Recent Patents on Petroleum Pipe Inspection Gauge in China

Background: With a great growing demand for petroleum, the amount of petroleum pipe is also increasing, and petroleum pipe blockage has become a severe problem in China. It is necessary to clean and inspect the petroleum pipe regularly. But the current petroleum pipe in-spection gauge can very easily block the petroleum pipe ,while the cleaning efficiency is poor. Therefore, the anti-blocking capacity and high-efficiency cleaning ability of the petroleum pipe inspection gauge has been paid more and more attention. Objective: By analyzing and discussing the patents of petroleum pipe inspection gauges in China in recent years, the future design of petro-leum pipe inspection gauge has been provided and some valuable conclusions have been summarized to solve the current problems of pipe inspection gauge. Methods: This paper studied and compared various representative patents relevant to the petroleum pipe inspection gauge. Results: By summarizing a large number of patents about petroleum pipe inspection gauges in China, the anti-blocking capacity or cleaning efficiency of those patents are analyzed and compared, and the further development tendency of petroleum pipe inspection gauges has been discussed. Conclusion: The problems of easy blocking for petroleum pipe inspection gauge and poor cleaning efficiency are still exist. It is still the main development trend for the study on anti-blocking capacity and the improvement of cleaning efficiency. The future work can be focused on pigging technical cooperation, new materials, power source and intelligent control.

Recognition of Variants of Concern by Antibodies and T Cells Induced by a SARS-CoV-2 Inactivated Vaccine

BackgroundSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus responsible of the current pandemic ongoing all around the world. Since its discovery in 2019, several circulating variants have emerged and some of them are associated with increased infections and death rate. Despite the genetic differences among these variants, vaccines approved for human use have shown a good immunogenic and protective response against them. In Chile, over 70% of the vaccinated population is immunized with CoronaVac, an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The immune response elicited by this vaccine has been described against the first SARS-CoV-2 strain isolated from Wuhan, China and the D614G strain (lineage B). To date, four SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern described have circulated worldwide. Here, we describe the neutralizing capacities of antibodies secreted by volunteers in the Chilean population immunized with CoronaVac against variants of concern Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351) Gamma (P.1) and Delta (B.617.2).MethodsVolunteers enrolled in a phase 3 clinical trial were vaccinated with two doses of CoronaVac in 0-14 or 0-28 immunization schedules. Sera samples were used to evaluate the capacity of antibodies induced by the vaccine to block the binding between Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) from variants of concern and the human ACE2 receptor by an in-house ELISA. Further, conventional microneutralization assays were used to test neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, interferon-γ-secreting T cells against Spike from variants of concern were evaluated in PBMCs from vaccinated subjects using ELISPOT.ResultsCoronaVac promotes the secretion of antibodies able to block the RBD of all the SARS-CoV-2 variants studied. Seropositivity rates of neutralizing antibodies in the population evaluated were over 97% for the lineage B strain, over 80% for Alpha and Gamma variants, over 75% for Delta variant and over 60% for the Beta variant. Geometric means titers of blocking antibodies were reduced when tested against SARS-CoV-2 variants as compared to ancestral strain. We also observed that antibodies from vaccinated subjects were able to neutralize the infection of variants D614G, Alpha, Gamma and Delta in a conventional microneutralization assay. Importantly, after SARS-CoV-2 infection, we observed that the blocking capacity of antibodies from vaccinated volunteers increased up to ten times for all the variants tested. We compared the number of interferon-γ-secreting T cells specific for SARS-CoV-2 Spike WT and variants of concern from vaccinated subjects and we did not detect significant differences.ConclusionImmunization with CoronaVac in either immunization schedule promotes the secretion of antibodies able to block SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and partially neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, it stimulates cellular responses against all variants of concern.

Immunogenicity of subcutaneous TNF inhibitors and its clinical significance in real-life setting in patients with spondyloarthritis

Key messages Considerable proportion of patients with SpA have been immunized to the subcutaneous anti-TNF drug they are using. Concomitant use of MTX protects from immunization, whereas SASP does not. Patients with SpA using subcutaneous anti-TNF drugs can benefit from monitoring of the drug trough levels. Abstract Immunization to biological drugs can lead to decreased efficacy and increased risk of adverse effects. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess the extent and significance of immunization to subcutaneous tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients in real-life setting. A serum sample was taken 1–2 days before the next drug injection. Drug trough concentrations, anti-drug antibodies (ADAb) and TNF-blocking capacity were measured in 273 patients with axSpA using subcutaneous anti-TNF drugs. The clinical activity of SpA was assessed using the Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and the Maastricht AS Entheses Score (MASES). ADAb were found in 11% of the 273 patients: in 21/99 (21%) of patients who used adalimumab, in 0/83 (0%) of those who used etanercept, in 2/79 (3%) of those who used golimumab and in 6/12 (50%) of those who used certolizumab pegol. Use of methotrexate reduced the risk of formation of ADAb, whereas sulfasalazine did not. Presence of ADAb resulted in decreased drug concentration and reduced TNF-blocking capacity. However, low levels of ADAb had no effect on TNF-blocking capacity and did not correlate with disease activity. The drug trough levels were below the consensus target level in 36% of the patients. High BMI correlated with low drug trough concentration. Patients with low drug trough levels had higher disease activity. The presence of anti-drug antibodies was associated with reduced drug trough levels, and the patients with low drug trough levels had higher disease activity. The drug trough levels were below target level in significant proportion of patients and, thus, measuring the drug concentration and ADAb could help to optimize the treatment in SpA patients.

Structural Insights Into the Design of Peptide-based Drug or Diagnostic Reagent Antagonizing SARS-COV-2

Background Very limited drug and diagnostic reagents are currently available to tackle the emergence of SARS-CoV-2. However, recent findings about the structure of the complex about PD of ACE2 and RBD of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein hold great promise for the design of novel vaccines and peptides. To provide some suggestions for the design of peptide-based drug or diagnostic reagents antagonizing SARS-CoV-2, and describe the interactions between the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 and PD domain of its receptor, ACE2. Methods Based on the PD-RBD crystal structure, the molecular interaction details of PD-RBD was contrasted. Results Amino acid mutations located in RBM of SARS-CoV result in the formation of new interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and α-helix 1, which can increase the binding affinity of SARS-CoV-2 to ACE2. It is confirmed that the α-helix 1 on ACE2 is the most important domain for binding spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2, which can be used as a leading peptide for drug and diagnostic reagents development. Conclusion Based on the molecular-level characterization analysis between the PD and RBD, severe important amino acid residues (Q24, T27, K31, and H34) on α-helix 1 are proposed to mutate into increasing the binding affinity. Although the information provided in this study is predictive and based on no experimental evidence, it may provide useful suggestions for the experimental scientists to synthesize the proposed peptide and test their binding affinity and blocking capacity, and may be helpful for the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 entry.

A Microsporidian blocksPlasmodium falciparumtransmission inAnopheles arabiensismosquitoes

Malaria imposes an enormous burden on sub-Saharan Africa, and evidence that incidence could be starting to increase again1suggests the limits of currently applied control strategies have now been reached. A possible novel control approach involves the dissemination in mosquitoes of inherited symbiotic microbes to block transmission. This strategy is exemplified by the use of transmission-blockingWolbachiainAedes aegyptiagainst dengue virus2–7. However, in theAnopheles gambiaecomplex, the primary African vectors of malaria, there limited reports of inherited symbionts with transmission-blocking capacity8–10. Here we show that a newly discovered vertically transmitted species ofMicrosporidiasymbiont in theAn. gambiaecomplex blocksPlasmodiumtransmission.Microsporidia MBis present at moderate prevalence in geographically dispersed populations ofAn. arabienesisin Kenya, localized to the mosquito midgut and ovaries, and is not associated with significant reductions in adult host fecundity or survival. Field collectedMicrosporidia MB-infectedAn. arabiensiswere never found to harborP. falciparumgametocytes and on experimental infection withP. falciparumno sporozoites could be detected inMicrosporidia MB-infected mosquitos. As aPlasmodiumtransmission-blocking microbe that is non-virulent and vertically transmitted,Microsporidia MBcould be exploited as a novel malaria control tool.

Cinnarizine - Potential Trigger of the Dopamine Supersensitivity Psychosis in Patients with Paranoid Schizophrenia Particular neurobiochemical model

Supersensitivity psychosis is a subdiagnosed clinical reality. This entity, however, is insufficiently elucidated from the point of view of the neurobiochemical mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis. The combination of an antipsychotic with a high D2 receptor blocking capacity and a neuroleptic-like substance such as cinnarizine trigger the dopaminergic hypersensitivity mechanisms. This stimulates the sensitivity for dopamine in the prefrontal cortex, ameliorating the negative and cognitive symptoms at the thalamic level, remodeling sensory integration and decreasing tinnitus, as well as in the cerebral tonsil, consequently decreasing the risk of antisocial behavior.