90 research outputs found

    Construction and immunological characterization of CD40L or GM-CSF incorporated Hantaan virus like particle

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    Infection of Hantaan virus (HTNV) usually causes hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). China has the worst epidemic incidence of HFRS as well as high fatality. Inactivated whole virus has been used for HFRS vaccination, however there are still problems such as safety concerns. CD40 ligand (CD40L) and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) are well-known immune stimulating molecules that can enhance antigen presenting, lymphocytes activation and maturation, incorporation of CD40L and GM-CSF to the surface of virus like particles (VLPs) can greatly improve the vaccination effect. We constructed eukaryotic vectors expressing HTNV M segment and S segment, as well as vectors expressing HTNV M segment with CD40L or GM-CSF, our results showed successful production of CD40L or GM-CSF incorporated HTNV VLPs. In vitro stimulation with CD40L or GM-CSF anchored HTNV VLP showed enhanced activation of macrophages and DCs. CD40L/GM-CSF incorporated VLP can induce higher level of HTNV specific antibody and neutralizing antibody in mice. Immunized mice splenocytes showed higher ability of secreting IFN-γ and IL-2, as well as enhancing CTL activity. These results suggest CD40L/GM-CSF incorporated VLP can serve as prospective vaccine candidate

    Topology Optimization of Passive Constrained Layer Damping with Partial Coverage on Plate

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    The potential of using topology optimization as a tool to optimize the passive constrained layer damping (PCLD) layouts with partial coverage on flat plates is investigated. The objective function is defined as a combination of several modal loss factors solved by finite element-modal strain energy (FE-MSE) method. An interface finite element is introduced to modeling the viscoelastic core of PCLD patch to save the computational space and time in the optimization procedure. Solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP) method is used as the material interpolation scheme and the parameters are well selected to avoid local pseudo modes. Then, the method of moving asymptote (MMA) is employed as an optimizer to search the optimal topologies of PCLD patch on plates. Applications of two flat plates with different shapes have been applied to demonstrate the validation of the proposed approach. The results show that the objective function is in a steady convergence process and the damping effect of the plates can be enhanced by the optimized PCLD layouts

    Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of a family cluster of psittacosis: A case report

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    Psittacosis accounts for 1–2 % of community-acquired pneumonia. In recent years, reports of psittacosis are increasing. Most reported cases of psittacosis are sporadic. Here, we report a familial cluster of five patients infected with Chlamydophila in a northwest Chinese region and share our diagnosis and treatment experience. The epidemiological characteristics, clinical features, laboratory examinations of family cluster psittacosis were collected and analyzed. We closely followed up all the family members and analyzed their clinical outcome. Five cases of family clustered pneumonia were mainly characterized by fever, cough and fatigue. mNGS rapidly identified the infecting agent as Chlamydophila in case 1 followed by RT-PCR analysis. A newly purchased pet parrot, which had diarrhea, was probably the primary source of infection. The main change of inflammation index in five patients was the decrease of lymphocyte counts. Chest CT showed peripheral or subpleural involvement of patchy high-density shadows with bronchial ventilation signs and blurred edges, mostly unilateral lesions. Five cases were completely cured with moxifloxacin and azithromycin. Our findings suggest that a familial cluster of Chlamydophila infection maybe caused by contact with sick pet parrot or human to human transmission in one close family. For this community-acquired pneumonia, epidemiological characteristics and use of mNGS is very important for improving accuracy in the early diagnosis
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