What makes patients tick? Vaccine preferences against tick-borne encephalitis in four European countries.

Background: We explored vaccine motivation and preferences for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccine attributes among participants in TBE-endemic countries in Europe.

Methods: An online survey was conducted among the general public in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden. Participants were ≥ 18 years old, open to receiving vaccines, and living in, or regularly traveling to, TBE-endemic regions in the aforementioned countries.

Understanding the journey towards rabies vaccination for travellers: Results of a cross-sectional survey with patients and providers in the US, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Background: Although cases of rabies in international travellers are uncommon, they are a fatal risk which can be alleviated through vaccination prior to travel. As international travel recovers post-COVID, it is vital that travellers are made aware of the risk of rabies when travelling to endemic countries and supported to receive the vaccine when eligible.

Methods: Online surveys were conducted in the US, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland between November 2022-January 2023 with both patients and healthcare providers (HCPs).

Tubulin polymerizing activity of dictyostatin-1, a polyketide of marine sponge origin.

Dictyostatin-1 had previously been isolated from a marine sponge of the genus Spongia sp. and described as a cytotoxic agent to murine and human cancer cells, but its mechanism of activity was unknown. In a routine screening assay used to detect cytotoxic compounds of marine origin, dictyostatin-1 was identified as a highly active component in an extract from a Lithistida sponge and exploration into its pharmacology was pursued.