Despite the fact that a range of vaccines against COVID-19 have already been created and are used for mass vaccination, the development of effective, safe, technological, and affordable vaccines ...continues. We have designed a vaccine that combines the recombinant protein and DNA vaccine approaches in a self-assembled particle. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 was conjugated to polyglucin:spermidine and mixed with DNA vaccine (pVAXrbd), which led to the formation of particles of combined coronavirus vaccine (CCV-RBD) that contain the DNA vaccine inside and RBD protein on the surface. CCV-RBD particles were characterized with gel filtration, electron microscopy, and biolayer interferometry. To investigate the immunogenicity of the combined vaccine and its components, mice were immunized with the DNA vaccine pVAXrbd or RBD protein as well as CCV-RBD particles. The highest antigen-specific IgG and neutralizing activity were induced by CCV-RBD, and the level of antibodies induced by DNA or RBD alone was significantly lower. The cellular immune response was detected only in the case of DNA or CCV-RBD vaccination. These results demonstrate that a combination of DNA vaccine and RBD protein in one construct synergistically increases the humoral response to RBD protein in mice.
A unified scheme to assign pollen samples to vegetation types was used to reconstruct vegetation patterns north of 55°N at the last glacial maximum (LGM) and mid‐Holocene (6000 years B.P.). The ...pollen data set assembled for this purpose represents a comprehensive compilation based on the work of many projects and research groups. Five tundra types (cushion forb tundra, graminoid and forb tundra, prostrate dwarf‐shrub tundra, erect dwarf‐shrub tundra, and low‐ and high‐shrub tundra) were distinguished and mapped on the basis of modern pollen surface samples. The tundra‐forest boundary and the distributions of boreal and temperate forest types today were realistically reconstructed. During the mid‐Holocene the tundra‐forest boundary was north of its present position in some regions, but the pattern of this shift was strongly asymmetrical around the pole, with the largest northward shift in central Siberia (∼200 km), little change in Beringia, and a southward shift in Keewatin and Labrador (∼200 km). Low‐ and high‐shrub tundra extended farther north than today. At the LGM, forests were absent from high latitudes. Graminoid and forb tundra abutted on temperate steppe in northwestern Eurasia while prostrate dwarf‐shrub, erect dwarf‐shrub, and graminoid and forb tundra formed a mosaic in Beringia. Graminoid and forb tundra is restricted today and does not form a large continuous biome, but the pollen data show that it was far more extensive at the LGM, while low‐ and high‐shrub tundra were greatly reduced, illustrating the potential for climate change to dramatically alter the relative areas occupied by different vegetation types.
Currently, SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding-domain (RBD)-based vaccines are considered one of the most effective weapons against COVID-19. During the first step of assessing vaccine immunogenicity, ...a mouse model is often used. In this paper, we tested the use of five experimental animals (mice, hamsters, rabbits, ferrets, and chickens) for RBD immunogenicity assessments. The humoral immune response was evaluated by ELISA and virus-neutralization assays. The data obtained show hamsters to be the least suitable candidates for RBD immunogenicity testing and, hence, assessing the protective efficacy of RBD-based vaccines.
Despite the rapid development and approval of several COVID vaccines based on the full-length spike protein, there is a need for safe, potent, and high-volume vaccines. Considering the predominance ...of the production of neutralizing antibodies targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of S-protein after natural infection or vaccination, it makes sense to choose RBD as a vaccine immunogen. However, due to its small size, RBD exhibits relatively poor immunogenicity. Searching for novel adjuvants for RBD-based vaccine formulations is considered a good strategy for enhancing its immunogenicity. Herein, we assess the immunogenicity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RBD conjugated to a polyglucin:spermidine complex (PGS) and dsRNA (RBD-PGS + dsRNA) in a mouse model. BALB/c mice were immunized intramuscularly twice, with a 2-week interval, with 50 µg of RBD, RBD with Al(OH)
, or conjugated RBD. A comparative analysis of serum RBD-specific IgG and neutralizing antibody titers showed that PGS, PGS + dsRNA, and Al(OH)
enhanced the specific humoral response in animals. There was no significant difference between the groups immunized with RBD-PGS + dsRNA and RBD with Al(OH)
. Additionally, the study of the T-cell response in animals showed that, unlike adjuvants, the RBD-PGS + dsRNA conjugate stimulates the production of specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in animals.
Fossil pollen data supplemented by tree macrofossil records were used to reconstruct the vegetation of the Former Soviet Union and Mongolia at 6000 years. Pollen spectra were assigned to biomes using ...the plant-functional-type method developed by Prentice et al. (1996). Surface pollen data and a modern vegetation map provided a test of the method developed by Prentice et al (1996). Surface pollen data and a modern vegetation map provided a test of the method. This is the first time such a broad-scale vegetation reconstruction for the greater part of northern Eurasia has been attempted with objective techniques. The new results confirm previous regional palaeoenvironmental studies of the mid-Holocene while providing a comprehensive synopsis and firmer conclusions. West of the Ural Mountains temperate deciduous forest extended both northward and southward from its modern range. The northern limits of cool mixed and cool conifer forests were also further north than present. Taiga was reduced in European Russia, but was extended into Yakutia where now there is cold deciduous forest. The northern limit of taiga was extended (as shown by increased Picea pollen percentages, and by tree macrofossil records north of the present-day forest limit) but tundra was still present in north-eastern Siberia. The boundary between forest and steppe in the continental interior did not shift substantially, and dry conditions simila to present existed in western Mongolia and north of the Aral Sea.
Using a climatic calibration based on the scores of the plant functional types (PFTs) calculated for 1245 surface pollen spectra, the climate at 6 ka BP has been reconstructed for a set of 116 pollen ...spectra from the former Soviet Union and Mongolia. The results are presented as maps of climatic anomalies and maps of probability classes showing the significance of these differences from the modern climate. The reconstructed patterns are spatially coherent, but have confidence levels that vary from region to region, due to the often-large error ranges. At 6 ka, the winters were more than 2°C warmer than today north of 50°N, with a high significance east of the Urals. Summers were also more than 2°C warmer than today with a high level of confidence north of the Polar Circle and in central Mongolia. In the mid-latitudes of Siberia, in northern Kazakhstan and around the Black and the Caspian seas, 6 ka summers were significantly cooler than today. The reconstructed moisture availability (ratio of actual to equilibrium evapotranspiration) was more than 10% higher than today in the Ukraine, southern Russia and northern Mongolia, and more than 10% lower than today in central Mongolia. This pattern corresponds partly with that of the water budget (annual precipitation minus evaporation) reconstructed from lake level records.
The relationship between the level of glucagon-like peptide-1 and repeated weight gain was evaluated in 31 patients suffering from grade IIIII obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus after bariatric ...interventions for 3 years. It was found that the level of stimulated glucagon-like peptide-1 significantly increased by the third day after sleeve gastroplasty and gastroschunt compared to the initial parameters (p = 0.001 for obese patients; p = 0.000 for obese patients and diabetes mellitus). In the plateau phase (body weight retention) after bariatric intervention, the level of stimulated glucagon-like peptide-1 in obese patients and patients suffering from obesity in combination with diabetes mellitus did not significantly differ from the indicators of healthy individuals. There was no association between the level of glucagon-like peptide-1 and repeated weight gain. This may be due to the limited contribution of glucagon-like peptide-1 to body weight dynamics after bariatric interventions and the predominance of patient compliance. Thus, the level of stimulated glucagon-like peptide-1 at baseline, on the third day and in the plateau phase after bariatric intervention was not associated with the value of repeated weight gain.
1 A unified scheme to assign pollen samples to vegetation types was used to reconstruct vegetation patterns north of 55degreesN at the last glacial maximum (LGM) and mid-Holocene (6000 years B. P.). ...The pollen data set assembled for this purpose represents a comprehensive compilation based on the work of many projects and research groups. Five tundra types (cushion forb tundra, graminoid and forb tundra, prostrate dwarf-shrub tundra, erect dwarf-shrub tundra, and low- and high-shrub tundra) were distinguished and mapped on the basis of modern pollen surface samples. The tundra-forest boundary and the distributions of boreal and temperate forest types today were realistically reconstructed. During the mid-Holocene the tundra-forest boundary was north of its present position in some regions, but the pattern of this shift was strongly asymmetrical around the pole, with the largest northward shift in central Siberia (similar to200 km), little change in Beringia, and a southward shift in Keewatin and Labrador (similar to200 km). Low- and high-shrub tundra extended farther north than today. At the LGM, forests were absent from high latitudes. Graminoid and forb tundra abutted on temperate steppe in northwestern Eurasia while prostrate dwarf-shrub, erect dwarf-shrub, and graminoid and forb tundra formed a mosaic in Beringia. Graminoid and forb tundra is restricted today and does not form a large continuous biome, but the pollen data show that it was far more extensive at the LGM, while low- and high-shrub tundra were greatly reduced, illustrating the potential for climate change to dramatically alter the relative areas occupied by different vegetation types.
A unified scheme to assign pollen samples to vegetation types was used to reconstruct vegetation patterns north of 55 degree N at the last glacial maximum (LGM) and mid-Holocene (6000 years B.P.). ...The pollen data set assembled for this purpose represents a comprehensive compilation based on the work of many projects and research groups. Five tundra types (cushion forb tundra, graminoid and forb tundra, prostrate dwarf-shrub tundra, erect dwarf-shrub tundra, and low- and high-shrub tundra) were distinguished and mapped on the basis of modern pollen surface samples. The tundra-forest boundary and the distributions of boreal and temperate forest types today were realistically reconstructed. During the mid-Holocene the tundra-forest boundary was north of its present position in some regions, but the pattern of this shift was strongly asymmetrical around the pole, with the largest northward shift in central Siberia (200 km), little change in Beringia, and a southward shift in Keewatin and Labrador (200 km). Low- and high-shrub tundra extended farther north than today. At the LGM, forests were absent from high latitudes. Graminoid and forb tundra abutted on temperate steppe in northwestern Eurasia while prostrate dwarf-shrub, erect dwarf-shrub, and graminoid and forb tundra formed a mosaic in Beringia. Graminoid and forb tundra is restricted today and does not form a large continuous biome, but the pollen data show that it was far more extensive at the LGM, while low- and high-shrub tundra were greatly reduced, illustrating the potential for climate change to dramatically alter the relative areas occupied by different vegetation types.
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