Comparison of vesicle based antigen delivery systems for delivery of hepatitis B surface antigen

There is a clinical need for a more effective vaccine against hepatitis B, and in particular vaccines that may be suitable for therapeutic administration. This study assesses the potential of cationic surfactant vesicle based formulations using two agents; the cationic amine containing [N-(N′,N′-dimethylaminoethane)-carbamoyl] cholesterol (DC-Chol) or dimethyl dioctadecylammonium bromide (DDA) with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Synthetic mycobacterial cord factor, trehalose 6,6′-dibehenate (TDB) has been used as an adjuvant and the addition of 1-monopalmitoyl glycerol (C16:0) (MP) and cholesterol (Chol) to DDA-TDB is assessed for its potential to facilitate formation of dehydration-rehydration vesicles (DRV) at room temperature, and the effect of this on immune responses. A DRV formulation is directly compared to an adsorbed formulation of the same composition and preparation protocol (MP:dioleoyl phosphoethanolamine (DOPE):Chol:DC-Chol) and the direct substitution of MP with phosphatidylcholine (PC) is also compared in DRV antigen-entrapped formulations. MP and Chol were shown to facilitate the use of DDA-TDB in DRV formulations prepared at room temperature, whilst there was marginal alteration of immunogenicity (a reduction in HBsAg-specific IL-2). The HBsAg adsorbed DRV formulation was not significantly different from the HBsAg entrapped DRV formulation. Overall, DDA formulations incorporating TDB showed markedly increased antigen specific splenocyte proliferation and elicited cytokine production concomitant with a strong T cell driven response, delineating formulations that may be useful for further evaluation of their clinical potential. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Studies of synthetic methodologies for introduction of hydroxy groups onto sterol ring C and ring D

DUE TO COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT ASTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

Induction of proteasome expression in skeletal muscle is attenuated by inhibitors of NF-κB activation

The potential for inhibitors of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation to act as inhibitors of muscle protein degradation in cancer cachexia has been evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Activation of NF-κB is important in the induction of proteasome expression and protein degradation by the tumour factor, proteolysis-inducing factor (PIF), since the cell permeable NF-κB inhibitor SN50 (18 μM) attenuated the expression of 205 proteasome α-subunits, two subunits of the 195 regulator MSSI and p42, and the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, E214k, as well as the decrease in myosin expression in murine myotubes. To assess the potential therapeutic benefit of NF-κB inhibitors on muscle atrophy in cancer cachexia, two potential inhibitors were employed; curcumin (50 μM) and resveratrol (30 μM). Both agents completely attenuated total protein degradation in murine myotubes at all concentrations of PIF, and attenuated the PIF-induced increase in expression of the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway, as determined by the 'chymotrypsin-like' enzyme activity, proteasome subunits and E2 14k. However, curcumin (150 and 300 mg kg-1) was ineffective in preventing weight loss and muscle protein degradation in mice bearing the MAC16 tumour, whereas resveratrol (1 mg kg-1) significantly attenuated weight loss and protein degradation in skeletal muscle, and produced a significant reduction in NF-κB DNA-binding activity. The inactivity of curcumin was probably due to a low bioavailability. These results suggest that agents which inhibit nuclear translocation of NF-κB may prove useful for the treatment of muscle wasting in cancer cachexia.

A, B, C… Anorexia, bulimia y comedor compulsivo. Manual para docentes

Los trastornos relacionados con la alimentación se han convertido, en los úl- timos años, en un grave problema de salud pública, tanto por la gravedad que estas patologías adquieren con el tiempo, como por la alarma social que se ha despertado frente a la, cada vez más frecuente, aparición de estos trastornos. A este respecto baste señalar que, según los últimos datos, de la población de jóvenes escolarizados en la Comunidad de Madrid, con edades comprendidas entre los quince y dieciocho años, un 3.4% padecen un TCA y un 7,6% presen- tan riesgo de padecerlo, lo que, unido a la prevalencia actual, supone que este problema de salud afecta a un 11% de los adolescentes escolarizados en Madrid. Junto a los jóvenes que padecen un trastorno relacionado con la alimentación hay una cantidad considerable de menores que presentan conductas de riesgo relacionadas con la aparición de estos trastornos. Así, según los últimos estudios con adolescentes, un 7,1% de los chicos y un 34,1% de las chicas han iniciado una dieta para adelgazar en el último año, mientras que un 1,1% de los chicos y un 9,1% de las chicas se han provocado el vómito con la intención de adelgazar. Un joven que está empezando a desarrollar una anorexia o una bulimia puede pasar desapercibido para su entorno, la diferencia entre la salud y la enfer- medad es, en sus orígenes, muy sutil. Así, es difícil diferenciar al adolescente que se pone a dieta porque es la moda y acaba dejando la dieta pasadas unas semanas, del joven que, con idéntico inicio, acaba desarrollando un trastorno. El INUTCAM, consciente de la compleja situación a la que se enfrentan los docentes en cuanto a los TCA, publica este manual con la intención de brindar una ayuda más de cara a la prevención, detección y atención a los jóvenes con estas patologías.

The English and Scottish Journeys of J.B. Priestley and Edwin Muir

Date of Acceptance: 25/01/2015

The English and Scottish Journeys of J.B. Priestley and Edwin Muir

Date of Acceptance: 25/01/2015

Police destroy papier-mâché statue of Susan B. Anthony at NOW conference

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Great-grand niece of Susan B. Anthony, Susan B. Anthony Jr. at International Women's Year conference in Houston

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Papier-mâché statue of Susan B. Anthony at NOW conference

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Statue of Susan B. Anthony during NOW conference March

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Measurement results of d18O, Mg/Ca, and Ti/Ca of sediment cores GeoB10042-1 and GeoB10043-3

The advection of relatively fresh Java Sea water through the Sunda Strait is presently responsible for the low-salinity "tongue" in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean with salinities as low as 32 per mil. The evolution of the hydrologic conditions in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean since the last glacial period, when the Sunda shelf was exposed and any advection via the Sunda Strait was cutoff, and the degree to which these conditions were affected by the Sunda Strait opening are not known. Here we have analyzed two sediment cores (GeoB 10042-1 and GeoB 10043-3) collected from the eastern tropical Indian Ocean off the Sunda Strait that cover the past ~40,000?years. We investigate the magnitude of terrigenous supply, sea surface temperature (SST), and seawater d18O (d18Osw) changes related to the sea level-driven opening of the Sunda Strait. Our new spliced records off the Sunda Strait show that during the last glacial, average SST was cooler and d18Osw was higher than elsewhere in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean. Seawater d18O decreased ~0.5 per mil after the opening of the Sunda Strait at ~10 kyr B.P. accompanied by an SST increase of 1.7°C. We suggest that fresher sea surface conditions have persisted ever since due to a continuous transport of low-salinity Java Sea water into the eastern tropical Indian Ocean via the Sunda Strait that additionally increased marine productivity through the concomitant increase in terrigenous supply.

As versões portuguesas da GMFM-66 B&C e da GMFM-66 IS

A Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) é a medida de ouro para avaliar alterações na função motora ao longo do tempo ou em resposta a uma intervenção em crianças com Paralisia Cerebral (PC) (Russell D. , Rosenbaum, Avery, & Lane, 2002). Uma das barreiras à utilização mais frequente da GMFM é o seu tempo de administração, que dura entre 40 a 60 minutos. Para responder à necessidade de versões mais reduzidas da GMFM mas sem perder o seu carácter discriminativo e altamente sensível à mudança, foram publicadas as versões Gross Motor Function Measure- Item Sets (GMFM-66 IS) e a Gross Motor Function Measure Basal and Ceiling (GMFM-66-B&C), tornando a avaliação da função motora menos morosa, e assim melhorando a sua aplicabilidade. A GMFM-66 IS baseia-se num algoritmo para determinar quais os itens a serem avaliados e a GMFM-66 B&C tem como abordagem os efeitos de chão e teto de acordo com as idades e níveis do Sistema de Classifica��ão da Função Motora Grosseira (SCFMG) (Brutton & Bartlett, 2011). O objetivo deste estudo foi criar as versões portuguesas da GMFM-IS e GMFM-B&C. Tratou-se de um estudo de natureza metodológica, descritivo, longitudinal em crianças com PC, dividido em duas fases: 1. Tradução e adaptação cultural e linguística da GMFM-66 IS e da GMFM-66 B&C; 2. Estudo de validação com análise da fiabilidade (coerência interna, reprodutibilidade e fiabilidade inter-observador), validade e poder de resposta. A amostra em estudo foi constituída por 100 crianças com PC com idades compreendidas entre os 2 e os 12 anos, representativa de todos os 5 níveis do Sistema de Classifica��ão da Função Motora Global. As versões portuguesas da GMFM-66-IS e da GMFM-66-B&C apresentam equivalência conceptual e semântica com as versões originais revelando fácil aplicabilidade. Demonstrou-se que as versões reduzidas portuguesas da GMFM apresentam muito boa consistência interna, com valores globais do Alfa de Cronbach de 0,998, muito boa concordância entre os avaliadores (ICC de 0,998 para a GMFM-66-B&C e de 0,999 para a GMFM-66-IS), e com valores de fiabilidade intra-observador excelentes (ICC de 0,999 para a GMFM-66-B&C e de 1,000 para a GMFM-66-IS). Quanto ao poder de resposta os resultados não foram tão expressivos, provavelmente comprometidos por uma amostra demasiado pequena. As versões portuguesas da GMFM-66-IS e da GMFM-66-B&C revelaram ter características psicométricas adequadas à sua aplica��ão em PC, necessitando, no entanto, de mais investigação relativamente à sua capacidade de detetar mudança como resultado de intervenções.

Map of Holmes Island and the adjoining upland : the property of R. B. Mason Esq.

Scale not given.