South Africa experienced a major measles outbreak from 2009 to 2011. This study was done to describe the patient profile of children admitted with measles for a period during the outbreak. It includes patient demographics, clinical presentation, management and outcomes. An audit of the notification system was also performed.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between MMR vaccination coverage and measles incidence in the US, as well as to examine the demographic characteristics and socio-economic status of unvaccinated individuals to determine if there are certain sub-populations who are routinely not receiving the MMR vaccine. METHODS/PROCEDURES: This retrospective cohort study determined the MMR vaccination coverage per year and compared it to the measles incidence for the same year. RESULTS: Results from this study suggest that regional differences in MMR vaccination rates spanning across multiple sub-populations are associated with the increasing measles incidence in the US. CONCLUSIONS: The correlations between MMR vaccination coverage and measles incidence in the US should be investigated further to determine what specific programs can be put in place to increase MMR vaccination rates state-wide and among vulnerable sub-populations.

Globalization has brought health concerns to the forefront. Moreover, governments, policymakers, and health officials are paying more attention to these health concerns. With the increased cross-national interaction, diseases have more pathways to spread than ever. As countries attempt to ensure access to care and control health expenditure, monitoring and improving the quality of health care is a pressing issue. This paper uses linear regressions to analyze the relationship between prevention and public health expenditure and the rate of measles immunizations in member countries of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). There is a weak negative relationship between the expenditure and rates of measles immunizations for both private and public expenditure data, suggesting that the higher the expenditure the lower the rates of measles immunizations. Several possible reasons for this phenomenon is discussed in conjunction with the role of health educators as it relates to the use of theory based interventions to improve rates of measles immunizations.

Despite the availability of live attenuated measles virus vaccines, a large number of measles-associated deaths occur among infants in developing countries during the "window of susceptibility" (age 4-9 months). During this period declining maternal antibody titers are no longer protective against wild-type measles virus (MV) and impede successful immunization with the live attenuated vaccines. Therefore, the development of a safe vaccine that would induce protective immunity in the presence of maternally derived MV-specific antibodies in young infants and would close the "window of susceptibility" is desirable. Since adenoviruses have been shown as suitable vaccine candidates capable of eliciting potent protection against mucosal infectious diseases, the ability of an adenovirus-vectored anti-measles vaccine to elicit robust immune responses against MV was assessed in this study. Mice immunized intramuscularly or intranasally with a combination of human adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) recombinants expressing MV hemagglutinin (H) and fusion (F) glycoproteins developed MV-specific neutralizing antibody titers similar for both routes of immunization. However, intramuscular immunization of mice with Ad5 recombinants resulted in induction of a predominant T helper type (Th1) immune response, whereas intranasal immunization induced a balanced Th1/Th2 immune response. Furthermore, intranasal immunization resulted in increased titers of MV-specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) in lungs in comparison to intramuscularly immunized animals. The ability of the Ad5 recombinants to induce protective immune responses in cotton rats by different routes of administration was also evaluated. Cotton rats that received a single dose of the Ad5 recombinants intramuscularly or intranasally experienced a rise in MV-specific neutralizing antibody titers and reduction of the viral RNA load in the lung tissue after intranasal MV challenge. In addition, the largest reduction in viral replication was observed in the group of cotton rats inoculated with the Ad5 recombinants intranasally. Based on these observations, the Ad5-based vaccine appears to be a suitable candidate against measles. Furthermore, a capability of purified globular head domain of MV H protein produced in a human cell line to induce MV-specific immune responses in mice was tested. Subcutaneous immunization of mice with the recombinant protein alone resulted in both humoral and cell-mediated immunity, characterized by the production of MV-specific serum IgG and neutralizing antibodies, as well as interferon-gamma and interleukin 5 (IL-5) production by in vitro restimulated splenocytes. The former responses were further enhanced by formulation of the protein with aluminium hydroxide. However, very low numbers of INF-gamma secreting cells and low levels of IgG2a in the serum suggested a Th2 immune response. Novel adjuvants (Th1-directing), as well as MV F protein should be considered for the inclusion into the vaccine formulations to induce more balanced Th1/Th2 immune responses against measles.

Despite the availability of live attenuated measles virus vaccines, a large number of measles-associated deaths occur among infants in developing countries during the "window of susceptibility" (age 4-9 months). During this period declining maternal antibody titers are no longer protective against wild-type measles virus (MV) and impede successful immunization with the live attenuated vaccines. Therefore, the development of a safe vaccine that would induce protective immunity in the presence of maternally derived MV-specific antibodies in young infants and would close the "window of susceptibility" is desirable. Since adenoviruses have been shown as suitable vaccine candidates capable of eliciting potent protection against mucosal infectious diseases, the ability of an adenovirus-vectored anti-measles vaccine to elicit robust immune responses against MV was assessed in this study. Mice immunized intramuscularly or intranasally with a combination of human adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) recombinants expressing MV hemagglutinin (H) and fusion (F) glycoproteins developed MV-specific neutralizing antibody titers similar for both routes of immunization. However, intramuscular immunization of mice with Ad5 recombinants resulted in induction of a predominant T helper type (Th1) immune response, whereas intranasal immunization induced a balanced Th1/Th2 immune response. Furthermore, intranasal immunization resulted in increased titers of MV-specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) in lungs in comparison to intramuscularly immunized animals. The ability of the Ad5 recombinants to induce protective immune responses in cotton rats by different routes of administration was also evaluated. Cotton rats that received a single dose of the Ad5 recombinants intramuscularly or intranasally experienced a rise in MV-specific neutralizing antibody titers and reduction of the viral RNA load in the lung tissue after intranasal MV challenge. In addition, the largest reduction in viral replication was observed in the group of cotton rats inoculated with the Ad5 recombinants intranasally. Based on these observations, the Ad5-based vaccine appears to be a suitable candidate against measles. Furthermore, a capability of purified globular head domain of MV H protein produced in a human cell line to induce MV-specific immune responses in mice was tested. Subcutaneous immunization of mice with the recombinant protein alone resulted in both humoral and cell-mediated immunity, characterized by the production of MV-specific serum IgG and neutralizing antibodies, as well as interferon-gamma and interleukin 5 (IL-5) production by in vitro restimulated splenocytes. The former responses were further enhanced by formulation of the protein with aluminium hydroxide. However, very low numbers of INF-gamma secreting cells and low levels of IgG2a in the serum suggested a Th2 immune response. Novel adjuvants (Th1-directing), as well as MV F protein should be considered for the inclusion into the vaccine formulations to induce more balanced Th1/Th2 immune responses against measles.

Globalization has brought health concerns to the forefront. Moreover, governments, policymakers, and health officials are paying more attention to these health concerns. With the increased cross-national interaction, diseases have more pathways to spread than ever. As countries attempt to ensure access to care and control health expenditure, monitoring and improving the quality of health care is a pressing issue. This paper uses linear regressions to analyze the relationship between prevention and public health expenditure and the rate of measles immunizations in member countries of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). There is a weak negative relationship between the expenditure and rates of measles immunizations for both private and public expenditure data, suggesting that the higher the expenditure the lower the rates of measles immunizations. Several possible reasons for this phenomenon is discussed in conjunction with the role of health educators as it relates to the use of theory based interventions to improve rates of measles immunizations.

Die subakute sklerosierende Panenzephalitis (SSPE), eine durch das Masernvirus (MV) verursachte sogenannte „ slow virus “ Infektion des zentralen Nervensystems, ist eine progrediente chronische Erkrankung, die zum Tod führt und bisher medikamentös nicht heilbar ist. Da die RNAi-Strategien grundsätzlich zur Inhibition von Viren in Säugetierzellen geeignet sind, stellt die RNAi eine Möglichkeit dar, die Infektion auf molekularer Ebene anzugreifen. Dafür wurden verschiedene miRNA-Expressionskassetten, welche gegen zwei Sequenzen im MV- Hämagglutinin-Gen (H) und sechs Sequenzen im MV-Nukleokapsid-Gen (N) gerichtet sind, konstruiert und in MV infizierte Zellen eingebracht. Diese miRNAExpressionskassetten wurden auf zwei verschiedenen Wegen in die Zelle eingebracht: Zum einen wurden sie über ein miRNA-Expressionsplasmid (pmiR), welches in die Zellen transfiziert wird, transient exprimiert; zum anderen wurden sie durch virale Vektoren (HIV, SIV und MoMLV) stabil in die Zellen transduziert. Dies ermöglicht die Integration der miRNAExpressionskassette in das Genom der Zelle und dadurch die Expression der miRNAs für einige Wochen. In erster Linie zielt die Wirkung der RNA-Interferenz auf die Degradierung der spezifischen MV-mRNAs. Diese Degradierung konnte mit Hilfe quantitative Reverse Transkription real time-PCR (qRT-PCR) nachgewiesen werden. Die transiente Expression der verschiedenen miRNAs gegen das MV-N-Gen bzw. MV-H-Gen führte in jedem Fall zu einer Reduktion der viralen genspezifischen mRNAs. Die Reduktion der MV spezifischen mRNA betrug 99,8% für das MV-N-Gen und 91,2% für das MV-H-Gen. Die Wirkung der RNA-Interferenz zielt am Ende auf die Reduktion der neu gebildeten infektiösen Viruspartikel und ihrer Verbreitung in der Zellkultur, welche die spezifische miRNA gegen MV-N oder MV-H exprimiert. Dieser Effekt konnte nur durch Plaque-Assay überprüft werden. Die Plaque-Assays, die mit den Überständen der miRNA-behandelten Zelllinien durchgeführt wurden, zeigten ebenfalls eine Reduktion der neu gebildeten infektiösen MV-Partikeln von 97,6% für die miRNA gegen das MV-H-Gen und 99,0 % für die miRNA gegen das MV-N-Gen. Die intrazelluläre Expression der miRNAs führte zu einer Hemmung der Virus-Ausbreitung in MV-infizierten Zellen. Die Reduktion betrug hier durch die Expression der miRNA-N10 98,8% und durch die Expression der miRNA-H2 80,0%. Hier zeigte sich, dass die Inhibition der viralen Proteinsynthese durch den RNAi-Mechanismus auch die Verbreitung der MVInfektion durch Zell-Zell-Fusion behindern kann. Dies zeigte sich durch die verringerte Bildung von Plaques bzw. Synzytien in miRNA-behandelten Zelllinien. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigte, dass RNAi effektive gegen MV-Infektion in Zellkultur eingesetzt werden kann. Als nächster Schritt sollte daher dieser RNAi-Effekt im etablierten Tiermodell ausgetestet werden.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xv, 155 p.; also includes graphics (some col.) Includes bibliographical references (p. 147-155). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-135).

The synthesis of cobalt and manganese phthalocyanine complexes bearing eight hexylthio and four amino substituents was carried out. The formation of thin films of these complexes using different modification methods was also studied. Hexylthio functionalized metallophthalocyanine complexes were immobilized onto gold electrode surfaces using the self-assembly techniques. Surface modifications using cobalt and manganese tetraamino phthalocyanine as polymers, monolayers (onto electrografted surfaces) and as carbon nanotube – metallophthalocyanine conjugates was also carried out. The new method of modifying gold electrodes with metal tetraamino phthalocyanine complexes was investigated. The modified electrode surfaces were studied for their electrocatalytic properties and as potential electrochemical sensors for the detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The limits of detection for the H₂O₂ were of the orders of ~10⁻⁷ M for all the modified electrodes. The modified electrodes gave very good analytical parameters; such as good sensitivity, linearity at studied concentration range and well-defined analytical peaks with increased current densities. The modification methods were reproducible, highly conducting thin films were formed and the modified electrodes were very stable. The design of electrochemical immunosensors for the detection of measles-specific antibodies was also carried out. The modified surface with measles-antigen as sensing element was accomplished using covalent immobilization for an intimate connection of the measles-antigen as a sensing layer onto an electrode surface. Two methods of detecting measles-specific antibodies were investigated and these methods were based on electrochemical impedance, i.e. label-free detection, and voltammetric method using horse-radish peroxidase (HRP) labeled antibody as a reporter. The detection of measles-specific antibodies was accomplished using both these methods. The potential applications of the designed immunosensor were evaluated in real samples (human and newborn calf serum) and the electrodes could detect the antibodies in the complex sample matrix with ease.