The 10 top-cited authors who published papers in journal medicine since 2000 using the betweenness centrality to identify unique names: Bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have explored the most productive and influential authors in a specific field. However, 2 challenges arise when conducting such research. First, some authors may have identical names in the study data, and second, the contributions of coauthors may vary in the article by line, requiring consideration. Failure to address these issues may result in biased research findings. Our objective was to illustrate how the author-weighted scheme (AWS) and betweenness centrality (BC) can be employed to identify the 10 most frequently cited authors in a particular journal and analyze their research themes. METHODS: We collected 24,058 abstracts from the PubMed library between 2000 and 2020 using the keyword "Medicine [Journal]." Author names, countries/regions, and medical subject headings (MeSH terms) were collected. The AWS to identify the top 10 authors with a higher x-index was applied. To address the issue of authors with identical names affiliated with different research institutes, we utilized the BC method. Social network analysis (SNA) was conducted, and 10 major clusters were identified to highlight authors with a higher x-index within the corresponding clusters. We utilized SNA to analyze the MeSH terms from articles of the 10 top-cited authors to identify their research themes. RESULTS: Our findings revealed the following: within the top 10 cited authors, 2 authors from China shared identical names with Jing Li and Tao-Wang; JA Winkelstein from Maryland (US) had the highest x-index (15.58); Chia-Hung Kao from Taiwan was the most prolific author, having published 115 articles in Medicine since 2003; and the 3 primary research themes, namely, complications, etiology, and epidemiology, were identified using MeSH terms from the 10 most frequently cited authors. CONCLUSIONS: Using AWS and BC, we identified the top 10 most cited authors. The research methods we utilized in this study (BC and AWS) have the potential to be applied to other bibliometric analyses in the future.

Comparison of Immune-Related Gene Expression in Two Chicken Breeds Following Infectious Bronchitis Virus Vaccination.

This study aims to identify the immune-related genes and the corresponding biological pathways following infectious bronchitis virus vaccination in Taiwan Country and White Leghorn chicken breeds. Transcriptomic analyses of the spleen of these two breeds were conducted by next-generation sequencing. Compared to White Leghorn chicken, Taiwan Country chicken showed a significantly higher level of anti-infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) antibodies at 14 and 21 days pos vaccination. At 7 days post vaccination, in the Taiwan Country chicken, higher expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase 10, Major histocompatibility complex class 1, and V-set pre-B cell surrogate light chain 3 were found. In contrast, the White Leghorn chicken had a high expression of interleukin 4 induced 1, interleukin 6, and interleukin 22 receptor subunit alpha 2. These findings have highlighted the variations in immune induction between chickens with distinct genetic background and provided biological pathways and specific genes involved in immune responses against live attenuated IBV vaccine.

Temporal shifts of the microbiome associated with antibiotic treatment of purpuric drug eruptions related to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors are selective and effective treatments for cancers with relevant mutations. Purpuric drug eruptions are an uncommon but clinically significant dermatological side effect related to EGFR inhibitor use that are associated with positive bacterial cultures and responsive to antibiotic treatment. However, the longitudinal temporal shifts in the skin microbiome that occur before and after antibiotic treatment of purpuric drug eruptions remain largely unknown. OBJECTIVES: To characterize temporal changes in the skin and mucosal microbiomes before and after antibiotic treatment of EGFR inhibitor-related purpuric drug eruptions. METHODS: Twelve patients who experienced EGFR inhibitor-related purpuric drug eruptions were recruited from a dermato-oncology clinic in Taiwan from May 2017 to April 2018. Swabs were obtained from skin lesions and the nasal mucosa before and after antibiotic treatment of purpuric drug eruptions. After the amplification and sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes, the diversity and compositions of microbiomes sampled at different time points were compared. RESULTS: The alpha diversity (represented by the Shannon index) of the skin microbiome increased significantly in the recovered phase of purpuric drug eruptions compared with that of the active phase. By contrast, the nasal microbiome showed no significant change in alpha diversity. The relative abundance of Staphylococcus significantly decreased in samples from skin of the recovered phase, which was confirmed by analysis of compositions of microbiomes (ANCOM) and the ALDEx2 analysis packages in R. CONCLUSIONS: The cutaneous microbiome of purpuric drug eruptions showed a significant increase in alpha diversity and a decrease in the relative abundance of Staphylococcus following antibiotic treatment. These findings may help guide antimicrobial therapy of this EGFR inhibitor-related condition.

Development of a Rapid Sex Identification Method for Newborn Pigeons Using Recombinase Polymerase Amplification and a Lateral-Flow Dipstick on Farm.

According to pigeon racing rules in Taiwan, the pigeon raiser must decide which juveniles will be chosen as soon as possible. Differentiating the sex of young pigeons based on appearances, and other traditional methods, can be time-consuming and require several pieces of equipment. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with a lateral-flow dipstick (LFD) could further simplify the presentation of amplification results. A designed reverse primer and probe were labeled with biotin and FAM (fluorescein), respectively, to serve as ligands in the LFD. With the addition of a designed forward primer, the RPA-LFD can be used to perform sex identification of pigeon DNA. The optimal conditions were determined to require at least 6.3 pg of the DNA template, a temperature of 37 °C, and a reaction time of at least 20 min. Under these conditions, the test band area on the strip appeared as a dark color if the sample contained female template DNA, whereas the male DNA samples did not produce any test signal in any of the conditions. The results of random samples using RPA-LFD under the optimal conditions agreed with the results of the same samples determined by PCR-agarose gel electrophoresis. The approach in this study represents a rapid and accurate method for pigeon sexing.

Development of novel microsatellite markers to analyze the genetic structure of dog populations in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVE: Alongside the rise of animal-protection awareness in Taiwan, the public has been paying more attention to dog genetic deficiencies due to inbreeding in the pet market. The goal of this study was to isolate novel microsatellite markers for monitoring the genetic structure of domestic dog populations in Taiwan. METHODS: A total of 113 DNA samples from three dog breeds-beagles (BEs), bichons (BIs), and schnauzers (SCs)-were used in subsequent polymorphic tests applying the 14 novel microsatellite markers that were isolated in this study. RESULTS: The results showed that the high level of genetic diversity observed in these novel microsatellite markers provided strong discriminatory power. The estimated probability of identity (P(ID)) and the probability of identity among sibs (P(ID)sib) for the 14 novel microsatellite markers were 1.7×10-12 and 1.6×10-5, respectively. Furthermore, the power of exclusion for the 14 novel microsatellite markers was 99.98%. The neighbor-joining trees constructed among the three breeds indicated that the 14 sets of novel microsatellite markers were sufficient to correctly cluster the BEs, BIs, and SCs. The principal coordinate analysis plot showed that the dogs could be accurately separated by these 14 loci based on different breeds; moreover, the Beagles from different sources were also distinguished. The first, the second, and the third principal coordinates could be used to explain 44.15%, 26.35%, and 19.97% of the genetic variation. CONCLUSION: The results of this study could enable powerful monitoring of the genetic structure of domestic dog populations in Taiwan.

The computation of case fatality rate for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) based on Bayes theorem: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: When a new disease such starts to spread, the commonly asked questions are how deadly is it? and how many people are likely to die of this outbreak? The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in a press conference on January 29, 2020 that the death rate of COVID-19 was 2% on the case fatality rate (CFR). It was underestimated assuming no lag days from symptom onset to deaths while many CFR formulas have been proposed, the estimation on Bays theorem is worthy of interpretation. Hence, it is hypothesized that the over-loaded burdens of treating patients and capacities to contain the outbreak (LSBHRS) may increase the CFR. METHODS: We downloaded COVID-19 outbreak numbers from January 21 to February 14, 2020, in countries/regions on a daily basis from Github that contains information on confirmed cases in >30 Chinese locations and other countries/regions. The pros and cons were compared among the 5 formula of CFR, including [A] deaths/confirmed; [B] deaths/(deaths + recovered); [C] deaths/(cases x days ago); [D] Bayes estimation based on [A] and the outbreak (LSBHRS) in each country/region; and [E] Bayes estimation based on [C] deaths/(cases x days ago). The coefficients of variance (CV = the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean) were applied to measure the relative variability for each CFR. A dashboard was developed for daily display of the CFR across each region. RESULTS: The Bayes based on (A)[D] has the lowest CV (=0.10) followed by the deaths/confirmed (=0.11) [A], deaths/(deaths + recoveries) (=0.42) [B], Bayes based on (C) (=0.49) [E], and deaths/(cases x days ago) (=0.59) [C]. All final CFRs will be equal using the formula (from, A to E). A dashboard was developed for the daily reporting of the CFR. The CFR (3.7%) greater than the prior CFR of 2.2% was evident in LSBHRS, increasing the CFR. A dashboard was created to present the CFRs on COVID-19. CONCLUSION: We suggest examining both trends of the Bayes based on both deaths/(cases 7 days ago) and deaths/confirmed cases as a reference to the final CFR. An app developed for displaying the provisional CFR with the 2 CFR trends can improve the underestimated CFR reported by WHO and media.

Multiple doses of hepatitis B recombinant vaccine for chronic hepatitis B patients with low surface antigen levels: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Seroclearance of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) has been rarely achieved in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. We administered HBsAg-based recombinant vaccine in patients with low HBsAg concentrations. METHODS: Twenty hepatitis B e antigen-negative patients, with HBsAg < 1000 IU/ml, were enrolled. Vaccines were administered every 8 weeks for 48 weeks (seven doses). HBsAg levels and anti-HBs were assayed longitudinally until 48 weeks post-vaccination. HLA genotyping and cDNA microarray were performed to search for response predictors. RESULTS: Nineteen patients completed the study. At the end of vaccination, HBsAg declined significantly (Δ = - 0.27 ± 0.49 log IU/ml, p = 0.0005). The annual decline rate was significantly greater than that of an age-, gender-, and baseline HBsAg-matched control group (Δ = - 0.18 ± 0.46 versus + 0.11 ± 0.42 log IU/ml/year; p = 0.0229). Two patients achieved HBsAg seroclearance. Fourteen had significant HBsAg decline (Δ = - 0.64 ± 0.88 log IU/ml). No significant adverse events occurred during the trial. cDNA microarray identified the top up- and down-regulated genes in responders as HLA-DQ and HLA-DMB, respectively. HLA genotyping identified HLA-DQB1*04, HLA-DRB1*04, and HLA-B*40 as predictors for non-response (p = 0.0499, 0.0152, and 0.0314, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In low-level HBsAg CHB patients, serial HBsAg-based vaccinations were safe, resulting in significant HBsAg decline. HLA gene expression and genotypes played a role in vaccine responsiveness (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01817725).

Predilection of contralateral upper lung metastasis in upper lobe lung adenocarcinoma patients.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer with lung to lung metastasis is common. The objective of this study was to investigate the association among the distribution of contralateral lung metastases versus primary lung tumor location, clinical characteristics, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations status. METHODS: The study included treatment-naïve stage IV lung adenocarcinoma with contralateral lung metastases from 2012 through 2013. RESULTS: In total, 103 patients were enrolled after excluding lung cancer with histology other than adenocarcinoma, synchronous multiple primary lung cancers, or other active malignancy. The median age was 65 years (range, 28-93 years); 47 male patients (45.6%); 69 non-smoker (NS) patients (67.0%); 68 Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) 0-1 patients (66.0%); 38 M1a patients (38.9%); and 60 EGFR mutation patients (58.3%). There were 51 cases (49.5%) with primary lung cancer located over upper lobes. Among them, 36 (70.6%) had contralateral upper lung predominance metastasis, 9 (17.6%) had lower lung predominance, and 6 (11.8%) had equal distribution. Among the 52 lower lobe tumors, 17 (32.7%), 19 (36.5%), and 16 (30.8%) had upper, lower lung predominance, and equal distribution metastasis, respectively. Univariate analysis showed only male gender and primary tumor location over upper lobes were significantly associated with contralateral upper lung predominance metastases. After multivariate analysis, only primary tumor location over upper lobes was significantly associated with contralateral upper lung predominance metastases (adjusted OR 5.49, 95% CI, 2.15-14.03, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Upper lobe lung adenocarcinoma was significantly associated with contralateral upper lung predominance metastases. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon.

ePIANNO: ePIgenomics ANNOtation tool.

Recently, with the development of next generation sequencing (NGS), the combination of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and NGS, namely ChIP-seq, has become a powerful technique to capture potential genomic binding sites of regulatory factors, histone modifications and chromatin accessible regions. For most researchers, additional information including genomic variations on the TF binding site, allele frequency of variation between different populations, variation associated disease, and other neighbour TF binding sites are essential to generate a proper hypothesis or a meaningful conclusion. Many ChIP-seq datasets had been deposited on the public domain to help researchers make new discoveries. However, researches are often intimidated by the complexity of data structure and largeness of data volume. Such information would be more useful if they could be combined or downloaded with ChIP-seq data. To meet such demands, we built a webtool: ePIgenomic ANNOtation tool (ePIANNO, http://epianno.stat.sinica.edu.tw/index.html). ePIANNO is a web server that combines SNP information of populations (1000 Genomes Project) and gene-disease association information of GWAS (NHGRI) with ChIP-seq (hmChIP, ENCODE, and ROADMAP epigenomics) data. ePIANNO has a user-friendly website interface allowing researchers to explore, navigate, and extract data quickly. We use two examples to demonstrate how users could use functions of ePIANNO webserver to explore useful information about TF related genomic variants. Users could use our query functions to search target regions, transcription factors, or annotations. ePIANNO may help users to generate hypothesis or explore potential biological functions for their studies.

EGFR-activating mutations, DNA copy number abundance of ErbB family, and prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma.

In this study, EGFR-activating mutation status and DNA copy number abundances of members of ErbB family were measured in 261 lung adenocarcinomas. The associations between DNA copy number abundances of ErbB family, EGFR-activating mutation status, and prognosis were explored. Results showed that DNA copy number abundances of EGFR, ERBB2, ERBB3, and ERBB4 had associations with overall survival in lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR-activating mutations. In the stratification analysis, only ERBB2 showed significant discrepancy in patients carrying wild type EGFR and other members of ErbB family in patients carrying EGFR-activating mutation. This indicated that CNAs of ErbB family had effect modifications of EGFR-activating mutation status. Findings of this study demonstrate potential molecular guidance of patient management of lung adenocarcinoma with or without EGFR-activating mutations.

EGFR mutation and lobar location of lung adenocarcinoma.

The objective of this study was to investigate the associations among lung cancer location, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status. Treatment-naive, pathologically confirmed lung adenocarcinomas with tumor specimens available for genetic analysis were included from 2011 through 2014. Overall, 1771 patients with lung adenocarcinoma were included for analysis, after excluding those with carcinoma not otherwise specified, or synchronous multiple primary lung cancers. The median age was 64 years, and the female:male and never smoker:ever smoker ratios were 930:855 (52:48%) and 1167:604 (65:35%), respectively. The EGFR mutation rate was 56%. Among patients, 1093 (62%) had primary tumors in the upper lobes. Compared with the characteristics of the EGFR wild-type, tumors with EGFR activating mutations were more common in women (P < 0.001), never smokers (P < 0.001), and in the upper lobes (P = 0.004). Among EGFR activating mutations, compared with the EGFR exon 19 deletion, L858R mutation were more common in women (P = 0.002), never smokers (P = 0.038), and the upper lobes P < 0.0005). The present study is the first to address that different pulmonary lobar locations might harbor different EGFR mutation subtypes. We demonstrated that adenocarcinomas with L858R mutation, rather than exon 19 deletion or wild-type EGFR gene, prefer to locate over the upper lungs. This phenomenon was more significant in females and never-smokers, implying the result of complex interactions between genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. Therefore, EGFR L858R mutation and exon 19 deletion may not be identical disease entity from the point of carcinogenesis.

R331W Missense Mutation of Oncogene YAP1 Is a Germline Risk Allele for Lung Adenocarcinoma With Medical Actionability.

PURPOSE: Adenocarcinoma is the most dominant type of lung cancer in never-smoker patients. The risk alleles from genome-wide association studies have small odds ratios and unclear biologic roles. Here we have taken an approach featuring suitable medical actionability to identify alleles with low population frequency but high disease-causing potential. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Whole-genome sequencing was performed for a family with an unusually high density of lung adenocarcinoma with available DNA from the affected mother, four affected daughters, and one nonaffected son. Candidate risk alleles were confirmed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectroscopy. Validation was conducted in an external cohort of 1,135 participants without cancer and 1,312 patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Family follow-ups were performed by genotyping the relatives of the original proband and the relatives of the identified risk-allele carriers. Low-dose computed tomography scans of the chest were evaluated for lung abnormalities. RESULTS: YAP1 R331W missense mutation from the original family was identified and validated in the external controls and the cohort with lung adenocarcinoma. The YAP1 mutant-allele carrier frequency was 1.1% in patients with lung adenocarcinoma compared with 0.18% in controls (P = .0095), yielding an odds ratio (adjusted for age, sex, and smoking status) of 5.9. Among the relatives, YAP1-mutant carriers have overwhelmingly higher frequencies of developing lung adenocarcinoma or ground-glass opacity lung lesions than those who do not carry the mutation (10:0 v 1:7; P < .001). YAP1 mutation was shown to increase the colony formation ability and invasion potential of lung cancer cells. CONCLUSION: These results implicated YAP1 R331W as an allele predisposed for lung adenocarcinoma with high familial penetrance. Low-dose computed tomography scans may be recommended to this subpopulation, which is at high risk for lung cancer, for personalized prevention and health management.

Identification of five driver gene mutations in patients with treatment-naïve lung adenocarcinoma in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: It is important to select appropriate targeted therapies for subgroups of patients with lung adenocarcinoma who have specific gene alterations. METHODS: This prospective study was a multicenter project conducted in Taiwan for assessment of lung adenocarcinoma genetic tests. Five oncogenic drivers, including EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, HER2 and EML4-ALK fusion mutations, were tested. EGFR, KRAS, BRAF and HER2 mutations were assessed by MALDI-TOF MS (Cohort 1). EML4-ALK translocation was tested by Ventana method in EGFR-wild type patients (Cohort 2). RESULTS: From August 2011 to November 2013, a total of 1772 patients with lung adenocarcinoma were enrolled. In Cohort 1 analysis, EGFR, KRAS, HER2 and BRAF mutations were identified in 987 (55.7%), 93 (5.2%), 36 (2.0%) and 12 (0.7%) patients, respectively. Most of these mutations were mutually exclusive, except for co-mutations in seven patients (3 with EGFR + KRAS, 3 with EGFR + HER2 and 1 with KRAS + BRAF). In Cohort 2 analysis, 29 of 295 EGFR-wild type patients (9.8%) were positive for EML4-ALK translocation. EGFR mutations were more common in female patients and non-smokers and KRAS mutations were more common in male patients and smokers. Gender and smoking status were not correlated significantly with HER2, BRAF and EML4-ALK mutations. EML4-ALK translocation was more common in patients with younger age. CONCLUSION: This was the first study in Taiwan to explore the incidence of five oncogenic drivers in patients with lung adenocarcinoma and the results could be valuable for physicians in consideration of targeted therapy and inclusion of clinical trials.

Diversity and evolution of the highly polymorphic tandem repeat LEI0258 in the chicken MHC-B region.

The chicken major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is located on the microchromosome 16 and is described as the most variable region in the genome. The genes of the MHC play a central role in the immune system. Particularly, genes encoding proteins involved in the antigen presentation to T cells. Therefore, describing the genetic polymorphism of this region is crucial in understanding host-pathogen interactions. The tandem repeat LEI0258 is located within the core area of the B region of the chicken MHC (MHC-B region) and its genotypes correlate with serology. This marker was used to provide a picture of the worldwide diversity of the chicken MHC-B region and to categorize chicken MHC haplotypes. More than 1,600 animals from 80 different populations or lines of chickens from Africa, Asia, and Europe, including wild fowl species, were genotyped at the LEI0258 locus. Fifty novel alleles were described after sequencing. The resulting 79 alleles were classified into 12 clusters, based on the SNPs and indels found within the sequences flanking the repeats. Furthermore, hypotheses were formulated on the evolutionary dynamics of the region. This study constitutes the largest variability report for the chicken MHC and establishes a framework for future diversity or association studies.

MicroRNA detection using lateral flow nucleic acid strips with gold nanoparticles.

In this study, the tested microRNA and the detection probe perfectly match with the capture probe instead of the traditional sandwich methods in which the tested oligonucleotide matches with the detection and capture probes. To avoid non-specific signals, mung-bean nuclease, a single-strand-specific nuclease, catalyzes the degradation of the capture probe if there is no tested miRNA in the samples. The gold nanoparticles conjugate the thiol-DNA as the detection probe and the biotin-single strand DNA serves as the capture probe. The avidin-biotin-Au-sample complex is captured by the anti-avidin antibody immobilized on a flow strip. The detection and quantification of the gold nanoparticle signal indicate the existence and quantity of the target miRNA. One fmol and five amol of the synthetic microRNA were detected without and with the silver enhancement, respectively. This highly sensitive and specific assay takes about 70 min after the RNA purification and preparation. It is simple, convenient, fast, and suitable for point-of-care.

Correlation in chicken between the marker LEI0258 alleles and Major Histocompatibility Complex sequences.

BACKGROUND: The LEI0258 marker is located within the B region of the chicken Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), and is surprisingly well associated with serology. Therefore, the correlation between the LEI0258 alleles and the MHC class I and the class II alleles at the level of sequences is worth investigating in chickens. Here we describe to which extent the LEI0258 alleles are associated with alleles of classical class I genes and non-classical class II genes, in reference animals as well as local breeds with unknown MHC haplotypes. METHODS: For the class I region, in an exploratory project, we studied 10 animals from 3 breeds: Rhode Island Red, White Leghorn and Fayoumi chickens, by cloning and sequencing B-F1 and B-F2 cDNA from exon 1 to 3'UTR. For the class II region, we reconstructed haplotypes of the 8.8 kb genomic region encompassing three non-classical class II genes: B-DMA, B-DMB1 and B-DMB2, for 146 animals from more than 50 breeds including wild species of jungle fowls. RESULTS: Overall we found that the LEI0258 marker genotypes gave good indications of the MHC haplotypes, and a very good predictions (>0.95) of the heterozygosity of an animal at the MHC locus. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the LEI0258 alleles are strongly associated with haplotypes of classical class I genes and non-classical class II genes, unravelling the reasons why this marker is becoming the reference marker for MHC genotyping in chickens.

Different immune responses to three different vaccines following H6N1 low pathogenic avian influenza virus challenge in Taiwanese local chicken breeds.

BACKGROUND: H6N1 low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV) are frequently isolated in Taiwan and lead to significant economic losses, either directly or indirectly through association with other infectious diseases. This study investigates immune responses to three different vaccines following a H6N1 challenge in different local breeds. METHODS: Experimental animals were sampled from six local chicken breeds maintained at the National Chung-Hsing University, namely Hsin-Yi, Ju-Chi, Hua-Tung (Taiwan), Quemoy (Quemoy Island), Shek-Ki (China), Nagoya (Japan) and a specific pathogen free (SPF) White Leghorn line. A total number of 338 chickens have been distributed between a control and a challenge group, H6N1 challenge was performed at 7 weeks of age; vaccination against Newcastle Disease (ND), Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) and Infectious Bronchitis (IB) was performed at 11 weeks. The anti-H6N1 LPAIV antibody titers were measured by ELISA at days 0, 7, 14 and 21 after challenge, and the anti-ND, anti-IBD and anti-IB antibody titers were measured by inhibition of hemagglutination test and ELISA at days 0, 14, 28 after vaccination. RESULTS: There was no effect of the H6N1 LPAIV challenge at 7 weeks of age on the subsequent responses to ND and IBD vaccine at 11 weeks of age, but, surprisingly, the H6N1 LPAIV challenge significantly affected antibody levels to IB vaccine in some breeds, since IB0 and IB14 antibody titers were lower in the challenge groups. However, there was no significant difference in IB28 antibody titers among the experimental groups. CONCLUSIONS: Local breeds have different immune response to H6N1 LPAIV challenge and subsequent vaccines. Differences dealt mainly with kinetics of response and with peak values. Quemoy exhibited higher antibody levels to H6N1, ND and IBD. The negative effect of the H6N1 LPAIV challenge on IB vaccine response may be related to the fact that both viruses target the lung tissues, and the type of local immune response induced by LPAIV challenge may not be favourable for birds to make optimum IB-specific antibody response.

Micellelike aggregates in solutions of semirigid hairy-rod polymers.

An anomalous aggregation of hairy-rod segments generating nanoscale disklike domains is found to occur in the solution of the semirigid polymer at concentrations well below the threshold lyotropic concentration. These aggregate domains are micellelike in the sense that they exist in equilibrium with a dilute isotropic phase consisting of well dissolved segments. The origin of this aggregation is relevant to the connectivity and amphiphicility of the hairy-rod segments and this process could prevail among semirigid polymers with the disklike domains serving as the nuclei for the development of macroscopic nematic phase as one increases the polymer concentration.