Biodegradation of persistent organics can overcome adsorption-desorption hysteresis in biological activated carbon systems.

In Biological Activated Carbon (BAC) systems, persistent organic pollutants can be removed through a combination of adsorption, desorption and biodegradation. These processes might be affected by the presence of other organics, especially by the more abundant easily-biodegradable organics, like acetate. In this research these relations are quantified for the removal of the persistent pharmaceutical metoprolol.

Hormone receptors as a marker of poor survival in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Objective: Androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor α and β (ERα, ERβ), and progesterone receptor (PR) are potential therapeutic targets in epithelial ovarian cancer. In this study we evaluate the prognostic value of these hormone receptors in ovarian cancer patients.

Methods: In a prospective multicenter randomized controlled phase II trial 196 ovarian cancer patients were randomized to carboplatin/docetaxel±celecoxib.

The influence of the inactivating agent on the antigen content of inactivated Newcastle disease vaccines assessed by the in vitro potency test.

An in vitro potency test has recently been included in the European Pharmacopoeia (EP) monograph (01/2007:0870) to assess the potency of inactivated Newcastle disease (ND) vaccines. This enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is an attractive alternative for the existing in vivo potency tests especially with regard to the objective of the European Authorities to Replace, Reduce and Refine the use of laboratory animals for production and quality control of immunobiologicals. In the present study the influence of the inactivant on the antigen content established by ELISA was evaluated.

Low dose powdered activated carbon addition at high sludge retention times to reduce fouling in membrane bioreactors.

The addition of a low concentration of PAC (0.5gL(-1) of sludge, i.e.

A reovirus challenge model applicable in commercial broilers after live vaccination.

The efficacy of live reovirus vaccines may be determined by challenge via the foot pad route 3 to 4 weeks after vaccination. Swelling and discoloration in the foot pad and shank are scored for a period of 14 days. The major disadvantages of this challenge model are the subjective judgement of gross foot pad and/or shank lesions, that it is very difficult to induce lesions in broilers, and that it causes animal suffering.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) marker vaccine: an immunodominant epitope on the nucleoprotein gene of NDV can be deleted or replaced by a foreign epitope.

The nucleoprotein (NP) of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) functions primarily to encapsidate the virus genome for the purpose of RNA transcription, replication, and packaging. This conserved multifunctional protein is also efficient in inducing NDV-specific antibody in chickens. Here, we localized a conserved B-cell immunodominant epitope (IDE) spanning residues 447 to 455 and successfully generated a recombinant NDV lacking the IDE by reverse genetics.

An inactivated bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV) type 1 vaccine affords clinical protection against BVDV type 2.

This study was designed to answer to two distinct questions. Firstly, is it possible to reproduce clinical signs of acute bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV) type 2 infection including signs of haemorrhagic disease under experimental conditions in cattle at 20 weeks of age? Secondly, what is the extent of the protection afforded by vaccination with an inactivated BVDV type 1 vaccine against BVDV type 2 infection? Calves were vaccinated at 12 and 16 weeks of age with a commercially available inactivated BVDV type 1 vaccine (Bovilis BVD). At 20 weeks they were challenge infected with BVDV type 2 virus together with unvaccinated control calves.

Antigenic characterization of IBDV field isolates by their reactivity with a panel of monoclonal antibodies.

Recently Infectious Bursal Disease Virus isolates have been described in USA displaying an antigenic drift. Many of the new isolates were very virulent for chickens. In several European countries severe outbreaks of Gumboro disease have also been reported from vaccinated and non-vaccinated flocks.

Measles virus fusion protein presented in an immune-stimulating complex (iscom) induces haemolysis-inhibiting and fusion-inhibiting antibodies, virus-specific T cells and protection in mice.

Immune-stimulating complexes (iscoms), which have recently been shown to be highly effective for the antigenic presentation of membrane proteins of viruses, were prepared with affinity-purified fusion (F) protein of measles virus (MV), using an adaptation of the standard method for iscom preparation. Immunization of monkeys with the F iscom preparation induced biologically active anti-F protein antibodies as was shown in haemolysis inhibition and cell-cell fusion inhibition tests. A whole MV iscom preparation, which also contained the haemagglutinin protein, induced not only also haemolysis-inhibiting antibodies, but, in contrast to the F iscom preparation, also haemagglutination-inhibiting and virus-neutralizing antibodies.

Inhibition of measles virus-induced cell-cell fusion with a monoclonal antibody directed against the haemagglutinin.

A neutralizing monoclonal antibody (C26-15) against the haemagglutinin (H protein) of measles virus was generated which caused cell-cell fusion inhibition in cultures of measles virus-infected cells. It was shown that this phenomenon coincided with a down-regulation of the expression of both the H protein and the fusion (F) protein. We also showed cell-cell fusion inhibition with a polyclonal rabbit serum directed against Tween-ether inactivated measles virus, which did not contain biologically active antibodies against the F protein.

Inactivated poliovirus vaccine: current production methods and new developments.

The biotechnologic developments during the last decade have led to the production of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) on an industrial scale and at economically acceptable costs. Replacement of primary monkey kidney cells by subcultured monkey kidney, Vero, or human diploid cells as substrate for virus multiplication as well as the introduction of the microcarrier culture technique have made cell and virus cultivation in large fermentors of 100-1,000 liters feasible. Procedures for processing virus harvests into highly concentrated purified vaccines were developed; also, the safety and potency control tests were improved and simplified.

Induction of neutralizing antibodies by poliovirus capsid polypeptides VP1, VP2 and VP3.

The antigenic and immunogenic properties of poliovirus capsid polypeptides (VPs) have been investigated in vivo and in vitro. VPs were isolated from infectious and formalin inactivated virus. Upon immunization VPs from infectious virus did not induce neutralizing antibodies in laboratory animals after two or three injections.

Induction of antigen-specific antibody response in human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro by a dog kidney cell vaccine against rabies virus (DKCV).

In the present report an in vitro method for obtaining a secondary human antibody response to a dog kidney cell vaccine against rabies virus (DKCV) is described. Cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal rabies-immune and nonimmune donors were stimulated in vitro by DKCV. The production of virus-specific antibody in supernatant fluids was monitored by ELISA.

Antigenicity and immunogenicity of poliovirus capsid proteins.

Poliovirus capsid proteins (VP's) were isolated by DEAE-Sepharose chromatography in the presence of RNA-se and 9 M urea or by preparative SDS-polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). With the first method, several, but not all, capsid proteins, from the three different virus types could be isolated in pure form, probably because of incomplete dissociation of the virus particles in 9 M urea. With SDS-PAGE all capsid proteins could be isolated in pure form.

Quantitative determination of rabies antigen by ELISA.

Two ELISA methods are described for quantitation of rabies envelope glycoprotein in suspensions containing liver or inactivated virus. One of these methods is currently used for "in process" control at the production of inactivated rabies vaccine in our laboratory. The results obtained with the ELISA-test have been compared with those from the classical NIH-test for a number of freeze dried vaccine preparations.

Detection and elimination of cellular nucleic acids in biologicals produced on continuous cell lines.

Experiments have been conducted to determine the extent to which currently available purification techniques can remove contaminating substrate cellular DNA from inactivated poliovirus vaccine produced on continuous cell lines rising highly [32P]-labeled, nick-translated cellular DNA added to poliovirus suspensions, we found that purification procedures were capable, in small-scale experiments, of reducing contaminating DNA by factors of 10(3) (DNAse treatment followed by gel filtration) and 10(3)-3X10(5) (ion exchange chromatography). Sequential application of these purification steps should reduce contaminating cellular DNA to acceptable levels. We also examined the potential usefulness of immobilized nucleic acid hybridization techniques for the routine direct testing of residual cellular nucleic acids in final production lots of inactivated poliovirus vaccine and other biologicals.

D-antigen determination in polio vaccine production: comparison of gel diffusion and ELISA methods.

Up to now gel diffusion is widely used for in vitro determination of polio D-antigen. This method has several disadvantages, its relatively low sensitivity being the main one. Generally samples have to be concentrated, which requires fairly large amounts of material and often results in some loss of antigen due to adsorption.

Concentration and purification of poliovirus by immune adsorption on immobilized antibodies.

Antibodies to poliovirus type 1, 2 and 3 have been coupled to Sepharose 4 B. The immune sorbentia have high binding capacities for both live and inactivated virus. Bound antigen is eluted with a high concentration of ammoniumisothiocyanate.

Isolation of biologically active components from rabies and other envelope viruses.

Most human virus vaccines contain complete virus particles, either inactivated or attenuated. Besides components responsible for induction of neutralizing antibodies, other virus components (e.g.