scholarly journals Vaccine Interactions With the Infant Microbiome: Do They Define Health and Disease?

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Candice E. Ruck ◽  
Oludare A. Odumade ◽  
Kinga K. Smolen

Over the past decade, there has been a growing awareness of the vital role of the microbiome in the function of the immune system. Recently, several studies have demonstrated a relationship between the composition of the microbiome and the vaccine-specific immune response. As a result of these findings, the administration of probiotics has been proposed as a means of boosting vaccine-specific immunity. Early results have so far been highly inconsistent, with little evidence of sustained benefit. To date, a precise determination of the aspects of the microbiome that impact immunity is still lacking, and the mechanisms of action are also unknown. Further investigations into these questions are necessary to effectively manipulate the microbiome for the purpose of boosting immunity and enhancing vaccine-specific responses in infants. In this review, we summarize recent studies aimed at altering the neonatal gut microbiome to enhance vaccine responses and highlight gaps in knowledge and understanding. We also discuss research strategies aimed at filling these gaps and developing potential therapeutic interventions.

1970 ◽  
pp. 63-69
Author(s):  
Farah Kobaissy

This article sheds light on the labor movement in Egypt, examines the vital role of the Egyptian female worker within it and tries to analyze how her active contribution in the past few years has led to the emergence of women leaders who played a prominent role in strikes and protests in a number of factories and assembly lines. It also examines how much women are capable, in the midst of the said movement, of breaking the barrier of sexual discrimination.


2022 ◽  
pp. 231-245
Author(s):  
Christian Stipanović ◽  
Elena Rudan ◽  
Vedran Zubović

In today's modern world, creative expression is opening up new dimensions of business and new opportunities for economic development. One field of economic activities in which this is evident is tourism. Creativity in tourist destinations can be viewed in different ways, for example, through creative action (undertaken by destination management, residents, entrepreneurs, and tourists) and through creative spaces and creative events. Creativity plays a vital role in all elements involved in the creation of a destination's offering, regardless of which form of tourism is the focus of development efforts. Given the growing role of self-actualisation of individuals in society and the displaying of social status, creativity has in the past 20 years begun to positively impact on economy activities taking place in tourist destinations. Creativity is especially important in developing cultural tourism in all its sub-types, where it is seen as a means of animating and adding value to cultural heritage locations.


2020 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Jane Eveson ◽  
W Nevin ◽  
N Cordingley ◽  
M Almond

IntroductionAeromedical Evacuation (AE) is a vital role of the Defence Medical Services (DMS). With a far-reaching defence global footprint, an AE capability is crucial to enable movement of patients in the fastest, safest and least stressful way that meets or exceeds the level of care an injured or ill person may expect to receive in the UK. Operation (Op) TRENTON is a UK military humanitarian operation in support of the United Nations (UN) Mission in South Sudan.MethodsA retrospective analysis was carried out of all patients who underwent AE from the UK level 2 hospital at Bentiu during Op TRENTON over a 17-month period from June 2017 to October 2018.Results14 patients underwent AE. The median age was 36 (22–64) years and all patients were male. 21% of AEs were for UK personnel and 79% were for UN personnel. 29% of AEs were due to non-battle injury with the remainder due to disease. Musculoskeletal was the largest diagnostic group (n=4) followed by respiratory (n=3), cardiovascular (n=2), undifferentiated febrile illness (n=2), neurology (n=1), renal medicine (n=1) and psychiatry (n=1).ConclusionsPatients requiring AE from the level 2 hospital at Bentiu mostly had musculoskeletal and medical pathology, a stark contrast to the trauma patient cohort from operations in the past. The majority of patients had definitive care under the medical team highlighting the requirement for DMS physicians and the AE team, to be trained in acute, general and aviation medicine. The majority of AE moves were for UN personnel and on UN airframes, highlighting the importance of a sound understanding of the nations we are working with.


Author(s):  
Andrea Piccioni ◽  
Sara Cicchinelli ◽  
Luisa Saviano ◽  
Emanuele Gilardi ◽  
Christian Zanza ◽  
...  

Drug abuse (cannabis, cocaine, opiates, and synthetic drugs) is an increasing phenomenon, especially in the younger population, thus leading to more cases of intoxication requiring evaluation in the emergency department and subsequent hospitalization. In 2017, 34.2% of students reported having used an illegal psychoactive substance in their lifetime, while 26% reported having done so over the past year. We made a review about the effectiveness of the role of the temporary observation unit in the emergency department to improve management of acute drugs intoxication. We checked medical literature from the last 10 years (2009–2019). The following electronic databases were systematically searched: MEDLINE-PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Then, a systematic review was carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review standards. Intoxicated patients usually display a favorable medical course, few diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, a short stay in the hospital, and, when hospitalization is needed, semi-intensive therapy is a feasible solution; therefore, intoxicated patients are ideal candidates for a temporary observation unit. The emergency department is very important to manage intoxicated patients; however, the hospitalization of these patients is often not necessary.


2014 ◽  
Vol 875-877 ◽  
pp. 524-528
Author(s):  
Sofiane Guessasma ◽  
Mohameden Hbib ◽  
David Bassir

This paper aims at studying the effect of interfacial damage on the mechanical behavior of starch - hemp composite. The procedure encompasses an experimental investigation towards the determination of microstructural features and mechanical testing of the material. A finite element model is developed to account for a particular damage kinetics that triggers failure properties. Our results show that the experimental evidence of interfacial damage driven failure is achieved. Finite element model is able to capture this feature using an abrupt damage criterion. But in order to identify the observed behavior, the experimental response is matched with the numerical one. This process tunes the mechanical parameters to fit the experimental response. The optimization process conducted in this way leads to a precise determination of the mechanical parameters that quantifies the observed ultimate properties.


Author(s):  
David Lê

Abstract While Hegel’s infamous “end of art” thesis states that art is “for us, a thing of the past” he insists that philosophy and, to a degree that is often underestimated by contemporary readers, religion endure within the structure of modern life. In this paper I aim to demonstrate how by focusing on Hegel’s claim that religion meets no end, we can come to a better understanding of how and why he thinks art does end. This will lead us away from common, but false, picture of Hegel as being indifferent (or even hostile) to art’s sensuous mode of intelligibility. Inasmuch as religion remains both necessarily sensuous and a component of social life that realizes freedom and divinity within modernity, the “problem” with art cannot be its sensuousness per se. What art ultimately finds itself unable to do, and what religion can do, is find a way to reconcile the destabilizing force of individual, subjective freedom with a jointly-held representation of who and what we are and what we value most, what Hegel calls “divinity” (das Göttliche). By countenancing the vital role of religion in Hegel’s thought, we can therefore better understand one of his most famous, and least understood philosophical claims.


2011 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 935-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Strunz ◽  
Gerhard Schumacher ◽  
Hellmuth Klingelhöffer ◽  
Albrecht Wiedenmann ◽  
Jan Šaroun ◽  
...  

Exposure of a superalloy to an external load results in anisotropic coarsening of the γ′ precipitates, so-called rafting. It was reported in the past that γ′ rafting can also occur as a result of purely thermal treatment, without the simultaneous presence of an external load, if the specimen has been pre-deformed at relatively low temperature. The evolution of γ′ morphology in pre-deformed specimens of SCA425 Ni-base superalloy was examined in the present study. Unlike in the previous experiments, the compressive stress was used for pre-straining.In situsmall-angle neutron scattering (SANS) was employed, which enabled the determination of the morphology directly at high temperature. Both for strong and for weak pre-straining, rounding of the originally cuboidal precipitates towards an ellipsoidal shape on heating was observed. Weak pre-straining (0.1, 0.5%) does not cause rafting on subsequent heating. On the other hand, the detailed evaluation of SANS data provides some indication of rafting during the subsequent heating after severe compressive pre-straining (2%). The experiment indicates the role of dislocation rearrangement at the matrix/precipitate interface during pre-straining.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 92-102
Author(s):  
Amalia-Despoina Koutsogianni ◽  
Evangelos Liberopoulos ◽  
Alexandros D. Tselepis

Over the past few years, there has been an undiminished interest on lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]. High Lp(a) levels have been proposed as an independent causal risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). The main question that remains to be answered, however, is the potential clinical benefit of Lp(a) reduction. This will contribute to the enrichment of our knowledge on the exact pathophysiological role of this lipoprotein. This narrative review aims to summarize currently available data on the structure, metabolism, and pathogenicity of Lp(a).


Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald A. Tomalia ◽  
Linda S. Nixon ◽  
David M. Hedstrand

This article reviews progress over the past three decades related to the role of dendrimer-based, branch cell symmetry in the development of advanced drug delivery systems, aqueous based compatibilizers/solubilizers/excipients and nano-metal cluster catalysts. Historically, it begins with early unreported work by the Tomalia Group (i.e., The Dow Chemical Co.) revealing that all known dendrimer family types may be divided into two major symmetry categories; namely: Category I: symmetrical branch cell dendrimers (e.g., Tomalia, Vögtle, Newkome-type dendrimers) possessing interior hollowness/porosity and Category II: asymmetrical branch cell dendrimers (e.g., Denkewalter-type) possessing no interior void space. These two branch cell symmetry features were shown to be pivotal in directing internal packing modes; thereby, differentiating key dendrimer properties such as densities, refractive indices and interior porosities. Furthermore, this discovery provided an explanation for unimolecular micelle encapsulation (UME) behavior observed exclusively for Category I, but not for Category II. This account surveys early experiments confirming the inextricable influence of dendrimer branch cell symmetry on interior packing properties, first examples of Category (I) based UME behavior, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) protocols for systematic encapsulation characterization, application of these principles to the solubilization of active approved drugs, engineering dendrimer critical nanoscale design parameters (CNDPs) for optimized properties and concluding with high optimism for the anticipated role of dendrimer-based solubilization principles in emerging new life science, drug delivery and nanomedical applications.


Author(s):  
Sarah M R Wille ◽  
Simon Elliott

Abstract (Forensic) toxicology has faced many challenges, both analytically and interpretatively, especially in relation to an increase in potential drugs of interest. Analytical toxicology and its application to medicine and forensic science have progressed rapidly within the past centuries. Technological innovations have enabled detection of more substances with increasing sensitivity in a variety of matrices. Our understanding of the effects (both intended and unintended) have also increased along with determination and degree of toxicity. However, it is clear there is even more to understand and consider. The analytical focus has been on typical matrices such as blood and urine but other matrices could further increase our understanding, especially in postmortem (PM) situations. Within this context, the role of PM changes and potential redistribution of drugs requires further research and identification of markers of its occurrence and extent. Whilst instrumentation has improved, in the future, nanotechnology may play a role in selective and sensitive analysis as well as bioassays. Toxicologists often only have an advisory impact on pre-analytical and pre-interpretative considerations. The collection of appropriate samples at the right time in an appropriate way as well as obtaining sufficient circumstance background is paramount in ensuring an effective analytical strategy to provide useful results that can be interpreted within context. Nevertheless, key interpretative considerations such as pharmacogenomics and drug–drug interactions as well as determination of tolerance remain and in the future, analytical confirmation of an individual’s metabolic profile may support a personalized medicine and judicial approach. This should be supported by the compilation and appropriate application of drug data pursuant to the situation. Specifically, in PM circumstances, data pertaining to where a drug was not/may have been/was contributory will be beneficial with associated pathological considerations. This article describes the challenges faced within toxicology and discusses progress to a future where they are being addressed.


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