21 research outputs found
Massively-multiplexed epitope mapping techniques for viral antigen discovery
Following viral infection, viral antigens bind specifically to receptors on the surface of lymphocytes thereby activating adaptive immunity in the host. An epitope, the smallest structural and functional unit of an antigen, binds specifically to an antibody or antigen receptor, to serve as key sites for the activation of adaptive immunity. The complexity and diverse range of epitopes are essential to study and map for the diagnosis of disease, the design of vaccines and for immunotherapy. Mapping the location of these specific epitopes has become a hot topic in immunology and immune therapy. Recently, epitope mapping techniques have evolved to become multiplexed, with the advent of high-throughput sequencing and techniques such as bacteriophage-display libraries and deep mutational scanning. Here, we briefly introduce the principles, advantages, and disadvantages of the latest epitope mapping techniques with examples for viral antigen discovery
Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries
Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely
Study on the electronic structure and the optical performance of YB6 by the first-principles calculations
The electronic structure and the optical performance of YB6 were investigated by first-principles calculations within the framework of density functional theory. It was found that the calculated results are in agreement with the relevant experimental data. Our theoretical studies showed that YB6 is a promising solar radiation shielding material for windows
Biosensor-Based Active Ingredients Recognition System for Screening STAT3 Ligands from Medical Herbs
A surface plasmon resonance (SPR)
biosensor-based active ingredients recognition system (SPR-AIRS) was
developed, validated, and applied to screen signal transducer and
activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) ligands. First, features of the
screening system were investigated in four aspects: (1) specificity
of the STAT3-immobilized chip, it shows that the chip could be applied
to screen STAT3 ligands from complex mixture; (2) linearity and limit
of detection (LOD) of the system, the minimum recovery cycle number
was determined as 5 cycles; (3) saturability of the chip, the results
indicate that it is necessary to select a proper concentration based
on the compound’s <i>K</i><sub>d</sub> value; (4)
robustness of the system, it indicates that inactive compounds in
the matrix could not interfere with active compounds in the process
of screening. Next, SPR-AIRS was applied to screen STAT3 ligands from
medicinal herbs. Nine candidate compounds were fished out. Then SPR
assay and molecular docking were performed to verify the interplay
between STAT3 and candidate compounds. Apoptosis assay and luciferase
report assay were performed to investigate the drug effect of candidate
compounds on STAT3 activity. Western blot results indicated that neobaicalein
and polydatin could inhibit the phosphorylation of STAT3. As far as
we know, this is the first time that neobaicalein and polydatin are
reported as effective STAT3 ligands. In a conclusion, we have systemically
demonstrated the feasibility of SPR biosensor-based screening method
applying to complex drug systems, and our findings suggest that SPR-AIRS
could be a sensitive and effective solution for the discovery of active
compounds from a complex matrix
Safety and Immunogenicity of the Monovalent Omicron XBB.1.5-Adapted BNT162b2 COVID-19 Vaccine in Individuals ≥12 Years Old: A Phase 2/3 Trial
Vaccination remains an important mitigation tool against COVID-19. We report 1-month safety and preliminary immunogenicity data from a substudy of an ongoing, open-label, phase 2/3 study of monovalent Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 (single 30-μg dose). Healthy participants ≥12 years old (N = 412 (12–17 years, N = 30; 18–55 years, N = 174; >55 years, N = 208)) who previously received ≥3 doses of a US-authorized mRNA vaccine, the most recent being an Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent vaccine ≥150 days before study vaccination, were vaccinated. Serum 50% neutralizing titers against Omicron XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 were measured 7 days and 1 month after vaccination in a subset of ≥18-year-olds (N = 40) who were positive for SARS-CoV-2 at baseline. Seven-day immunogenicity was also evaluated in a matched group who received bivalent BA.4/BA.5-adapted BNT162b2 in a previous study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05472038). There were no new safety signals; local reactions and systemic events were mostly mild to moderate in severity, adverse events were infrequent, and none led to study withdrawal. The XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 induced numerically higher titers against Omicron XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 than BA.4/BA.5-adapted BNT162b2 at 7 days and robust neutralizing responses to all three sublineages at 1 month. These data support a favorable benefit-risk profile of XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 30 μg. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0599729