Optical properties of Ge-oxygen defect center embedded in silica films

The photo-luminescence features of Ge-oxygen defect centers in a 100nm thick Ge-doped silica film on a pure silica substrate were investigated by looking at the emission spectra and time decay detected under synchrotron radiation excitation in the 10-300 K temperature range. This center exhibits two luminescence bands centered at 4.3eV and 3.2eV associated with its de-excitation from singlet (S1) and triplet (T1) states, respectively, that are linked by an intersystem crossing process. The comparison with results obtained from a bulk Ge-doped silica sample evidences that the efficiency of the intersystem crossing rate depends on the properties of the matrix embedding the Ge-oxygen defect centers, being more effective in the film than in the bulk counterpart.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, in press on J. Non cryst. solids (2007

Chikungunya vaccines: advances in the development and prospects for marketing approval

Chikungunya fever is an acute infectious disease caused by the mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). In the last decades, cases of the disease have been reported in more than 100 countries; therefore, CHIKV presents a global public health problem. CHIKV genotypes have limited antigenic diversity, and documented reinfection is very rare. Hence, a vaccine could prevent infection and potential disability, as well as reduce the epidemic spread of CHIKV in the population.The aim of the study was to review approaches to the development of preventive vaccines against CHIKV, evaluate promising vaccine candidates in preclinical or clinical development stages, and analyse perspectives and challenges of bringing these vaccines to the pharmaceutical market.According to the literature reviewed, both traditional and modern platforms are used in the development of CHIKV vaccines, which has been ongoing for several decades. Each platform has its advantages and limitations. The most popular platforms are live attenuated vaccines and vaccines with viral vector constructs. To date, about 25 vaccine candidates have successfully passed through preclinical studies, and more than 7 vaccine candidates have progressed to various phases of clinical studies. The preventive medicinal products that have reached the clinical development stage include 4 live attenuated vaccines, 1 inactivated vaccine, 1 vaccine containing virus-like particles, and 1 mRNA vaccine. All 7 candidates have demonstrated cross-protection against multiple genotypes of CHIKV at the level of either preclinical in vivo studies and/or clinical in vitro studies. The research continues, and this shows that not only the scientific community but also health systems are interested in bringing effective CHIKV vaccines to the pharmaceutical market

Analysis of pneumococcal serotypes distribution to determine a model composition for a Russian pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, as well as antibiotic resistance of its serotypes, are the leading cause of death amongst children worldwide. To prevent pneumococcal infection, the population is immunised with conjugate vaccines containing different amounts of polysaccharides of certain serotypes. Development of a full-cycle Russian vaccine is vital because the active pharmaceutical ingredients for the vaccines registered in the Russian Federation are produced abroad, and only the final stages of production of vaccines of this group are performed in the territory of the Russian Federation. Considering the phenomenon of serotype replacement associated with the long-term widespread use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, it is necessary to carefully select the serotype composition for the new vaccine. The aim of this work was to analyse the serotype distribution of pneumococci in the Russian Federation and other countries in order to select optimal serotypes for the Russian vaccine for human use, taking into account vaccination schedules for each age group. This review presents an analysis of the pneumococcal serotype distribution in the Russian Federation in the pre-vaccination era, as well as after the introduction of routine vaccination. In addition, the review includes data on the serotype distribution in the Eurasian Economic Union countries. The authors described a model composition containing at least sixteen serotypes. It will increase effectiveness of immune protection of the population, providing a more complete coverage of serotypes, considering their prevalence in the Russian Federation. Based on the analysis, the serotype composition for the sixteen-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is proposed for further production and preclinical and clinical trials. A new Russian pneumococcal conjugate vaccine will ensure vaccination of all population groups within the National Immunisation Schedule of the Russian Federation

Прогресс в разработке вакцин для профилактики лихорадки Чикунгунья и перспективы появления на рынке

Chikungunya fever is an acute infectious disease caused by the mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). In the last decades, cases of the disease have been reported in more than 100 countries; therefore, CHIKV presents a global public health problem. CHIKV genotypes have limited antigenic diversity, and documented reinfection is very rare. Hence, a vaccine could prevent infection and potential disability, as well as reduce the epidemic spread of CHIKV in the population.The aim of the study was to review approaches to the development of preventive vaccines against CHIKV, evaluate promising vaccine candidates in preclinical or clinical development stages, and analyse perspectives and challenges of bringing these vaccines to the pharmaceutical market.According to the literature reviewed, both traditional and modern platforms are used in the development of CHIKV vaccines, which has been ongoing for several decades. Each platform has its advantages and limitations. The most popular platforms are live attenuated vaccines and vaccines with viral vector constructs. To date, about 25 vaccine candidates have successfully passed through preclinical studies, and more than 7 vaccine candidates have progressed to various phases of clinical studies. The preventive medicinal products that have reached the clinical development stage include 4 live attenuated vaccines, 1 inactivated vaccine, 1 vaccine containing virus-like particles, and 1 mRNA vaccine. All 7 candidates have demonstrated cross-protection against multiple genotypes of CHIKV at the level of either preclinical in vivo studies and/or clinical in vitro studies. The research continues, and this shows that not only the scientific community but also health systems are interested in bringing effective CHIKV vaccines to the pharmaceutical market.Лихорадка Чикунгунья представляет собой острое инфекционное заболевание, которое вызывается вирусом Чикунгунья (ЧИКВ) и распространяется комарами. В последние десятилетия эта инфекция зарегистрирована в более чем 100 странах и превратилась в глобальную проблему для здравоохранения. В связи с тем что антигенные различия между генотипами ЧИКВ незначительны и повторные случаи инфицирования практически не регистрируют, вакцина могла бы не только предотвратить заболевание и возможную потерю трудоспособности, но и уменьшить эпидемическое распространение ЧИКВ среди населения.Цель работы — анализ направлений разработки вакцинных препаратов для профилактики лихорадки Чикунгунья, оценка перспективных препаратов, вышедших на этапы доклинических (ДКИ) и клинических исследований (КИ), а также анализ перспектив и проблем вывода препаратов на фармацевтический рынок.Анализ научной литературы показал, что при разработке вакцин, продолжающейся уже несколько десятилетий, используются как традиционные, так и новейшие технологические платформы. Каждая технологическая платформа имеет свои недостатки и преимущества. На данном этапе около 25 разработок достаточно успешно прошли этап ДКИ и более 7 находятся на разных стадиях КИ. Самыми популярными являются платформа живых аттенуированных вакцин, а также платформа вакцин с использованием векторных конструкций. Препараты, находящиеся в разных фазах КИ, представлены живыми аттенуированными вакцинами (четыре препарата), инактивированным (один препарат), содержащим вирусоподобные частицы (один препарат) и созданным на основе мРНК (один препарат). Для всех семи вакцин была продемонстрирована перекрестная защита от штаммов ЧИКВ разных генотипов или на стадии ДКИ in vivo и/или на стадии КИ in vitro. Исследования продолжаются, что подтверждает наличие не только научного интереса, но также ожиданий системы здравоохранения к выводу на фармацевтический рынок эффективных вакцин против лихорадки Чикунгунья

Luminescence spectra of germanosilicate optical fibres I - radioluminescence and cathodoluminescence

Data are reported on the luminescence spectra generated by X-ray and electron irradiation of optical fibres, fibre preforms and silica. The impurities and imperfections in the fibre core have a higher luminescence efficiency than those in the substrate material. The core luminescence provides a major fraction of the total light emission, despite the fact that the core is a small fraction of the total fibre volume. A wide variety of overlapping emission bands are reported. The spectra are strongly temperature dependent but the component emission bands can generally be linked to either Ge impurities, giving the 400 nm band, exciton emission near 460 nm or other blue/UV bands linked to E'-type defects. Overall, the study of the fibre luminescence provides a sensitive technique for analysis d changes and repeatability of fibre fabrication

Анализ серотипового пейзажа пневмококков для определения композиционной модели отечественной пневмококковой конъюгированной вакцины

Diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, as well as antibiotic resistance of its serotypes, are the leading cause of death amongst children worldwide. To prevent pneumococcal infection, the population is immunised with conjugate vaccines containing different amounts of polysaccharides of certain serotypes. Development of a full-cycle Russian vaccine is vital because the active pharmaceutical ingredients for the vaccines registered in the Russian Federation are produced abroad, and only the final stages of production of vaccines of this group are performed in the territory of the Russian Federation. Considering the phenomenon of serotype replacement associated with the long-term widespread use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, it is necessary to carefully select the serotype composition for the new vaccine. The aim of this work was to analyse the serotype distribution of pneumococci in the Russian Federation and other countries in order to select optimal serotypes for the Russian vaccine for human use, taking into account vaccination schedules for each age group. This review presents an analysis of the pneumococcal serotype distribution in the Russian Federation in the pre-vaccination era, as well as after the introduction of routine vaccination. In addition, the review includes data on the serotype distribution in the Eurasian Economic Union countries. The authors described a model composition containing at least sixteen serotypes. It will increase effectiveness of immune protection of the population, providing a more complete coverage of serotypes, considering their prevalence in the Russian Federation. Based on the analysis, the serotype composition for the sixteen-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is proposed for further production and preclinical and clinical trials. A new Russian pneumococcal conjugate vaccine will ensure vaccination of all population groups within the National Immunisation Schedule of the Russian Federation.Заболевания, вызываемые Streptococcus pneumoniae, а также возникновение антибиотикорезистентных серотипов пневмококков являются ведущей причиной смертности детского населения во всем мире. С целью предотвращения пневмококковой инфекции применяют вакцинацию с использованием конъюгированных вакцин, содержащих различное количество полисахаридов определенных серотипов. В Российской Федерации зарегистрированы вакцины, активные фармацевтические субстанции для которых производятся за рубежом, а на территории Российской Федерации локализуются только финишные стадии производства вакцин данной группы, поэтому разработка отечественной вакцины полного цикла является жизненно значимой. Учитывая явление «смены серотипов» при длительном широком использовании пневмококковых конъюгированных вакцин, необходимо тщательно подбирать серотиповой состав новой вакцины. Цель работы — анализ серотипового пейзажа пневмококков на территории Российской Федерации и других стран с целью выбора модельной композиции оптимального серотипового состава российской вакцины для применения у людей с учетом схем вакцинации для каждой возрастной группы. В обзоре представлены результаты анализа распространения серотипов пневмококков в Российской Федерации в довакцинальную эру, а также после внедрения вакцинации в рутинную педиатрическую практику. Кроме того, представлены данные по серотиповому пейзажу в государствах — членах Евразийского экономического союза. Предложен модельный состав вакцины, содержащей не менее шестнадцати серотипов пневмококка. Выбранная модель позволит увеличить эффективность иммунной защиты населения, обеспечив более полный охват серотипов, учитывая их распространенность на территории Российской Федерации. На основе проведенного анализа предложен уникальный серотиповой состав шестнадцативалентной пневмококковой конъюгированной вакцины для дальнейшего производства и проведения доклинических и клинических испытаний. Появление новой отечественной пневмококковой конъюгированной вакцины позволит обеспечить вакцинацию всех групп населения в рамках национального календаря профилактических прививок Российской Федерации

Durvalumab, with or without tremelimumab, plus platinum-etoposide in first-line treatment of extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer: 3-year overall survival update from CASPIAN

Background: In the phase III CASPIAN study, first-line durvalumab in combination with etoposide plus either cisplatin or carboplatin (EP) significantly improved overall survival (OS) versus EP alone in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). Durvalumab plus tremelimumab plus EP numerically improved OS versus EP, but did not reach statistical significance. Here we report updated OS in censored patients after median follow-up of >3 years. Patients and methods: 805 patients with treatment-naïve ES-SCLC were randomized 1 : 1 : 1 to durvalumab plus EP, durvalumab plus tremelimumab plus EP, or EP. The two primary endpoints were OS for durvalumab plus EP versus EP and for durvalumab plus tremelimumab plus EP versus EP. Results: As of 22 March 2021 (median follow-up 39.4 months, 86% maturity), durvalumab plus EP continued to demonstrate improved OS versus EP: hazard ratio (HR) 0.71 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.60-0.86; nominal P ¼ 0.0003]; median OS was 12.9 versus 10.5 months, and 36-month OS rate was 17.6% versus 5.8%. Durvalumab plus tremelimumab plus EP continued to numerically improve OS versus EP: HR 0.81 (95% CI: 0.67-0.97; nominal P ¼ 0.0200); median OS was 10.4 months, and 36-month OS rate was 15.3%. Twenty-seven and nineteen patients in the durvalumab plus EP and durvalumab plus tremelimumab plus EP arms, respectively, remained on durvalumab treatment at data cut-off. Conclusions: Three times more patients were estimated to be alive at 3 years when treated with durvalumab plus EP versus EP, with the majority still receiving durvalumab at data cut-off, further establishing durvalumab plus EP as first-line standard of care for ES-SCLC

Клиническое исследование переносимости, безопасности и иммуногенности отечественной гриппозной инактивированной сплит-вакцины «ФЛЮ-М» у детей в возрасте от 6 месяцев до 9 лет

Purpose: To study the reactogenicity, safety and immunogenicity of the Russian vaccine Flu-M in comparison with Vaxigrip vaccine for influenza prevention in children aged from 6 months to 9 years (phase III).Materials and Methods. In 2021, a clinical study was conducted in which children aged 6 months to 9 years were immunized with Flu-M vaccine (produced by SPbSRIVS, Russia) and Vaxigrip vaccine (produced by Sanofi Pasteur S.A., France). After randomization one group of children was vaccinated with Flu-M, the other with Vaxigrip, and monitored for 180±3 days after vaccination. Children vaccinated between 3 and 9 years of age were studied in phase I, and between 6 months and 3 years of age in phase II. Tolerability and safety were assessed by the frequency and extent of adverse events, as well as by the assessment of vital signs and physical examination. Immunological efficacy assessment criteria were geometric mean antibody titer, seroconversion level, seroconversion factor, seroprotection level.Results. Both vaccines (Flu-M and Vaxigrip) were shown to be well tolerated by children of both age groups. No serious adverse events or severe adverse events were reported   in the study. Immunological efficacy criteria were achieved for both vaccines for all strains of influenza virus in children of both age groups at 28 and 56 days after vaccination. No cases of influenza or acute respiratory infections were seen at 180±3 days postvaccination.Conclusion. The results of the clinical study show that the Flu-M and Vaxigrip vaccines are comparable in both age groups of children.The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT 05470582).Цель: изучение реактогенности, безопасности и иммуногенности отечественной вакцины «Флю-М» в сравнении с вакциной «Ваксигрип» для профилактики гриппа у детей в возрасте от 6 месяцев до 9 лет (фаза III).Материалы и методы: в 2021 г. проведено клиническое исследование при иммунизации детей в возрасте от 6 месяцев до 9 лет вакциной «Флю-М» (производство СПбНИИВС, Россия) и вакциной «Ваксигрип» (производство «Санофи Пастер С.А.», Франция). После рандомизации в соотношении 1:1 одну группу детей прививали вакциной «Флю-М», другую  –  вакциной  «Ваксигрип» и наблюдали в течение 180±3 суток после  вакцинации. На I этапе исследовали детей в возрасте от 3 до    9 лет, на II этапе – в возрасте от 6 месяцев до 3 лет. Переносимость и безопасность оценивали по частоте развития и степени тяжести нежелательных явлений, а также по результатам лабораторных исследований, оценки показателей жизненно важных функций и результатам физикального обследования и неврологического осмотра. Критериями оценки иммунологической эффективности являлись средняя геометрическая титра антител, уровень сероконверсии, фактор сероконверсии, уровень серопротекции.Результаты: показано, что обе вакцины («Флю-М» и «Ваксигрип») хорошо переносились детьми обеих возрастных групп. Нежелательных явлений сильной степени тяжести, а также серьезных нежелательных явлений в исследовании не было зарегистрировано. Критерии иммунологической эффективности были достигнуты для обеих вакцин по всем штаммам вируса гриппа у детей обеих возрастных категорий через 28 и 56 дней после вакцинации. В ходе наблюдения в течение 180±3 суток после вакцинации случаев заболеваемости гриппом или острыми респираторными вирусными инфекциями не отмечалось.Заключение: результаты клинического исследования свидетельствуют о сопоставимости вакцин «Флю-М» и «Ваксигрип» для детей обеих возрастных категорий. Исследование зарегистрировано на ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05470582)