Long-term immunogenicity and safety of a non-typeable - vaccine: 4-year follow-up of a phase 1 multicentre trial.

A multicomponent vaccine has been developed to reduce the frequency of acute exacerbations of COPD associated with non-typeable (NTHi) and (Mcat) infections, containing NTHi (PD and PE-PilA) and Mcat (UspA2) surface proteins. In a randomised, observer-blind, placebo-controlled study with two steps (NCT02547974), the investigational vaccine had good immunogenicity and no safety concerns were identified. In step 2, 90 adults aged 50-71 years with smoking history received two doses 60 days apart of one of two AS01-adjuvanted formulations containing 10 µg of each antigen (10-10-AS01) or 10 µg NTHi antigens and 3.

Immunogenicity and safety of HBAI20 Hepatitis B vaccine in non-responders: Double-blinded, randomised, controlled phase 2 trial.

Background & Aims: Approximately 5%-10% of the general population respond inadequately to licensed recombinant hepatitis B vaccines. We assessed the immunogenicity and safety of a new HBAI20 vaccine, consisting of a new AI20 adjuvant (20-µg recombinant human IL-2 attached to 20-µg aluminium hydroxide) in combination with HBVaxPro®-10 µg.

Methods: In a double-blinded, randomised, controlled phase 2 trial, 18- to 59-year-old healthy non-responders (titre <10 mIU/ml after three or more doses of hepatitis B vaccine) were assigned (3:1 ratio) to receive either HBAI20 vaccine or HBVaxPro®-10 µg in a 0, 1 and 2-month schedule.

Safety and immunogenicity of two novel type 2 oral poliovirus vaccine candidates compared with a monovalent type 2 oral poliovirus vaccine in healthy adults: two clinical trials.

Background: Two novel type 2 oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV2) candidates, novel OPV2-c1 and novel OPV2-c2, designed to be more genetically stable than the licensed Sabin monovalent OPV2, have been developed to respond to ongoing polio outbreaks due to circulating vaccine-derived type 2 polioviruses.

Methods: We did two randomised studies at two centres in Belgium. The first was a phase 4 historical control study of monovalent OPV2 in Antwerp, done before global withdrawal of OPV2, and the second was a phase 2 study in Antwerp and Ghent with novel OPV2-c1 and novel OPV2-c2.

A multi-proxy magnetic approach for monitoring large-scale airborne pollution impact.

The interpretive utility of environmental magnetic proxies for investigating airborne particulate matter (PM) pollution impact is restricted by differences in soil composition, land cover and land use. For soil magnetic applications, land use strongly influences magnetic particle distribution down the soil profile, even in homogeneous soil environments. Here, an adaptive approach is engineered to provide accurate magnetic proxy information for pollution monitoring across different land use types.

Evaluating the potential of topsoil magnetic pollution mapping across different land use classes.

Soil magnetic measurements are used increasingly to estimate the impact of airborne, combustion-related particulate matter (PM) pollution in dense measurement grids. Although many studies have proven the potential of topsoil magnetic measurements in environmental monitoring, their application is not straightforward when factors such as parent material or land use have to be accounted for. Often, the influence of land use on the soil magnetic signal is circumvented by targeting forest soils, where deposited magnetic particles are best preserved in the topsoil.

The safety and immunogenicity of two novel live attenuated monovalent (serotype 2) oral poliovirus vaccines in healthy adults: a double-blind, single-centre phase 1 study.

Background: Use of oral live-attenuated polio vaccines (OPV), and injected inactivated polio vaccines (IPV) has almost achieved global eradication of wild polio viruses. To address the goals of achieving and maintaining global eradication and minimising the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-derived polioviruses, we tested novel monovalent oral type-2 poliovirus (OPV2) vaccine candidates that are genetically more stable than existing OPVs, with a lower risk of reversion to neurovirulence. Our study represents the first in-human testing of these two novel OPV2 candidates.

Urban soil exploration through multi-receiver electromagnetic induction and stepped-frequency ground penetrating radar.

In environmental assessments, the characterization of urban soils relies heavily on invasive investigation, which is often insufficient to capture their full spatial heterogeneity. Non-invasive geophysical techniques enable rapid collection of high-resolution data and provide a cost-effective alternative to investigate soil in a spatially comprehensive way. This paper presents the results of combining multi-receiver electromagnetic induction and stepped-frequency ground penetrating radar to characterize a former garage site contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons.

The 3-D reconstruction of medieval wetland reclamation through electromagnetic induction survey.

Studies of past human-landscape interactions rely upon the integration of archaeological, biological and geological information within their geographical context. However, detecting the often ephemeral traces of human activities at a landscape scale remains difficult with conventional archaeological field survey. Geophysical methods offer a solution by bridging the gap between point finds and the surrounding landscape, but these surveys often solely target archaeological features.