918 research outputs found
HSV-replication defective based vector as vaccines against Rotavirus infections
No full textBackground: Rotaviruses (RVs) are the most important cause of acute gastroenteritis in humans and animals. These viruses cause diarrheal disease primarily in the young, but infection and disease in older children and adults can occur, resulting in more than 600 000 deaths per annum, mainly in developing countries.
RV particle is nonenveloped, with the viral genome of 11 segments of double-stranded RNA surrounded by three concentric protein layers: the outer layer is composed of VP (Viral Protein) 7 and VP4, the intermediate layer is formed by VP6, and the innermost layer is composed by VP2.
Studies of natural infection in children indicated that primary infections can protect against severe disease upon secondary infection. For these reasons the most frequent approach to Rotavirus vaccine design was based on the use of attenuated animal or human Rotavirus strains, orally delivered to mimic natural infection. However, several major drawbacks have affected the development and application of these live Rotavirus-based oral vaccines, including the withdrawal from market of one of these vaccines because of adverse effects (gut intussusception). Moreover Rotaviruses are constantly and rapidly evolving, due both to their segmented genomes and to the fact that their genes can reassort between strains coinfecting a same host, and this fact is an important threat to the rational of using live attenuated Rotavirus strains as vaccines, both because these strains can revert to more virulent phenotypes and because these vaccine strains are being released to the nature in the faeces of the inoculated person, raising a considerable ecological concern. It is therefore critical to develop alternatives to this classical approach, both to generate a deeper understanding and to explore the potential of novel vaccination strategies.
Aim: the goal of this project is the production of a collection of plasmids and HSV-1-based vectors expressing Rotavirus antigens as tool for research on Rotaviruses and the development of innovative genetic vaccines to fight against Rotavirus, based on the use of replication-defective HSV-1 vectors.
Methods: the Rotavirus genes (vp7, vp4, vp6 and vp2) were subcloned first in basic plasmids (pcDNA Hygro 3.1+ or 3.1-, or in pBSSK) then in plasmids that have HSV specific loci sequences (pB41, pB5, pgJHE), where the Rotavirus cassettes were inserted between these Herpes sequences in order to recombine them into the viral genomes. Homologous recombinations have been carried out using standard calcium phosphate transfection.
The recombinant backbones used (T0ZGFP, THZ and S0ZgJGFP) are replication-defective HSV-1 viral vectors that has low toxicity due to the deletion of one or more immediate early genes essential for viral replication; in addition they contain marker genes (gfp gene or lacZ gene) useful for the identification of the recombinant backbone which has integrated the transgene in its genome.
Transfection and isolation of the recombinant viruses were performed in modified Vero cells (7b or E5), capable of providing the essential immediate early gene products in trans. The recombinant viruses containing the Rotavirus transgenes were identified by isolation of a clear plaque phenotype for GFP under the fluorescent microscope or after X-gal staining.
All the recombinant viruses have been purified by three rounds of limiting dilution and the presence of the transgenes was verified by Southern blot analysis. The protein expression was evaluated by immunofluorescence and Western blot techniques with specific mono/polyclonal antibodies.
Main results: a lot of plasmids containing Rotavirus genes of human, mice or simian origin and a large set of HSV-1-based vectors expressing Rotavirus proteins were constructed. The expression of VP6, VP2 and VP7 Rotavirus proteins (of murine or simian origin, under ICP0 promoter or HCMV promoter control, and in different loci of HSV genome) was visible in Western blot analysis. Moreover, nanotubes formed by VP6 protein were detected after immunofluorescence assays.
Conclusions: plasmids and recombinant HSV-vectors carrying Rotavirus genes represent a tool to improve the research on Rotavirus and to elucidate the features of individual Rotavirus antigens. HSV-1-based vectors expressing Rotavirus antigens could represent an attractive alternative strategy to current vaccines. In addition, the possibility to cross recombinant HSV-vectors carrying Rotavirus genes in different loci of HSV could enhance the immune response by the construction of virus-like particles (VLPs); VLPs are a highly effective type of subunit vaccines that mimic the overall structure of virus particles without any requirement that they contain infectious genetic material
Exposure-Tolerant Imaging Solution forCultural Heritage Monitoring
No full textThis paper describes a simple and cheap solution specifically designed for monitoring the degradation of thin coatings employed for metal protection. The proposed solution employs a commercial photocamera and a frequency-domain-based approach that is capable of highlighting the surface uniformity changes due to initial corrosion. Even though the proposed solution is specifically designed to monitor the long-time performance of protective coatings employed for the restoration of silver artifacts, it can be successfully used also for assessing the conservation state of other ancient metallic works of art. The proposed solution is made tolerant to exposure changes by using a procedure for sensor nonlinearity identification and correction, does not require a precise lighting control, and employs only free open-source software, so that its overall cost is very low and can be used also by not specifically trained operator
The C-Section Epidemic: What's Tort Reform Got to Do With It?
No full textToday one in three babies in the United States comes into the world by cesarean section. The cesarean section has become the most commonly performed operating room procedure in the United States. Conventional wisdom holds that malpractice liability bears primary responsibility for the cesarean section epidemic and that tort reform, which caps physician liability, holds the key to its reduction. This article presents new aggregate empirical data that debunks this view. For the first time, it provides a national cesarean rate for births subject to damage caps and a national cesarean rate for births without damage caps. This data shows that a woman is not less likely to give birth by cesarean section in a state with damage caps than in one without. Thus, either damage caps are insufficient to address physicians’ concerns or other explanations better account for the overuse of the procedure. The empirical analysis will assist policy makers and advocates seeking to reduce the cesarean rate as well as contribute to consideration of the efficacy of medical malpractice reform as a means to reduce the broader problem of medical overtreatment.
The article then outlines three policy initiatives to reduce the cesarean section rate. First, it suggests upending the current payment practice for deliveries. Contrary to the present norm, it proposes that obstetricians receive more rather than less to deliver vaginally to compensate them for the extra time that vaginal delivery takes compared to cesarean delivery. Second, rather than looking to tort reform to reduce cesarean section rates, the article explores whether malpractice insurance providers themselves are contributing to the cesarean section epidemic and advocates two novel medical malpractice insurance reforms to address this problem. Third, it advocates public disclosure of hospital and physician cesarean section rates so that women can make informed decisions when selecting their health care providers and when determining whether to have a cesarean section
Bridging the Distance: Exploring Informal Communication and its Impact on Productivity, Well-Being, and Workplace Dynamics in Hybrid Work Environments
No full textAuthor Sabrina Schopf, BScMasterarbeit Johannes Kepler Universität Linz 202
Bridging the Distance: Exploring Informal Communication and its Impact on Productivity, Well-Being, and Workplace Dynamics in Hybrid Work Environments
No full textAuthor Sabrina Schopf, BScMasterarbeit Johannes Kepler Universität Linz 202
The management of multiple aspiration : a case study of a merger in an Austrian hospital
No full textAuthor Sabrina Hermanseder, BAAbstract in englischer SpracheMasterarbeit Universität Linz 201
Feminisme Dalam Novel Asya Story Karya Sabrina Febrianti
No full textThe novel Asya Story by Sabrina Febrianti contains the life story of a woman named Asya. In this novel also discusses how Asya's obstinacy and strength in overcoming every problem in his face. The problems described in this study are (1) Are feminism questions about aspects of the wisdom of the female characters in the novel "Asya Story" by Sabrina Febrianti?, (2), (3) Women's questions in the "Asya Story" novel by Sabrina Febrianti? The purpose of this study is to analyze data about the aspects of feminism psychology that discusses the character of female characters, the pressure of feelings of female characters, and the taste of female characters. The theory used by the author to analyze this research is the theory of Sikana (2005), Lubis (2016). The agreement used is a qualitative agreement. The type of research used is library research. The method used is descriptive method. The technique used is the hermeneutic technique. Data analysis using content analysis techniques. The results of the research submitted about the facts of feminism, especially about the policy aspects that often appear in the novel Asya Story by Sabrina Febrianti is a challenge of the character (character) women and recovery figures, women women Figure in the same story with humans in everyday life who always have different thoughts. Human life is often tested with tests and trials, as is the character who discusses the author in a novel. Exams and experiments that will shape the pressure and stress in humans
Handheld-Impedance-Measurement System with seven-decade capability and potentiostatic function
No full textThis paper describes design and test of a new impedance-measurement system for nonlinear devices that exhibits a seven-decade range and works down to a frequency of 0.01 Hz. The system is specifically designed for electrochemical measurements, but the proposed architecture can be employed in many other fields where flexible signal generation and analysis are required. The system employs an unconventional signal generator based on two pulsewidth modulation (PWM) oscillators and an autocalibration system that allows uncertainties of less than 3% to be obtained over a range of 1 kΩ to 100 GΩ. A synchronous demodulation processing allows the noise superimposed to the low-amplitude input signals to be made negligibl
Solving Problems through Katasterismos: Classical Reception in New Zealand author Sabrina Malcolm’s Zeustian Logic
No full textNew Zealand writer Sabrina Malcolm’s 2017 novel Zeustian Logic is a contemporary school story about a family struggling to deal with grief. This text follows in a decades-long tradition of New Zealand YA literature employing Classical reception. The novel illustrates how Classical myth helps a contemporary New Zealand teenager (Tuttle) come to terms with his father’s death and his own feelings of helplessness, frustration and anger. This chapter examines the role of Classical reception in this novel, discussing how the author uses star mythology to underpin the depiction of the protagonist’s coming-of-age. More than that, Malcolm compares Tuttle’s feelings with ancient perceptions of anger and grief and skillfully casts Tuttle, in his quest for knowledge, as a modern-day Telemachus. The chapter concludes with a look at how Tuttle’s attitudes towards Zeus change, as he matures
Noninvasive Solution for Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy on Metallic Works of Art
No full textMetallic works of art of cultural relevance are continuously subjected to corrosion as the environment becomes increasingly polluted. A fast and simple method to in situ assess the conservation conditions is therefore required. This paper describes the development and performance of dry and gel-based electrodes which can be used to assess the surface conservation state without the need to move the artifacts and which do not cause any damage to them. The electrodes can be used with a portable electrochemical impedance spectroscopy system, without employing electrochemical cells. The proposed solution does not provide all the information that one can obtain using an electrochemical cell, but it can discriminate between protective coatings. It can be used to assess the protective capability of corrosion product layers and natural patinas, and it can therefore enable a noninvasive routine surface assessment to be conducted that could be extremely useful for people working in the field of conservation of cultural heritag
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