Vaccine derived human-bovine double reassortant rotavirus in infants with acute gastroenteritis

Rotavirukset ovat maailmanlaajuisesti yleisin pienten lasten vakavien ripulitautien aiheuttaja. Ennen rotavirusrokotuksia lasten rotavirusinfektiot aiheuttivat vuosittain kymmeniätuhansia sairaala- ja poliklinikkakäyntejä pienillä lapsilla. RotaTeq® rokote lisättiin Suomen kansalliseen rokotusohjelmaan syyskuussa 2009, kun se oli massiivisten tutkimusten jälkeen todettu turvalliseksi ja tehokkaaksi rokotteeksi rotavirus tautia vastaan. RotaTeq® on elävä, heikennetty rokote, joka sisältää viittä ihmisen ja naudan yhdistelmävirusta. Yhdistelmäviruksissa toinen ulommista pintaproteiineista, VP7 tai VP4, on ihmisperäinen ja toinen nautaperäinen. Suomessa immunisointi tapahtuu 2, 3 ja 5 kuukauden ikäisenä. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää Tampereen yliopistollisessa sairaalassa (TAYS) syyskuun 2009 ja elokuun 2011 välillä hoidettujen oksennus- ja/tai ripulitautia sairastavien lasten pääasiallisia taudinaiheuttajia. Tutkimukseen osallistuneilta lapsilta kerättiin ulostenäyte, josta tutkittiin rotaviruksen lisäksi norovirus, adenovirus, coronavirus sekä bocavirus PCR- menetelmillä. Rotavirus positiivisista näytteistä selvitettiin lisäksi viruksen uloimman kerroksen kahden pintaproteiinin, VP7 ja VP4 genomi viruksen tyypitystä varten, sekä keskikerroksen proteiinin VP6 sekvenssi mahdollisen rokoteviruksen tunnistamiseksi. Tutkimuksessa löydettiin 3 lasta, joilla oksennus-ja/tai ripulitaudin aiheuttaja oli rokotteesta peräisin oleva uusi yhdistelmävirus. Uudessa rokoteperäisessä viruksessa kaksi RotaTeq® rokotteen virusta ovat yhdistyneet siten, että muodostuneen uuden yhdistelmäviruksen uloimman kerroksen kumpikin proteiini, VP7 ja VP4, ovat ihmisperäisiä. Merkittävänä tutkimustuloksena selvisi, että uusi rokoteperäinen yhdistelmävirus on infektiivinen ja stabiili. Se voi aiheuttaa oksennus-ja/tai ripulitaudin oireita rokotetuilla lapsilla, jotka voivat erittää virusta edelleen ympäristöönsä

Are white storks addicted to junk food? Impacts of landfill use on the movement and behaviour of resident white storks (Ciconia ciconia) from a partially migratory population

Background: The migratory patterns of animals are changing in response to global environmental change with many species forming resident populations in areas where they were once migratory. The white stork (Ciconia ciconia) was wholly migratory in Europe but recently guaranteed, year-round food from landfill sites has facilitated the establishment of resident populations in Iberia. In this study 17 resident white storks were fitted with GPS/GSM data loggers (including accelerometer) and tracked for 9.1 ± 3.7 months to quantify the extent and consistency of landfill attendance by individuals during the non-breeding and breeding seasons and to assess the influence of landfill use on daily distances travelled, percentage of GPS fixes spent foraging and non-landfill foraging ranges. Results: Resident white storks used landfill more during non-breeding (20.1 % ± 2.3 of foraging GPS fixes) than during breeding (14.9 % ± 2.2). Landfill attendance declined with increasing distance between nest and landfill in both seasons. During non-breeding a large percentage of GPS fixes occurred on the nest throughout the day (27 % ± 3.0 of fixes) in the majority of tagged storks. This study provides first confirmation of year-round nest use by resident white storks. The percentage of GPS fixes on the nest was not influenced by the distance between nest and the landfill site. Storks travelled up to 48.2 km to visit landfills during non-breeding and a maximum of 28.1 km during breeding, notably further than previous estimates. Storks nesting close to landfill sites used landfill more and had smaller foraging ranges in non-landfill habitat indicating higher reliance on landfill. The majority of non-landfill foraging occurred around the nest and long distance trips were made specifically to visit landfill. Conclusions: The continuous availability of food resources on landfill has facilitated year-round nest use in white storks and is influencing their home ranges and movement behaviour. White storks rely on landfill sites for foraging especially during the non-breeding season when other food resources are scarcer and this artificial food supplementation probably facilitated the establishment of resident populations. The closure of landfills, as required by EU Landfill Directives, will likely cause dramatic impacts on white stork populations

Antitumour necrosis factor-α therapy for hidradenitis suppurativa: results from a national cohort study between 2000 and 2013

International audienceHidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a frequent chronic inflammatory skin disease typically characterized by recurrent painful, deep inflammatory nodules of the axillary, breast, groin and gluteal areas. European recommendations are mainly based on expert opinion. Drug treatments are heterogenous (e.g., antibiotics, corticosteroids, retinoids) and lack consensus among expert centres. The most severe disease forms or those failing to respond to conventional drugs may be associated with worsened functional prognosis. Anti-tumor necrosis factor α (anti-TNFα) drugs have been prescribed in these cases. The results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are discordant. Three RCTs concluded to the efficacy of adalimumab (ADA), and two others did not detect any difference between infliximab (IFX) or etanercept (ETA) and placebo. Finally, data from the literature and reported experiences do not conclude on the efficacy of anti-TNFα drugs for HS. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserve

Dinuclear pyridine-4-thiolate-bridged rhodium and iridium complexes as ditopic building blocks in molecular architecture

A series of dinuclear pyridine-4-thiolate (4-Spy)-bridged rhodium and iridium compounds [M(μ-4-Spy)(diolef)]2 [diolef = 1,5-cyclooctadiene (cod), M = Rh (1), Ir (2); diolef = 2,5-norbornadiene (nbd), M = Rh (3)] were prepared by the reaction of Li(4-Spy) with the appropriate compound [M(μ-Cl)(diolef)]2 (M = Rh, Ir). The dinuclear compound [Rh(μ-4-Spy)(CO)(PPh3)]2 (4) was obtained by the reaction of [Rh(acac)(CO)(PPh3)] (acac = acetylacetonate) with 4-pySH. Compounds 1-4 were assessed as metalloligands in self-assembly reactions with the cis-blocked acceptors [M(cod)(NCCH3)2](BF 4) [M = Rh (a), Ir (b)] and [M(H2O)2(dppp)] (OTf)2 [M = Pd (c), Pt (d); dppp = 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane] . The homometallic hexanuclear metallomacrocycles [{M2(μ-4-Spy) 2(cod)2}2{M(cod)}2](BF 4)2 (M = Rh [(1a)2], Ir [(2b)2]) and the heterometallic hexanuclear metallomacrocycles [{Rh2(μ-4-Spy) 2(cod)2}2{Ir(cod)}2](BF 4)2 [(1b)2], [{Rh2(μ-4-Spy) 2(cod)2}2{M′(dppp)}2](OTf) 4 (M′ = Pd [(1c)2], Pt [(1d)2]), and [{Ir2(μ-4-Spy)2(cod)2}2{M′ (dppp)}2](OTf)4 (M′ = Pd [(2c)2], Pt [(2d)2]) were obtained. NMR spectroscopy in combination with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was used to elucidate the nature of the metalloligands and their respective supramolecular assemblies. Most of the synthesized species were found to be nonrigid in solution, and their fluxional behavior was studied by variable-temperature 1H NMR spectroscopy. An X-ray diffraction study of the assemblies (1a)2 and (1d)2 revealed the formation of rectangular (9.6 Å × 6.6 Å) hexanuclear metallomacrocycles with alternating dinuclear (Rh2) and mononuclear (Rh or Pt) corners. The hexanuclear core is supported by four pyridine-4-thiolate linkers, which are bonded through the thiolate moieties to the dinuclear rhodium units, exhibiting a bent-anti arrangement, and through the peripheral pyridinic nitrogen atoms to the mononuclear corners.Financial support for this work was provided by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO/FEDER) of Spain (Projects CTQ2010-15221 and CTQ2012-31335), Diputación General de Aragón (Group E07), and Fondo Social Europeo.Peer Reviewe

New Alloying Systems for Sintered Steels: Critical Aspects of Sintering Behavior

Oxygen-sensitive alloying elements such as Mn, Si, and Cr have a high potential for improving the properties of low alloyed sintered steels while reducing the alloying cost. However, it is necessary to find a way for avoiding, or at least minimizing, the oxidation of these elements especially during the early stages of the sintering cycle. In this study Mn, Si, and Cr were introduced in the form of a master alloy powder designed to be mixed with the iron base powder and provide the final composition of the steel during the sintering process. The reduction/oxidation phenomena taking place during the heating stage were studied by thermogravimetry, dilatometry, and mass spectroscopy, using either reducing (H2) or inert (Ar) atmospheres. The results show how the difference in chemical activity between base iron powder and master alloy causes the so called "internal-getter" effect, by which the reduction of less stable iron oxides leads to oxidation of the elements with higher affinity for oxygen. This effect can be somehow minimized when sintering in H2, since the iron oxides are reduced at lower temperatures at which the reactivity of the elements in the master alloy is lower. However, H2 concentration in the processing atmosphere needs to be carefully adapted to the specific composition of the materials being processed in order to minimize decarburization by methane formation during sintering.Höganäs AB Sweden, financial support provided through the Höganäs Chair IVPublicad

Analytical methods in wineries: is it time to change?

A review of the methods for the most common parameters determined in wine—namely, ethanol, sulfur dioxide, reducing sugars, polyphenols, organic acids, total and volatile acidity, iron, soluble solids, pH, and color—reported in the last 10 years is presented here. The definition of the given parameter, official and usual methods in wineries appear at the beginning of each section, followed by the methods reported in the last decade divided into discontinuous and continuous methods, the latter also are grouped in nonchromatographic and chromatographic methods because of the typical characteristics of each subgroup. A critical comparison between continuous and discontinuous methods for the given parameter ends each section. Tables summarizing the features of the methods and a conclusions section may help users to select the most appropriate method and also to know the state-of-the-art of analytical methods in this area