Streptococcus suis in Humans, Thailand

Streptococcus suis in Humans, Thailan

Thick-Film Carbon Dioxide Sensor via Anodic Adsorbate Stripping Technique and Its Structural Dependence

A three-electrode based CO2 sensor was fabricated using thick-film technology. The performance of this sensor was further enhanced by incorporating platinum nanoparticles onto the working electrode surface. An eight-fold increase in the signal output was obtained from the electrode with the platinum nanoparticles. The sensing output was linearly related to the CO2 presented. Stability measurements demonstrated that the decline of the active surface area and the sensitivity of the sensor were 8% and 13%, respectively, over a two week period of time. The sensor response appeared to be a structural dependence of the crystallographic orientation of platinum electrode

Human Papillomavirus Type 16 E5 Protein as a Therapeutic Target

Cervical cancer is a progressive disease with an onset of one to two decades on average. During the productive replication stage, the Human papillomavirus (HPV) genome is maintained episomally in the infected cervical epithelium and early gene products, including E5, are expressed. Therefore, E5 has a potential to contribute to the HPV-associated carcinogenic process. In invasive malignancies, the HPV genomes are commonly integrated into the host genome, and E6 and E7 genes remain intact. However, the E5 is lost or, if present, under-expressed as compared with the E6 and E7 proteins. This suggests that E5 may play a critical role in the genesis of cervical cancer but less of a role in its persistence or progression. In the initiation of neoplasia and the premalignant stage, there are fewer malignant cells than in the invasive malignancies. Moreover, cells in the invasive malignant stage are found to have a very low level of MHC class I and II, which could hamper the presentation of the antigen and lead to a decreased immune response. Since the E5 protein is likely to play a role during the early tumorigenesis stage, a therapeutic vaccine to target and eliminate the E5-expressing cells may be a good strategy to prevent premalignant lesions from progressing toward invasive cervical cancers. This paper provides an overview of HPV-induced cervical carcinogenesis and strategies for designing prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines to prevent and cure the cervical cancer. In particular, focus will be on the rationale of targeting the E5 protein to develop therapeutic vaccines