Cerebral near infrared spectroscopy oximetry in extremely preterm infants: phase II randomised clinical trial.

Objective: To determine if it is possible to stabilise the cerebral oxygenation of extremely preterm infants monitored by cerebral near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) oximetry.

Design: Phase II randomised, single blinded, parallel clinical trial.

Setting: Eight tertiary neonatal intensive care units in eight European countries.

Targeting intensive versus conventional glycaemic control for type 1 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review with meta-analyses and trial sequential analyses of randomised clinical trials.

Objective: To assess the benefits and harms of targeting intensive versus conventional glycaemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Design: A systematic review with meta-analyses and trial sequential analyses of randomised clinical trials.

Data Sources: The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index Expanded and LILACS to January 2013.

Nitazoxanide for chronic hepatitis C.

Background: Hepatitis C infection is a disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus. The estimated number of chronically infected people with hepatitis C virus worldwide is about 150 million people. Every year, another three to four million people acquire the infection.

Selected HIV-1 Env trimeric formulations act as potent immunogens in a rabbit vaccination model.

Background: Ten to 30% of HIV-1 infected subjects develop broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) during chronic infection. We hypothesized that immunizing rabbits with viral envelope glycoproteins (Envs) from these patients may induce bNAbs, when formulated as a trimeric protein and in the presence of an adjuvant.

Methods: Based on in vitro neutralizing activity in serum, patients with bNAbs were selected for cloning of their HIV-1 Env.

Characterization of humoral responses to soluble trimeric HIV gp140 from a clade A Ugandan field isolate.

Trimeric soluble forms of HIV gp140 envelope glycoproteins represent one of the closest molecular structures compared to native spikes present on intact virus particles. Trimeric soluble gp140 have been generated by several groups and such molecules have been shown to induce antibodies with neutralizing activity against homologous and heterologous viruses. In the present study, we generated a recombinant trimeric soluble gp140, derived from a previously identified Ugandan A-clade HIV field isolate (gp14094UG018).

A phase II randomized clinical trial on cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy plus a treatment guideline versus treatment as usual for extremely preterm infants during the first three days of life (SafeBoosC): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Every year in Europe about 25,000 infants are born extremely preterm. These infants have a 20% mortality rate, and 25% of survivors have severe long-term cerebral impairment. Preventative measures are key to reduce mortality and morbidity in an extremely preterm population.

Optimization of HIV-1 Envelope DNA Vaccine Candidates within Three Different Animal Models, Guinea Pigs, Rabbits and Cynomolgus Macaques.

HIV-1 DNA vaccines have many advantageous features. Evaluation of HIV-1 vaccine candidates often starts in small animal models before macaque and human trials. Here, we selected and optimized DNA vaccine candidates through systematic testing in rabbits for the induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAb).

Development of standard operating procedures to obtain longitudinal vaginal specimens from nulliparous rabbits as part of HIV vaccine mucosal immunogenicity studies.

The New Zealand white rabbit model (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is widely used to test whether HIV vaccine candidates elicit systemic antibody responses; however, its use in mucosal immunology has not been fully exploited due to the difficulty in collecting mucosal specimens longitudinally and reproducibly. Here we describe feasible and non-feasible methods to collect vaginal and nasal specimens from nulliparous rabbits. Non-feasible methods were those resulting in poor reproducibility and considerable animal twitching during sampling, whereas feasible methods resulted in no animal twitching and potential for sampling reproducibility.

Differential induction of immunoglobulin G to Plasmodium falciparum variant surface antigens during the transmission season in Daraweesh, Sudan.

Background: The acquisition of immunoglobulin (Ig) G to variant surface antigens (VSAs) seems important for the development of protective immunity against malaria. Unlike VSAs expressed by parasite isolates associated with uncomplicated malaria, VSAs expressed by parasite isolates associated with severe malaria (VSA(SM)) are frequently recognized by IgG.

Methods: We analyzed levels of anti-VSA IgG in 57 individuals in Daraweesh, Sudan, before and after the transmission season.

Geographical and temporal conservation of antibody recognition of Plasmodium falciparum variant surface antigens.

The slow acquisition of protection against Plasmodium falciparum malaria probably reflects the extensive diversity of important antigens. The variant surface antigens (VSA) that mediate parasite adhesion to a range of host molecules are regarded as important targets of acquired protective immunity, but their diversity makes them questionable vaccine candidates. We determined levels of VSA-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) in human plasma collected at four geographically distant and epidemiologically distinct localities with specificity for VSA expressed by P.