneumococcal disease as well as HPV-associated diseases.

Sand mining in the Mekong Delta revisited - current scales of local sediment deficits.

The delta of the Mekong River in Vietnam has been heavily impacted by anthropogenic stresses in recent years, such as upstream dam construction and sand mining within the main and distributary channels, leading to riverbank and coastal erosion. Intensive bathymetric surveys, conducted within the Tien River branch during the dry and wet season 2018, reveal a high magnitude of sand mining activities. For the year 2018, an analysis of bathymetric maps and the local refilling processes leads to an estimated sand extraction volume of 4.64 [Formula: see text] 0.31 Mm[Formula: see text]/yr in the study area, which covered around 20 km. Reported statistics of sand mining for all of the Mekong's channels within the delta, which have a cumulative length of several hundred kilometres, are 17.77 Mm[Formula: see text]/yr for this period. Results from this study highlight that these statistics are likely too conservative. It is also shown that natural sediment supplies from upper reaches of the Mekong are insufficient to compensate for the loss of extracted bed aggregates, illustrating the non-sustainable nature of the local sand mining practices.