Yearly licensing studies from 1997 to 2007 of the inactivated whole virus seasonal influenza vaccine fluval--a useful approach to pandemic vaccine development even in less well developed countries?

OBJECTIVE: Seasonal vaccination has been consistently shown to significantly reduce morbidity and mortality because of influenza epidemics, even in healthy, working adults. Here we report the results of the yearly licensing studies of the past 11 influenza seasons (1997-2007) with a trivalent, inactivated whole virus vaccine with an aluminum phosphate adjuvant system. METHODS: Sixty healthy volunteers per age group (18-60 years and 60 years and older) were enrolled to receive vaccination each year, thus, a total of 1080 subjects were studied. Serum antibody titers were measured by hemagglutination inhibition (HI). RESULTS: The vaccine met the criteria for licensing each year, meaning seroprotection (achievement of an HI titer of >1:40 in >70% of subjects); seroconversion, i.e. a >4-fold increase in HI antibody titer, or reaching a titer of >1:40, in >40% of subjects; and an increase in geometric mean titers by >2.5-fold. Side effects were rare and mild. The same method was used to produce a pre-pandemic vaccine against influenza A (H5N1), which has been shown to be safe and immunogenic in humans. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the method presented is safe, effective and may serve as a useful approach to seasonal and pandemic vaccine production even in less well-developed countries by means of technological transfer

Flow correlated percolation during vascular network formation in tumors

A theoretical model based on the molecular interactions between a growing tumor and a dynamically evolving blood vessel network describes the transformation of the regular vasculature in normal tissues into a highly inhomogeneous tumor specific capillary network. The emerging morphology, characterized by the compartmentalization of the tumor into several regions differing in vessel density, diameter and necrosis, is in accordance with experimental data for human melanoma. Vessel collapse due to a combination of severely reduced blood flow and solid stress exerted by the tumor, leads to a correlated percolation process that is driven towards criticality by the mechanism of hydrodynamic vessel stabilization.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures (higher resolution at http://www.uni-saarland.de/fak7/rieger/HOMEPAGE/flow.eps

Time evolution in the Morse potential using supersymmetry: dissociation of the NO molecule

We present an algebraic method for treating molecular vibrations in the Morse potential perturbed by an external laser field. By the help of a complete and normalizable basis we transform the Schr\"{o}dinger equation into a system of coupled ordinary differential equations. We apply our method to calculate the dissociation probability of the NO molecule excited by chirped laser pulses. The dependence of the molecular dipole-moment on the interatomic separation is determined by a quantum-chemical method, and the corresponding transition dipole moments are given by approximate analytic expressions. These turn out to be very small between neighboring stationary states around the vibrational quantum number $m=42$, therefore we propose to use additional pulses in order to skip this trapping state, and to obtain a reasonable dissociation probability.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Worldwide evidence of a unimodal relationship between productivity and plant species richness

The search for predictions of species diversity across environmental gradients has challenged ecologists for decades. The humped-back model (HBM) suggests that plant diversity peaks at intermediate productivity; at low productivity few species can tolerate the environmental stresses, and at high productivity a few highly competitive species dominate. Over time the HBM has become increasingly controversial, and recent studies claim to have refuted it. Here, by using data from coordinated surveys conducted throughout grasslands worldwide and comprising a wide range of site productivities, we provide evidence in support of the HBM pattern at both global and regional extents. The relationships described here provide a foundation for further research into the local, landscape, and historical factors that maintain biodiversity

Desenvolvimento de protocolo de sedação e analgesia em caititus (Tayassu tajacu) para coleta de sêmen por eletroejaculação.

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Biometria testicular, eletroejaculação e características seminais de caititus, Tayassu tajacu Linnaeus, 1758 (Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Tayassuidae) mantidos em cativeiro na Amazônia Oriental.

Estudos relacionados à obtenção e avaliação de sêmen de Tayassu tajacu são escassos, sendo necessárias pesquisas a respeito. Os objetivos do estudo foram avaliar a biometria testicular de caititus adultos cativos, testar a eficiência da eletroejaculação para obtenção de sêmen e avaliar suas características seminais ao longo do ano. Procedeu-se à eletroejaculação em oito animais adultos e as amostras de sêmen colhidas foram avaliadas quanto às características físicas e morfológicas. Os animais tinham testículo esquerdo com 3,8 ± 0,4 cm X 2,6 ± 0,3 cm e 2,3 ± 0,2 de consistência, e testículo direito com 3,8 ± 0,5 cm X 2,7 ± 0,3 cm e 2,3 ± 0,2 de consistência. A taxa de sucesso nas colheitas foi de 75,21%. O sêmen possuiu: volume 0,81 ± 0,86 mL, concentração 137,44 ± 153 x 106 sptz mL-1, pH 7,92 ± 0,73, motilidade 52,66 ± 28,79%, vigor 2,2 ± 0,8, integridade de membrana plasmática 55,84 ± 28,55%, defeitos maiores 22,87 ± 12,93%, defeitos menores 9,11 ± 5,88% e defeitos totais 31,52 ± 13,81%. Os animais apresentaram simetria testicular, a eletroejaculação se mostrou eficiente para a obtenção de ejaculados em caititus e as flutuações observadas na produção seminal não foram suficientes para caracterizá-los como animais de reprodução sazonal

Can management intensity be more important than environmental factors? A case study along an extreme elevation gradient from central Italian cereal fields

This paper aims to assess the importance of environmental and management factors determining the weed species composition along a strong elevation gradient. A total of 76 cereal fields (39 low input and 37 intensively managed) were sampled along an elevation gradient in central Italy. Explanatory variables were recorded for each field to elucidate the role of large-scale spatial trends, of site-specific abiotic environmental conditions and of field management characters. Redundancy analysis was used to assess the relative importance of each environmental variable in explaining the variation in species composition. Our results indicate that variation in weed species composition is strongly determined by altitude, mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature and also by soil characteristics. However, the level of intensification proved to be the most influential variable. There was a significant difference in species richness and composition between low-input and intensively managed fields. Intensification leads to considerable species loss at both lower and higher elevations. Low-input fields had 296 species in total, while intensively managed fields had only 196