Anti-EBOV GP IgGs Lacking α1-3-Galactose and Neu5Gc Prolong Survival and Decrease Blood Viral Load in EBOV-Infected Guinea Pigs.

Polyclonal xenogenic IgGs, although having been used in the prevention and cure of severe infectious diseases, are highly immunogenic, which may restrict their usage in new applications such as Ebola hemorrhagic fever. IgG glycans display powerful xenogeneic antigens in humans, for example α1-3 Galactose and the glycolyl form of neuraminic acid Neu5Gc, and IgGs deprived of these key sugar epitopes may represent an advantage for passive immunotherapy. In this paper, we explored whether low immunogenicity IgGs had a protective effect on a guinea pig model of Ebola virus (EBOV) infection.

Comparison of Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy in Low Vacuum or wet mode for the investigation of cell biomaterial interactions.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), in low vacuum mode (LV-ESEM) and in wet mode (wet-ESEM) in the assessment of cell-material interactions.

Methods: Mouse calvaria MC3T3 cells (ATCC) were seeded on commercially pure machined titanium discs of 10 mm diameter in Dulbecco modified MEM, 10% Fetal Bovine Serum, 1% Penicillin and Streptomycin and 1% Glutamine. Samples were then processed for microscope observation by rinse in Phosphate Buffer saline and fixation in 4.

Role of prostaglandin E2 in the modulation of Wnt canonical signaling in cells on microstructured titanium surfaces.

Background: Rough surface topography enhances the activation of Wnt canonical signaling, a pathway required for osteoblast differentiation. The present study investigated the effects of the modulation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) signaling on osteoblastic differentiation on titanium surfaces for endosseous implants with different topographies.

Methods: C2C12 cells were plated on polished or acid-etched/sand-blasted (SLA) titanium discs and stimulated with 1 μM PGE2 or 100 nM cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin.

Rewinding the process of mammalian extinction.

With only three living individuals left on this planet, the northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) could be considered doomed for extinction. It might still be possible, however, to rescue the (sub)species by combining novel stem cell and assisted reproductive technologies. To discuss the various practical options available to us, we convened a multidisciplinary meeting under the name "Conservation by Cellular Technologies.

Acute Hepatitis B After the Implementation of Universal Vaccination in Italy: Results From 22 Years of Surveillance (1993-2014).

Background: Hepatitis B vaccination has proven to be very safe and highly effective. This study assessed the proportion of successfully vaccinated individuals among cases with acute hepatitis B, the proportion of preventable cases if individuals were vaccinated as recommended, and the reasons for failures.

Methods: We analyzed data reported to the Italian Surveillance System for Acute Viral Hepatitis from 1993 to 2014.

New immunoassays for total, IgA and IgM antibodies against hepatitis E virus: Prevalence in Italian blood donors and patients with chronic liver or kidney diseases.

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic agent that causes acute hepatitis in humans with sporadic infections and outbreaks in developing countries worldwide. The global spread of HEV remains underestimated because of subclinical infections and lack of sensitive diagnostic assays.

Aims: To study the prevalence of HEV antibodies (anti-HEV) in sera of blood-donors and patients with chronic-liver-disease and chronic-renal-disease, using newly developed anti-HEV assays.

Evolving strategy for HCV testing in an Italian tertiary care hospital.

Background: Diagnostic tests for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection should be adapted according to the clinical status of the patient.

Objectives: We exploited the application of different HCV diagnostic algorithms in a tertiary care hospital practice.

Study Design: The laboratory clinical reports to the medical orders for HCV testing during three years were clustered by different combinations of assays for anti-HCV antibodies (HCV Ab) (screening and confirmatory), HCV nucleic acid (HCV-RNA), HCV core antigen (HCV Ag).

The response of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells to micro- and nano-textured, hydrophilic and bioactive titanium surfaces.

The aim of the present work was to investigate the morphology and activity of the murine osteoblastic cell line MC3T3 on control smooth (Machined), commercially available rough (ZT) titanium discs, and on titanium samples obtained by modifying the ZT treatment protocol, and herein labelled as ZTF, ZTM and ZTFM. Cells were evaluated at SEM and immunofluorescence for morphology and cell-to-cell interactions and by MTT assay and real time PCR for cell growth and function. Microscopy showed that ZT modified protocols could differently affect cell shape and distribution.

Chitosan scaffold modified with D-(+) raffinose and enriched with thiol-modified gelatin for improved osteoblast adhesion.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether chitosan-based scaffolds modified with D-(+) raffinose and enriched with thiol-modified gelatin could selectively improve osteoblast adhesion and proliferation. 2, 3 and 4.5% chitosan films were prepared.

Lessons learnt over two decades of vaccination against hepatitis B in Italy.

This article reviews topics covered and discussed at the Meeting: "Vaccini e vaccinazioni. Migliorare l'oggi e preparare il domani", held in Genoa, Italy, on 12 September 2014. Data presented at the meeting, clearly showed that: 1) hepatitis B vaccination can confer long-term protection and there is no need for booster in immunocompetent vaccinees; 2) vaccination is highly effective in protecting population from clinical acute or chronic HBV infections, including hepatocellular carcinoma; 3) children vaccinated as infants with hexavalent vaccines maintain immunological memory 5 years after priming, but further studies are needed to assess whether immunity persists during the adolescence and adulthood when risk of exposure to HBV becomes higher; 4) the emergence of vaccine-escape mutants and Pol-gene mutants during antiviral therapy - which can result in changes in the S-gene - is of some concern, but at present there is no evidence that such mutants may pose a threat to the established programs of vaccination.

Whole-blood fatty acids and inflammation in European children: the IDEFICS Study.

Background/objectives: Fatty acids are hypothesized to influence cardiovascular disease risk because of their effect on inflammation. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between whole-blood fatty acids (WBFAs) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in European children.

Subjects/methods: A total of 1401 subjects (697 boys and 704 girls) aged between 2 and 9 years from the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects in Children and infantS) study were measured in this cross-sectional analysis.

Picomolar Inhibition of Plasmepsin V, an Essential Malaria Protease, Achieved Exploiting the Prime Region.

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by Plasmodium parasites. It results in an annual death-toll of ~ 600,000. Resistance to all medications currently in use exists, and novel antimalarial drugs are urgently needed.

Chromosome transplantation as a novel approach for correcting complex genomic disorders.

Genomic disorders resulting from large rearrangements of the genome remain an important unsolved issue in gene therapy. Chromosome transplantation, defined as the perfect replacement of an endogenous chromosome with a homologous one, has the potential of curing this kind of disorders. Here we report the first successful case of chromosome transplantation by replacement of an endogenous X chromosome carrying a mutation in the Hprt genewith a normal one in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), correcting the genetic defect.

Desaturase Activity Is Associated With Weight Status and Metabolic Risk Markers in Young Children.

Context: Activity of delta-9, delta-6, and delta-5 desaturases (D9D, D6D, D5D) are associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia.

Objective: To investigate the association of estimated desaturase activities with weight status, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia in children, cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

Design: The IDEFICS (Identification and Prevention of Dietary- and Lifestyle-Induced Health Effects in Children and Infants) cohort study was used, with examinations at baseline (T0) and after 2 years (T1).

Surgical Treatment of Concomitant Atrial Fibrillation: Focus onto Atrial Contractility.

Background: Maze procedure aims at restoring sinus rhythm (SR) and atrial contractility (AC). This study evaluated multiple aspects of AC recovery and their relationship with SR regain after ablation.

Methods: 122 mitral and fibrillating patients underwent radiofrequency Maze.

Hydration Status Is Associated with Aortic Stiffness, but Not with Peripheral Arterial Stiffness, in Chronically Hemodialysed Patients.

Background. Adequate fluid management could be essential to minimize high arterial stiffness observed in chronically hemodialyzed patients (CHP). Aim.

Arterial Stiffness in a Rural Population of Argentina: Pilot Study.

Introduction: Aortic stiffness evaluated through pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurement is nowadays accepted as a reliable parameter to estimate cardiovascular risk. However the data about arterial stiffness in South America come from urban populations.

Aims: To determine the relationship between PWV changes and ageing and to identify the rate of change in each decade of life.

Arterial Stiffness and Renal Replacement Therapy: A Controversial Topic.

The increase of arterial stiffness has been to have a significant impact on predicting mortality in end-stage renal disease patients. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a noninvasive, reliable parameter of regional arterial stiffness that integrates the vascular geometry and arterial wall intrinsic elasticity and is capable of predicting cardiovascular mortality in this patient population. Nevertheless, reports on PWV in dialyzed patients are contradictory and sometimes inconsistent: some reports claim the arterial wall stiffness increases (i.

Hepatitis C virus screening to reveal a better picture of infection.

Antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection will be the next revolution in clinical virology. Sensible planning for treatment is needed, starting with population-screening policies ideally using the HCV core antigen. This will result in a more defined picture of the silent spread of HCV.

Optimization of the THP-1 activation assay to detect pharmaceuticals with potential to cause immune mediated drug reactions.

Despite important impacts of systemic hypersensitivity induced by pharmaceuticals, for such endpoint no reliable preclinical approaches are available. We previously established an in vitro test to identify contact and respiratory allergens based on interleukin-8 (IL-8) production in THP-1 cells. Here, we challenged it for identification of pharmaceuticals associated with systemic hypersensitivity reactions, with the idea that drug sensitizers share common mechanisms of cell activation.

Novel analytical method to measure formaldehyde release from heated hair straightening cosmetic products: Impact on risk assessment.

Hair straightening cosmetic products may contain formaldehyde (FA). In Europe, FA is permitted for use in personal care products at concentrations ⩽ 0.2g/100g.

Corrigendum to "reference values of pulse wave velocity in healthy people from an urban and rural argentinean population".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2014/653239.].