Anti-double stranded DNA antibody (anti-dsDNA) is one of a group of autoantibodies called antinuclear antibodies (ANA). Normally, antibodies protect against infection, but autoantibodies are produced when a person's immune system fails to adequately distinguish between self and non-self.
Bill is a 16-year-old from New Jersey, and he is one of nine students at an unusual school here - the Deck House. It was founded in 1979 by Edward T. Hall, former headmaster at two prestigious preparatory schools, the Hill School in Pottstown, Pa., and St. Mark's School in Southborough, Mass.
Prince William County, led by George C. Round in Manassas, started its first free public school in 1869, a year before the state required it. Local families, plus a contribution from the Peabody Fund started by a Massachusetts philantropist. The first school met at Asbury Methodist Church on West Street.