Structural and immunological differences in Plasmodium falciparum sexual stage transmission-blocking vaccines comprised of Pfs25-EPA nanoparticles.

Development of a malaria vaccine that blocks transmission of different parasite stages to humans and mosquitoes is considered critical for elimination efforts. A vaccine using Pfs25, a protein on the surface of zygotes and ookinetes, is under investigation as a transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) that would interrupt parasite passage from mosquitoes to humans. The most extensively studied Pfs25 TBVs use Pichia pastoris-produced recombinant forms of Pfs25, chemically conjugated to a recombinant carrier protein, ExoProtein A (EPA).

The Effect of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening on Spoken Language after Cochlear Implantation.

Background: The universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) was fully implemented across New Zealand by 2010 to improve outcomes for children with prelingual deafness. A previous audit undertaken by our center, the Southern Cochlear Implant Programme (SCIP), demonstrated that UNHS has significantly reduced the time to referral and surgery for cochlear implants in these children.

Aims: This study aims to evaluate the relationship between earlier implantation and language development, the time taken to achieve age-appropriate language, and the effect of socioeconomic status on language skills.

A comparison of different antibiotic regimens for the treatment of naturally acquired shigellosis in rhesus and pigtailed macaques (Macaca mulatta and nemestrina).

Background: Shigella spp. are common enteric pathogens in captive non-human primates. Treatment of symptomatic infections involves supportive care and antibiotic therapy, typically with an empirical choice of antibiotic.

Applications of the Premack Principle: A Review of the Literature.

The Premack principle states that any Response A can reinforce any other Response B if the independent rate of A is greater than the independent rate of B. This theory demonstrates reinforcer relativity, where the relative probabilities of responses can be more impactful than preference. Applying the Premack principle involves arranging the environment to restrict access to certain responses based on relative probabilities of a set of given responses.

The use of midazolam as an appetite stimulant and anxiolytic in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).

Background: Food avoidance secondary to disease or stress can lead to weight loss and rapid deterioration of clinical condition in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). Currently, there are no data supporting the use of any pharmaceuticals as an appetite stimulant in this species; however, benzodiazepines are frequently used for this purpose in other species.

Methods: Six marmosets were used in a crossover study design to evaluate the benzodiazepine midazolam as an appetite stimulant and anxiolytic.