silicon and Gastroenteritis

Inactivated transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) vaccines are widely used in swine herds in China. These are limited, however, by the need to elicit both humoral and cellular immunity, as well as the efficiency of adjuvants. In this study, a 70-nm nano silicon particle was applied with inactivated TGEV vaccine in mice, and its immune-enhancing effects and mechanism of action investigated. We found that nano silicon applied with inactivated TGEV vaccine induced high antibody titers, increase IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-γ expression, and stimulate CD3+ T cell proliferation with a high CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocyte ratio. Nano silicon could quickly activate innate and adaptive immunity by stimulating Toll-like receptor signaling pathways, indicating that the nano silicon adjuvant enhanced long-term humoral and early cellular immune responses when combined with inactivated TGEV vaccine. Nano silicon could be considered for use as an antigen- carrier and adjuvant for veterinary vaccines.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Cell Line; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Gastroenteritis; Immunity, Cellular; Immunity, Humoral; Interferon-gamma; Interleukin-6; Male; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Silicon; Swine; Transmissible gastroenteritis virus; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Vaccines, DNA

A nanoporous silicon-based label-free DNA biosensor was fabricated to monitor rapidly enteric adenovirus types 40 and 41, a leading cause of viral gastroenteritis in children. Nanoporous silicon (NPS) was formed by an anodic etching process in a mixture solution containing hydrofluoric acid and ethanol. The polypyrrole (PPy) film was directly electropolymerized on The NPS substrate. Twenty-five base pairs of probe DNA (pDNA), derived from the fiber gene, was electrochemically doped on the PPy-coated NPS substrate. The conductivity change due to the immobilized pDNA and hybridized target DNA (tDNA) was expressed as an arbitrary factor, γ, which is a normalized numerical term used for the selective quantification of the tDNA. γ was inversely proportional to the concentration of complementary tDNA, but independent of the non-complementary tDNA. The sensitivity slope for detecting tDNAc was -1.54 μM(-1), based on the factor γ in the range of 0.4 to 1.0 μM of tDNA. The surface roughness was characterized using atomic force microscopy.

Topics: Adenoviruses, Human; Biosensing Techniques; Calibration; DNA Probes; DNA, Viral; Electrochemistry; Electrodes; Ethanol; Gastroenteritis; Hydrofluoric Acid; Microelectrodes; Microscopy, Atomic Force; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Polymers; Pyrroles; Silicon; Surface Properties

For 12 hours, excess hydrofluorosilicic acid was diverted to a 127-home community water supply. Fluoride levels peaked at 51 parts per million (ppm). Water acidification caused copper to leach from the domestic plumbing; raising copper levels to 25-41 ppm. Fifty-two (33 per cent) of those who drank hyperfluoridated water developed mild gastroenteritis. Vomiting was uncommon and symptom onsets usually occurred greater than 30 minutes after drinking water; suggesting that fluoride, rather than copper, caused illness. Skin contact with hyperfluoridated water caused itching and skin rashes.

Topics: Accidents, Occupational; Connecticut; Fluoridation; Fluorides; Gastroenteritis; Humans; Silicic Acid; Silicon; Skin Diseases; Water Pollution, Chemical; Water Supply