Vaccination reduces the viral load and the risk of transmission of Jembrana disease virus in Bali cattle

The efficacy of a tissue-derived vaccine, which is currently used in Indonesia to control the spread of Jembrana disease in Bali cattle, was determined by quantifying the viral load in plasma following experimental infection with Jembrana disease virus. Virus transmission is most likely to occur during the acute phase of infection when viral titers are greater than 106 genomes/ml. Vaccinated cattle were found to have a 96% reduction in viral load above this threshold compared to control cattle. This would reduce the chance of virus transmission as the number of days above the threshold in the vaccinated cattle was reduced by 33%. Viral loads at the onset and resolution of fever were significantly lower in the vaccinated cattle and immune function was maintained with the development of antibody responses to Env proteins within 10-24 days post challenge. There was, however, no significant reduction in the duration of the febrile period in vaccinated animals. The duration and severity of clinical parameters were found to be variable within each group of cattle but the quantification of viral load revealed the benefits of vaccinating to reduce the risk of virus transmission as well as to ameliorate disease

Comparison of immunoassay and real-time PCR methods for the detection of Jembrana disease virus infection in Bali cattle

A sensitive diagnostic assay for the detection of infections with the bovine lentivirus Jembrana disease virus (JDV) is required in Indonesia to control the spread of Jembrana disease. Immunoassays are used routinely but are compromised by cross-reactive epitopes in the capsid (CA) protein of JDV and the genetically related bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV). JDV gag-specific primers were tested in a real-time PCR assay to detect proviral DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 165 cattle from the Tabanan district of Bali. JDV-specific amplicons were detected in 9% of the cattle and only 33% of the real-time PCR positive cattle were seropositive. The delayed seroconversion that occurs after infection with JDV could explain the low concordance between these assays but other factors may be responsible. BIV proviral DNA was not detected in any of the PBMC DNA samples. A high concordance value of 98.6% was found between the JDV plasma-derived antigen Western blot and the JDV p26-his recombinant protein ELISA. Only 21% of the seropositive cattle had detectable levels of proviral DNA suggesting that the proviral load in recovered cattle is low. A combination of real-time PCR and JDV p26-his ELISA is recommended for the detection of infection with JDV in Indonesia

Nucleon Axial Form Factor from Lattice QCD

Results for the isovector axial form factors of the proton from a lattice QCD calculation are presented for both point-split and local currents. They are obtained on a quenched $16^{3} \times 24$ lattice at $\beta= 6.0$ with Wilson fermions for a range of quark masses from strange to charm. We determine the finite lattice renormalization for both the local and point-split currents of heavy quarks. Results extrapolated to the chiral limit show that the $q^2$ dependence of the axial form factor agrees reasonably well with experiment. The axial coupling constant $g_A$ calculated for the local and the point-split currents is about 6\% and 12\% smaller than the experimental value respectively.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures (included in part 2), UK/93-0

Genotoxic effect induced by hydrogen peroxide in human hepatoma cells using comet assay

Background: Hydrogen peroxide is a common reactive oxygen intermediate generated by variousforms of oxidative stress. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the DNA damage capacity ofH2O2 in HepG2 cells. Methods: Cells were treated with H2O2 at concentrations of 25 μM or 50 μM for5 min, 30 min, 40 min, 1 h or 24 h in parallel. The extent of DNA damage was assessed by the cometassay. Results: Compared to the control, DNA damage by 25 μM and 50 μM H2O2 increasedsignificantly with increasing incubation time up to 1 h, but it was not increased at 24 h. Conclusions:Our Findings confirm that H2O2 is a typical DNA damage inducing agent and thus is a good modelsystem to study the effects of oxidative stress. DNA damage in HepG2 cells increased significantlywith H2O2 concentration and time of incubation but later decreased likely due to DNA repairmechanisms and antioxidant enzyme

An Observational Overview of Solar Flares

We present an overview of solar flares and associated phenomena, drawing upon a wide range of observational data primarily from the RHESSI era. Following an introductory discussion and overview of the status of observational capabilities, the article is split into topical sections which deal with different areas of flare phenomena (footpoints and ribbons, coronal sources, relationship to coronal mass ejections) and their interconnections. We also discuss flare soft X-ray spectroscopy and the energetics of the process. The emphasis is to describe the observations from multiple points of view, while bearing in mind the models that link them to each other and to theory. The present theoretical and observational understanding of solar flares is far from complete, so we conclude with a brief discussion of models, and a list of missing but important observations.Comment: This is an article for a monograph on the physics of solar flares, inspired by RHESSI observations. The individual articles are to appear in Space Science Reviews (2011

Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 clades in the WHO European Region, January to June 2020

We show the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 genetic clades over time and between countries and outline potential genomic surveillance objectives. We applied three available genomic nomenclature systems for SARS-CoV-2 to all sequence data from the WHO European Region available during the COVID-19 pandemic until 10 July 2020. We highlight the importance of real-time sequencing and data dissemination in a pandemic situation. We provide a comparison of the nomenclatures and lay a foundation for future European genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.Peer reviewe