Modeling aerosol transmission spectra from n(λ) and k(λ) infrared optical constants measurements of organic liquids and solids.

The effects of light scattering and refraction play significantly different roles for aerosols than for bulk materials, making it challenging to identify aerosolized chemicals using traditional spectral methods or spectral reference libraries. Due to a potentially infinite number of particle morphologies, sizes, and compositions, constructing a database of laboratory-measured aerosol spectra is not a practical solution. Here, as an alternative approach, the measured n/k optical vectors of two example organic materials (diethyl phthalate and D-mannitol) are used in combination with particle absorption / scattering theory (Mie theory and FDTD) and the Beer-Lambert law to generate a series of synthetic infrared transmission / scattered light spectra.

Amelioration of Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis in Mice through Oral Administration of Palmitoylethanolamide.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic disorders characterized by pain, ulceration, and the inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and categorized into two major subtypes: ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease. The inflammation in UC is typically restricted to the mucosal surface, beginning in the rectum and extending through the entire colon. UC patients typically show increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to intestinal epithelial apoptosis and mucosal inflammation, which impair barrier integrity.

Method to derive the infrared complex refractive indices n(λ) and k(λ) for organic solids from KBr pellet absorption measurements.

Obtaining the complex refractive index vectors (~) and (~) allows calculation of the (infrared) reflectance spectrum that is obtained from a solid in any of its many morphological forms. We report an adaptation to the KBr pellet technique using two gravimetric dilutions to derive quantitative (~)/(~) for dozens of powders with greater repeatability. The optical constants of bisphenol A and sucrose are compared to those derived by other methods, particularly for powdered materials.

Optimal Spectral Resolution for Infrared Studies of Solids and Liquids.

Due to a legacy originating in the limited capability of early computers, the spectroscopic resolution used in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and other systems has largely been implemented using only powers of two for more than 50 years. In this study, we investigate debunking the spectroscopic lore of, e.g.

Controlling the Fluctuating Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectra of Chloramben on Silver Nanocubes.

Tip-enhanced Raman (TER) scattering from molecules residing at plasmonic junctions can be used to detect, identify, and image single molecules. This is most evident for flat molecules interrogated under conditions of extreme temperatures and pressure. It is also the case for (bio)molecular systems that feature preferred orientations/conformations under ambient laboratory conditions.

Safety Monitoring of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Third Doses Among Children Aged 6 Months-5 Years - United States, June 17, 2022-May 7, 2023.

As of May 7, 2023, CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all children aged 6 months-5 years receive at least 1 age-appropriate bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose. Depending on their COVID-19 vaccination history and history of immunocompromise, these children might also need additional doses* (1-3). Initial vaccine safety findings after primary series vaccination among children aged 6 months-5 years showed that transient local and systemic reactions were common whereas serious adverse events were rare (4).

An Interactive Spectral Analysis Tool for Chemical Identification and Quantification of Gas-Phase Species in Complex Spectra.

A spectral analysis tool has been developed to interactively identify and quantify individual gas-phase species from complex infrared absorbance spectra obtained from laboratory or field data. The SpecQuant program has an intuitive graphical interface that accommodates both reference and experimental data with varying resolution and instrumental lineshape, as well as algorithms to readily align the wavenumber axis of a sample spectrum with the raster of a reference spectrum. Using a classical least squares model in conjunction with reference spectra such as those from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) gas-phase infrared database or simulated spectra derived from the HITRAN line-by-line database, the mixing ratio of each identified species is determined along with its associated estimation error.

COVID-19 Vaccine Safety First Year Findings in Adolescents.

Background And Objectives: The Food and Drug Administration expanded Emergency Use Authorization for use of Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT-162b2) coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine to include people ages 12 years and older on May 10, 2021. We describe adverse events observed during the first full year of the US coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination program for adolescents ages 12 to 17 years.

Methods: We conducted descriptive analyses using data from 2 complementary US vaccine safety monitoring systems: v-safe, a voluntary smartphone-based system that monitors reactions and health impacts, and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), the national spontaneous reporting system.

Reports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome After COVID-19 Vaccination in the United States.

Importance: Because of historical associations between vaccines and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), the condition was a prespecified adverse event of special interest for COVID-19 vaccine monitoring.

Objective: To evaluate GBS reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and compare reporting patterns within 21 and 42 days after vaccination with Ad26.COV2.

The v-safe after vaccination health checker: Active vaccine safety monitoring during CDC's COVID-19 pandemic response.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed and implemented the v-safe after vaccination health checker (v-safe) to monitor COVID-19 vaccine safety and as an active surveillance supplement to existing CDC vaccine safety monitoring programs. V-safe allows persons who received COVID-19 vaccines to report on post-vaccination experiences and how symptoms affected their health at daily, weekly, and monthly timepoints after vaccination. Text message reminders are sent linking to Internet-based health check-in surveys.

Safety Monitoring of Bivalent COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Booster Doses Among Children Aged 5-11 Years - United States, October 12-January 1, 2023.

On October 12, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for bivalent (mRNA encoding the spike protein from the SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain and BA.4/BA.5 Omicron variants) formulations of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for use as a single booster dose ≥2 months after completion of primary series or monovalent booster vaccination for children aged 5-11 years (Pfizer-BioNTech) and 6-17 years (Moderna); on December 8, 2022, FDA amended the EUAs to include children aged ≥6 months (1,2).

Selective CB Receptor Agonist, HU-308, Reduces Systemic Inflammation in Endotoxin Model of Pneumonia-Induced Acute Lung Injury.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis are risk factors contributing to mortality in patients with pneumonia. In ARDS, also termed acute lung injury (ALI), pulmonary immune responses lead to excessive pro-inflammatory cytokine release and aberrant alveolar neutrophil infiltration. Systemic spread of cytokines is associated with systemic complications including sepsis, multi-organ failure, and death.

Association between history of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe systemic adverse events after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination among U.S. adults.

Background: Risk of experiencing a systemic adverse event (AE) after mRNA coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination may be greater among persons with a history of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection; data on serious events are limited. We assessed if adults reporting systemic AEs resulting in emergency department visits or hospitalizations during days 0-7 after mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose 1 were more likely to have a history of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with persons who reported no or non-severe systemic AEs.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study using v-safe surveillance data.

Safety Monitoring of Bivalent COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Booster Doses Among Persons Aged ≥12 Years - United States, August 31-October 23, 2022.

On August 31, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized bivalent formulations of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) COVID-19 vaccines; these vaccines include mRNA encoding the spike protein from the original (ancestral) strain of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and from the B.1.1.

Influence of intermolecular interactions on the infrared complex indices of refraction for binary liquid mixtures.

This paper investigates the accuracy of deriving the composite optical constants of binary mixtures from only the complex indices of refraction of the neat materials. These optical constants enable the reflectance spectra of the binary mixtures to be modeled for multiple scenarios (, different substrates, thicknesses, volume ratios), which is important for contact and standoff chemical detection. Using volume fractions, each mixture's complex index of refraction was approximated three different mixing rules.

Safety Monitoring of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Doses Among Children Aged 5-11 Years - United States, May 17-July 31, 2022.

On May 17, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) COVID-19 vaccine to authorize a homologous* booster dose for children aged 5-11 years ≥5 months after receipt of the second primary series dose (1) based on findings from a clinical trial conducted among 401 children aged 5-11 years (2). To further characterize the safety of booster vaccination in this age group, CDC reviewed adverse events and health impact assessments after receipt of a Pfizer-BioNTech third dose reported to v-safe, a voluntary smartphone-based safety surveillance system for adverse events occurring after COVID-19 vaccination, and adverse events reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a passive vaccine safety surveillance system comanaged by CDC and FDA. During May 17-July 31, 2022, approximately 657,302 U.

Menstrual irregularities and vaginal bleeding after COVID-19 vaccination reported to v-safe active surveillance, USA in December, 2020-January, 2022: an observational cohort study.

Background: Anecdotal reports of menstrual irregularities after receiving COVID-19 vaccines have been observed in post-authorisation and post-licensure monitoring. We aimed to identify and classify reports of menstrual irregularities and vaginal bleeding after COVID-19 vaccination submitted to a voluntary active surveillance system.

Methods: This observational cohort study included recipients of a COVID-19 vaccine who were aged 18 years and older and reported their health experiences to v-safe, a voluntary smartphone-based active surveillance system for monitoring COVID-19 vaccine safety in the USA, from Dec 14, 2020, to Jan 9, 2022.

Safety Monitoring of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Second Booster Doses Among Adults Aged ≥50 Years - United States, March 29, 2022-July 10, 2022.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all persons aged ≥5 years receive 1 booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine after completion of their primary series.* On March 29, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a second mRNA booster dose ≥4 months after receipt of a first booster dose for adults aged ≥50 years and persons aged ≥12 years with moderate to severe immunocompromise (1,2). To characterize the safety of a second mRNA booster dose among persons aged ≥50 years, CDC reviewed adverse events and health impact assessments reported to v-safe and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) after receipt of a second mRNA booster dose during March 29-July 10, 2022.

Reactogenicity of Simultaneous COVID-19 mRNA Booster and Influenza Vaccination in the US.

Importance: COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccines are essential in preventing respiratory infections and their potentially severe complications. Simultaneous administration of vaccines is efficient and may improve coverage with each vaccine. However, the safety of simultaneous administration of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines has not been well described.

Safety Monitoring of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine First Booster Doses Among Persons Aged ≥12 Years with Presumed Immunocompromise Status - United States, January 12, 2022-March 28, 2022.

Persons with moderate to severe immunocompromising conditions are at risk for severe COVID-19, and their immune response to COVID-19 vaccination might not be as robust as the response in persons who are not immunocompromised* (1). The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that immunocompromised persons aged ≥12 years complete a 3-dose primary mRNA COVID-19 vaccination series followed by a first booster dose (dose 4) ≥3 months after dose 3 and a second booster dose (dose 5) ≥4 months after dose 4. To characterize the safety of first booster doses among immunocompromised persons aged ≥12 years during January 12, 2022-March 28, 2022, CDC reviewed adverse events and health impact assessments reported to v-safe and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) during the week after receipt of an mRNA COVID-19 first booster dose.