live attenuated rubella vaccine

Preclinical evaluation of a live attenuated bivalent Trichophyton vaccine for prophylaxis and post-infection treatment of dermatophytosis in rabbits.

Umitzhanov Mynbay M, Bakirov Nurbol N, Sansyzbay Abylay A, Nurpeisova Ainur A et al.

Bovine trichophytosis is a contagious zoonotic dermatophytosis that adversely affects animal health and livestock productivity and poses an occupational risk to people in contact with infected cattle. Although live attenuated vaccines have contributed to disease control, evidence for bivalent formulations targeting multiple Trichophyton species remains limited. This study evaluated the prophylactic activity and post-infection outcomes of a live attenuated bivalent vaccine candidate containing Trichophyton verrucosum and a member of the Trichophyton mentagrophytes species complex in an experimental rabbit model. Thirty-three clinically healthy rabbits were allocated to a prophylactic group (Group I, n = 10), therapeutic group (Group IIa, n = 10), infected untreated histopathology subgroup (Group IIb, n = 3), and intact control group (Group III, n = 10). Group I received two intramuscular vaccinations 14 days apart and was challenged 21 days after the second vaccination, whereas Group IIa was experimentally infected before therapeutic vaccination. Clinical manifestations, body weight, rectal temperature, hematological parameters, mycological culture, and histopathological changes were evaluated. Clinical and histopathological assessments were descriptive and non-blinded. Following experimental challenge, no clinically visible dermatophytosis lesions occurred in prophylactically vaccinated rabbits (0/10), whereas all infected untreated reference rabbits developed lesions (3/3; two-sided Fisher's exact test, p = 0.0035), supporting prophylactic activity. Therapeutically vaccinated rabbits showed progressive regression of visible crusting and hair regrowth; however, the absence of a longitudinal untreated infected group and positive treatment comparator precluded attribution of recovery specifically to vaccination. Dermatophyte growth was recovered from challenged skin after 5-7 days, although species-specific identification and quantitative fungal burden were not determined. Hematological indices showed limited descriptive variation. Histopathology demonstrated inflammatory and degenerative cutaneous lesions in untreated infected rabbits and nonspecific reactive lymphoid changes in vaccinated animals. The live attenuated bivalent vaccine candidate demonstrated promising prophylactic activity against experimental dermatophytosis in rabbits. Post-infection clinical improvement provides preliminary evidence warranting further investigation but cannot establish therapeutic efficacy. Controlled studies in the target host should incorporate adequate comparator groups, standardized lesion scoring, quantitative and species-specific mycology, immunological endpoints, and comprehensive vaccine quality control and stability assessments before field application.

Potential and Safety Assessment of a Hydrogel as a Vitreous Substitute Following Vitrectomy in an Ex Vivo Porcine Model.

Sojdeh Soheil S, Bejandi Zahra Bibak ZB, Castillo Miranda M, Tsougranis Gregory G et al.

To develop and preliminarily evaluate a hyaluronic acid-1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (HA-BDDE)/polyethylene glycol-tyramine (PEG-Tyramine) dual-hydrogel designed as a transparent and injectable vitreous substitute with suitable optical, rheological, and cytocompatibility characteristics for potential application following vitrectomy. HA-BDDE and PEG-Tyramine were prepared separately and combined to form a dual-hydrogel formulation. The resulting hydrogel was characterized using attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, oscillatory rheometry, and spectrophotometry to evaluate its chemical, rheological, and optical properties. Cytocompatibility was assessed using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells through the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and Live/Dead fluorescence staining. Ex vivo performance was evaluated following hydrogel injection into porcine eyes after vitrectomy, with assessment of macroscopic transparency, structural integrity, and retention within the vitreous cavity. The HA-BDDE/PEG-Tyramine formulation formed a transparent and macroscopically homogeneous hydrogel phase. Spectroscopic analyses demonstrated the characteristic chemical functionalities and molecular environments associated with the HA- and PEG-containing components. Rheological analysis showed predominantly elastic, gel-like behavior, with the storage modules exceeding the loss modulus across the investigated frequency range. The hydrogel exhibited measurable and relatively stable visible-light transmission across the evaluated wavelength range. RPE cells maintained high metabolic activity during the culture period, while Live/Dead imaging demonstrated predominantly viable cells with limited dead-cell staining. In the ex vivo porcine model, the hydrogel remained within the vitreous cavity and maintained its macroscopic transparency and structural integrity during the observation period. The HA-BDDE/PEG-Tyramine dual-hydrogel exhibited favorable optical, rheological, cytocompatibility, and short-term ex vivo retention characteristics. These findings support further investigation of this dual-hydrogel system as a potential injectable vitreous substitute following vitrectomy.

Live-in care for older people with a focus on those living with dementia: a scoping review.

Rogers Morwenna M, Bartlett Ruth R, Chonzi Anita A, Henderson Catherine C et al.

Research has shown that adults prefer to remain in their own homes as they age. Care homes are expensive and as the population ages, availability is likely to become more limited and unaffordable to many. Live-in care, when a paid worker moves into the care recipient's home to provide support, offers a potential alternative to residential care. This is the first scoping review of research on live-in care with a particular focus on people living with dementia. It seeks to reframe understanding of long-term care options for people with dementia. This scoping review followed conduct guidelines as described by the JBI. Systematic searches were conducted using seventeen bibliographic databases and sources rich in grey literature for quantitative or qualitative studies investigating live-in care. Results were double screened by two independent reviewers. Data were extracted and checked. Common findings found during data extraction were translated into themes. A lay advisory group was also consulted as to which themes were most relevant to them. Most studies were qualitative in nature with a focus on the experience of the live-in care worker. In all studies live-in care workers were from countries outside of where they worked. Common themes arising from the findings of the studies included: motivations for choosing live-in care; relationships between live-in carer and care recipient and their families; exploitation of care workers and perceived quality of the care provided. Only seven studies focused on live-in care for people with dementia. These results address a critical gap in knowledge about a global form of care. Live-in care offers a promising alternative to residential care. Existing studies highlight a range of issues that should be addressed with live-in care arrangements, including exploitation of the workforce, cultural differences between workers and the families, a lack of training for live-in care workers and the importance of good relationships with this model of care. This scoping review identifies a previously unrecognised pattern, namely a focus on the live-in care worker, rather than the experiences of those receiving care. More studies investigating live-in care specifically for people living with dementia would help inform whether this model of care is effective for them.

First mRNA Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Phase III Trial.

Adding the mRNA-based individualized neoantigen vaccine intismeran autogene to the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab following surgery for melanoma reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death by 42%, according to the results of the phase III INTerpath-0001 trial. The data were presented at the ESMO Congress 2026, held October 23-27, in Madrid, Spain.