The most advanced monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and vaccines against malaria target the central repeat region or closely related sequences within the circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP). Here, using an antigen-agnostic strategy to investigate human antibody responses to whole sporozoites, we identified a class of mAbs that target a cryptic PfCSP epitope that is only exposed after cleavage and subsequent pyroglutamylation (pGlu) of the newly formed N terminus. This pGlu-CSP epitope is not targeted by current anti-PfCSP mAbs and is not included in the licensed malaria vaccines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis narrative review delves into the molecular mechanisms of hyaluronic acid (HA) and re-epithelializing agents in the context of periodontal regeneration. Periodontitis, characterized by chronic inflammation and the destruction of tooth-supporting tissues, presents a significant challenge in restorative dentistry. Traditional non-surgical therapies (NSPTs) sometimes fail to fully manage subgingival biofilms and could benefit from adjunctive treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHum Vaccin Immunother
December 2024
Vaccine immunogenicity is affected by a variety of factors. Melatonin has been reported to affect immune responses to vaccines and infection. This was a randomized open-label trial - in which adults scheduled to receive the influenza vaccine were randomized to 5 mg melatonin or control to evaluate the effect of post-vaccination melatonin on humoral (hemagglutination-inhibition assays, HAI) and cellular (FluoroSpot) vaccine-specific cytokine responses 14-21 days post-vaccination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this work, the impact of a tungsten oxide (WO) seed and capping layer for ferroelectric La-doped (Hf, Zr)O (La:HZO) based capacitors, designed with back-end-of-line (BEOL) compatibility, is systematically investigated. The WO capping layer supplies oxygen to the La:HZO layer throughout the fabrication process and during device cycling. This facilitates the annihilation of oxygen vacancies (V) within the La:HZO layer, thereby stabilizing its ferroelectric orthorhombic phase and resulting in an increase of the remanent polarization (P) value in the capacitor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF