TBVAC2020: Advancing tuberculosis vaccines from discovery to clinical development

TBVAC2020 is a research project supported by the Horizon 2020 program of the European Commission (EC). It aims at the discovery and development of novel tuberculosis (TB) vaccines from preclinical research projects to early clinical assessment. The project builds on previous collaborations from 1998 onwards funded through the EC framework programs FP5, FP6, and FP7. It has succeeded in attracting new partners from outstanding laboratories from all over the world, now totaling 40 institutions. Next to the development of novel vaccines, TB biomarker development is also considered an important asset to facilitate rational vaccine selection and development. In addition, TBVAC2020 offers portfolio management that provides selection criteria for entry, gating, and priority settings of novel vaccines at an early developmental stage. The TBVAC2020 consortium coordinated by TBVI facilitates collaboration and early data sharing between partners with the common aim of working toward the development of an effective TB vaccine. Close links with funders and other consortia with shared interests further contribute to this goal

Erratum: Measurement of D^{∗±} production in deep inelastic scattering at HERA

The ZEUS collaborationIn the analysis for our paper on D* production, the beauty contribution was erroneously subtracted twice in the extraction of the reduced cross sections. This affected tables 9 and 10 as well as figures 9 and 10 that are reproduced here in a corrected version. The kinematical acceptances shown in the last colum of table 10 have been also corrected since they were calculated with a different value for the charm fragmentation fraction than what was used in the rest of the analysis and reported in the text. A misprint was found in table 7: the value in the third column at four rows from the bottom should read 49.8, not 59.8. Finally, one of the authors was missing from the author list: C. Uribe-Estrada (Department of Physics, University of Oxford, United Kingdom).Article funded by SCOAP

Gender modulates the APOE ε4 effect in healthy older adults: Convergent evidence from functional brain connectivity and spinal fluid tau levels

10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0305-12.2012Journal of Neuroscience32248254-8262JNRS

A Biospecimen Proficiency Testing Program for Biobank Accreditation: Four Years of Experience

Biobanks produce and distribute biospecimens, ensuring their fitness for purpose and accurately qualifying them before distribution. In their efforts toward professionalization, biobanks can nowadays seek certification or accreditation. One of the requirements of these standards is regular participation in Proficiency Testing (PT) programs. An international PT program has been developed and provided to biobanks and other laboratories that perform specific tests to qualify different types of biospecimens. This PT program includes biospecimen testing schemes, as well as biospecimen processing interlaboratory exercises. This PT program supports the development of biobank quality assurance by providing the possibility to assess biobank laboratory performance and useful insights into biobank laboratory method performance characteristics and thus fulfill the demands from accreditation authorities.SCOPUS: cp.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Preoperative recipient data and immunosuppression levels are predictive of early patient survival after liver transplantation

The role of donor, preop- erative, intraoperative, and postop- erative factors in predicting patient survival after liver transplantation was evaluated by the Bio Medicus data package on a database contain- ing 162 variables filled with records from 100 consecutive first-liver transplant cases. Donor data did not predict outcome. Recipient preop- erative data (Child status, HCV sta- tus) were predictive using life table and Cox regression methods. Recip- ient intraoperative data (by-pass time, warm ischemia time, delay in arterial revascularization, and packed red blood cell requirements) were predictive of outcome using life table analysis. Recipient post- operative data (rejection, sepsis, primary dysfunction, and hepatic ar- tery thrombosis) were predictive of outcome

The Italian compassionate use of sofosbuvir observational cohort study for the treatment of recurrent hepatitis C: Clinical and virological outcomes

Direct antivirals are available for treating recurrent hepatitis C (RHC). This study reported outcomes of 424 patients with METAVIR F3-F4 RHC who were treated for 24 weeks with sofosbuvir/ribavirin and followed for 12 weeks within the Italian sofosbuvir compassionate use program. In 55 patients, daclatasvir or simeprevir were added. Child-Pugh class and model of end stage liver disease (MELD) scores were evaluated at baseline and 36 weeks after the start of therapy. The sustained viral response (SVR) was 86.7% (316/365) in patients who received sofosbuvir/ribavirin and 98.3% (58/59) in patients who received a second antiviral (P < 0.01). In patients treated with sofosbuvir/ribavirin, a significant difference in SVR was observed between patients diagnosed with METAVIR F4 (211/250; 84.4%), METAVIR F3 (95/105; 90.5%) and fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis (10/10; 100%) (P = 0.049). A significant association was found between patients who worsened from Child-Pugh class A and who experienced viral relapse (4/26 vs. 8/189, P = 0.02). In patients with a baseline MELD score <15, a significant association was found between maintaining a final MELD score <15 and the achievement of SVR (187/219 vs. 6/10, P = 0.031). This real-world study indicates that sofosbuvir/ribavirin treatment for 24 weeks was effective, and the achievement of SVR was associated with a reduced probability of developing worsening liver function