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Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a multisystem infectious disease abundant in the northern countries of the world and is caused by Borrelia species. Vaccination against LB is an effective way to prevent and reduce the number of diseases in endemic areas. Several vaccines have been developed and tested in the past, but no human LB vaccine is currently available on the market. This review aims to uncover and delineate various strategies and diverse technological approaches related to vaccine production. Furthermore, we characterize already tested vaccines, possibilities for their future development, and reasons for their failure.

Ehrlichia ruminantiumis an obligate intracellular bacterium, transmitted by ticks of the genusAmblyommaand responsible for heartwater, a disease of domestic and wild ruminants. High genetic diversity ofE. ruminantiumstrains hampers the development of an effective vaccine against all strains present in the field. In order to develop strategies for the control of heartwater through both vaccine and alternative therapeutic approaches, it is important to first gain a better understanding of the early interaction ofE. ruminantiumand its host cell. Particularly, the mechanisms associated with bacterial adhesion remain to be elucidated. Herein, we studied the role ofE. ruminantiummembrane protein ERGA_CDS_01230 (UniProt Q5FFA9), a probable iron transporter, in the adhesion process to host bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). The recombinant version of the protein ERGA_CDS_01230, successfully produced in theLeishmania tarentolaesystem, is O-glycosylated. Followingin vitroculture ofE. ruminantiumin BAEC, the expression of CDS ERGA_CDS_01230 peaks at the extracellular infectious elementary body stages. This result suggest the likely involvement of ERGA_CDS_01230, named hereafter Ape for Adhesion protein ofEhrlichia, in the early interaction ofE. ruminantiumwith its host cells. We showed using flow cytometry and scanning electron microscopy that beads coated with recombinant ERGA_CDS_01230 (rApe) adheres to BAEC. In addition, we also observed that rApe interacts with proteins of the cell lysate, membrane and organelle fractions. Additionally, enzymatic treatment degrading dermatan and chondroitin sulfates on the surface of BAEC is associated with a 50% reduction in the number of bacteria in the host cell after a developmental cycle, indicating that glycosaminoglycans seem to play a role in the adhesion ofE. ruminantiumto the host cell. Finally, Ape induces a humoral response in vaccinated animals. Globally, our work identifying the role of Ape inE. ruminantiumadhesion to host cells makes it a gold vaccine candidate and represents a first step toward the understanding of the mechanisms of cell invasion byE. ruminantium.

The paper examines the process of banking sector reforms in India. It notes the beneficial impact to the financial system consequent upon the reforms and highlights the current weaknesses in the banking system. Against this background, the paper identifies the emerging challenges and discusses ways in which they could be tackled. In order to evaluate the efficacy of the prudential norms, we conduct a stress test of credit risk. Our analysis reveals that, depending on the percentage of loans that graduate into non-performance and the provisioning made, the immediate hit is a loss of interest income between Rs.21-55 billion. The maximum level of additional provisioning that can support the present capital adequacy ratio is determined.

This study is an analysis of 250 cases over a period of 2 years, admitted to our hospital for various poisonings. The total incidence of poisoning was 11.9%, much higher as compared to the other series. Of these, 58.4% were seen in the age group of 1-4 years. Male to female ratio was 1.7:1. Incidence of food poisoning was 48.8% followed by that of kerosene (24%), pesticides (9.6%), chemicals and medicaments (8.4%), plant (3.6%) and animal bites (3.2%). Overall mortality was 0.8%.

We analyzed the prion protein (PrP) genotype based on the codons 136, 154 and 171 and assigned to five risk groups (R1-R5) in healthy and scrapie-affected sheep in Slovakia. In healthy (asymptomatic) population, 119 Merino, 106 Improved Valachian, 117 Tsigai, and 48 Suffolk breeds were tested. Among the asymptomatic sheep, the low-risk genotypes R1 and R2 were most abundant in Suffolk (94%) and Merino (84%) breeds, followed by Tsigai (58%) and Improved Valachian (40%) breeds. The medium-risk group R3 was most frequent in Improved Valachian (31%) breed, followed by Tsigai (21%), Merino (10%), and Suffolk (6%) breeds. The occurrence of high-risk groups R4 and R5 was none in Suffolk breed, followed by Merino (6%), Tsigai (21%), and Improved Valachian (30%) breeds. Since 2003, altogether 48 cases of scrapie have been confirmed in Tsigai (38), Merino (4), Improved Valachian (2), Improved Valachian x Tsigai (3), and Suffolk (1) breeds. Among sheep with scrapie, Merino breed belonged to the medium-risk group R3. The majority of scrapie-affected Tsigai sheep were classified into high-risk R5 (50%) and medium-risk R3 (42%) groups. We showed an association of scrapie with medium- and high-risk groups of PrP genotype in Slovakia. In particular, the glutamine at position 171 appears to be of major importance for the susceptibility to scrapie.

We report the synthesis of Th1–xMnxO2 (x = 0, 0.001, 0.002, 0.004, and 0.01 wt%) nanoparticles by the urea combustion method using thorium nitrate gel followed by heat treatment at a higher temperature (T). The obtained Th1–xMnxO2 nanocrystals were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), direct-current magnetization (M) measurements and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). XRD analysis revealed that Th1–xMnxO2 crystallizes in the cubic structure (Fm3m). M measurements showed ferromagnetic ordering at room temperature for Th0.99Mn0.01O2 samples annealed at 775 K. An intense and broad ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) having linewidth of ∼1200 G, was observed at relatively lower fields in the EPR spectra of Th0.99Mn0.01O2 samples annealed at 775 K, indicating the presence of a ferromagnetic phase at room temperature. EPR measurements were used to estimate the number of spins involved in the ferromagnetic ordering. Out of the total Mn present in Th0.99Mn0.01O2 samples, about 25% of the Mn2+ ions were found to be responsible for the ferromagnetic ordering. In addition to the FMR signal, a weak hyperfine sextet was observed at g = 2.0048 (55Mn, I = 5/2), which corresponds to the −1/2 ↔ +1/2 transition of Mn2+ ions, suggesting its presence at thorium sites (uncoupled spins). X-ray photoelectron spectra indicated that the manganese ions exist mainly as Mn2+, Mn3+, and Mn4+. The room-temperature ferromagnetism may be attributed to the coupling between these Mn2+ ions at thorium sites in ThO2 rather than due to the formation of any metastable secondary phases.