Protection efficacy and immunogenicity of Clostridium chauvoei proteins as a subunit blackleg vaccine or an adjuvant for Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxoid.

Potential application of Clostridium chauvoei proteins was studied as a subunit blackleg vaccine or a biological adjuvant for Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxoid vaccine. Extracellular and cell surface proteins were extracted from C. chauvoei culture, and their protective efficacy was evaluated by potency test in guinea pigs.

Evolving Role of Exosomes in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Dermatology.

Exosomes, or extracellular vesicles, represent the latest cell-free addition to the regenerative medicine toolkit. In vitro preclinical studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of exosomes, which vary based on source and biomanufacturing, for a myriad of potential therapeutic applications relevant to skin and soft tissue reconstruction. Primary search was performed in September 2021 on the MEDLINE database via PubMed and Ovid, with focus on articles about therapeutic application of exosomes or extracellular vesicles.

Multilevel Factors Impacting Substance Use Treatment Access, Engagement, and Racial Equity Among Opioid Overdose Survivors in Boston, MA.

Background: There are well-documented racial/ethnic inequities in drug-related overdoses and access to evidence-based opioid use services nationally and in Boston, MA.

Objective: To qualitatively explore the drivers of racial/ethnic inequities in access to opioid use disorder treatment and services in Boston.

Design: Semi-structured qualitative interviews.

PI3Kγ inhibition circumvents inflammation and vascular leak in SARS-CoV-2 and other infections.

Virulent infectious agents such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and methicillin-resistant (MRSA) induce tissue damage that recruits neutrophils, monocyte, and macrophages, leading to T cell exhaustion, fibrosis, vascular leak, epithelial cell depletion, and fatal organ damage. Neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages recruited to pathogen-infected lungs, including SARS-CoV-2-infected lungs, express phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase gamma (PI3Kγ), a signaling protein that coordinates both granulocyte and monocyte trafficking to diseased tissues and immune-suppressive, profibrotic transcription in myeloid cells. PI3Kγ deletion and inhibition with the clinical PI3Kγ inhibitor eganelisib promoted survival in models of infectious diseases, including SARS-CoV-2 and MRSA, by suppressing inflammation, vascular leak, organ damage, and cytokine storm.

The Harvard Macy Institute Art Museum-based Health Professions Education Fellowship: Transformational faculty development through the arts.

Museum-based education for health professionals can lead to a variety of important learning outcomes within the domain of skills development, personal insight, perspective-taking and social advocacy. The Harvard Macy Institute's Art Museum-based Health Professions Education Fellowship was designed to develop faculty expertise in art museum-based practices, encourage scholarship, and cultivate a cohesive and supportive community of educators. The Fellowship was piloted from January to May 2019 with twelve interprofessional Fellows.

Nebulized platelet-derived extracellular vesicles attenuate chronic cigarette smoke-induced murine emphysema.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent lung disease usually resulting from cigarette smoking (CS). Cigarette smoking induces oxidative stress, which causes inflammation and alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis and represents a compelling therapeutic target for COPD. Purified human platelet-derived exosome product (PEP) is endowed with antioxidant enzymes and immunomodulatory molecules that mediate tissue repair.

Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse and Skilled Addiction Treatment Workforce.

National drug overdose deaths have been rising for decades, with particularly significant increases in recent years among populations of color. There is an urgent need for timely, accessible substance use disorder treatment, but workforce shortages across roles and settings impede the ability of the treatment system to meet the rising and evolving demand. In this Commentary, the authors discuss reasons for workforce shortages across roles, and offer recommendations for 8 areas of investment to grow and sustain a substance use and addiction care workforce prepared to address the overdose crisis in a racially equitable manner.

Cost-effectiveness of expanded latent TB infection testing and treatment: Lynn City, Massachusetts, USA.

Between October 2016 and March 2019, Lynn Community Health Center in Massachusetts implemented a targeted latent TB infection testing and treatment (TTT) program, increasing testing from a baseline of 1,200 patients tested to an average of 3,531 patients tested, or 9% of the population per year. We compared pre-implementation TTT, represented by the first two quarters of implementation data, to TTT, represented by 12 quarters of data. Time, diagnostic, and laboratory resources were estimated using micro-costing.

Mifepristone Paternalism at the FDA.

This article explores the role of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in drug approval and restrictions to mifepristone access in the context of historical regulation and current litigation.

A Comparative Study of Two Topical Treatments for Photoaging of the Hands.

Background: Multiple effective treatments exist for correction of skin photoaging. Topical L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), a well-known antioxidant and topical human platelet extract (HPE), is a novel off-the-shelf cosmetic ingredient that has shown positive results in recent clinical studies. HPE is a leukocyte-depleted allogeneic product derived from United States-sourced, pooled, apheresed platelets produced with consistent batch quality, purity, and effect.

Evaluation of Immunogenicity of Type B Toxoid and Inactivated FMD (O) Virus with Adjuvant (ISA70-MF59).

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) and enterotoxemia are important diseases of hoofed animals. Vaccination against livestock pathogens, especially these two diseases, plays a key role in the prevention and control of these diseases. The use of combined vaccines with the aim of creating a better immune response and producing cheaper vaccines is a great contribution to Vaccine industry.

Optimization and scale-up of Clostridium perfringens type D culture and epsilon-toxin production: Effects of stirring, glucose and pH adjustment.

The effects of some main bacteria culture parameters including mixing rate, glucose (GC) concentration, steps of GC addition, and steps of pH adjustment on both C. perfringens bacteria growth and its epsilon toxin production in a bench-scale 20-L glass carboy were investigated. The optimized mixing rate of 300 rpm, GC concentration of 4 g L, and 3-step addition of GC resulted in the bacteria and toxin concentrations of 0.

Effect of formalin percentage, incubation time and temperature on Clostridium chauvoei culture inactivation and immunogenicity.

Objectives: In order to find the optimal inactivation conditions for Clostridium chauvoei culture, different factors were investigated and the immunogenicity of inactivated cultures was studied.

Methods: C. chauvoei was cultured with different formalin percentages (0.

Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α Stabilization Restores Epigenetic Control of Nitric Oxide Synthase 1 Expression and Reverses Gastroparesis in Female Diabetic Mice.

Background & Aims: Although depletion of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1)-expressing neurons contributes to gastroparesis, stimulating nitrergic signaling is not an effective therapy. We investigated whether hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1A), which is activated by high O consumption in central neurons, is a Nos1 transcription factor in enteric neurons and whether stabilizing HIF1A reverses gastroparesis.

Methods: Mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes, human and mouse tissues, NOS1 mouse neuroblastoma cells, and isolated nitrergic neurons were studied.

Perspectives and recommendations of opioid overdose survivors experiencing unsheltered homelessness on housing, overdose, and substance use treatment in Boston, MA.

Introduction: Opioid overdose causes one in four deaths among people experiencing homelessness in Boston, MA. To reduce overdose risks, the experience and perspectives of people experiencing homelessness should be incorporated into housing, overdose prevention, and substance use treatment efforts.

Methods: In 2021, we conducted qualitative interviews with 59 opioid overdose survivors to inform equitable access to treatment services.

SUFU promotes GLI activity in a Hedgehog-independent manner in pancreatic cancer.

Aberrant activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway, through which the GLI family of transcription factors (TF) is stimulated, is commonly observed in cancer cells. One well-established mechanism of this increased activity is through the inactivation of Suppressor of Fused (SUFU), a negative regulator of the Hh pathway. Relief from negative regulation by SUFU facilitates GLI activity and induction of target gene expression.

Scaling Up Latent Tuberculosis Infection Testing and Treatment for Non-US Born Patients in a Federally Qualified Community Health Center.

In the United States (US), tuberculosis elimination strategies include scaling up latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) diagnosis and treatment for persons at risk of progression to tuberculosis disease. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health partnered with Lynn Community Health Center to provide care to patients with LTBI who were born outside the US. The electronic health record was modified to facilitate collection of data elements for public health assessment of the LTBI care cascade.

Safety and efficacy of human platelet extract in skin recovery after fractional CO laser resurfacing of the face: A randomized, controlled, evaluator-blinded pilot study.

Background: Fractional carbon dioxide (CO ) laser resurfacing is used successfully for facial rejuvenation. Post procedure skincare is a variable that influences downtime caused by pain/tenderness, erythema, crusting, and bruising.

Aims: The primary objective of this pilot study was to demonstrate the benefits of human platelet extract (HPE) (plated)™ CALM Serum, a new topical cosmetic product, following fractionated CO ablative laser resurfacing treatment to the entire face versus standard of care.

Association Between Nasopharyngeal Colonization and Clinical Outcome in Children With Acute Otitis Media.

Background: Young children with acute otitis media (AOM) frequently exhibit nasopharyngeal colonization with either Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae or both pathogens. We aimed to determine if antibiotics could be spared or shortened in those without nasopharyngeal colonization with either pathogen.

Methods: In 2 separate randomized clinical trials in children aged 6-23 months with stringently-diagnosed AOM, we performed bacterial cultures on nasopharyngeal specimens collected at the time of diagnosis.

Genomics of perivascular space burden unravels early mechanisms of cerebral small vessel disease.

Perivascular space (PVS) burden is an emerging, poorly understood, magnetic resonance imaging marker of cerebral small vessel disease, a leading cause of stroke and dementia. Genome-wide association studies in up to 40,095 participants (18 population-based cohorts, 66.3 ± 8.

The need for establishing best practices and gold standards in psychedelic medicine.

Psychedelic substances are under investigation in several drug development programs. Controlled clinical trials are providing evidence for safe and effective use of psychedelic therapies for treating mental health conditions. With the anticipated FDA approval of MDMA-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in 2023 and psilocybin therapy for depression disorders soon after, now is the time for the medical community to become informed on best practices and to actively participate in developing standards of care for these new treatments.

Intensive Care Associated Experiences of Extremely Premature Infants Who Die.

Objective: Pain and quality of death are important considerations in treatment choices for children. Our objective is to assess the intensive care-associated experiences of 22-25 weeks gestational age (GA) infants who die despite intensive care treatment.

Study Design: In a 1:1 case-control study, medical records were screened for all inborn 22-25 weeks GA infants who received intensive care treatments between 2014 and 2020.

Teaching the process of science with primary literature: Using the CREATE pedagogy in ecological courses.

There have been numerous calls for improved pedagogical practices in biological education, and there is a clear need for such improvements in ecology and related curricula. Most ecology-related texts lack pedagogy and are designed to be content-rich. National initiatives, such as provide guidance on undergraduate biology education, including increasing use of evidence-based active learning, and taking a more conceptual and science practice skills approach.