Prevention of Birch Pollen-Related Food Allergy by Mucosal Treatment with Multi-Allergen-Chimers in Mice

Among birch pollen allergic patients up to 70% develop allergic reactions to Bet v 1-homologue food allergens such as Api g 1 (celery) or Dau c 1 (carrot), termed as birch pollen-related food allergy. In most cases, specific immunotherapy with birch pollen extracts does not reduce allergic symptoms to the homologue food allergens. We therefore genetically engineered a multi-allergen chimer and tested if mucosal treatment with this construct could represent a novel approach for prevention of birch pollen-related food allergy.BALB/c mice were poly-sensitized with a mixture of Bet v 1, Api g 1 and Dau c 1 followed by a sublingual challenge with carrot, celery and birch pollen extracts. For prevention of allergy sensitization an allergen chimer composed of immunodominant T cell epitopes of Api g 1 and Dau c 1 linked to the whole Bet v 1 allergen, was intranasally applied prior to sensitization.Intranasal pretreatment with the allergen chimer led to significantly decreased antigen-specific IgE-dependent β-hexosaminidase release, but enhanced allergen-specific IgG2a and IgA antibodies. Accordingly, IL-4 levels in spleen cell cultures and IL-5 levels in restimulated spleen and cervical lymph node cell cultures were markedly reduced, while IFN-γ levels were increased. Immunomodulation was associated with increased IL-10, TGF-β and Foxp3 mRNA levels in NALT and Foxp3 in oral mucosal tissues. Treatment with anti-TGF-β, anti-IL10R or anti-CD25 antibodies abrogated the suppression of allergic responses induced by the chimer.Our results indicate that mucosal application of the allergen chimer led to decreased Th2 immune responses against Bet v 1 and its homologue food allergens Api g 1 and Dau c 1 by regulatory and Th1-biased immune responses. These data suggest that mucosal treatment with a multi-allergen vaccine could be a promising treatment strategy to prevent birch pollen-related food allergy

EVS - European Values Study 1999 - Poland

Moral, religious, societal, political, work, and family values of Europeans. Topics: Leisure time: importance of areas of life; feeling of happiness; memberships and honorary activities in clubs, parties, organizations, citizens´ initiatives and occupation organizations; interactions in leisure time; tolerance regarding minorities, those of other beliefs and foreigners; inter-human trust; self-effectiveness (scale); general contentment with life (scale). Work: importance of selected characteristics of occupational work (scale); personal employment; general work satisfaction (scale); self-determination at work (scale); work ethic (scale); attitude to achievement-based pay and following work instructions without criticism; priority of nationals over foreigners as well as men over women with shortage of jobs; assumed priority of individual or social reasons for the situation of economic need of individuals; freedom of the unemployed to reject a job offer (scale). Politics: party preference; attitude to foreign workers in one´s country; fear of the future; assimilation and integration of immigrants; concept of a just society (more welfare state or liberalism, scale); interest in political news in the media; individualism and thinking of the community; interest in politics; political participation; self-assessment on a left-right continuum (scale); self-responsibility or governmental provision (scale); attitude to competition freedom and entrepreneur freedom (scale); satisfaction with democracy; attitude to the current political system of the country and judgment on the political system of the country ten years ago (scale); preference for a democratic political system or for strong leadership of an individual politician (scale); attitude to democracy (scale); loss of national characteristics through unification of Europe. Religion: individual or general standard for good and evil; current and perhaps earlier religious denomination; current frequency of church attendance and at the age of 12; importance of religious celebration at birth, marriage and funeral; self-assessment of religiousness; ability of the religious community in moral questions, with problems in family life, spiritual needs and current social problems of the country; belief in God, life after death, hell, heaven, sin, telepathy and reincarnation; belief in God or nihilism (scale); importance of God in one´s own life (scale); comfort and strength through belief; prayer and meditation; frequency of prayer; possession and belief in lucky charms or talisman (scale); reading and observing horoscopes; attitude to separation of church (religion) and state (scale). Family and marriage: important criteria for a successful marriage (scale); attitude to marriage and the traditional family structure (scale); attitude to one´s own children (scale); attitude to traditional understanding of one´s role of man and woman in occupation and family (scale); attitude to a traditional or liberal parent-child relation; importance of educational goals; attitude to abortion. Society: preference for individual freedom or social equality; post-materialism (scale); preferred social development (scale); attitude to technical progress; trust in institutions; observing individual human rights in the country; attitude to environmental protection (scale); closeness to family, the neighborhood, people in the region, countrymen, Europeans and humanity; closeness to older people, the unemployed, foreigners and handicapped well as readiness to make an effort for these groups; personal reasons for assistance with older people as well as foreigners; identification with the city, the region, the nation, Europe and the world; national pride. morals and sexuality: moral attitudes (tax evasion, theft, use of drugs, lying, bribe money, corruption, euthanasia, suicide, environmental pollution, alcohol at the wheel; scale); moral attitudes to partnership and sexuality (homosexuality, abortion, divorce, promiscuity; scale); assumed spreading of immoral behavior in the population of the country (scale); attitude to punishment dependent on the situation of the culprit or the victim (scale). Demography: sex; year of birth; marital status and living together with a partner; number of children; school education; age at termination of school training; employment; superior function and span of control; company size; occupation (ISCO88) and occupational position; length of unemployment; size of household; ages of children in household; head of household; characteristics of head of household; household income. Additional country specific questions included. Interviewer rating: willingness of respondent to cooperate. Also coded: date of interview; length of interview.Moralische, religiöse, gesellschaftliche, politische, ökonomische und soziale Wertvorstellungen der Europäer. Themen: Freizeit: Wichtigkeit der Lebensbereiche; Glücksgefühl; Mitgliedschaften und ehrenamtliche Tätigkeiten in Vereinen, Parteien, Organisationen, Bürgerinitiativen und Berufsorganisationen; Verkehrskreise in der Freizeit; Toleranz gegenüber Minderheiten, Andersgläubige und Ausländer; zwischenmenschliches Vertrauen; Selbstwirksamkeit (Skalometer); allgemeine Lebenszufriedenheit (Skalometer). Arbeitswelt: Wichtigkeit ausgewählter Merkmale beruflicher Arbeit (Skala); eigene Erwerbstätigkeit; allgemeine Arbeitszufriedenheit (Skalometer); Selbstbestimmung in der Arbeit (Skalometer); Arbeitsethos (Skala); Einstellung zu einer leistungsorientierten Bezahlung und zum kritiklosen Befolgen von Arbeitsanweisungen; Priorität von Inländern gegenüber Ausländern sowie Männern gegenüber Frauen bei Arbeitsplatzknappheit; vermuteter Vorrang individueller oder gesellschaftlicher Ursachen für die wirtschaftliche Notlage Einzelner; Entscheidungsfreiheit von Arbeitslosen zur Ablehnung eines Arbeitsangebots (Skalometer). Politik: Parteipräferenz; Einstellung zu ausländischen Arbeitnehmern im eigenen Land; Zukunftsangst; Assimilation und Integration von Immigranten; Vorstellung von einer gerechten Gesellschaft (mehr Wohlfahrtsstaat oder Liberalismus, Skala); Interesse an politischen Nachrichten in den Medien; Individualismus und Gemeinschaftsdenken; Politikinteresse; politische Partizipation; Selbsteinschätzung auf einem Links-Rechts-Kontinuum (Skalometer); Selbstverantwortlichkeit oder staatliche Vorsorge (Skalometer); Einstellung zur Wettbewerbsfreiheit und Unternehmerfreiheit (Skalometer); Demokratiezufriedenheit; Einstellung zum derzeitigen politischen System des Landes und Beurteilung des politischen Systems des Landes vor zehn Jahren (Skalometer); Präferenz für ein demokratisches politisches System oder für eine starke Führerschaft eines einzelnen Politikers (Skala); Einstellung zur Demokratie (Skala); Verlust nationaler Charakteristika durch die Vereinigung Europas. Religion: individueller oder genereller Maßstab für Gut und Böse; derzeitige und gegebenenfalls frühere Konfession; derzeitige Kirchgangshäufigkeit und im Alter von 12 Jahren; Wichtigkeit religiöser Feiern bei Geburt, Hochzeit und Beerdigung; Selbsteinschätzung der Religiosität; Kompetenz der Religionsgemeinschaft in moralischen Fragen, bei Problemen im Familienleben, bei geistigen Bedürfnissen und aktuellen sozialen Problemen des Landes; Glaube an Gott, an ein Leben nach dem Tod, an die Hölle, den Himmel, die Sünde, an Telepathie und an Wiedergeburt; Gottgläubigkeit oder Nihilismus (Skala); Wichtigkeit von Gott im eigenen Leben (Skalometer); Trost und Kraft durch den Glauben; Beten und Meditation; Gebetshäufigkeit; Besitz und Glauben an Glücksbringer oder Talisman (Skalometer); Lesen und Berücksichtigen von Horoskopen; Einstellung zur Trennung von Kirche (Religion) und Staat (Skala). Familie und Ehe: wichtigste Kriterien für eine erfolgreiche Ehe (Skala); Einstellung zur Ehe und zur traditionellen Familienstruktur (Skala); Einstellung zu eigenen Kindern (Skala); Einstellung zum traditionellen Rollenverständnis von Mann und Frau in Beruf und Familie (Skala); Einstellung zu einer traditionellen oder liberalen Eltern-Kind-Beziehung; Wichtigkeit von Erziehungszielen; Einstellung zur Abtreibung. Gesellschaft: Präferenz für individuelle Freiheit oder soziale Gleichheit; Postmaterialismus (Skala); präferierte gesellschaftliche Entwicklung (Skala); Einstellung zum technischen Fortschritt; Vertrauen in Institutionen; Beachtung der individuellen Menschenrechte im Lande; Einstellung zum Umweltschutz (Skala); Nähe zur Familie, zur Nachbarschaft, den Menschen in der Region, zu den Landsleuten, den Europäern und der Menschheit; Nähe zu älteren Menschen, zu Arbeitslosen, Ausländern und Behinderten sowie Bereitschaft sich für diese Gruppen einzusetzen; persönliche Gründe für Hilfeleistungen bei älteren Menschen sowie bei Ausländern; Identifikation mit dem Ort, der Region, der Nation, Europa und der Welt; Nationalstolz. Moral und Sexualität: moralische Einstellungen (Steuerhinterziehung, Diebstahl, Drogengebrauch, Lügen, Schmiergelder, Korruption, Euthanasie, Selbstmord, Umweltverschmutzung, Alkohol am Steuer; Skala); moralische Einstellungen zu Partnerschaft und Sexualität (Homosexualität, Abtreibung, Scheidung, Promiskuität; Skala); vermutete Verbreitung unmoralischer Verhaltensweisen in der Bevölkerung des Landes (Skala); Einstellung zu einer Bestrafung in Abhängigkeit von der Situation des Täters bzw. des Geschädigten (Skala). Demographie: Geschlecht; Geburtsjahr; Familienstand und Zusammenleben mit einem Partner; Kinderzahl; Schulbildung; Alter bei Beendigung der Schulausbildung; Berufstätigkeit; Vorgesetztenfunktion und Kontrollspanne; Betriebsgröße; Beruf (ISCO88) und berufliche Stellung; Dauer der Arbeitslosigkeit; Haushaltsgröße; Alter der Kinder im Haushalt; Haushaltsvorstand; Charakteristika des Haushaltsvorstands; Haushaltseinkommen. Der Fragebogen enthält weitere länderspezifische Fragen. Interviewerrating: Kooperationsbereitschaft des Befragten. Zusätzlich kodiert: Datum des Interviews; Dauer des Interviews

Effect of targeted vs standard fortification of breast milk on growth and development of preterm infants (<= 32weeks) : study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Human milk is recommended for all very low birth weight infants. Breastmilk is highly variable in nutrient content, failing to meet the nutritional demands of this group. Fortification of human milk is recommended to prevent extrauterine growth retardation and associated poor neurodevelopmental outcome. However, standard fortification with fixed dose multicomponent fortifier does not account for the variability in milk composition. Targeted fortification is a promising alternative and needs further investigation. Methods: This randomized controlled trial will recruit preterm infants (≤ 32 weeks of gestation) within the first 7 days of life. After reaching 80 ml/kg/day of enteral feeding, patients will be randomized to receive standard fortification (HMF, Nutricia) or targeted fortification (modular components: Bebilon Bialka, Nutricia—protein; Polycal, Nutricia—carbohydrates; Calogen, Nutricia—lipids). The intervention will continue until 37 weeks of post-conception age or hospital discharge. Parents and outcome assessors will be blinded to the intervention. The primary outcome measure is velocity of weight, length, and head growth until 36 weeks post-conceptional age or discharge. Secondary outcomes include neurodevelopment at 12 months assessed with Bayley Scale of Development III, repeated at 36 months; body composition at discharge and at 4 months; and incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, retinopathy of prematurity, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Discussion: Targeted fortification has previously been shown as doable in the neonatal intensive care unit context. If it shows to improve growth and neonatal outcome, choosing the targeted fortification as a first line nutritional approach in very low birth weight infants may become a recommendation. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.govNCT03775785, Registered on July 2019

Chromium-Catalyzed CO2-Epoxide Copolymerization

Iminopyrrole, aminopyrrole, and aminophosphine ligands were complexed with various chromium sources, producing eight complexes that were tested for their catalytic behavior toward epoxide–CO2 copolymerization. As elucidated by MALDI-TOF-MS, copolymerizations afforded polycarbonates and poly(ether-carbonates) exhibiting linear or cyclic topologies

Chromium-Catalyzed CO2-Epoxide Copolymerization

Iminopyrrole, aminopyrrole, and aminophosphine ligands were complexed with various chromium sources, producing eight complexes that were tested for their catalytic behavior toward epoxide-CO2 copolymerization. As elucidated by MALDI-TOF-MS, copolymerizations afforded polycarbonates and poly(ether-carbonates) exhibiting linear or cyclic topologies

Scientific Reports / Age-related differences in humoral and cellular immune responses after primary immunisation : indications for stratified vaccination schedules

Immunosenescence is characterised by reduced B and T cell responses. Evidence shows that booster vaccinations are less effective in elderly people, but data on the efficacy of primary immunisation are sparse. We conducted a monocentric, open label, phase IV trial to compare immune responses to primary vaccinations using the inactivated, adjuvanted Japanese Encephalitis vaccine by 30 elderly people (mean 69, range 6178years) and 30 younger people (mean 24, range 1830years). Humoral and cellular immune responses were analysed in relation to age and cytomegalovirus (CMV) seropositivity. Vaccine-specific antibody titres were significantly lower in elderly participants and 47% of them were non- or low responders after the two doses of the vaccine neo-antigen. The reduced humoral immune responses in elderly people correlated with reduced cytokine production, such as interferon gamma (IFN-) in vitro, as well as higher frequencies of late-differentiated effector and effector memory T cells and T regulatory cells. These cellular changes and lower antibody titres were particularly prominent in CMV-seropositive elderly participants. If primary vaccination before the age of 60 is not possible, elderly patients may require different vaccination strategies to ensure sufficient long-lasting immunity, such as adapted or accelerated schedules and the use of different adjuvants.(VLID)464405

Chromium-Catalyzed CO₂–Epoxide Copolymerization

Iminopyrrole, aminopyrrole, and aminophosphine ligands were complexed with various chromium sources, producing eight complexes that were tested for their catalytic behavior toward epoxide–CO₂ copolymerization. As elucidated by MALDI-TOF-MS, copolymerizations afforded polycarbonates and poly­(ether-carbonates) exhibiting linear or cyclic topologies

Chromium-Catalyzed CO₂–Epoxide Copolymerization

Iminopyrrole, aminopyrrole, and aminophosphine ligands were complexed with various chromium sources, producing eight complexes that were tested for their catalytic behavior toward epoxide–CO₂ copolymerization. As elucidated by MALDI-TOF-MS, copolymerizations afforded polycarbonates and poly­(ether-carbonates) exhibiting linear or cyclic topologies