Background. The Shingles Prevention Study (SPS) demonstrated zoster vaccine efficacy through 4 years postvaccination. A Short-Term Persistence Substudy (STPS) demonstrated persistence of vaccine ...efficacy for at least 5 years. A Long-Term Persistence Substudy (LTPS) was undertaken to further assess vaccine efficacy in SPS vaccine recipients followed for up to 11 years postvaccination. Study outcomes were assessed for the entire LTPS period and for each year from 7 to 11 years postvaccination. Methods. Surveillance, case determination, and follow-up were comparable to those in SPS and STPS. Because SPS placebo recipients were offered zoster vaccine before the LTPS began, there were no unvaccinated controls. Instead, SPS and STPS placebo results were used to model reference placebo groups. Results. The LTPS enrolled 6867 SPS vaccine recipients. Compared to SPS, estimated vaccine efficacy in LTPS decreased from 61.1% to 37.3% for the herpes zoster (HZ) burden of illness (BOI), from 66.5% to 35.4% for incidence of postherpetic neuralgia, and from 51.3% to 21.1% for incidence of HZ, and declined for all 3 outcome measures from 7 through 11 years postvaccination. Vaccine efficacy for the HZ BOI was significantly greater than zero through year 10 postvaccination, whereas vaccine efficacy for incidence of HZ was significantly greater than zero only through year 8. Conclusions. Estimates of vaccine efficacy decreased over time in the LTPS population compared with modeled control estimates. Statistically significant vaccine efficacy for HZ BOI persisted into year 10 postvaccination, whereas statistically significant vaccine efficacy for incidence of HZ persisted only through year 8.
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Herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia occur more often with increasing age. In this controlled trial among 38,546 adults 60 years of age or older, vaccination with a live attenuated ...varicella–zoster vaccine reduced the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia by 66.5 percent (as compared with placebo) and the incidence of herpes zoster by 51.3 percent.
In adults 60 years of age or older, vaccination with a live attenuated varicella–zoster vaccine reduced the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia by 66.5 percent (as compared with placebo) and the incidence of herpes zoster by 51.3 percent.
Herpes zoster, or shingles, is characterized by unilateral radicular pain and a vesicular rash that is generally limited to a single dermatome.
1
,
2
Herpes zoster results from reactivation of latent varicella–zoster virus (VZV) within the sensory ganglia.
3
,
4
The incidence and severity of herpes zoster increase with advancing age; more than half of all persons in whom herpes zoster develops are older than 60 years. Complications occur in almost 50 percent of older persons with herpes zoster.
3
–
5
The most frequent debilitating complication is postherpetic neuralgia, a neuropathic pain syndrome that persists or develops after the dermatomal rash has healed. . . .
An endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) is an exogenous chemical, or mixture of chemicals, that can interfere with any aspect of hormone action. The potential for deleterious effects of EDC must be ...considered relative to the regulation of hormone synthesis, secretion, and actions and the variability in regulation of these events across the life cycle. The developmental age at which EDC exposures occur is a critical consideration in understanding their effects. Because endocrine systems exhibit tissue-, cell-, and receptor-specific actions during the life cycle, EDC can produce complex, mosaic effects. This complexity causes difficulty when a static approach to toxicity through endocrine mechanisms driven by rigid guidelines is used to identify EDC and manage risk to human and wildlife populations. We propose that principles taken from fundamental endocrinology be employed to identify EDC and manage their risk to exposed populations. We emphasize the importance of developmental stage and, in particular, the realization that exposure to a presumptive “safe” dose of chemical may impact a life stage when there is normally no endogenous hormone exposure, thereby underscoring the potential for very low-dose EDC exposures to have potent and irreversible effects. Finally, with regard to the current program designed to detect putative EDC, namely, the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program, we offer recommendations for strengthening this program through the incorporation of basic endocrine principles to promote further understanding of complex EDC effects, especially due to developmental exposures.
Context.
We report the discovery of TOI-519 b (TIC 218795833), a transiting substellar object (
R
= 1.07
R
Jup
) orbiting a faint M dwarf (
V
= 17.35) on a 1.26 d orbit. Brown dwarfs and massive ...planets orbiting M dwarfs on short-period orbits are rare, but more have already been discovered than expected from planet formation models. TOI-519 is a valuable addition to this group of unlikely systems, and it adds towards our understanding of the boundaries of planet formation.
Aims.
We set out to determine the nature of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) object of interest TOI-519 b.
Methods.
Our analysis uses a SPOC-pipeline TESS light curve from Sector 7, multicolour transit photometry observed with MuSCAT2 and MuSCAT, and transit photometry observed with the LCOGT telescopes. We estimated the radius of the transiting object using multicolour transit modelling, and we set upper limits for its mass, effective temperature, and Bond albedo using a phase curve model that includes Doppler boosting, ellipsoidal variations, thermal emission, and reflected light components.
Results.
TOI-519 b is a substellar object with a radius posterior median of 1.07
R
Jup
and 5th and 95th percentiles of 0.66 and 1.20
R
Jup
, respectively, where most of the uncertainty comes from the uncertainty in the stellar radius. The phase curve analysis sets an upper effective temperature limit of 1800 K, an upper Bond albedo limit of 0.49, and a companion mass upper limit of 14
M
Jup
. The companion radius estimate combined with the
T
eff
and mass limits suggests that the companion is more likely a planet than a brown dwarf, but a brown-dwarf scenario is a priori more likely given the lack of known massive planets in ≈ 1 day orbits around M dwarfs with
T
eff
< 3800 K, and given the existence of some (but few) brown dwarfs.
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•Magnetic nanocomposites with shape memory properties are prepared by a simple casting procedure.•Nanocomposites present super-paramagnetic behavior with mean blocking temperatures ...between 21 and 27 K.•Nanocomposites' temperature increases when they are exposed to an alternant magnetic field.•Nanocomposites' original shape is recovered by applying magnetic heating as indirect triggering method.•A fast and almost complete recovery of the original shape of the samples containing more than 3 nominal wt.% MNP is obtained.
Shape memory composites based on a commercial segmented polyurethane and magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared by a simple suspension casting method. The average sizes of individual magnetic particles/clusters were determined by TEM microscopy and corroborated from SAXS patterns. The magnetization properties of selected samples were evaluated using zero field cooling/field cooling (ZFC/FC) measurements and magnetization loops obtained at different temperatures. The results showed that magnetization at high field (20 k Oe) and coercitivity measured at 5 K increase with magnetite content and that all the composite films exhibit superparamagnetic behavior at 300 K. The specific absorption rate (SAR) of the nanocomposites was calculated by experimentally determining both the specific heat capacity and the heating rate of the films exposed to an alternant magnetic field. All nanocomposites were able to increase their temperature when exposed to an alternant magnetic field, although the final temperature reached resulted dependent of the MNPs concentration. What is more, a fast and almost complete recovery of the original shape of the nanocomposites containing more than 3 nominal wt.% MNP was obtained by this remote activation applied to the previously deformed samples.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Lithium has been approved and used for several decades in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, and its potential effect in neurodegenerative diseases has been subject to increasing research ...interest in recent years. Nanolithium is a new experimental product using a novel drug-delivery technology (Aonys®), which optimizes its bioavailability while reducing its toxicity profile. Therapeutic doses of lithium used in Nanolithium are more than 50 times lower than the minimal dose of classical lithium salts. In this review we report data from non-clinical pharmacology studies supporting Nanolithium efficacy and the mechanism of action in Alzheimer's disease. GSK-3β inhibition is thought to be central to Nanolithium's mechanism of action, triggering a reduction of the production of toxic amyloid plaques and decrease in tau hyperphosphorylation, which could potentially benefit both neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive decline. We then summarize outcomes from non-clinical proof-of-concept studies. These data supported the initiation of a currently ongoing phase II proof-of-concept study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Nanolithium in patients with mild-to-severe Alzheimer's disease. We highlight key aspects of the study design. We finish this review with a discussion on the potential place of Nanolithium in the current and future Alzheimer's disease treatment landscape.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Thermotolerant Campylobacter species are the leading cause of foodborne bacterial diarrheal disease worldwide. Campylobacter coli, abundant in pigs and pork products, have been identified as a source ...of human infection. In this study, we propose the use of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LP5 as a probiotic to reduce colonisation of this intestinal pathogen in a murine colonisation model of C. coli DSPV458. Six-week-old adult female Balb/cCmedc mice were housed in groups: Control, Campy and Pro-Campy. Control and Pro-Campy groups received antibiotics for 5 days and the Campy group for 12 days. Pro-Campy group was inoculated for 7 days with 8.78 log10 cfu total of L. plantarum LP5 suspended in De Man, Rogosa and Sharpe broth. All groups were inoculated with 6.72 log10 cfu of C. coli DSPV458 suspended in brain heart infusion broth. L. plantarum LP5 was recovered only in the Pro- Campy group. C. coli DSPV458 was recovered at higher levels in the Control and Campy groups. The differences with the Pro-Campy group were significant. As regards faeces, Control and Campy groups reached 7.41 and 7.84 log10 cfu/g, respectively, and the Pro-Campy group only 4.62 log10 cfu/g. In the caecum, Control and Campy groups reached 8.01 and 9.26 log10cfu/g, respectively, and the Pro-Campy group only 4.51 log10 cfu/g. In the ileum, Control and Campy groups reached 3.43 and 3.26 log10 cfu/g, respectively, and the Pro-Campy group did not show detectable levels. The reduction of C. coli DSPV458 in the Pro-Campy group compared to the Control group in faeces, caecum and ileum was 99.55, 99.98 and 100%, respectively. Animals were maintained under normal health conditions, and haematological parameters were within the standard values for Balb/cCmedc. The incorporation of a probiotic generated a protective effect in the mice colonisation model. The protective effect would also apply to intestinal colonisation by indigenous enterobacteria. Therefore, the strategy used in this study is of great importance to understand the protection mechanisms in a murine model, as well as its application in food-producing animals.
The production of flexible polyurethane foams (FPF) with good acoustical performance to control sound and noise and incorporating bio/recycled raw materials is an interesting alternative to ...conventional acoustic absorbent materials. In this sense, biobased polyols like glycerol (GLY) or hydroxylated methyl esters derived from tung oil (HMETO) as multifunctional polyols, and waste tire particles (WTP) as fillers of low thermal conductivity and good capability for acoustical absorption, are prospective feedstocks for FPF preparation. In this work, FPF were prepared by adding different amounts of these components to a formulation based on a commercial polyether polyol. Results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, compression tests and normal-incidence sound absorption coefficient (αN) measurements are presented and discussed. The addition of WTP or GLY to the commercial formulation enhanced both the modulus and yield stress of the obtained FPF in all cases. Moreover, a high recovery of the applied strain (>90%) was attained 24 h after the compression tests. On the other hand, the normal-incidence sound absorption coefficient, αN, reached high values mostly at the highest evaluated frequencies (αN ∼0.62–0.89 at 2000 Hz and αN ∼0.70–0.91 at 5000 Hz). SEM micrographs revealed that the foams obtained present a combination of open and closed cell structure and both the modifiers and particles tend to decrease the cell size.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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