Estimated reporting sensitivity of the Czech IPD surveillance system by source of reporting and in total, 2010 to 2013.

<p>Error bars reflect 95% confidence intervals.</p

Estimated sensitivity of IPD reporting stratified by region according to the Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics (NUTS 2), 2013, CZ.

<p>Error bars reflect 95% confidence intervals.</p

Number of reported and estimated IPD cases in the CZ according to reporting source (EPIDAT, NRL) from 2010 to 2013.

<p>+ = captured by this source; - = not captured by this source.</p

Timeline of events related to the introduction of PCV vaccination and IPD surveillance in the Czech Republic, 2005–2013.

<p>* Licensed and available on the private market.</p

Structure and levels of the Czech IPD surveillance system, based on two reporting sources.

<p>NRL = National Reference Laboratory for streptococcal infections, EPIDAT = Czech national epidemiological database, MoH = Ministry of Health, TESSy = The European Surveillance System.</p

Influence of Surface Groups on Poly(propylene imine) Dendrimers Antiprion Activity

Prion diseases are characterized by the accumulation of PrP^Sc, an aberrantly folded isoform of the host protein PrP^C. Specific forms of synthetic molecules known as dendrimers are able to eliminate protease-resistant PrP^Sc in both an intracellular and in vitro setting. The properties of a dendrimer which govern this ability are unknown. We addressed the issue by comparing the in vitro antiprion ability of numerous modified poly­(propylene-imine) dendrimers, which varied in size, structure, charge, and surface group composition. Several of the modified dendrimers, including an anionic glycodendrimer, reduced the level of protease resistant PrP^Sc in a prion strain-dependent manner. This led to the formulation of a new working model for dendrimer/prion interactions which proposes dendrimers eliminate PrP^Sc by destabilizing the protein and rendering it susceptible to proteolysis. This ability is not dependent on any particular charge of dendrimer, but does require a high density of reactive surface groups