14 research outputs found
Achieving product quality comparability while making cell culture process changes
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Tracking amino acid metabolism in CHO cell cultures using stable isotope labeling assisted metabolomics
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Immunogenicity of COVID ā19 vaccines in patients with follicular lymphoma receiving frontline chemoimmunotherapy
Summary: Immune responses to primary COVIDā19 vaccination were investigated in 58 patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) as part of the PETReA trial of frontline therapy (EudraCT 2016ā004010ā10). COVIDā19 vaccines (BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1) were administered before, during or after cytoreductive treatment comprising rituximab (depletes B cells) and either bendamustine (depletes CD4+ T cells) or cyclophosphamideābased chemotherapy. Blood samples obtained after vaccine doses 1 and 2 (V1, V2) were analysed for antibodies and T cells reactive to the SARSāCoVā2 spike protein using the Abbott Architect and interferonāgamma ELISpot assays respectively. Compared to 149 healthy controls, patients with FL exhibited lower antibody but preserved Tācell responses. Within the FL cohort, multivariable analysis identified low preātreatment serum IgA levels and V2 administration during induction or maintenance treatment as independent determinants of lower antibody and higher Tācell responses, and bendamustine and high/intermediate FLIPIā2 score as additional determinants of a lower antibody response. Several clinical scenarios were identified where dichotomous immune responses were estimated with >95% confidence based on combinations of predictive variables. In conclusion, the immunogenicity of COVIDā19 vaccines in FL patients is influenced by multiple diseaseā and treatmentārelated factors, among which Bācell depletion showed differential effects on antibody and Tācell responses
One step closer to understanding the role of bacteria in diabetic foot ulcers: characterising the microbiome of ulcers
Background:
The aim of this study was to characterise the microbiome of new and recurrent diabetic foot ulcers using 16S amplicon sequencing (16S AS), allowing the identification of a wider range of bacterial species that may be important in the development of chronicity in these debilitating wounds. Twenty patients not receiving antibiotics for the past three months were selected, with swabs taken from each individual for culture and 16S AS. DNA was isolated using a combination of bead beating and kit extraction. Samples were sequenced on the Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform.
Results:
Conventional laboratory culture showed positive growth from only 55 % of the patients, whereas 16S AS was positive for 75 % of the patients (41 unique genera, representing 82 different operational taxonomic units (OTUās). S. aureus was isolated in 72 % of culture-positive samples, whereas the most commonly detected bacteria in all ulcers were Peptoniphilusspp., Anaerococcus spp. and Corynebacterium spp., with the addition of Staphylococcus spp. in new ulcers. The majority of OTUās residing in both new and recurrent ulcers (over 67 %) were identified as facultative or strict anaerobic Gram-positive organisms. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed no difference in clustering between the two groups (new and recurrent ulcers).
Conclusions:
The abundance of anaerobic bacteria has important implications for treatment as it suggests that the microbiome of each ulcer āstarts afreshā and that, although diverse, are not distinctly different from one another with respect to new or recurrent ulcers. Therefore, when considering antibiotic therapy the duration of current ulceration may be a more important consideration than a history of healed ulcer
Decentralisation and educational achievement in Germany and the UK
We examine decentralisation in school-based education, with particular reference to two countries, Germany and the UK. In section 2 we explore the notions of devolution and decentralisation. We examine different types of decentralisation and some of the ideas with which it is associated including, in education, improving educational standards. In section 3 we consider the decentralisation of education in Germany and the UK. We examine the decentralisation of political authority, policies pursued at national and subnational levels, and the delegation of responsibilities to school level. We then compare achievement levels in the two case study countries and explore whether particular policies, pursued at subnational levels, might be associated with differing levels of attainment. We argue that decentralisation in the field of education is multifaceted and complex, with different types of decentralisation coexisting. Our analysis suggests that certain policies, pursued as a result of decentralisation, may be associated with different educational outcomes, but it is not possible to draw definitive conclusions particularly in light of the differing political, policy, and socioeconomic contexts