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- Kinsman, John, et al.
(author)
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Good practices and challenges in addressing poliomyelitis and measles in the European Union
- 2018
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In: European Journal of Public Health. - : Oxford University Press. - 1101-1262 .- 1464-360X. ; 28:4, s. 730-734
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: All European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) Member States have pledged to ensure political commitment towards sustaining the region's poliomyelitis-free status and eliminating measles. However, there remain significant gaps between policy and practice in many countries. This article reports on an assessment conducted for the European Commission that aimed to support improvements in preparedness and response to poliomyelitis and measles in Europe.Methods: A documentary review was complemented by qualitative interviews with professionals working in International and EU agencies, and in at-risk or recently affected EU/EEA Member States (six each for poliomyelitis and measles). Twenty-six interviews were conducted on poliomyelitis and 24 on measles; the data were subjected to thematic analysis. Preliminary findings were then discussed at a Consensus Workshop with 22 of the interviewees and eight other experts.Results: Generic or disease-specific plans exist in the participating countries and cross-border communications during outbreaks were generally reported as satisfactory. However, surveillance systems are of uneven quality, and clinical expertise for the two diseases is limited by a lack of experience. Serious breaches of protocol have recently been reported from companies producing poliomyelitis vaccines, and vaccine coverage rates for both diseases were also sub-optimal. A set of suggested good practices to address these and other challenges is presented.Conclusions: Poliomyelitis and measles should be brought fully onto the policy agendas of all EU/EEA Member States, and adequate resources provided to address them. Each country must abide by the relevant commitments that they have already made.
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| 3. |
- Vasilopoulou, M., et al.
(author)
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Interventions about physical activity and diet and their impact on adolescent and young adult cancer survivors : a Prisma systematic review
- 2024
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In: Supportive Care in Cancer. - : Springer Nature. - 0941-4355 .- 1433-7339. ; 32:6
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose Over the past few decades, the incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults (AYA) has been increasing. The impact of behaviors, such as physical activity (PA) and nutrition, on disease progression, prognosis, and overall health and quality of life for AYA cancer survivors is of significant importance. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of PA and diet interventions for AYA cancer survivors and to critically evaluate existing literature, gaps, and limitations.Methods A search of literature was conducted in PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar following the PRISMA guidelines. Twenty-two studies were included from online databases from 2012 to 2022, 13 of which were randomized controlled trials.Results Most interventions were related to PA, with only four studies including nutrition or Diet interventions. The interventions were generally feasible and acceptable to AYA cancer survivors, and digitally based PA interventions were commonly used. PA interventions mainly comprised aerobic and resistance training and were individualized. Overall, this review found various PA and diet interventions for AYA cancer survivors that were feasible and well-accepted, but gaps in knowledge and design still exist.Conclusions This systematic review underscores the importance of conducting more research on diet interventions for YCS.
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| 4. |
- Vonkavaara, Malin, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Drosophila melanogaster as a model for elucidating the pathogenicity of Francisella tularensis
- 2008
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In: Cellular Microbiology. - : Hindawi Limited. - 1462-5814 .- 1462-5822. ; 10:6, s. 1327-1338
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Drosophila melanogaster is a widely used model organism for research on innate immunity and serves as an experimental model for infectious diseases. The aetiological agent of the zoonotic disease tularaemia, Francisella tularensis, can be transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes and Drosophila might be a useful, genetically amenable model host to elucidate the interactions between the bacterium and its arthropod vectors. We found that the live vaccine strain of F. tularensis was phagocytosed by Drosophila and multiplied in fly haemocytes in vitro and in vivo. Bacteria injected into flies resided both inside haemocytes and extracellularly in the open circulatory system. A continuous activation of the humoral immune response, i.e. production of antimicrobial peptides under control of the imd/Relish signalling pathway, was observed and it may have contributed to the relative resistance to F. tularensis as flies defective in the imd/Relish pathway died rapidly. Importantly, bacterial strains deficient for genes of the F. tularensis intracellular growth locus or the macrophage growth locus were attenuated in D. melanogaster. Our results demonstrate that D. melanogaster is a suitable model for the analysis of interactions between F. tularensis and its arthropod hosts and that it can also be used to identify F. tularensis virulence factors relevant for mammalian hosts.
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| 5. |
- Wiklund, Magda-Lena, et al.
(author)
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The N-terminal half of the Drosophila Rel/NF-kappa B factor Relish, REL-68, constitutively activates transcription of specific Relish target genes
- 2009
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In: Developmental and Comparative Immunology. - New York : Elsevier BV. - 0145-305X .- 1879-0089. ; 33:5, s. 690-696
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Rel/NF-kappa B transcription factor Relish is a major regulator of the antimicrobial response in Drosophila. Upon immune challenge, Relish is cleaved to generate two fragments, the DNA-binding transcription factor REL-68 and the I kappa B-like REL-49. Using transgenic fly strains we show here that overexpression of REL-68 separately from REL-49 is sufficient to activate strong constitutive transcription of the Diptericin gene, but little constitutive or inducible transcription of Attacin and Cecropin, two other Relish target genes. Their transcription may therefore require additional modifications of Relish. However, phosphorylation of the conserved serine residue S431 is not involved in such modifications. This is unlike p65 and Dorsal, which are modulated by phosphorylation at their homologous site. In contrast to other I kappa B proteins, overexpression of REL-49 had no inhibitory effect on Relish-dependent transcription. Instead, we propose that the C-terminal I kappa B-like domain executes a scaffolding and recruiting function for full activation of Relish.
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| 6. |
- Åhlund, Monika K, et al.
(author)
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Directed screen of Francisella novicida virulence determinants using Drosophila melanogaster
- 2010
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In: Infection and Immunity. - : ASM International. - 0019-9567 .- 1098-5522. ; 78:7, s. 3118-3128
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Francisella tularensis is a highly virulent, facultative intracellular human pathogen whose virulence mechanisms are not well understood. Occasional outbreaks of tularemia and the potential use of F. tularensis as a bioterrorist agent warrant better knowledge about the pathogenicity of this bacterium. Thus far, genome-wide in vivo screens for virulence factors have been performed in mice, all however restricted by the necessity to apply competition-based, negative-selection assays. We wanted to individually evaluate putative virulence determinants suggested by such assays and performed directed screening of 249 F. novicida transposon insertion mutants by using survival of infected fruit flies as a measure of bacterial virulence. Some 20% of the genes tested were required for normal virulence in flies; most of these had not previously been investigated in detail in vitro or in vivo. We further characterized their involvement in bacterial proliferation and pathogenicity in flies and in mouse macrophages. Hierarchical cluster analysis of mutant phenotypes indicated a functional linkage between clustered genes. One cluster grouped all but four genes of the Francisella pathogenicity island and other loci required for intracellular survival. We also identified genes involved in adaptation to oxidative stress and genes which might induce host energy wasting. Several genes related to type IV pilus formation demonstrated hypervirulent mutant phenotypes. Collectively, the data demonstrate that the bacteria in part use similar virulence mechanisms in mammals as in Drosophila melanogaster but that a considerable proportion of the virulence factors active in mammals are dispensable for pathogenicity in the insect model.
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