Intranasal vaccination with an adjuvanted polyphosphazenes nanoparticle-based vaccine formulation stimulates protective immune responses in mice.

The most promising strategy to sustainably prevent infectious diseases is vaccination. However, emerging as well as re-emerging diseases still constitute a considerable threat. Furthermore, lack of compliance and logistic constrains often result in the failure of vaccination campaigns.

Self-assembled micro-organogels for 3D printing silicone structures.

The widespread prevalence of commercial products made from microgels illustrates the immense practical value of harnessing the jamming transition; there are countless ways to use soft, solid materials that fluidize and become solid again with small variations in applied stress. The traditional routes of microgel synthesis produce materials that predominantly swell in aqueous solvents or, less often, in aggressive organic solvents, constraining ways that these exceptionally useful materials can be used. For example, aqueous microgels have been used as the foundation of three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting applications, yet the incompatibility of available microgels with nonpolar liquids, such as oils, limits their use in 3D printing with oil-based materials, such as silicone.

The effect of surface roughness and viscoelasticity on rubber adhesion.

Adhesion between silica glass or acrylic balls and silicone elastomers and various industrial rubbers is investigated. The work of adhesion during pull-off is found to strongly vary depending on the system, which we attribute to the two opposite effects: (1) viscoelastic energy dissipation close to an opening crack tip and (2) surface roughness. Introducing surface roughness on the glass ball is found to increase the work of adhesion for soft elastomers, while for the stiffer elastomers it results in a strong reduction in the work of adhesion.

A height-for-age growth reference for children with achondroplasia: Expanded applications and comparison with original reference data.

The height-for-age (HA) reference currently used for children with achondroplasia is not adaptable for electronic records or calculation of HA Z-scores. We report new HA curves and tables of mean and standard deviation (SD) HA, for calculating Z-scores, from birth-16 years in achondroplasia. Mixed longitudinal data were abstracted from medical records of achondroplasia patients from a single clinical practice (CIS, 1967-2004).

Patient Age, Sex, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Phenotype Associate With Course of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.

Background & Aims: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an orphan hepatobiliary disorder associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to estimate the risk of disease progression based on distinct clinical phenotypes in a large international cohort of patients with PSC.

Methods: We performed a retrospective outcome analysis of patients diagnosed with PSC from 1980 through 2010 at 37 centers in Europe, North America, and Australia.

Immunization with Tc52 or its amino terminal domain adjuvanted with c-di-AMP induces Th17+Th1 specific immune responses and confers protection against Trypanosoma cruzi.

The development of new adjuvants enables fine modulation of the elicited immune responses. Ideally, the use of one or more adjuvants should result in the induction of a protective immune response against the specific pathogen. We have evaluated the immune response and protection against Trypanosoma cruzi infection in mice vaccinated with recombinant Tc52 or its N- and C-terminal domains (NTc52 and CTc52) adjuvanted either with the STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) agonist cyclic di-AMP (c-di-AMP), a pegylated derivative of α-galactosylceramide (αGC-PEG), or oligodeoxynucleotides containing unmethylated CpG motifs (ODN-CpG).

Realizing total reciprocity violation in the phase for photon scattering.

Reciprocity is when wave or quantum scattering satisfies a symmetry property, connecting a scattering process with the reversed one. While reciprocity involves the interchange of source and detector, it is fundamentally different from rotational invariance, and is a generalization of time reversal invariance, occurring in absorptive media as well. Due to its presence at diverse areas of physics, it admits a wide variety of applications.

Elastic modulus and hydraulic permeability of MDCK monolayers.

The critical role of cell mechanics in tissue health has led to the development of many in vitro methods that measure the elasticity of the cytoskeleton and whole cells, yet the connection between these local cell properties and bulk measurements of tissue mechanics remains unclear. To help bridge this gap, we have developed a monolayer indentation technique for measuring multi-cellular mechanics in vitro. Here, we measure the elasticity of cell monolayers and uncover the role of fluid permeability in these multi-cellular systems, finding that the resistance of fluid transport through cells controls their force-response at long times.

The Plasma Proteome Is Associated with Anthropometric Status of Undernourished Nepalese School-Aged Children.

Malnutrition affects body growth, size, and composition of children. Yet, few functional biomarkers are known to be associated with childhood morphology. This cross-sectional study examined associations of anthropometric indicators of height, musculature, and fat mass with plasma proteins by using proteomics in a population cohort of school-aged Nepalese children.

High expression of micro RNA-135A in hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with recurrence within 12 months after resection.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma has a dismal prognosis due to recurrence rates of up to 70% after curative resection. Early recurrence is driven by synchronous microscopic intrahepatic metastases. The predictive value of histological parameters is discussed controversially and adjuvant therapy is not established.

FIJI Macro 3D ART VeSElecT: 3D Automated Reconstruction Tool for Vesicle Structures of Electron Tomograms.

Automatic image reconstruction is critical to cope with steadily increasing data from advanced microscopy. We describe here the Fiji macro 3D ART VeSElecT which we developed to study synaptic vesicles in electron tomograms. We apply this tool to quantify vesicle properties (i) in embryonic Danio rerio 4 and 8 days past fertilization (dpf) and (ii) to compare Caenorhabditis elegans N2 neuromuscular junctions (NMJ) wild-type and its septin mutant (unc-59(e261)).

First- and Second-Line Targeted Systemic Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma-An Update on Patient Selection and Response Evaluation.

Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with vascular invasion and/or extrahepatic spread and preserved liver function, according to stage C of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification, has a dismal prognosis. The multi-targeted tyrosine-kinase receptor inhibitor (TKI) sorafenib is the only proven active substance in systemic HCC therapy for first-line treatment. In this review, we summarize current aspects in patient selection and management of side effects, and provide an update on response evaluation during first-line sorafenib therapy.

Using the Teaching Interactions Procedure to Teach Social Skills to Children With Autism and Intellectual Disability.

This study implemented a modified teaching interaction procedure to teach social skills to 4 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder with an intellectual disability. A multiple baseline design across social skills and replicated across participants was utilized to evaluate the effects of the modified teaching interaction procedure. The results demonstrated that the teaching interaction procedure resulted in all participants acquiring targeted social skills, maintaining the targeted social skills, and generalizing the targeted social skills.

Provitamin A Carotenoid-Biofortified Maize Consumption Increases Pupillary Responsiveness among Zambian Children in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Impaired dark adaptation is an early functional indicator of vitamin A deficiency that may be prevented by regular dietary intake of foods containing provitamin A carotenoids.

Objective: We tested the impact of provitamin A carotenoid-biofortified maize consumption (∼15 μg β-carotene/g) on dark adaptation in Zambian children.

Methods: We used a cluster-randomized trial of children aged 4-8 y (n = 1024) in Mkushi District, Zambia, and compared the regular consumption (2 meals/d, 6 d/wk for 6 mo) of biofortified orange maize (OM) to white maize (WM).

No Evidence That Azathioprine Increases Risk of Cholangiocarcinoma in Patients With Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.

Background & Aims: Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are at increased risk for developing cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Patients with PSC also can have inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) or features of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), and therefore are treated with azathioprine. Azathioprine has been associated with an increased risk for malignancy, therefore we investigated whether azathioprine use affects the risk of CCA in persons with PSC.

Genetic profiling of hepatocellular carcinoma using next-generation sequencing.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly heterogeneous disease, both clinically and from a molecular standpoint. The advent of next-generation sequencing technologies has provided new opportunities to extensively analyze molecular defects in HCC samples. This has uncovered major cancer driver genes and associated oncogenic pathways operating in HCC.

Validation of Transient Elastography and Comparison with Spleen Length Measurement for Staging of Fibrosis and Clinical Prognosis in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.

Background: Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) develop progressive liver fibrosis and end-stage liver disease. Non-invasive and widely available parameters are urgently needed to assess disease stage and the risk of clinical progression. Transient elastography (TE) has been reported to predict fibrosis stage and disease progression.

Stability of High Speed 3D Printing in Liquid-Like Solids.

Fluid instabilities limit the ability of features to hold their shape in many types of 3D printing as liquid inks solidify into written structures. By 3D printing directly into a continuum of jammed granular microgels, these instabilities are circumvented by eliminating surface tension and body forces. However, this type of 3D printing process is potentially limited by inertial instabilities if performed at high speeds where turbulence may destroy features as they are written.

Tobacco prevention and reduction with nursing students: A non-randomized controlled feasibility study.

Background: Prevalence of tobacco use among nurses and nursing students is disproportionally high in Germany. However, from a public health perspective they are considered to be an important group for delivering smoking cessation interventions. As delivery of tobacco-related treatment depends on own smoking status, smoking prevention and cessation among the nursing professions is indicative for improving nurse and public health.

Translating the molecular diversity of hepatocellular carcinoma into clinical practice.

Deciphering genomic diversity could improve clinical care for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Recently, our study group identified 161 putative driver genes and 2 new mutational signatures, and demonstrated that 28% of patients harbor targetable alterations. This could be the first promising step in the development of genome-based clinical trials.

Eliminating Legionella by inhibiting BCL-XL to induce macrophage apoptosis.

Human pathogenic Legionella replicate in alveolar macrophages and cause a potentially lethal form of pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease(1). Here, we have identified a host-directed therapeutic approach to eliminate intracellular Legionella infections. We demonstrate that the genetic deletion, or pharmacological inhibition, of the host cell pro-survival protein BCL-XL induces intrinsic apoptosis of macrophages infected with virulent Legionella strains, thereby abrogating Legionella replication.

Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND)-Vitamin A Review.

The Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND) project is designed to provide evidence-informed advice to anyone with an interest in the role of nutrition in health. The BOND program provides information with regard to selection, use, and interpretation of biomarkers of nutrient exposure, status, function, and effect, which will be especially useful for readers who want to assess nutrient status. To accomplish this objective, expert panels are recruited to evaluate the literature and to draft comprehensive reports on the current state of the art with regard to specific nutrient biology and available biomarkers for assessing nutritional status at the individual and population levels.

Acinetobacter baumannii phenylacetic acid metabolism influences infection outcome through a direct effect on neutrophil chemotaxis.

Innate cellular immune responses are a critical first-line defense against invading bacterial pathogens. Leukocyte migration from the bloodstream to a site of infection is mediated by chemotactic factors that are often host-derived. More recently, there has been a greater appreciation of the importance of bacterial factors driving neutrophil movement during infection.

Prenatal and early-life predictors of atopy and allergic disease in Canadian children: results of the Family Atherosclerosis Monitoring In earLY life (FAMILY) Study.

Prenatal and early-life environmental exposures play a key role in the development of atopy and allergic disease. The Family Atherosclerosis Monitoring In earLY life Study is a general, population-based Canadian birth cohort that prospectively evaluated prenatal and early-life traits and their association with atopy and/or allergic disease. The study population included 901 babies, 857 mothers and 530 fathers.

A Digital Health Intervention to Lower Cardiovascular Risk: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: South Asian individuals have a high burden of premature myocardial infarction (MI).

Objectives: To test whether a digital health intervention (DHI) designed to change diet and physical activity improves MI risk among a South Asian population.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This single-blind, community-based, randomized clinical trial with 1-year follow-up was performed among South Asian men and women 30 years or older and living in Ontario and British Columbia who were free of cardiovascular disease.