Automated analysis of sequence polymorphism in STR alleles by PCR and direct electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Short tandem repeats (STRs) are the primary genetic markers used for the analysis of biological samples in forensic and human identity testing. The discrimination power of a combination of STRs is sufficient in many human identity testing comparisons unless the evidence is substantially compromised and/or there are insufficient relatives or a potential mutation may have arisen in kinship analyses. An automated STR assay system that is based on electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) has been developed that can increase the discrimination power of some of the CODIS core STR loci and thus provide more information in typical and challenged samples and cases.

Rapid and high-throughput pan-Orthopoxvirus detection and identification using PCR and mass spectrometry.

The genus Orthopoxvirus contains several species of related viruses, including the causative agent of smallpox (Variola virus). In addition to smallpox, several other members of the genus are capable of causing human infection, including monkeypox, cowpox, and other zoonotic rodent-borne poxviruses. Therefore, a single assay that can accurately identify all orthopoxviruses could provide a valuable tool for rapid broad orthopovirus identification.

Multivariate analysis of cytokine responses identifies distinctive sensitivities to lipopolysaccharide in humans.

We describe methods to identify high and low responders in a whole-blood assay of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cytokine responses. Two multivariate measures of the cytokine responses both captured high and low responses for each of the four individual cytokines that were assayed.

Host factors impacting the innate response in humans to the candidate adjuvants RC529 and monophosphoryl lipid A.

The aim of this study was to determine if certain genotypes might be associated with variable responses to the candidate vaccine adjuvants RC529 and monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), as well as to bacterial LPS, a structurally similar control stimulus. In this study, the +896 TLR4 polymorphism and selected cytokine polymorphisms were genotyped, and together with the donor sex, these factors were used to model the in vitro cytokine responses to RC529, MPL, and LPS. We show evidence that each of the three stimuli engage human TLR4, that each gave higher responses in men than women, and that TLR4 expression levels in blood monocytes were higher in men than women.

Effect of monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) on T-helper cells when administered as an adjuvant with pneumocococcal-CRM197 conjugate vaccine in healthy toddlers.

As new vaccines are developed, novel adjuvants may play an important role in eliciting an effective immune response. We evaluated the safety and adjuvant properties of monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL in 129 healthy toddlers immunized with two doses of nine-valent pneumococcal-CRM(197) protein conjugate vaccine (PCV9) combined with 10, 25, or 50 micro g of MPL with or without alum (AlPO(4)). Vaccine-specific humoral and cell-mediated responses were examined following the second dose of study vaccine.