Immunogenicity and efficacy of one and two doses of Ad26.COV2.S COVID vaccine in adult and aged NHP

Safe and effective coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) vaccines are urgently needed to control the ongoing pandemic. While single-dose vaccine regimens would provide multiple advantages, two doses may improve the magnitude and durability of immunity and protective efficacy. We assessed one-and two-dose regimens of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine candidate in adult and aged nonhuman primates (NHPs). A two-dose Ad26.COV2.S regimen induced higher peak binding and neutralizing antibody responses compared with a single dose. In one-dose regimens, neutralizing antibody responses were stable for at least 14 wk, providing an early indication of durability. Ad26.COV2.S induced humoral immunity and T helper cell (Th cell) 1-skewed cellular responses in aged NHPs that were comparable to those in adult animals. Aged Ad26.COV2.S-vaccinated animals challenged 3 mo after dose 1 with a SARS-CoV-2 spike G614 variant showed near complete lower and substantial upper respiratory tract protection for both regimens. Neutralization of variants of concern by NHP sera was reduced for B.1.351 lineages while maintained for the B.1.1.7 lineage independent of Ad26.COV2.S vaccine regimen.Molecular basis of virus replication, viral pathogenesis and antiviral strategie

IgG-Mediated Anaphylaxis to a Synthetic Long Peptide Vaccine Containing a B Cell Epitope Can Be Avoided by Slow-Release Formulation

Tumourgenetics and immunogenetic

Pelvic lymph node dissection for cervical or bladder cancer: embedding residual fat tissue offers no added value

Diagnosis of lymph node metastases in pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) is important for staging and treatment. Standard practice is to submit visible or palpable lymph nodes for histology. We assessed the added value of embedding all residual fatty tissue. Patients (n = 85) who underwent PLND for cervical (n = 50) or bladder cancer (n = 35) between 2017 and 2019 were included. Study approval was obtained (MEC-2022-0156, 18.03.2022, retrospectively registered). The median lymph node yield with conventional pathological dissection was 21 nodes (Interquartile range (IQR) 18–28). This led to discovery of positive lymph nodes in 17 (20%) patients. Extended pathological assessment found 7 (IQR 3-12) additional nodes, but did not result in identification of more node metastases. Histopathological analysis of residual fatty tissue harvested at PLND resulted in an increased lymph node yield, but not in the detection of additional lymph node metastases

Dynamic Analysis of Production

A parable of economic life is that some factors can adjust rapidly while others adjust slowly in a given time scale. Focusing on production analysis in the dynamic setting leads us to emphasize the technology specification that permits the theoretical construction that can be translated and amenable to empirical implementation. A historical perspective of the framing the dynamic decision-making is reviewed. The adjustment cost model of the investment is the key conceptual feature as it can be incorporated into the formal structure of a production technology, which offers the opportunity to exploit primal-dual theory in both analysis and empirical implementation. An overview of empirical formulations in both econometric (parametric) and nonparametric settings is discussed. Dynamic production decision environment allows explicitly for the evolution of assets implying firms may not be in long-run equilibrium at a given point in time. The dynamic generalizations of modern production theory concepts measuring economic performance are reviewed given the need to properly account and value the factors that are out of equilibrium. Empirical nonparametric and parametric approaches are addressed at length. While these cases can be addressed relatively easily within a nonparametric, dynamic data envelopment analysis setting, econometric formulations are a greater challenge