Avian Influenza Vaccination of Poultry and Passive Case Reporting,Egypt

We investigated the influence of a mass poultry vaccination campaign on passive surveillance of highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype (H5N1) outbreaks among poultry in Egypt. Passive reporting dropped during the campaign, although probability of infection remained unchanged. Future poultry vaccination campaigns should consider this negative impact on reporting for adapting surveillance strategies.     

Southeast Asian foot-and-mouth disease viruses in Eastern Asia

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks recently affected 2 countries (Japan and South Korea) in eastern Asia that were free of FMD without vaccination. Analysis of viral protein 1 nucleotide sequences indicated that FMD serotype A and O viruses that caused these outbreaks originated in mainland Southeast Asia to which these viruses are endemic.     

Qualitative assessment of sources and general dependencies in the behavior of anthropogenic radionuclides in the Techa River

Research on radioactive contamination of the environment involves the important task of assessing the contribution from different sources of contamination. If there are two or more sources of contamination with similar radionuclide composition, assessment of the contribution from each source can be challenging. Such a problem exists, for instance, in the assessment of anthropogenic sources of radioactive contamination of water in the Techa River. At the present time, the main contaminating radionuclides for the Techa River are 90Sr, 137Cs, and 3H. In 2009-2010, the content of radionuclides in the water of the river was 90Sr-3.8-32.9 Bq L, 137Cs-0.02-2.43 Bq L, and 3H-31.0-263.2 Bq L. This work gives a qualitative assessment of the role of different contamination sources in the formation of volumetric activity of Sr in the water of the Techa River. Also, the behavior of anthropogenic radionuclides in the open fluvial river system is reviewed.     

Changes in Smoking Prevalence in 8 Countries of the Former Soviet Union Between 2001 and 2010

Objectives. We sought to present new data on smoking prevalence in 8 countries, analyze prevalence changes between 2001 and 2010, and examine trend variance by age, location, education level, and household economic status.Methods. We conducted cross-sectional household surveys in 2010 in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine. We compared smoking prevalence with a related 2001 study for the different countries and population subgroups, and also calculated the adjusted prevalence rate ratios of smoking.Results. All-age 2010 smoking prevalence among men ranged from 39% (Moldova) to 59% (Armenia), and among women from 2% (Armenia) to 16% (Russia). There was a significantly lower smoking prevalence among men in 2010 compared with 2001 in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, but not for women in any country. For all countries combined, there was a significantly lower smoking prevalence in 2010 than in 2001 for men aged 18 to 39 years and men with a good or average economic situation.Conclusions. Smoking prevalence appears to have stabilized and may be declining in younger groups, but remains extremely high among men, especially those in lower socioeconomic groups.Rates of smoking among men in countries of the former Soviet Union have traditionally been high as reflected in the very high premature mortality from smoking-related causes.1 In the Soviet era, cigarettes were easily available and cheap, and heavy smoking (among men) became the norm in a setting where male leisure-time activities centered around negative health behaviors such as heavy drinking and smoking.2,3The cigarette market was transformed in the early 1990s when borders opened to the transnational tobacco companies who soon engaged in aggressive and highly sophisticated marketing campaigns coupled with the creation of a domestic manufacturing presence and enhanced distribution systems.4 Much of this marketing effort was aimed at women who traditionally had low rates of smoking, as well as young people.5 The Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, which, among other things, has tracked changes in health behavior among the Russian population during the transition period, reported a small but significant rise in the prevalence of tobacco smoking among men from 57% in 1992 to 63% in 2003, whereas rates among women more than doubled from 7% to 15% in the same period and the age of smoking uptake among both genders fell.6 These findings were consistent with data from other surveys in Russia and also in Ukraine.7,8These data suggest that the tobacco epidemic is following a somewhat different pattern in the former Soviet Union than it took in the West. Smoking rates in men have failed to decline as the Western model would predict and as a result the accumulated burden of tobacco-related disease among men younger than 75 years in the former Soviet Union is the highest in the world,9 whereas smoking rates in women did not increase significantly until the transition.6,10 Research indicates that younger women appear more likely to smoke than older ones, whereas among men rates are high at all ages until late middle age when they begin to fall.7,10 However, research on changing patterns of smoking in this region has been largely concentrated in Russia and Ukraine, with little evidence about what has been happening elsewhere.A key source of comparable data on smoking across the former Soviet Union has been the Living Standards, Lifestyles, and Health (LLH) survey undertaken in 2001 in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine (http://www.llh.at).10,11 In March 2010, a new series of follow-up surveys, the Health in Times of Transition (HITT) surveys (http://www.hitt-cis.net), were undertaken by the same research teams (the civil disturbance in Kyrgyzstan in 2010 delayed the survey there until April 2011). Both series of surveys sought to compare a wide range of social conditions, lifestyles, and health in the adult populations in the countries of the former Soviet Union.Our objectives were to (1) present new data on smoking prevalence in 8 countries of the former Soviet Union in 2010, (2) analyze changes in smoking prevalence between 2001 and 2010 for each country, and (3) examine how trends in smoking prevalence over this period vary by age group, area of residence, level of education, and household economic status. Determining rates and trends in smoking prevalence plus the factors associated with smoking in these countries are important first steps in efforts to address the public health impacts of tobacco in the countries of this region. We hypothesized that we would observe a leveling-off of the extremely high rates of smoking among men, whereas rates of smoking among women would continue to rise with the previously documented increases in smoking among women now spreading to rural areas. This hypothesis was based on studies such as that by Perlman et al. in Russia, which observed only a small rise in smoking among men over the study period,6 but a more marked rise in women, particularly those in large cities, a trend attributed to the targeting of women by the transnational tobacco companies.     

Cost Comparison of 2 Mass Vaccination Campaigns Against Influenza A H1N1 in New York City

Objectives. We estimated and compared total costs and costs per dose administered for 2 influenza A 2009 monovalent vaccine campaigns in New York City: an elementary school–located campaign targeting enrolled children aged 4 years and older, and a community-based points-of-dispensing campaign for anyone aged 4 years and older.Methods. We determined costs from invoices or we estimated costs. We obtained vaccination data from the Citywide Immunization Registry and reports from the community points of dispensing.Results. The school campaign delivered approximately 202 089 vaccines for $17.9 million and $88 per dose. The community campaign delivered 49 986 vaccines for $7.6 million and $151 per dose. At projected capacity, the school campaign could have delivered 371 827 doses at $53 each or $13 each when we excluded the value of in-kind resources. The community points of dispensing could have administered 174 000 doses at $51 each or $24 each when we excluded the value of in-kind resources.Conclusions. The school campaign delivered vaccines at a lower cost per dose than did the community campaign. Had demand been higher, both campaigns may have delivered vaccine at lower, more comparable cost per dose.The 2009 influenza A H1N1 pandemic raised important, practical questions about how to vaccinate large numbers of people quickly, especially during an emergency, and how to reach vulnerable populations such as children. To accomplish both of these objectives, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) conducted one of the nation''s largest efforts to deliver influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine. This effort included an elementary school–located vaccination campaign for children enrolled at that school who were aged 4 years and older and a community-based, mass-vaccination, points-of-dispensing campaign that was initially targeted to people aged 4 to 24 years and pregnant women, then expanded to other priority groups, and finally opened up to anyone in the general population aged 4 years and older for the last weekend. In addition, vaccination was available through private providers, hospitals, community health centers, DOHMH clinics, and pharmacies.School-located vaccination offers a convenient alternative to medical clinics, especially for children who lack access to preventive care.1,2 Reaching children is important because children play a critical role in influenza transmission, and improving vaccination coverage among children can lower illness in the population as a whole.3–6 Organizing community points of dispensing is another way to quickly deliver vaccine to a large number of people and decrease burden on medical providers during an emergency.Despite the potential value of these vaccination approaches, no studies have compared the resources required to conduct them, because few situations have emerged to allow real-world testing of both approaches simultaneously. In the fall of 2009, DOHMH implemented both approaches to provide 2009 H1N1 vaccine in New York City. We estimated and compared the cost of administering vaccine through schools and community points of dispensing. We also examined how cost per dose would change if each campaign operated at projected capacity. This information can assist public health agencies in selecting approaches for vaccinating children and adults in both routine and emergency circumstances.     

Transcutaneous immunization with Intercell's vaccine delivery system

Transcutaneous immunization (TCI) has become an attractive alternate route of immunization due to increase understanding of the skin immune system and to recent technical innovations in skin patch delivery systems. Basic principles of TCI have been demonstrated in animal and human studies, covering a variety of bacterial, viral, and cancer diseases. At Intercell, we have advanced two major platforms of TCI: 1) a needle-free vaccine delivery patch (VDP) and 2) a vaccine enhancement patch (VEP). Simplified, the VDP contains an antigen with or without an adjuvant that is administered on the skin; while the VEP contains only the adjuvant and is used in combination with an injected vaccine. In many of our TCI studies, the VDP or VEP is routinely applied on pretreated skin, in which the stratum corneum has been partially removed by mild abrasion. Recently, we have achieved technical breakthroughs in formulating and stabilizing vaccines in a dry patch format. For instance, a microplate-based screening process has been implemented to rapidly identify excipients, singularly or in combination, to stabilize biological macromolecules in patch blend formulations. A second technical innovation is our nonwoven (patch) disc matrix-supported drying technology, which allows efficient drying of our patch formulation blend to produce dry stable dosage forms of VDP or VEP. The low cost and the facileness in the manufacturing of VDP (or VEP) combined with the development of thermostable dry patches should improve the supply chain efficiency and reduce the dependence on cold chain.     

体外诱导人脐血间充质干细胞未能向心肌细胞转分化

目的选择从人脐带血中分离出的间充质干细胞(UCB1-MSCs),通过5-氮胞苷(5-aza)进行诱导,对其体外向心肌细胞转分化的能力做初步探讨。方法培养第11代 hMSCs,加入6、9、12 μmol/L 的5-aza 分别作用24h 和48h,相差显微镜观察细胞形态直到3周后实验结束。以未经处理的细胞为对照组。采用 RT-PCR 检测心肌转录因子 MEF2C、GATA4、Nkx2.5和心肌特异性基因 MLC-2v、MLC-2a、Connexin 43及α-actinin 的表达;免疫荧光染色检测 Connexin 43和α-actinin 的表达,以共聚焦显微镜成像。结果经5-aza 诱导后观察3周未见细胞的自发搏动。诱导前后的 hMSC 均可不同程度的表达 MEF2C、Connexin 43及α-actinin。在12 μmol/L 水平诱导24h 和6、9、12 μmol/L 水平诱导48h 共4个组中可见 MLC-2a 的表达。GATA4、Nkx 2.5和 MLC-2v 在诱导前后均未见表达。免疫荧光染色显示诱导前后 hMSCs 的胞浆内存在散在排列无序的α-actinin 和 Connexin 43荧光,而始终未见肌小节结构。结论经5-aza 诱导 UCB 来源 hMSCs 在基因水平可以表达部分心肌特异性基因,但是在诱导后的一个月时间内未见相应的心肌特异性结构出现,此类细胞向心肌细胞转分化的能力需再证实。     

Active absorption of conjugated bile acids in vivo. Kinetic parameters and molecular specificity of the ileal transport system in the rat

Active transport of conjugated bile acids by the distal ileum is required for efficient enterohepatic cycling of bile acids. Experiments were performed in the rat to obtain accurate values for Tmax and Michaelis constant (Km) of the absorptive area of the rat ileum and to define the structural specificity of the transport system. The distal fifth (20 cm) of the small intestine from an anesthetized animal with a biliary fistula was perfused using solutions of 10 taurine-conjugated bile acids; a flow rate was used that was sufficiently high such that unstirred water layer effects were negligible and the intraluminal concentration remained unchanged throughout the perfused segment. The absorption rate was equated with the rate of hepatic bile acid secretion. Values of Tmax (mumol/min.kg) were markedly influenced by bile acid structure: cholyltaurine, 12.9; ursocholyltaurine, 9.6; ursodeoxycholyl taurine, 5.0; and lagodeoxycholyl-(3 alpha,12 beta-dihydroxy-cholanoic acid)-taurine, 1.2. Decreasing the length of the side chain of ursodeoxycholate conjugates from 8 to 6 carbon atoms was associated with a modest increase in Tmax values from 5.0 to 9.1 mumols/min.kg. Values of Km correlated with Tmax values and ranged from 0.5 to 5 mmol/L, being highest for those bile acids that were best transported. The Tmax for cholyltaurine transport was not reached when the intraluminal concentration was as high as its critical micellization concentration, precluding the definition of its Tmax; however, for ursocholyltaurine, with a critical micellization concentration of 40 mmol/L, saturation of transport was clearly shown. Kinetic parameters could not be obtained for two common dihydroxy conjugates (chenodeoxycholyltaurine and deoxycholyltaurine) because at a transport rate of 2 mumols/min.kg systemic toxicity and death occurred. These studies define the maximal transport capacity of the rat ileum for taurine-conjugated bile acids; they indicate that the ileal transport system in the rat is of low affinity and high capacity for taurine conjugates of hydrophilic bile acids, and they show that both nuclear substituents and side chain length influence the transport rate of taurine-conjugated bile acids.