University of New Mexico

About: University of New Mexico is a education organization based out in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 28870 authors who have published 64767 publications receiving 2578371 citations. The organization is also known as: UNM & Universitatis Novus Mexico.

A virus-like particle enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detects serum antibodies in a majority of women infected with human papillomavirus type 16.

Abstract: Genital human papillomaviruses (HPV) are common sexually transmitted agents that induce a variety of proliferative genital lesions, including condylomata acuminata and benign cervical atypia. Infection by high-risk HPV types (most often HPV16 and HPV18) is by far the most significant risk factor for the development of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (increased risk of 10-fold to 40-fold), which can progress to invasive cervical carcinomas (increased risk of 200-fold to 300-fold) (1-3). Infection by low-risk types (most often HPV6 and HPV11) is common, but lesions induced by these types are rarely associated with carcinogenic progression. The identification of women who are at risk for developing cervical cancer has depended primarily on the use of the Papanicolaou (Pap) test, which detects cytologic abnormalities in cells from cervico-vaginal scrapes. In recent years, it has become evident that most of the cytologic changes represent manifestations of genital HPV infection. Although the Pap test is a very useful screening assay, it has a relatively high proportion of misdiagnosis and requires highly trained personnel to obtain and analyze the samples (4). Therefore, attempts have been made to devise assays to complement or partially replace Pap screening. Most of the ancillary assays are based on the direct detection of HPV nucleic acids in exfoliated cervico-vaginal cells and biopsy specimens. Two major shortcomings of the DNA-based assays are that they are beyond the scope of procedures currently in use in most clinical laboratories and, since the viral lesions are focal, they are subject to the same sampling errors as Pap smears (5). A serologic assay for genital HPV infection may offer advantages over currently available HPV diagnostic methods, since it would measure systemic responses to a significant viral infection and could be performed by most clinical laboratories. In addition, an antibody test might be useful for evaluating past exposure to the viruses. Attempts to develop serologic assays for high-risk HPV infections, however, have thus far been relatively unsuccessful. Responses to nonstructural viral proteins appear to be low and show substantial variability, with no single protein eliciting a detectable response in more than a minority of HPV-infected people (6,7). Assays using bacterially produced LI major or L2 minor virion structural proteins have not shown a good association between serum reactivity and other measures of HPV infection (8). The latter finding may indicate that HPV infections that are localized to the genital mucosa do not regularly elicit a significant systemic immune response to the virion proteins. Alternatively, most of the immunogenic epitopes of HPV virions recognized during natural infection may not be displayed by the bacterially derived virion proteins, which are generally isolated as denatured proteins and lack eukaryotic specific modifications. Humoral responses to native genital HPV virions have only been studied using virions of the low-risk HPV11 virions propagated in human tissues grown in immunologically impaired mice (9,10) because no efficient in vitro system exists for generating preparative amounts of native virions. However, we have reported (11) that the L1 virion proteins of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV1) and HPV16 have the intrinsic capacity to self-assemble into virus-like particles when expressed in insect cells via recombinant baculoviruses. We have now used purified HPV16 L1 plus L2 virus-like particles (12) as the antigen to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We have tested whether this assay can detect IgG anti-HPV16 virion antibodies in the sera of women who test positive for genital HPV16 infection by DNA-based methods.

Method of and apparatus for determining the similarity of a biological analyte from a model constructed from known biological fluids

Abstract: The characteristics of a biological fluid sample having an analyte are determined from a model constructed from plural known biological fluid samples. The model is a function of the concentration of materials in the known fluid samples as a function of absorption of wideband infrared energy. The wideband infrared energy is coupled to the analyte containing sample so there is differential absorption of the infrared energy as a function of the wavelength of the wideband infrared energy incident on the analyte containing sample. The differential absorption causes intensity variations of the infrared energy incident on the analyte containing sample as a function of sample wavelength of the energy, and concentration of the unknown analyte is determined from the thus-derived intensity variations of the infrared energy as a function of wavelength from the model absorption versus wavelength function.

Kinetic effects of temperature on rates of genetic divergence and speciation

Abstract: Latitudinal gradients of biodiversity and macroevolutionary dynamics are prominent yet poorly understood. We derive a model that quantifies the role of kinetic energy in generating biodiversity. The model predicts that rates of genetic divergence and speciation are both governed by metabolic rate and therefore show the same exponential temperature dependence (activation energy of ≈0.65 eV; 1 eV = 1.602 × 10−19 J). Predictions are supported by global datasets from planktonic foraminifera for rates of DNA evolution and speciation spanning 30 million years. As predicted by the model, rates of speciation increase toward the tropics even after controlling for the greater ocean coverage at tropical latitudes. Our model and results indicate that individual metabolic rate is a primary determinant of evolutionary rates: ≈1013 J of energy flux per gram of tissue generates one substitution per nucleotide in the nuclear genome, and ≈1023 J of energy flux per population generates a new species of foraminifera.

Experimental investigation of geologically produced antineutrinos with KamLAND

Abstract: The detection of electron antineutrinos produced by natural radioactivity in the Earth could yield important geophysical information. The Kamioka liquid scintillator antineutrino detector (KamLAND) has the sensitivity to detect electron antineutrinos produced by the decay of ^(238)U and ^(232)Th within the Earth. Earth composition models suggest that the radiogenic power from these isotope decays is 16 TW, approximately half of the total measured heat dissipation rate from the Earth. Here we present results from a search for geoneutrinos with KamLAND. Assuming a Th/U mass concentration ratio of 3.9, the 90 per cent confidence interval for the total number of geoneutrinos detected is 4.5 to 54.2. This result is consistent with the central value of 19 predicted by geophysical models. Although our present data have limited statistical power, they nevertheless provide by direct means an upper limit (60 TW) for the radiogenic power of U and Th in the Earth, a quantity that is currently poorly constrained.

Mesoporous Silica and Organosilica Nanoparticles: Physical Chemistry, Biosafety, Delivery Strategies, and Biomedical Applications.

Abstract: Predetermining the physico-chemical properties, biosafety, and stimuli-responsiveness of nanomaterials in biological environments is essential for safe and effective biomedical applications. At the forefront of biomedical research, mesoporous silica nanoparticles and mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles are increasingly investigated to predict their biological outcome by materials design. In this review, it is first chronicled that how the nanomaterial design of pure silica, partially hybridized organosilica, and fully hybridized organosilica (periodic mesoporous organosilicas) governs not only the physico-chemical properties but also the biosafety of the nanoparticles. The impact of the hybridization on the biocompatibility, protein corona, biodistribution, biodegradability, and clearance of the silica-based particles is described. Then, the influence of the surface engineering, the framework hybridization, as well as the morphology of the particles, on the ability to load and controllably deliver drugs under internal biological stimuli (e.g., pH, redox, enzymes) and external noninvasive stimuli (e.g., light, magnetic, ultrasound) are presented. To conclude, trends in the biomedical applications of silica and organosilica nanovectors are delineated, such as unconventional bioimaging techniques, large cargo delivery, combination therapy, gaseous molecule delivery, antimicrobial protection, and Alzheimer's disease therapy.