A review on the development of multi-epitope vaccine candidates for SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2, first emerged in the Hubei province of China in December 2019. The efficient transmission of the virus from person-to-person has contributed to the global spread of infection, better known as the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients with the highly infectious disease display flu-like symptoms such as cold and fever. The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has become a public health emergency with over 200 countries affected. Genome sequence analysis has discovered that the virus is similar to that of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Despite this, however, attempts to control SARS-CoV-2 with antiviral agents used to treat prior SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV infections have been found to be ineffective. As the rate of infection and deaths from COVID-19 increases, the pressure to find a vaccine solution builds. Efforts to develop antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2 continue and the potential of multi-epitope vaccines will be further explored in this review. Multiple epitope targets of the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 are analyzed for their immunogenicity, stability, safety, and potential as vaccine candidates. The vaccine constructs discussed give promise of becoming vaccine candidates but require further in vitro and in vivo experimentation

The Bodil-Family and Saint Peter's Abbey in Naestved: A Close-up on Politics, Kinship and Religion in 12th Century Denmark

This study addresses issues of politics, kinship, property, inheritance, religion and gender. It seeks to show how the interplay of these elements shaped the social, political and religious landscapes of early medieval Denmark. At the core is one particular elite family, the Bodil-family, and their family-monastery, Saint Peter’s Abbey in the town of Næstved in the southern part of the island of Zealand. As result the intricate relations between religion and politics are revealed, as well as the opportunities and challenges presented to elite women

Social, dietary and clinical correlates of oedema in children with severe acute malnutrition:a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Severe acute malnutrition is a serious public health problem, and a challenge to clinicians. Why some children with malnutrition develop oedema (kwashiorkor) is not well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate socio-demographic, dietary and clinical correlates of oedema, in children hospitalised with severe acute malnutrition. METHODS: We recruited children with severe acute malnutrition admitted to Mulago Hospital, Uganda. Data was collected using questionnaires, clinical examination and measurement of blood haemoglobin, plasma c-reactive protein and α(1)-acid glycoprotein. Correlates of oedema were identified using multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 120 children included, 77 (64%) presented with oedematous malnutrition. Oedematous children were slightly older (17.7 vs. 15.0 months, p = 0.006). After adjustment for age and sex, oedematous children were less likely to be breastfed (odds ratio (OR): 0.19, 95%-confidence interval (CI): 0.06; 0.59), to be HIV-infected (OR: 0.10, CI: 0.03; 0.41), to report cough (OR: 0.33, CI: 0.13; 0.82) and fever (OR: 0.22, CI: 0.09; 0.51), and to have axillary temperature > 37.5°C (OR: 0.28 CI: 0.11; 0.68). Household dietary diversity score was lower in children with oedema (OR: 0.58, CI: 0.40; 85). No association was found with plasma levels of acute phase proteins, household food insecurity or birth weight. CONCLUSION: Children with oedematous malnutrition were less likely to be breastfed, less likely to have HIV infection and had fewer symptoms of other infections. Dietary diversity was lower in households of children who presented with oedema. Future research may confirm whether a causal relationship exists between these factors and nutritional oedema. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12887-015-0341-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Gut microbiota in children hospitalized with oedematous and non-oedematous severe acute malnutrition in Uganda

BACKGROUND:Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) among children remains a major health problem in many developing countries. SAM manifests in both an oedematous and a non-oedematous form, with oedematous malnutrition in its most severe form also known as kwashiorkor. The pathogenesis of both types of malnutrition in children remains largely unknown, but gut microbiota (GM) dysbiosis has recently been linked to oedematous malnutrition. In the present study we aimed to assess whether GM composition differed between Ugandan children suffering from either oedematous or non-oedematous malnutrition. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:As part of an observational study among children hospitalized with SAM aged 6-24 months in Uganda, fecal samples were collected at admission. Total genomic DNA was extracted from fecal samples, and PCR amplification was performed followed by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) and tag-encoded 16S rRNA gene-targeted high throughput amplicon sequencing. Alpha and beta diversity measures were determined along with ANOVA mean relative abundance and G-test of independence followed by comparisons between groups. Of the 87 SAM children included, 62% suffered from oedematous malnutrition, 66% were boys and the mean age was 16.1 months. GM composition was found to differ between the two groups of children as determined by DGGE (p = 0.0317) and by high-throughput sequencing, with non-oedematous children having lower GM alpha diversity (p = 0.036). However, beta diversity analysis did not reveal larger differences between the GM of children with oedematous and non-oedematous SAM (ANOSIM analysis, weighted UniFrac, R = -0.0085, p = 0.584; unweighted UniFrac, R = 0.0719, p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Our results indicate that non-oedematous SAM children have lower GM diversity compared to oedematous SAM children, however no clear compositional differences were identified