A proposal for an alternative quality control test procedure for inactivated vaccines against food-and-mouth disease virus

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) control in Brazil includes a strict mandatory vaccination program with vaccines produced in certified laboratories subject to inspection by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply (MAPA). The FMD vaccine's potency is tested through antibodies titration against structural viral proteins in sera from cattle that have not had any exposure to food-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), at 28 days post-vaccination. Biological product testing using large animals is expensive and unwieldy. Thus, alternative testing procedures using laboratory animals have been proposed for quality control of these products. Such biological methods for vaccine evaluation using animals from vivarium facilities can have a significant impact through reduced costs, easier handling, and shorter testing times. The present study was designed to access Balb/C mice's humoral immune responses to a FMDV experimental vaccine, the composition of which contains three virus serotypes of FMDV (O1 Campos, A24 Cruzeiro, and C3 Indaial). Balb/C mice were immunized at doses that were 5% and 10% of the vaccine volume administered in cattle. Immunized mice had their antibody titers probed at 14, 21, and 28 DPV (days post vaccination). The results obtained were compared to those previously known from cattle's immune responses to the FMDV vaccine. An adequate immune response to the vaccine was seen with 10% formulation at 21 DPV. The study results are encouraging and indicate that the mouse model can be used for quality control in experimental vaccine testing.     

Cigarette smoking in Chinese adolescents: importance of controlling the amount of pocket money

Objective

To estimate the proportion of smokers that could potentially have been prevented from smoking by limiting the amount of pocket money received by Chinese adolescents.

Study design

Cross-sectional study.

Methods

Current smoking, ever smoking and the amount of pocket money were determined through self-administered questionnaires among 12,708 adolescents (aged 12–18 years) from 21 schools in Shanghai, China.

Results

Adjusted odds ratios for current smoking ranged from 2.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5–2.7] for adolescents receiving 200–399 Reminbin (RMB)/month as pocket money to 6.5 (95% CI 3.3–12.7) for those receiving ≥1000 RMB/month, compared with those receiving <200 RMB/month. The crude population-attributable risk percentage (PAR%) due to higher pocket money (≥200 RMB/month) for current smoking was 50.4% (95% CI 42.2–57.4), and adjusted PAR% was 43.3% (95% CI 30.7–53.1).

Conclusions

Approximately half of current smokers may have been prevented from smoking if pocket money was limited to <200 RMB/month among Chinese adolescents. An even larger proportion could have been prevented from smoking if pocket money was reduced further. It is recommended that future intervention programmes should target parents to reduce the amount of pocket money in China.     

Elevated levels of eotaxin and interleukin-5 in blister fluid of bullous pemphigoid: correlation with tissue eosinophilia

BACKGROUND: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) often provokes blood and tissue eosinophilia, which suggests that some chemoattractants modulate the eosinophil infiltration in BP. Eotaxin, a CC chemokine, strongly attracts eosinophils, and interleukin (IL)-5 induces eosinophil differentiation, proliferation and colony formation in vitro. OBJECTIVES: To examine the correlation between levels of eotaxin and IL-5 and the number of lesional eosinophils, and the expression of eotaxin in BP lesions. PATIENTS/METHODS: In this study we measured eotaxin and IL-5 levels in blister fluid of BP by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We also examined the expression of eotaxin in BP lesions by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Both eotaxin and IL-5 were detected at high levels in BP blister fluid. Blister fluid eotaxin, but not IL-5 levels, correlated significantly with the number of dermal infiltrating eosinophils. By immunohistochemistry, eotaxin was strongly expressed in epidermal keratinocytes around BP blisters. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that eotaxin and IL-5 are strongly associated with the tissue eosinophilia of BP. Therapies which aim to inhibit production of eotaxin and IL-5 may improve the inflammation and blister formation in BP.     

Ultrastructural studies of eosinophils in passive cutaneous anaphylaxis

Summary Kinetics and ultrastructural changes of eosinophils in passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in guinea pigs were studied. Ovalbumin was used. Skin biopsies were studied with the electron microscope. Degranulation of eosinophils in the vascular lumen, the vascular wall, and in the surrounding of vessels was noted. There was edema and degeneration of collagen fibers.     

ADCC效应综述

参与ADCC(antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity)的效应细胞主要有NK细胞、吞噬细胞、嗜酸性粒细胞等.抗体类型有IgG、IgE和血清型IgA.ADCC在抗感染、抗肿瘤方面具有重要意义.ADCC效应被用于B细胞恶性肿瘤的临床治疗.     

变应性真菌性鼻窦炎

变应性真菌性鼻窦炎（allergic fungal rhinosinusitis,AFRS）是一种由真菌作为抗原引起、嗜酸性粒细胞激发的持续性级联变态反应。其有别于其他真菌性鼻窦炎,有其独特的病理生理学特征,本文主要从其命名、流行病学、诊断和治疗方面进行综述。