Microbicides for Topical HIV Immunoprophylaxis: Current Status and Future Prospects.

Microbicides, which are classified as topical antiseptic agents, are a revolutionary advancement in HIV prevention aimed to prevent the entry of infectious agents into the human body, thus stopping the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Microbicides represent the promise of a new age in preventive measures against one of the world's most pressing health challenges. In addition to their direct antiviral effects during HIV transmission, microbicides also influence vaginal mucosal immunity.

Humoral and Cellular Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 S and N Proteins.

The pandemic of a new coronavirus infection that has lasted for more than 3 years, is still accompanied by frequent mutations in the S protein of SARS-CoV-2 and emergence of new virus variants causing new disease outbreak. Of all coronaviral proteins, the S and N proteins are the most immunogenic. The aim of this study was to compare the features of the humoral and T-cell immune responses to the SARS-CoV-2 S and N proteins in people with different histories of interaction with this virus.

Structural and Immunological Features of PR-10 Allergens: Focusing on the Major Alder Pollen Allergen Aln g 1.

Today, allergies have become a serious problem. PR-10 proteins are clinically relevant allergens that have the ability to bind hydrophobic ligands, which can significantly increase their allergenicity potential. It has been recently shown that not only the birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 but also the alder pollen allergen Aln g 1, might act as a true sensitizer of the immune system.

Broiler Chicken Cecal Microbiome and Poultry Farming Productivity: A Meta-Analysis.

The cecal microbial community plays an important role in chicken growth and development via effective feed conversion and essential metabolite production. The aim of this study was to define the microbial community's variants in chickens' ceca and to explore the most significant association between the microbiome compositions and poultry farming productivity. The meta-analysis included original data from 8 control broiler chicken groups fed with a standard basic diet and 32 experimental groups supplemented with various feed additives.

Antibacterial Activity of Rainbow Trout Plasma: In Vitro Assays and Proteomic Analysis.

The objective of this study was to investigate the bactericidal activity of blood plasma from cultured rainbow trout obtained from two different fish farms. Plasma from trout naturally infected with the bacterial pathogen was found to inhibit the growth of in vitro. Incubation of in bacteriostatic trout plasma resulted in agglutination and growth retardation, without causing massive damage to the cell membrane.

[Application of autofluorescence microscopy and laser Induced fluorescence methods to study the dynamics of the demineralization primary teeth process in vitro].

Objective: Improvement of methods for studying the processes of demineralization of hard tissues of temporary teeth.

Material And Methods: The study included primaries second molars (=11). Samples of primary teeth were placed in a test tube with a demineralizing solution for - 1, 4, 8, 21 and 31 days.

Immunomodulatory Effects of the Pea Defensin Psd1 in the Caco-2/Immune Cells Co-Culture upon Infection.

Candidiasis is one of the most common fungal diseases that can pose a threat to life in immunodeficient individuals, particularly in its disseminated form. Not only fungal invasion but also fatal infection-related inflammation are common causes of systemic candidiasis. In this study, we investigated in vitro immunomodulatory properties of the antifungal pea defensin Psd1 upon infection.

Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis immunity among healthcare professionals and pregnant women in the Moscow region, Russian federation: A preliminary cross-sectional study.

Despite more than 50 years of primary immunization against diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus in Russia, complicated illnesses, including fatal ones, still occur. The goal of this preliminary cross-sectional study is to see how well pregnant women and healthcare workers are protected against diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. The required sample size (pregnant women and healthcare professionals, as well as pregnant women of two age categories) for this preliminary cross-sectional study was calculated using a confidence value of 0.

The Role of Chloroviruses as Possible Infectious Agents for Human Health: Putative Mechanisms of ATCV-1 Infection and Potential Routes of Transmission.

The genus of the family includes large viruses with a double-stranded DNA genome. Chloroviruses are widely distributed in freshwater bodies around the world and have been isolated from freshwater sources in Europe, Asia, Australia, and North and South America. One representative of chloroviruses is Acanthocystis turfacea chlorella virus 1 (ATCV-1), which is hosted by .

Structural and Immunologic Properties of the Major Soybean Allergen Gly m 4 Causing Anaphylaxis.

Gly m 4 is the major soybean allergen, causing birch pollen cross allergic reactions. In some cases, Gly m 4-mediated anaphylaxis takes place, but the causative factors are still unknown. Here, we studied the structural and immunologic properties of Gly m 4 to shed light on this phenomenon.

Development of a PCR assay for the detection of human herpes virus type 7.

A PCR assay has been developed to identify the DNA of the human herpes virus type 7. The search and selection of conserved regions was carried out by comparing the whole genome nucleotide sequences of HHV-7. A fragment duplicated in the HHV-7 genomes was chosen as a target for amplification.

Age changes of foot microbiome estimated by microscopy method.

Despite of great number of investigations in the area of tinea pedis, question is opened: to what extent dermatophyte fungi are spread among modern population and does their occurrence interrelated with host age? Investigated group included 99 volunteers from 14 to 73 years old. Skin scales were collected from heel area of foot, and signs of heel skin trouble were expressed in points. In contrast to usual laboratory microscope magnification x900 we worked at x1750, what allowed to estimate not only fungal, but bacterial forms too.

Evaluation of the structure of the human microbiome in multiple sclerosis by the concentrations of microbial markers in the blood.

The relationship between multiple sclerosis and the state of the human microbiome was studied, namely, the change in the representation of microbiota phylotypes, the proportion of coccal flora, the proportion of anaerobic, gram-negative, proteolytically active microflora, as well as the concentration of markers of bacterial plasmalogen and endotoxin in the blood. Microbiome studies were carried out by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry of microbial markers in the blood. A statistically significant increase in blood concentrations of the total level of microbial markers of bacterial plasmalogen and endotoxin was determined in multiple sclerosis, which may be associated with an increase in the permeability of the intestinal wall.

Laboratory diagnosis of community-acquired bloodstream infection in therapeutic pathology.

Community-acquired bloodstream infections (CBSIs) occur in the out-of-hospital setting (44%) and increase the overall mortality from bloodstream infections (BSIs) by 7.2% per year. The development of CBSIs depends on both comorbid and polymorbid diseases and the patients' age.

Antifungal Activity, Structural Stability, and Immunomodulatory Effects on Human Immune Cells of Defensin from the Lentil .

An increase in the frequency of mycoses and spreading of multidrug-resistant fungal pathogens necessitates the search for new antifungal agents. Earlier, we isolated the novel defensin from lentil seeds, designated as Lc-def, which inhibited the growth of phytopathogenic fungi. Here, we studied an antifungal activity of Lc-def against human pathogenic species, structural stability of the defensin, and its immunomodulatory effects that may help to prevent fungal infection.

Key features of pneumococcal isolates recovered in Central and Northwestern Russia in 2011-2018 determined through whole-genome sequencing.

Invasive pneumococcal disease remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Russia, 13- valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) was introduced into the childhood immunization programme nationwide in 2014. As part of the Global Pneumococcal Sequencing Project (GPS), we used genome data to characterize 179 pneumococcal isolates collected from Russia in 2011-2018 to investigate the circulating pneumococcal strains using a standardized genomic definition of pneumococcal lineages (global pneumococcal sequence clusters, GPSCs), prevalent serotypes and antimicrobial resistance profiles.

Standardness of antimicrobial discs by various manufacturers in the light of import substitution.

In connection with the introduction of economic sanctions against the Russian Federation by the United States, the European Union, Japan, and a number of other countries, import substitution is becoming one of the strategic objectives of the Russian economy The comparative assessment of standardness and effectiveness of six antimicrobial commercial producer-varying disks for clinical and test strains of microorganisms has been conducted. It is based on analyzing of the variation coefficient (Cv) of inhibition zone diameters, mean values, and diameter values ranges, which are indicators of reproducibility, accuracy and efficiency, respectively. Discs from BD BBL result in insignificant variations of inhibition zone diameters, providing accurate and reproducible data.

A lineage usually associated with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) serotypes is the most common cause of serotype 35B invasive disease in South Africa, following routine use of PCV.

Pneumococcal serotype 35B is an important non-conjugate vaccine (non-PCV) serotype. Its continued emergence, post-PCV7 in the USA, was associated with expansion of a pre-existing 35B clone (clonal complex [CC] 558) along with post-PCV13 emergence of a non-35B clone previously associated with PCV serotypes (CC156). This study describes lineages circulating among 35B isolates in South Africa before and after PCV introduction.

International links between Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine serotype 4 sequence type (ST) 801 in Northern European shipyard outbreaks of invasive pneumococcal disease.

Background: Pneumococcal disease outbreaks of vaccine preventable serotype 4 sequence type (ST)801 in shipyards have been reported in several countries. We aimed to use genomics to establish any international links between them.

Methods: Sequence data from ST801-related outbreak isolates from Norway (n = 17), Finland (n = 11) and Northern Ireland (n = 2) were combined with invasive pneumococcal disease surveillance from the respective countries, and ST801-related genomes from an international collection (n = 41 of > 40,000), totalling 106 genomes.

Effect of Point Mutations on Structural and Allergenic Properties of the Lentil Allergen Len c 3.

Plant lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are known to be clinically significant allergens capable of binding various lipid ligands. Recent data showed that lipid ligands affected the allergenic properties of plant LTPs. In this work, we checked the assumption that specific amino acid residues in the Len c 3 structure can play a key role both in the interaction with lipid ligands and IgE-binding capacity of the allergen.

The Mechanisms of Antibacterial Activity of Magnesium Alloys with Extreme Wettability.

In this study, we applied the method of nanosecond laser treatment for the fabrication of superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic magnesium-based surfaces with hierarchical roughness when the surface microrelief is evenly decorated by MgO nanoparticles. The comparative to the bare sample behavior of such surfaces with extreme wettability in contact with dispersions of bacteria cells and in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) was studied. To characterize the bactericidal activity of magnesium samples with different wettability immersed into a bacterial dispersion, we determined the time variation of the planktonic bacterial titer in the dispersion.

The Global Landscape of Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis Data Reported to the World Health Organization-Coordinated Invasive Bacterial Vaccine-Preventable Disease Surveillance Network, 2014-2019.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) coordinates the Global Invasive Bacterial Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (IB-VPD) Surveillance Network to support vaccine introduction decisions and use. The network was established to strengthen surveillance and laboratory confirmation of meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis.

Methods: Sentinel hospitals report cases of children <5 years of age hospitalized for suspected meningitis.

Comparative tests of quality of bacteriological investigation with Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolation.

The results of comparative experimental studies of identification of nontoxigenic C. diphtheriae strain by three different commercial laboratories are presented. A typical nontoxigenic strain of C.

Efficiency of bacteriological transport media quality control.

The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of quality control of transport environments in accordance with the requirements of domestic and international standards using aerobic and optional anaerobic microorganisms. The results of a comparative assessment of the survival of 10 strains of aerobic and optional anaerobic microorganisms after storage in the semi-liquid transport environment of Ames for 24 and 48 hours at temperatures (4-8)0 C and (20-25)0 C in accordance with the requirements of domestic and international standards are presented. The methodology described in ICC 4.

A Cross-sectional Study of Plasma Trace Elements and Vitamins Content in Androgenetic Alopecia in Men.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common variant of male pattern baldness in which occurrence and development of multiple genetic, hormonal, and metabolic factors are involved. We aimed to estimate plasma element content (Mg, Ca, Zn, Cu, Se, Fe), vitamin status (B12, D, E, and folic acid) in patients with AGA using direct colorimetric tests or atomic absorption spectrometry, and the influence of these parameters in the formation of various hair loss patterns. The study included 50 patients with I-IV stages of AGA divided into two groups with normal and high levels of dihydrotestosterone compared with 25 healthy individuals.