Implementation of California COVIDNet - a multi-sector collaboration for statewide SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance.

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic represented a formidable scientific and technological challenge to public health due to its rapid spread and evolution. To meet these challenges and to characterize the virus over time, the State of California established the California SARS-CoV-2 Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) Initiative, or "California COVIDNet". This initiative constituted an unprecedented multi-sector collaborative effort to achieve large-scale genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 across California to monitor the spread of variants within the state, to detect new and emerging variants, and to characterize outbreaks in congregate, workplace, and other settings.

High throughput quantitative colorimetric microneutralization assay for the confirmation and differentiation of West Nile Virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus.

An automated colorimetric micro-neutralization assay (CmNt) was developed for confirmation and differentiation of West Nile Virus (WNV)-positive human sera as a higher throughput alternative to the standard six-well plaque-reduction neutralization test (PRNT). CmNt was performed in high-capacity 96-well micro-titer plates and required 4-6 days to complete. Inhibition of infection was determined by reduced neutral red-dye retention and conveniently recorded by a colorimetric plate reader.

Safety and immunogenicity of adjuvanted and unadjuvanted subunit influenza vaccines administered intranasally to healthy adults.

Antigen-specific mucosal immunity is thought to be important for protection against influenza virus infection. Currently licensed parenteral influenza vaccines stimulate the production of serum antibodies, but are poor inducers of mucosal immunity. The adjuvant MF59 has been shown to enhance the humoral immune response to parenteral influenza vaccine in humans and the mucosal immune response to intranasally-administered influenza vaccine in mice.

Gait, estimated net cost of transport and heat production at different speeds in three-day-event horses.

Heart rate and gait characteristics (stride length and frequency) were studied in 6 horses subjected to a standardised incremental exercise test, involving moving at the trot and increasing speeds up to a fast gallop and subsequently during the steeplechase phase of a 3-day-event. The studies were performed in hot conditions. Appropriate scaling, based on hindleg length (hh), stride length (L), stride frequency (f) and speed (Sp) for nondimensional stride length (lambda = (L/hh), nondimensional stride frequency (phi = f(hh/g)1/2) and nondimensional velocity (û = Sp/(ghh)1/2), where g is the gravitational acceleration, demonstrated that there were no major differences in characteristics over the full range studied lambda = 2.

Methylprednisolone-hemisuccinate and its metabolites in serum, urine and bile from two patients with acute graft rejection.

Methylprednisolone-hemisuccinate (MPHS), methylprednisolone (MP), 20-alpha-hydroxy- (20 alpha HMP) and 20-beta-hydroxymethyl-prednisolone (20 beta HMP) concentrations were measured in serum, urine and bile from two liver transplant recipients who had received 1 g MPHS by a 1 h intravenous infusion for treatment of an acute rejection episode. These patients excreted similar total amounts of the dose in urine as patients with rheumatoid arthritis (historical controls) who had normal liver function. The transplant patients showed a ratio in urine of 'total metabolites'/MPHS that was one third that of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.