The addition of other respiratory illnesses such as flu could cripple the healthcare system during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. An annual seasonal influenza vaccine is the best way to help protect against flu. Fears of coronavirus have intensified the shortage of influenza shots in developing countries that hope to vaccinate many populations to reduce stress on their health services. We present an inventory-location mixed-integer linear programming model for equitable influenza vaccine distribution in developing countries during the pandemic. The proposed model utilizes an equitable objective function to distribute vaccines to critical healthcare providers and first responders, elderly, pregnant women, and those with underlying health conditions. We present a case study in a developing country to exhibit efficacy and demonstrate the optimization model’s applicability. 相似文献
The ligands for several activating natural killer (NK) cell receptors have not been identified to date. Soluble receptor fusion proteins can be used to stain target cells for the presence of these unidentified ligands. Here, we describe the generation and use of soluble type I NK cell receptor isoleucine-zipper (ILZ) fusion proteins of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily. ILZ-fusion proteins are easy to produce and purify. They form trimeric complexes in solution and display a higher binding avidity than classical immunoglobulin-fusion proteins. ILZ-fusion proteins do not interact with Fc-receptors and can therefore be used to block receptor-ligand interactions in cellular assays. This makes ILZ-fusion proteins a valuable tool to study receptor-ligand interactions in NK cells and other cellular systems. 相似文献
Objective: To evaluate the effect of prednisolone plus low-dose aspirin (PSL/LDA) in women with autoimmune conditions who were enrolled in an IVF-ET program.
Design: A retrospective clinical study.
Setting: In vitro fertilization unit, Niigata University Hospital, Niigata, Japan.
Patient(s): Three hundred seven women who underwent IVF-ET between January 1996 and December 1997.
Intervention(s): Prednisolone (10 mg/d) and aspirin (81 mg/d) were administered to the women with autoantibodies who chose to participate.
Main Outcome Measure(s): Pregnancy and implantation rates with IVF-ET.
Result(s): Women undergoing IVF who had positive antinuclear antibodies, with or without antiphospholipid antibodies, had significantly lower pregnancy and implantation rates than did women without autoantibodies (14.8% versus 21.7% and 6.8% versus 10.4%, respectively). The administration of PSL/LDA to women with antinuclear antibodies significantly improved the outcome of IVF-ET (40.6% pregnancy rate and 20.3% implantation rate).
Conclusion(s): A high proportion of women who are undergoing IVF-ET have autoantibodies, which are associated with poor IVF outcomes. The administration of PSL/LDA to these women may improve their implantation rate. 相似文献
Atypical lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs) related with autoimmune disease (AID) show marked clinicopathological diversity, which are defined as three distinct clinicopathological subtypes such as those resembling Castleman disease (CD), atypical paracortical hyperplasia with lymphoid follicles (APHLF), and atypical lymphoplasmacytic and immunoblastic proliferation (ALPIB). We studied excisional biopsy specimens from 31 patients with atypical LPDs associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and Sjögren syndrome (SjS). The lesions in these 31 cases were classified into 6 (19.4%) cases resembling CD, 14 (45.2%) cases of APHLF, and 11 (35.5%) cases of ALPIB. Five cases (83.3%) resembling CD were in the active stage with systemic symptoms and multicentric lymphadenopathy. Thirteen cases (92.9%) of APHLF showed systemic symptoms, multicentric lymphadenopathy and abnormal laboratory findings. Histologic findings for cases resembling CD were rare in patients with RA and SjS. In AID patients, histologic findings for cases resembling CD or APHLF findings correlated with disease activity and multicentric lymphadenopathy. Six cases (54.5%) of ALPIB were in the active phase with systemic symptoms and multicentric lymphadenopathy. ALPIB tended to be unrelated to AID activity, especially in the majority of patients with no abnormal laboratory findings. Atypical LPDs associated with AID is a group of diseases that may be overdiagnosed and overtreated. The diagnosis of atypical LPDs associated with AID requires an understanding of the histological findings as well as a comprehensive assessment of the presence of systemic symptoms, the distribution of lymphadenopathy, and abnormal laboratory findings. 相似文献
From 2010 to 2013, genotype I avian influenza A(H9N2) viruses of the G1-lineage were isolated from several poultry species in Egypt. In 2014, novel reassortant H9N2 viruses were detected in pigeons designated as genotype II. To monitor the subsequent genetic evolution of Egyptian A(H9N2) viruses, we characterized the full genomes of 173 viruses isolated through active surveillance from 2017 to 2022. In addition, we compared the virological characteristics and pathogenicity of representative viruses. Phylogenetic analysis of the HA indicated that all studied sequences from 2017–2021 were grouped into G1-like H9N2 viruses previously detected in Egypt. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Egyptian A(H9N2) viruses had undergone further reassortment, inheriting four genes (PB2, PB1, PA, NS) from genotype II, with their remaining segments deriving from genotype I viruses (these viruses designated as genotype III). Studying the virological features of the two most dominant genotypes (I and III) of Egyptian H9N2 viruses in vitro and in vivo indicated that both replicated well in mammalian cells, but did not show any clinical signs in chickens, ducks, and mice. Monitoring avian influenza viruses through surveillance programs and understanding the genetic and antigenic characteristics of circulating H9N2 viruses are essential for risk assessment and influenza pandemic preparedness. 相似文献