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We compared outer and inner foreskin tissue from adolescent males undergoing medical male circumcision to better understand signals that increase HIV target cell availability in the foreskin. We measured chemokine gene expression and the impact of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) on the density and location of T and Langerhans cells. Chemokine C–C ligand 27 (CCL27) was expressed 6.94-fold higher in the inner foreskin when compared with the outer foreskin. We show that the density of CD4+CCR5+cells/mm2was higher in the epithelium of the inner foreskin, regardless of STI status, in parallel with higher CCL27 gene expression. In the presence of STIs, there were higher numbers of CD4+CCR5+cells/mm2cells in the sub-stratum of the outer and inner foreskin with concurrently higher number of CD207+Langerhans cells (LC) in both tissues, with the latter cells being closer to the keratin surface of the outer FS in the presence of an STI. When we tested the ability of exogenous CCL27 to induce T-cell migration in foreskin tissue, CD4 + T cells were able to relocate to the inner foreskin epithelium in response. We provide novel insight into the impact CCL27 and STIs on immune and HIV-1 target cell changes in the foreskin.

We compared outer and inner foreskin tissue from adolescent males undergoing medical male circumcision to better understand signals that increase HIV target cell availability in the foreskin. We measured chemokine gene expression and the impact of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) on the density and location of T and Langerhans cells. Chemokine C–C ligand 27 (CCL27) was expressed 6.94-fold higher in the inner foreskin when compared with the outer foreskin. We show that the density of CD4+CCR5+cells/mm2was higher in the epithelium of the inner foreskin, regardless of STI status, in parallel with higher CCL27 gene expression. In the presence of STIs, there were higher numbers of CD4+CCR5+cells/mm2cells in the sub-stratum of the outer and inner foreskin with concurrently higher number of CD207+Langerhans cells (LC) in both tissues, with the latter cells being closer to the keratin surface of the outer FS in the presence of an STI. When we tested the ability of exogenous CCL27 to induce T-cell migration in foreskin tissue, CD4 + T cells were able to relocate to the inner foreskin epithelium in response. We provide novel insight into the impact CCL27 and STIs on immune and HIV-1 target cell changes in the foreskin.

Cancer-related structural alterations in lung tissue and individual cells can often be readily observed, but can be difficult to quantify using conventional metrics, such as length or volumeFractals are mathematical constructs that appear infinitely self-similar over a range of scalesMany biological entities, including the lung, can be considered as fractals within a limited scaling range known as a 'scaling window'A fractal dimension (FD) is a non-integer value that relates how the detail and complexity of an object changes with scaleFD can be used to quantify complex shapes and patterns in a range of clinical and biological images, including those illustrating DNA, cellular architectural, histopathological, and radiological featuresFractal dimension can detect subtle changes in images and could potentially provide clinically useful information relating to tumour type, stage, and response to therapy

Materials that respond to physiological stimuli are important in developing advanced biomaterials for modern therapies. The reversibility of covalent crosslinks formed by phenylboronate (PBA) and salicylhydroxamate (SHA) has been exploited to provide a pH‐responsive gel for application to the vaginal tract. Dynamic rheology reveals that the gel frequency‐dependent viscoelastic properties are modulated by pH. At pH 4.8 the viscous component dominates throughout most of the frequency range. As the pH increases, the characteristic relaxation time continues to increase while the G′Plateaulevels off above pH 6. At pH 7.5, the elastic component dominates throughout the frequency sweep and is predominately independent of frequency. Particle tracking assesses the transport of both fluorescently labeled HIV‐1 and 100‐nm latex particles in the PBA–SHA crosslinked gel as a function of pH. At pH 4.8 the ensemble‐averaged mean squared displacement at lag times greater than three seconds reveals that transport of the HIV‐1 and 100‐nm particles becomes significantly impeded by the matrix, exhibiting diffusion coefficients less than 0.0002 µm2s−1. This pH‐responsive gel thus displays properties that have the potential to significantly reduce the transport of HIV‐1 to susceptible tissues and thus prevent the first stage of male‐to‐female transmission of HIV‐1.