Oral subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine induces systemic neutralizing IgG, IgA and cellular immune responses and can boost neutralizing antibody responses primed by an injected vaccine.

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, with its devastating medical and economic impacts, triggered an unprecedented race toward development of effective vaccines. The commercialized vaccines are parenterally administered, which poses logistic challenges, while adequate protection at the mucosal sites of virus entry is questionable. Furthermore, essentially all vaccine candidates target the viral spike (S) protein, a surface protein that undergoes significant antigenic drift.

Detection of Impending Aggressive Outbursts in Patients with Psychiatric Disorders: Violence Clues from Dogs.

Aggression in psychiatric wards is a continuing matter of concern for both patients and medical staff. Here we have tested the hypothesis that the frequency of such incidents can be reduced with a new strategy of using trained alert dogs that warn of impending violent outbursts. Dogs were positioned among patients in psychiatric wards.

When cancer meets quantum mechanics.

To date, classical deterministic Newtonian physics has been used by biologists to describe living processes. However, it is increasingly appreciated that the probabilistic view offered by quantum mechanics more accurately describes the behavior of atoms and materials in all systems. Here, we discuss how the concepts of quantum mechanics can be applied to biological processes involved in cancer.

Sequence-based design of kinase inhibitors applicable for therapeutics and target identification.

A platform for specifically modulating kinase-dependent signaling using peptides derived from the catalytic domain of the kinase is presented. This technology, termed KinAce, utilizes the canonical structure of protein kinases. The targeted regions (subdomain V and subdomains IX and X) are analyzed and their sequence, three-dimensional structure, and involvement in protein-protein interaction are highlighted.

Expression of kinase genes in primary hyperparathyroidism: adenoma versus hyperplastic parathyroid tissue.

Background: Differentiation between parathyroid hyperplasia and adenoma is difficult and based on the surgeon's skill. Microarrays and other sophisticated research tools generate information about differential gene expression in various tissues. Exploration of genes that express differentially in 1 tissue will enable identification and perhaps development of new methods of preoperative or intraoperative diagnosis.

Possible physiological role of H19 RNA.

The product of the imprinted oncofetal H19 gene is an untranslated RNA of unknown function. With the human cDNA Atlas microarray, we detected differentially expressed genes modulated by the presence of H19 RNA. Many of the genes that are upregulated by H19 RNA are known to contribute to the invasive, migratory, and angiogenic capacities of cells.

[Viral hemorrhagic fever as a biological weapon].

The viruses that cause hemorrhagic fever belong to four virus families: the Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae, Filoviridae and Flaviviridae. These viruses are candidates for biological warfare agents because they are stable when aerosolized and cause severe debilitating disease. Research and development regarding the use of these viruses as warfare agents has been performed in the former Soviet Union and other countries.

Use of H19 regulatory sequences for targeted gene therapy in cancer.

We present a tumor gene therapy approach based on the use of regulatory sequences of the H19 gene that are differentially expressed between normal and cancer cells. We constructed expression vectors carrying the gene for the A fragment of diphtheria toxin (DT-A) or herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk), under the control of a 814 bp 5'-flanking region of the H19 gene. The cell killing activity of these constructs was in accordance with the relative activity of the H19 regulatory sequences in the transfected cells.