The biologic Griffithsin (GRFT) has recently emerged as a candidate to safely prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2). However, to date, there are few delivery platforms that are available to effectively deliver biologics to the female reproductive tract (FRT). The goal of this work was to evaluate rapid-release polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) fibers, that incorporate GRFT, in in vitro (HIV-1 and HSV-2) and in vivo (HSV-2) infection models. GRFT loading was determined via ELISA, and the bioactivity of GRFT fibers was assessed using in vitro HIV-1 pseudovirus and HSV-2 plaque assays. Afterwards, the efficacy of GRFT fibers was assessed in a murine model of lethal HSV-2 infection. Finally, murine reproductive tracts and vaginal lavages were evaluated for histology and cytokine expression, 24 and 72 hr after fiber administration, to determine safety. All rapid-release formulations achieved high levels of GRFT incorporation and were completely efficacious against in vitro HIV-1 and HSV-2 infections. Importantly, all rapid-release GRFT fibers provided potent protection in a murine model of HSV-2 infection. Moreover, histology and cytokine levels, evaluated from collected murine reproductive tissues and vaginal lavages treated with blank fibers, showed no increased cytokine production or histological aberrations, demonstrating the preliminary safety of rapid-release GRFT fibers in vaginal tissue.

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is one of the main causes of death due to cardiomyopathy and heart failure in Latin American countries. The treatment of Chagas disease is directed at eliminating the parasite, decreasing the probability of cardiomyopathy, and disrupting the disease transmission cycle. Benznidazole (BZ) and nifurtimox (NFX) are recognized as effective drugs for the treatment of Chagas disease by the World Health Organization, but both have high toxicity and limited efficacy, especially in the chronic disease phase. At low doses, aspirin (ASA) has been reported to protect against T. cruzi infection. We evaluated the effectiveness of BZ in combination with ASA at low doses during the acute disease phase and evaluated cardiovascular aspects and cardiac lesions in the chronic phase. ASA treatment prevented the cardiovascular dysfunction (hypertension and tachycardia) and typical cardiac lesions. Moreover, BZ+ASA-treated mice had a smaller cardiac fibrotic area than that in BZ-treated mice. These results were associated with an increase in the number of eosinophils and reticulocytes and level of nitric oxide in the plasma and cardiac tissue of ASA-treated mice relative to respective controls. These effects of ASA and BZ+ASA in chronically infected mice were inhibited by pretreatment with the LXA₄ receptor antagonist, Boc-2, indicating that the protective effects of ASA are mediated by ASA-triggered lipoxin. These results emphasize the importance of exploring new drug combinations for treatments of acute phase of Chagas disease that are beneficial for chronic patients.

Andrea T. Cruz
Apr 8, 2020; 0:peds.2020-0834v2-e20200834
COMMENTARY

CONTEXT:

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) (pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine [PCV-13] and pneumococcal 10-valent conjugate vaccine [PCV-10]) are available for prevention of pneumococcal infections in children.

The 8TB SSD prototype includes SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps support; WD also showed off a portable Luxe drive with USB-C and five WD_Black drives for console and PC gamers

C. Michael Cotten
Jan 1, 2009; 123:58-66
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Barbara J. Stoll
May 1, 2011; 127:817-826
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Yong Y. Han
Dec 1, 2005; 116:1506-1512
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Mary Ellen Avery
Jan 1, 1987; 79:26-30
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Jan 1, 2002; 109:45-60
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On the tech front, expect deals on Alexa smart speakers and displays, Fire TV media streamers, Fire tablets, Kindle ebook readers, home security devices, TVs, gaming gear, printers, and more.

Instructions for using the new Alternative Grade Calculator and Request Tool in LionPATH are now available for undergraduates and students enrolled in the Graduate School.

To help teachers remotely engage their students during the coronavirus crisis, Penn State’s Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Education Initiative has released its first set of free learning resources.

The Coronavirus and International Affairs Roundtable, taking place 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 17, via Zoom, will bring together experts in law and international affairs from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and the Caribbean to discuss the broader impact of COVID-19.

The Netgear M5 is the 5G hotspot we've been waiting for, but it isn't coming out until the second half of the year. A separate Netgear CES announcement, meanwhile, showed another weakness of 5G in the US right now.

External speakers will allow drivers to talk to pedestrians without opening a window, or play pre-recorded clips to passers-by.

We expected the Model Y to ship in the Fall with a 280 mile range, but now it's shipping in March with a 315 mile range.

CNA Staff, Mar 27, 2020 / 11:19 am (CNA).- Four men working in Iraq for the French humanitarian organization SOS Chrétiens d'Orient who went missing in Baghdad in January have been released by their kidnappers, the French president announced Thursday.

Emmanuel Macron announced March 26 that he “welcomes the release of our three nationals Antoine Brochon, Julien Dittmar, Alexandre Goodarzy and Iraqi Tariq Mattoka.”

The men disappeared Jan. 20 after they made a trip to an appointment by car. SOS Chrétiens d'Orient tried to contact them the following day, unsuccessfully.

The missing employees had gone to Baghdad “to renew their visas and the registration of association with the Iraqi authorities and to monitor the association's operations” in the country.

Macron's office said it had made “every effort” to secure their release, and he expressed “gratitude to the Iraqi authorities for their co-operation.”

SOS Chrétiens d'Orient said last week that they had received no ransom demand, and no group had claimed responsibility for the abduction.

The organization works to support Eastern Christians with humanitarian material aid; it has permanent missions in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Egypt.

Christians in Iraq have suffered persecution in recent years, especially during the invasion of the Islamic State.

Prior to the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003, there were about 1.5 million Iraqi Christians. Today, that number is believed to be fewer than 500,000.

Not content to dominate the high-end desktop (HEDT) market with its new 32-core CPU, today AMD announced the upcoming launch of its most powerful Threadripper yet: the 64-core, 128-thread Ryzen Threadripper 3990X.

Unveiled here at CES, the new Ryzen 4000 CPU family is the first to use AMD's cutting-edge 7-nanometer production process.

To view more press releases, please visit http://ir.wintrust.com/news.aspx?iid=1024452.

To view more press releases, please visit http://ir.wintrust.com/news.aspx?iid=1024452.

Fortino struck twice after Sergio Romano had opened the scoring to seal a 3-0 victory for Italy in their third-place play-off against Colombia, who lost goalkeeper Juan Lozano to a red card.

Everyone's thinking about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and wondering if there are any cases near where they live. I recently used SAS Software to create a dashboard with a world map showing which countries had reported cases. And now that the virus has spread around the world, a world/country-level [...]

The post Tracking the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States appeared first on Graphically Speaking.

Now that COVID-19 is spreading in the US, I thought it might be helpful to view the data at a more granular level. Follow along as I plot the county data on a map and discuss how the color-binning can influence people's perception of the data. Maps like this can [...]

The post Tracking Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the US at the state/county level appeared first on Graphically Speaking.

Governor Jack Markell today joined Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) for the release of the Delaware Housing Needs Assessment 2015-2020. The report, prepared by GCR Incorporated of New Orleans, Louisiana and The Reinvestment Fund (TRF) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will drive planning for housing resources at DSHA and in communities around the State. With this new analysis of housing needs and market conditions in the state for years 2015-2020, DSHA will be identifying priorities for the next five years and evaluating its programs and strategies.

Changes will offer more housing choice near job centers, quality schools DOVER, DE — To ensure that all Delawareans have more choice of where to live, the Delaware State Housing Authority is increasing available rental assistance in Areas of Opportunity across the state, allowing families with housing vouchers to move closer to employment centers, quality […]

A record number of student startups from across Penn State campuses are getting ready for the 2020 Summer Founders program, a 13-week entrepreneurial bootcamp offering mentoring, networking, resources and $15,000 in funding to teams of Penn State student entrepreneurs from all campus locations and the World Campus.

Due to the economic challenges facing Pennsylvania and the nation, Penn State President Eric J. Barron announced plans today (April 23) to freeze tuition rates for all students University-wide for the 2020-21 academic year. The plan, which will be presented to the University’s Board of Trustees for final approval at its July meeting, would mark the third consecutive year that Penn State has held tuition rates flat for Pennsylvania resident students.

A new concession means there's a more flexible way of transferring a residence from your company, trust and CC.

Recommendations include expanded residential treatment, public education, and naloxone access The Delaware Drug Overdose Fatality Review Commission (DOFRC) has released its first annual report to Governor John Carney and the General Assembly with recommendations aimed at reducing overdose deaths in Delaware based on review of the circumstances of deaths over the past year. The 23-page […]

July 1, 2019  Dover, DE—Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware (Highmark BCBS) has submitted its required annual rate filing to the Delaware Department of Insurance. After years of substantial increases, Delaware’s Marketplace has stabilized and premiums have decreased. Highmark BCBS, the only insurer continuing to offer insurance coverage in Delaware’s individual market, has proposed […]

Dover, DE – Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro officially announced the final approval of the 2019 Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) rates. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware (“Highmark BCBSD”), the only insurer currently on the Marketplace, originally proposed a rate decrease of 5.8% for its 2019 individual Marketplace business. Commissioner Navarro, ultimately approved a decrease […]

DOVER, DE – Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro is pleased to announce that there will be another decrease in workers’ compensation insurance rates, effective December 1, 2019. “I am delighted to approve a decrease in workers’ compensation rates in Delaware for the third year in a row,” stated Commissioner Navarro. “These continued decreases mean significant […]

Action, legislation, and investigations into “patriot penalties” Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro responded strongly to a Consumer Federation of America report that Delaware service members may return home from deployment to increased auto insurance premiums, calling the practice completely unacceptable and issuing a formal bulletin to insurance companies about the illegality of this practice in […]

Newport, Del.– Discovering Delaware went digital to celebrate National American Beer Day as the Delaware Tourism Office (Visit Delaware) unveiled Delaware on Tap, the new smartphone application version of the state’s popular Beer, Wine & Spirits Trail. The office showcased the app, which is available for free download in the App Store and from Google […]

Working to preserve Delaware’s heritage for the future, the plan outlines six broad goals for the next five years.

Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk said in a podcast interview released on Thursday that the company's planned Roadster sports car would take a backseat to the development of other vehicle models.

The Skoda Enyaq will be offered in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants with three different battery capacities and five performance specs.