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Background. The production of Sabin inactivated polio virus vaccine (IPV) can reduce biosafety requirements in the posteradication/post-oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) era. We conducted a phase II, randomized, positive-controlled trial to assess the safety and immunogenicity of Sabin IPV. Methods. The test groups (A, B, and C) received 3 doses of high, middle, and low D antigen (D Ag) of Sabin IPV at ages 2, 3, and 4 months, respectively. Infants in 2 control groups, group D and group E, received 3 doses of trivalent OPV and conventional IPV (cIPV), respectively, on the same schedule as that of groups A, B, and C. Serum samples were collected before and 30 days after the administration of the third dose. Results. In total, 500 infants were randomly assigned to 5 groups, and 449 infants completed the vaccine series. No serious adverse events were associated with vaccinations. After 3 doses, the seroconversion rates in groups A, B, C, D, and E were 100%, 97.8%, 96.6%, 100%, and 90.1%, respectively, for type 1 poliovirus; 97.7%, 95.7%, 78.7%, 100%, and 90.1%, respectively, for type 2; and 98.8%, 98.9%, 93.3%, 100%, and 97.8%, respectively, for type 3. Conclusions. Sabin IPV has good safety characteristics. The seroconversion rates for type 1 poliovirus (most appropriate concentration, 15 D Ag units [DU]), type 2 (32 DU), and type 3 (45 DU) Sabin IPV were similar to those of the OPV and cIPV control groups. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT01056705.

Background. A Sabin strain–based inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine (Sabin-IPV) is the rational option for completely eradicating poliovirus transmission. The neutralizing capacity of Sabin-IPV immune serum to different strains of poliovirus is a key indicator of the clinical protective efficacy of this vaccine. Methods. Sera collected from 500 infants enrolled in a randomized, blinded, positive control, phase 2 clinical trial were randomly divided into 5 groups: Groups A, B, and C received high, medium, and low doses, respectively, of Sabin-IPV, while groups D and E received trivalent oral polio vaccine and Salk strain–based IPV, respectively, all on the same schedule. Immune sera were collected after the third dose of primary immunization, and tested in cross-neutralization assays against 19 poliovirus strains of all 3 types. Results. All immune sera from all 5 groups interacted with the 19 poliovirus strains with various titers and in a dose-dependent manner. One type 2 immunodeficiency-associated vaccine-derived poliovirus strain was not recognized by these immune sera. Conclusions. Sabin-IPV vaccine can induce protective antibodies against currently circulating and reference wild poliovirus strains and most vaccine-derived poliovirus strains, with rare exceptions. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT01056705

Current influenza control strategies require an active surveillance system. Pseudotyped viral particles (pp) together with the evaluation of pre-existing immunity in a population might satisfy this requirement. However, the reliability of using pp in neutralizing antibody (nAb) detection are undefined. Pseudotyped particles of A(H1N1)pmd09 (A/California/7/2009) and HPAI H5N1 (A/Anhui/1/2005), as well as their reassortants, were generated. The reliability of using these pp in nAb detection were compared concurrently with the corresponding viruses by a hemagglutination inhibition test, as well as ELISA-, cytopathic effect-, and fluorescence-based microneutralization assays. In the qualitative detection on nAbs, the pp and their corresponding viruses were in complete agreement, with an R2 value equal to or near 1 in two different populations. In the quantitative detection on nAbs, although the geometric mean titers (95% confidence interval) differed between the pp and viruses, no significant difference was observed. Furthermore, humoral immunity against the reassortants was evaluated; our results indicated strong consistency between the nAbs against reassortant pp and those against naïve pp harboring the same hemagglutinin. The pp displayed high reliability in influenza virus nAb detection. The use of reassortant pp is a safe and convenient strategy for characterizing emerging influenza viruses and surveying the disease burden.

•The preparation procedure for DTaP-sIPV was successfully developed.•Rhesus monkeys were immunized with the prepared DTaP-sIPV for evaluating its immunogenicity.•The dynamic profiles of the antibody responses were well induced by the DTaP-sIPV.•The DTaP-sIPV is presumed to be a candidate combined vaccine in the future. The World Health Organization has recommended that a Sabin inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) should gradually and synchronously replace oral polio vaccines for routine immunizations because its benefits in eliminating vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis have been reported in different phases of clinical trials. It is also considered important to explore new tetravalent diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis-Sabin IPV (DTaP-sIPV) candidate vaccines for possible use in developing countries. In this study, the immunogenicity of a combined tetravalent DTaP-sIPV candidate vaccine was investigated in primates by evaluating the neutralizing antibody responses it induced. The dynamic profiles of the antibody responses to each of the separate antigenic components and serotypes of Sabin IPV were determined and their corresponding geometric mean titers were similar to those generated by the tetravalent diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis-conventional IPV (DTaP–cIPV), the tetravalent diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP), and Sabin IPV vaccines in the control groups. This implies that protective immunogenic effects are conferred by this combined tetravalent formulation.

Background. The development of a Sabin strain–based inactivated poliovirus vaccine (Sabin-IPV) is imperative to protecting against vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis in developing countries. Methods. In this double-blinded, parallel-group, noninferiority trial, eligible infants aged 60–90 days were randomly assigned in a ratio of 1:1 to receive either 3 doses of Sabin-IPV or Salk strain-based IPV (Salk-IPV) at 30-day intervals and a booster at the age of 18 months. Immunogenicity and safety were assessed on the basis of a protocol. Results. Of 1438 infants, 1200 eligible infants were recruited and received either Sabin-IPV or Salk-IPV. From the Sabin-IPV and Salk-IPV groups, 570 and 564 infants, respectively, completed the primary immunization and formed the per-protocol population. The seroconversion rates of the participants who received Sabin-IPV were 100%, 94.9%, and 99.0% (types I, II, and III, respectively), and those of the participants who received Salk-IPV were 94.7%, 91.3%, and 97.9% 1 month after the completion of primary immunization. An anamnestic response for poliovirus types I, II, and III was elicited by a booster in both groups. Except in the case of fever, other adverse events were similar between the 2 groups. Conclusions. The immune response induced by Sabin-IPV was not inferior to that established with Salk-IPV.

Background Current influenza control strategies require an active surveillance system. Pseudotyped viral particles (pp) together with the evaluation of pre-existing immunity in a population might satisfy this requirement. However, the reliability of using pp in neutralizing antibody (nAb) detection are undefined. Methodology/Principal Findings Pseudotyped particles of A(H1N1)pmd09 (A/California/7/2009) and HPAI H5N1 (A/Anhui/1/2005), as well as their reassortants, were generated. The reliability of using these pp in nAb detection were compared concurrently with the corresponding viruses by a hemagglutination inhibition test, as well as ELISA-, cytopathic effect-, and fluorescence-based microneutralization assays. In the qualitative detection on nAbs, the pp and their corresponding viruses were in complete agreement, with an R2 value equal to or near 1 in two different populations. In the quantitative detection on nAbs, although the geometric mean titers (95% confidence interval) differed between the pp and viruses, no significant difference was observed. Furthermore, humoral immunity against the reassortants was evaluated; our results indicated strong consistency between the nAbs against reassortant pp and those against naive pp harboring the same hemagglutinin. Conclusion/Significance The pp displayed high reliability in influenza virus nAb detection. The use of reassortant pp is a safe and convenient strategy for characterizing emerging influenza viruses and surveying the disease burden.

The Beijing-Arizona Sky Survey (BASS) is a wide-field two-band photometric survey of the northern Galactic Cap using the 90Prime imager on the 2.3 m Bok telescope at Kitt Peak. It is a four-year collaboration between the National Astronomical Observatory of China and Steward Observatory, the University of Arizona, serving as one of the three imaging surveys to provide photometric input catalogs for target selection of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) project. BASS will take up to 240 dark/gray nights to cover an area of about 5400 deg2 in the g and r bands. The 5 limiting AB magnitudes for point sources in the two bands, corrected for the Galactic extinction, are 24.0 and 23.4 mag, respectively. BASS, together with other DESI imaging surveys, will provide unique science opportunities that cover a wide range of topics in both Galactic and extragalactic astronomy.

Designing a multifunctional separator with abundant ion migration paths is crucial for tuning the ion transport in rocking‐chair‐type batteries. Herein, a polydopamine‐functionalized PVDF (PVDF@PDA) nanofibrous membrane is designed to serve as a separator for aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs). The functional groups (OH and NH) in PDA facilitate the formation of ZnO and ZnN coordination bonds with Zn ions, homogenizing the Zn‐ion flux and thus enabling dendrite‐free Zn deposition. Moreover, the PVDF@PDA separator effectively inhibits the shuttling of V‐species through the formation of VO coordination bonds. As a result, the Zn/NH4V4O10 battery with the PVDF@PDA separator exhibits enhanced cycling stability (92.3% after 1000 cycles at 5 A g−1) and rate capability compared to that using a glass fiber separator. This work provides a new avenue to design functionalized separators for high‐performance AZIBs. A polydopamine‐functionalized PVDF (PVDF@PDA) nanofibrous membrane is designed as a separator for aqueous zinc‐ion batteries. The PVDF@PDA separator homogenizes the Zn‐ion flux distribution to achieve the dendrite‐free Zn deposition via the metal‐PDA coordination chemistry. Moreover, the PVDF@PDA separator inhibits the shuttle of V‐species. Benefiting from the separator, the Zn/NH4V4O10 full cell retains 92.3% capacity after 1000 cycles at 5 A g−1.

Tucidinostat (formerly known as chidamide) is an oral subtype-selective histone deacetylase inhibitor. In an exploratory study, the combination of tucidinostat with exemestane showed preliminary signs of encouraging anti-tumour activity in patients with advanced hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. To build on these findings, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of this combination in a randomised trial in a larger population of postmenopausal patients with advanced, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. We did the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 ACE trial at 22 specialist cancer centres in China. Eligible patients were postmenopausal women (aged ≥60 years or aged <60 years if their serum follicle-stimulating hormone and oestradiol concentrations were within postmenopausal ranges) with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, whose disease had relapsed or progressed after at least one endocrine therapy (either in advanced or metastatic or adjuvant setting), and who had at least one measurable lesion, adequate organ function, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0–1, and adequate haematological and biochemical parameters. Endocrine therapy did not have to be the most recent therapy before randomisation, but recurrence or progression after the most recent therapy was a prerequisite. Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) by a dynamic randomisation scheme via an interactive web-response system to receive 30 mg oral tucidinostat or placebo twice weekly. All patients in both groups also received 25 mg oral exemestane daily. Randomisation was stratified according to the presence of visceral metastases (yes vs no). Patients, investigators, study site staff, and the sponsor were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival. Efficacy analyses were done in the full analysis set population, comprising all patients who received at least one dose of any study treatment, and safety analyses were done in all patients who received at least one dose of any study treatment and for whom at least one safety case report form was available. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02482753. The study has reached the required number of events for final analysis of the primary endpoint. The trial is no longer enrolling patients, but follow-up for investigation of overall survival is ongoing. Between July 20, 2015, and June 26, 2017, 365 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned, 244 to the tucidinostat group and 121 to the placebo group. The median duration of follow-up was 13·9 months (IQR 9·8–17·5). Investigator-assessed median progression-free survival was 7·4 months (95% CI 5·5–9·2) in the tucidinostat group and 3·8 months (3·7–5·5) in the placebo group (HR 0·75 [95% CI 0·58–0·98]; p=0·033). The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events in either group were neutropenia (124 [51%] of 244 patients in the tucidinostat group vs three [2%] of 121 patients in the placebo group), thrombocytopenia (67 [27%] vs three [2%]), and leucopenia (46 [19%] vs three [2%]). Serious adverse events of any cause occurred in 51 (21%) of 244 patients in the tucidinostat group and seven (6%) of 121 patients in the placebo group. No treatment-related deaths were reported. Tucidinostat plus exemestane improved progression-free survival compared with placebo plus exemestane in patients with advanced, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer that progressed after previous endocrine therapy. Grade 3–4 haematological adverse events were more common in the tucidinostat plus exemestane group than in the placebo plus exemestane group. Tucidinostat plus exemestane could represent a new treatment option for these patients. Chipscreen Biosciences.

In the standard cosmological model, dark matter drives the structure formation of galaxies and constructs potential wells within which galaxies may form. The baryon fraction in dark halos can reach the Universal value (15.7%) in massive clusters and decreases rapidly as the mass of the system decreases 1 , 2 . The formation of dwarf galaxies is sensitive both to baryonic processes and the properties of dark matter owing to the shallow potential wells in which they form. In dwarf galaxies in the Local Group, dark matter dominates the mass content even within their optical-light half-radii ( r e  ≈ 1 kpc) 3 , 4 . However, recently it has been argued that not all dwarf galaxies are dominated by dark matter 5 – 7 . Here we report 19 dwarf galaxies that could consist mainly of baryons up to radii well beyond r e , at which point they are expected to be dominated by dark matter. Of these, 14 are isolated dwarf galaxies, free from the influence of nearby bright galaxies and high-density environments. This result provides observational evidence that could challenge the formation theory of low-mass galaxies within the framework of standard cosmology. Further observations, in particular deep imaging and spatially resolved kinematics, are needed to constrain the baryon fraction better in such galaxies. Nineteen dwarf galaxies from the ALFALFA catalogue support previous observations of dwarf galaxies that suggested a deficiency in dark matter, challenging the formation theory of low-mass galaxies within the standard cold dark matter model.