Development and Characterization of a 13-Plex Binding Assay to Detect Antibodies in Human Samples.

is the leading bacterial cause of diarrhea worldwide, with increasing levels of antibiotic resistance. The greatest burden is among children aged <5 years in low- and middle-income countries, and efforts are ongoing to develop vaccines against this pathogen. One of the challenges associated with the development of a vaccine against is the need for a multivalent vaccine covering the most prevalent serotypes.

Characterization of an IL-8 cleavage inhibition assay to determine the functionality of anti-SpyCEP antibodies in human sera.

Exposure to Group A Streptococcus leads to a broad spectrum of disease and sequelae, as the bacterium employs a wide range of virulence factors to facilitate colonization of the host, propagation and onward transmission, disrupting both innate and adaptive immune responses. The protease SpyCEP has a crucial role in contributing to bacterial immune evasion by impairing neutrophil recruitment and killing of bacteria through the cleavage of interleukin-8 (IL-8). Given this critical function, SpyCEP represents a key vaccine antigen and quantifying functional anti-SpyCEP antibodies represents not only an important marker of vaccine efficacy, but also a tool to dissect the natural immune response.

Design of a Glycoconjugate Vaccine Against Paratyphi A.

Background/objectives: Typhoid and paratyphoid fever together are responsible for millions of cases and thousands of deaths per year, most of which occur in children in South and Southeast Asia. While typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs) are licensed, no vaccines are currently available against Paratyphi A. Here we describe the design of a Paratyphi A conjugate.

Development and characterization of high-throughput serological assays to measure magnitude and functional immune response against Paratyphi A in human samples.

Typhoid and Paratyphoid fever cause a global health burden, especially for the children of Southern Asia. The impact of the disease is further exacerbated by the dramatic increase of antimicrobial resistance. While vaccines against Typhi have been developed and successfully introduced, an effective vaccine targeting Paratyphi A is still lacking.

Adjuvanted Modified Bacterial Antigens for Single-Dose Vaccines.

Alum is the most used vaccine adjuvant, due to its safety, low cost and adjuvanticity to various antigens. However, the mechanism of action of alum is complex and not yet fully understood, and the immune responses elicited can be weak and antigen-dependent. While several antigens rapidly desorb from alum upon exposure to serum, phosphorylated proteins remain tightly bound through a ligand-exchange reaction with surface hydroxyls on alum.

Rare connective tissue diseases in patients with C1-inhibitor deficiency hereditary angioedema: first evidence on prevalence and distribution from a large Italian cohort study.

Introduction: In patients with Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) related to primary C1 inhibitor deficiency (C1INH), the defective clearance of immune complexes and apoptotic materials along with impairment of normal humoral response potentially leads to autoimmunity. Few studies report evidence on autoimmune diseases in C1INH-HAE, but no large population studies focus on rare connective tissue diseases (RCTDs). We aim at evaluating for the first time prevalence and distribution of RCTDs - Systemic Lupus Erytematosus (SLE), primary Sjogren Syndrome (SjS), primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), and mixed connective tissue diseases (MCTD) in a large Italian cohort of C1INH-HAE patients.

Qualification of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for quantification of anti-Vi IgG in human sera.

Effective vaccines against Typhi, targeting the Vi capsular polysaccharide, have been developed and are being introduced into routine immunization in endemic countries. Vi conjugated vaccines are also being tested in new multi-component vaccine formulations. Simple, high-throughput and cost-effective assays to quantify Vi-specific IgG in clinical sera are needed.

Modeling 1-Cyano-4-Dimethylaminopyridine Tetrafluoroborate (CDAP) Chemistry to Design Glycoconjugate Vaccines with Desired Structural and Immunological Characteristics.

Glycoconjugation is a well-established technology for vaccine development: linkage of the polysaccharide (PS) antigen to an appropriate carrier protein overcomes the limitations of PS T-independent antigens, making them effective in infants and providing immunological memory. Glycoconjugate vaccines have been successful in reducing the burden of different diseases globally. However, many pathogens still require a vaccine, and many of them display a variety of glycans on their surface that have been proposed as key antigens for the development of high-valency glycoconjugate vaccines.

Safety and Immunogenicity of a 4-Component Generalized Modules for Membrane Antigens Shigella Vaccine in Healthy European Adults: Randomized, Phase 1/2 Study.

Background: We report data from stage 1 of an ongoing 2-staged, phase 1/2 randomized clinical trial with a 4-component generalized modules for membrane antigens-based vaccine against Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri 1b, 2a, and 3a (altSonflex1-2-3; GSK).

Methods: Europeans aged 18-50 years (N = 102) were randomized (2:1) to receive 2 injections of altSonflex1-2-3 or placebo at 3- or 6-month interval. Safety and immunogenicity were assessed at prespecified time points.

Development of a visual Adhesion/Invasion Inhibition Assay to assess the functionality of -specific antibodies.

Introduction: is the etiologic agent of a bacillary dysentery known as shigellosis, which causes millions of infections and thousands of deaths worldwide each year due to 's unique lifestyle within intestinal epithelial cells. Cell adhesion/invasion assays have been extensively used not only to identify targets mediating host-pathogen interaction, but also to evaluate the ability of -specific antibodies to reduce virulence. However, these assays are time-consuming and labor-intensive and fail to assess differences at the single-cell level.

Testing GMMA with and without Aluminium Salt-Based Adjuvants in Animal Models.

Shigellosis is one of the leading causes of diarrheal disease in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in young children, and is more often associated with antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, a preventive vaccine against shigellosis is an urgent medical need. We have proposed Generalised Modules for Membrane Antigens (GMMA) as an innovative delivery system for O-antigen, and an Alhydrogel formulation (1790GAHB) has been extensively tested in preclinical and clinical studies.

Novel Parameter in Pre-Surgical Orthodontic Preparation: A Retrospective Study on the Role of the Upper Incisor Position and a Morphological Evaluation of the Anterior Nasal Spine.

The position and inclination of the incisors play a crucial role in achieving optimal outcomes in orthodontic and orthognathic surgical treatment, given their impact on facial aesthetics. : Due to numerous distorting factors that affect the reliability of the ANB angle, the aim of the present work is to evaluate a more constant parameter over time, the anterior nasal spine (ANS), and explore whether aligning the incisal margin of the upper incisors with the anterior nasal spine could be a reliable indicator for achieving appropriate labial support in pre-surgical orthodontic preparation. : From a pool of 500 cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans, 50 CBCT examinations displaying a Class 1 skeletal pattern (ANB = 2° ± 2°) with an intermediate (3.

decorations in play a key role in eliciting functional immune responses against heterologous serovars in animal models.

Introduction: Different serovars of Salmonella enterica cause systemic diseases in humans including enteric fever, caused by S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A, and invasive nontyphoidal salmonellosis (iNTS), caused mainly by S.

Putative correlates of protection against shigellosis assessing immunomarkers across responses to S. sonnei investigational vaccine.

Shigella spp. are a leading bacterial cause of diarrhea. No widely licensed vaccines are available and there is no generally accepted correlate of protection.

A flow cytometry-based assay to determine the ability of anti-Streptococcus pyogenes antibodies to mediate monocytic phagocytosis in human sera.

Streptococcus pyogenes, commonly referred to as Group A Streptococcus (Strep A), causes a spectrum of diseases, with the potential to progress into life-threatening illnesses and autoimmune complications. The escalating threat of antimicrobial resistance, stemming from the prevalent reliance on antibiotic therapies to manage Strep A infections, underscores the critical need for the development of disease control strategies centred around vaccination. Phagocytes play a critical role in controlling Strep A infections, and phagocytosis-replicating assays are essential for vaccine development.

Assessment of performance and safety of Corneal Chamber hypothermic storage medium and PSS-L corneal rinsing solution in human and porcine corneas.

Purpose: To prove the safety and performance of the hypothermic corneal storage medium "Corneal Chamber" and the rinsing solution "PSS-L" in support of the new (CE) certification process in accordance with the Medical Device Regulation.

Methods: Fifteen (n=15) human donor corneas and 11 (n=11) porcine corneas were evaluated for the following parameters: endothelial cell density (ECD) and mortality, percentage of hexagonal cells (HEX%), coefficient of cellular area variation (CV%) and corneal transparency at Day 0 and after 14±1 days of storage in Corneal Chamber medium at 2-8°C. Then, the same parameters were assessed after rinsing of corneas in PSS-L for 1 min at room temperature.

The Effects of Lithium Chloride Exposure on the Reproduction of .

( are model organisms that share similar anatomical structures to humans. By exploring the effects of lithium chloride (LiCl) on we can collect crucial data regarding the compound's impact on patients taking psychiatric medications containing LiCl. Here we performed an egg retention assay on nematode populations to explore how LiCl can influence reproduction.

Selective ILM Staining and Safety of Two Vital Dyes During a Human-Like Pars Plana Vitrectomy in Porcine Eyes.

Purpose: An ideal dye for intraocular use should effectively stain the target tissue while being easy to apply and remove. Additionally, it should not have any adverse effects resulting from prolonged contact with the retinal tissue. Recently, concerns have been raised about the safety of some vital dyes during surgical procedures as they may cross the internal limiting membrane and deposit on the retina.

Age-dependent acquisition of IgG antibodies to serotypes-a retrospective analysis of seroprevalence in Kenyan children with implications for infant vaccination.

Background: Shigellosis mainly affects children under 5 years of age living in low- and middle-income countries, who are the target population for vaccination. There are, however, limited data available to define the appropriate timing for vaccine administration in this age group. Information on antibody responses following natural infection, proxy for exposure, could help guide vaccination strategies.

Development and characterization of a hemolysis inhibition assay to determine functionality of anti-Streptolysin O antibodies in human sera.

The high burden of disease and the long-lasting sequelae following Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) infections make the development of an effective vaccine a global health priority. Streptolysin O (SLO), is a key toxin in the complex pathogenesis of Strep A infection. Antibodies are elicited against SLO after natural exposure and represent a key target for vaccine-induced immunity.

Testing a Recombinant Form of Tetanus Toxoid as a Carrier Protein for Glycoconjugate Vaccines.

Glycoconjugate vaccines play a major role in the prevention of infectious diseases worldwide, with significant impact on global health, enabling the polysaccharides to induce immunogenicity in infants and immunological memory. Tetanus toxoid (TT), a chemically detoxified bacterial toxin, is among the few carrier proteins used in licensed glycoconjugate vaccines. The recombinant full-length 8MTT was engineered in with eight individual amino acid mutations to inactivate three toxin functions.

Blood CD62L inflammatory eosinophils are related to the severity of asthma and reduced by mepolizumab.

Background: Eosinophils have been divided into different subpopulations with distinct phenotypes based on CD62L expression. No data are available regarding the correlation between eosinophils subphenotypes and clinical severity of asthma, as well as the effect of anti-IL-5 therapy on these cells. The study investigates the correlation between blood CD62L inflammatory eosinophils (iEos) and clinical severity of severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) and evaluates the impact of mepolizumab on iEos.