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Rotavirus, a major etiological agent of acute diarrhea in children worldwide, has historically been linked to autoimmunity. In the last few years, several physiopathological approaches have been proposed to explain the leading mechanism triggering autoimmunity, from the old concept of molecular mimicry to the emerging theory of bystander activation and break of tolerance. Epidemiological and immunological data indicate a strong link between rotavirus infection and two of the autoimmune pathologies with the highest incidence: celiac disease and diabetes. The role for current oral rotavirus vaccines is now being elucidated, with a so far positive protective association demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isotropic nanocrystalline MnAl particles have been synthesized by gas-atomization with permanent magnet properties tailored through a rapid-milling method followed by annealing at reduced temperatures. Unprecedented short milling times of 90 and 270 s have been used in the milling process. The study has allowed establishing a correlation between morphology, microstructure and magnetic properties, which has resulted in the possibility of tuning magnetization and coercivity by nanostructuring and phase transformation in a controlled manner. The choice of milling media (steel and tungsten carbide) with dissimilar densities determines the impact energy during the milling process and influences morphological and microstructural characteristics. As a consequence an increase in coercivity above 55% that of the optimized starting material while maintaining remanence has been achieved (steel media) by comparison with an extremely high-coercive powder (4.8 kOe) at expenses of magnetization (tungsten carbide). This has been possible by reduction of the crystalline size to the nanometer scale, inducement of efficient microstrain in the grains and coexistence of the ferromagnetic τ-MnAl phase, responsible of the magnetization, and the non-magnetic β-phase, playing a fundamental role in coercivity development. A common characteristic of both milling processes is the possibility of reducing the annealing temperature needed for achievement of optimized permanent magnet properties in about 75 °C, by comparison with the starting material. This decreased temperature, in combination with the extremely short processing times, makes of this route a promising one to be used in the production of isotropic nanocrystalline MnAl powder with tailored properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Decreased hospitalization rates by seizures for children <5 years old since RV vaccine introduction. • Stronger decrease of hospitalization rates by seizures with higher vaccination coverage. • Vaccination coverage impacts hospitalization rates 9 months after. There is a growing interest in the possible relationship between rotavirus (RV) vaccine and hospitalizations due to childhood seizures. We explored variation in hospitalization rates after 9 years of vaccination against pre-vaccination period for children <5 years of age from Galicia (Northwest Spain) before and after the introduction of the RV vaccines. Hospitalization rates for childhood seizures in Galician children were compared before and after RV vaccine introduction (in 2007) using different statistical approaches, including time series analyses. Our study cohort totaled 7,712 children <5 years of age admitted to hospital between 2002 and 2015 for "all kind of childhood seizures". Hospitalization rates decreases steadily with reductions ranging from 22.3% (95% CI: 15.0–29.1) in 2008, to 50.9% (95% CI: 45.5–55.7) in 2014, and significant results were also observed for <1, 1, and 2-year-old children in comparison with pre-vaccination period hospitalization rate. Regression models indicate a negative association between RV vaccination and hospitalizations for all kind of seizures. In addition, time series analyses are consistent with this finding and predict that vaccination coverage will affect hospitalization rates for "all kind of seizures" after 9 months. The results strongly support that RV vaccination has significantly reduced hospitalization rates due to childhood seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]