NIH consensus development statement on management of hepatitis B.

Objective: To provide health care providers, patients, and the general public with a responsible assessment of currently available data on the management of hepatitis B.

Participants: A non-DHHS, nonadvocate 12-member panel representing the fields of hepatology and liver transplantation, gastroenterology, public health and epidemiology, infectious diseases, pathology, oncology, family practice, internal medicine, and a public representative. In addition, 22 experts from pertinent fields presented data to the panel and conference audience.

Biodistribution and toxicological safety of adenovirus type 5 and type 35 vectored vaccines against human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1), Ebola, or Marburg are similar despite differing adenovirus serotype vector, manufacturer's construct, or gene inserts.

The Vaccine Research Center has developed vaccine candidates for different diseases/infectious agents (including HIV-1, Ebola, and Marburg viruses) built on an adenovirus vector platform, based on adenovirus type 5 or 35. To support clinical development of each vaccine candidate, pre-clinical studies were performed in rabbits to determine where in the body they biodistribute and how rapidly they clear, and to screen for potential toxicities (intrinsic and immunotoxicities). The vaccines biodistribute only to spleen, liver (Ad5 only), and/or iliac lymph node (Ad35 only) and otherwise remain in the site of injection muscle and overlying subcutis.

Effect of filling on the compressibility of carbon nanotubes: predictions from molecular dynamics simulations.

The compressibility of filled and empty (10, 10) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is examined using classical molecular dynamics simulations. The filled nanotubes contain C60, CH4, Ne, n-C4H10, and n-C4H7 molecules that are covalently cross-linked to the inner CNT walls. In addition, nanotubes filled with either a hydrogen-terminated carbon nanowire or a carbon nanotube of comparable diameter is also considered.

Preparation and characterization of polymer composite multilayers on SiO2.

Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) have been consecutively adsorbed onto 1.5-microm charged silica (SiO2) particles. Time-dependent adsorption studies indicate that, due to the strong ionic charge of the dissociated polycation in water, adsorption is complete in less than 30 min.

Production of a baculovirus-derived gp50 protein and utilization in a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the serodiagnosis of pseudorabies virus.

The pseudorabies virus (PRV) gp50 envelope glycoprotein gene was cloned and expressed in a recombinant baculovirus. An anti-gp50 Mab (1842) recognized a protein of approximately 40 kDa in immunoblotting assays from infected insect cell lysates, while this product was not present in cells infected with wild-type baculovirus. The recombinant protein was purified by lectin affinity chromatography, utilizing lectins specific for O-linked oligosaccharides (Artocarpus integrifolia and Glycine max).

Application of a competitive ELISA for the detection of bluetongue virus antibodies in llamas and wild ruminants.

A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (C-ELISA), using a group-specific monoclonal antibody against bluetongue virus (BTV), was applied to detect anti-BTV antibodies in serum samples from two llamas (Llama glama) experimentally infected with BTV serotype 10. Antibodies were detected in both llamas by 1 wk or 2 wk post-infection. Antibodies to BTV increased exponentially during the first 4 wk in both llamas and stabilized at an elevated level during the remaining 5-wk-period of the experiment.

Suitability of autoclaved tap water for preparation of ELISA reagents and washing buffer.

The suitability of autoclaved tap water for the preparation of ELISA reagents and washing buffer was compared with that of ultrapure water, in a standard indirect ELISA for the detection of antibodies to pseudorabies virus (PRV). The performance of the assay, using autoclaved tap water (AT-ELISA) compared favourably to that of the standard assay, using ultrapure water (UP-ELISA) in detecting anti-PRV antibodies in sequential serum samples from a pig experimentally infected with PRV. While both the UP-ELISA and AT-ELISA proved reliable in detecting anti-PRV antibodies in a coded proficiency serum panel (n = 60), the AT-ELISA detected fewer positive sera than the UP-ELISA in evaluating a limited number (n = 80) of field samples.

Evaluation of a commercial competitive ELISA test kit for the detection of group-specific antibodies to bluetongue virus.

The performance of a competitive (c) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kit, Blueplate Special (BPS), commercially produced by DiagXotics (Wilton, CT) for detection of group-specific antibodies to bluetongue virus (BTV) was compared with that of an internationally endorsed cELISA-I. A total of 1,026 serum samples were tested in this study: 133 samples from 23 calves and 3 sheep experimentally infected with South African isolates of 19 BTV serotypes and US isolates of 5 BTV serotypes and 7 calves infected with US isolates of 2 epizootic haemorrhagic disease of deer virus (EHDV); 102 paired sera from cattle, sheep, and goats experimentally infected with the Australian isolates of BTV, EHDV, and Palyam virus; 229 bovine and ovine samples of Canadian origin (BTV free); and 562 bovine and ovine field samples from the USA and Barbados (BTV endemic). Seroconversion was demonstrable by the BPS cELISA 10 days postinfection in all experimental animals inoculated with BTV, with the exception of 4 calves in which there was a delay of 10-20 days.

Competitive ELISA for serodiagnosis of bluetongue: evaluation of group-specific monoclonal antibodies and expressed VP7 antigen.

The performance of 2 competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (C-ELISA) was compared with the reference C-ELISA I for the detection of antibodies to bluetongue virus (BTV). One of the assays (C-ELISA II) used a group-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) to BTV, obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (8A3B-6) and tissue culture (TC)-derived BTV antigen (Ag), and the other assay (C-ELISA III) used BTV core protein VP7 (expressed in yeast) and the reference MAb (Pirbright Laboratory, 3-17-A3). Test sera were obtained by sequential blood samples from 22 calves, each inoculated with a different serotype (T) of BTV (South African [SA] T-1-T-16 and T-18-T-20 and USA T-11, T-13, and T-17).