Immunogenicity and safety of a live attenuated varicella vaccine co-administered with inactive hepatitis A vaccine: A phase 4, single-center, randomized, controlled trial.

Co-administration of vaccines can facilitate the introduction of new vaccines in immunization schedules. This study aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of co-administration with live attenuated varicella vaccine (VarV) and inactivated hepatitis A vaccine (HepA) among children aged 12 ~ 15 months. In this phase 4 clinical trial, 450 children were randomized with a ratio of 1:1 to receive VarV and Hep A simultaneously (Group A) or separately (Group B). The primary endpoints were the seroconversion rate of anti-varicella-zoster virus (VZV) antibodies 42 days after vaccination of VarV and the seroconversion rate of anti-Hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibodies 30 days after two-dose vaccination of HepA. After full immunization, the seroconversion rates of anti-VZV antibodies were 91.79% in Group A and 92.15% in Group B; the geometric mean titers (GMTs) were 11.80 and 12.19, respectively. The seroconversion rates of anti-HAV antibodies were 99.48% in Group A and 100.0% in Group B; the geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) reached 9499.11 and 9528.36 mIU/ml, respectively. The lower limits of the 95% CI for the seroconversion difference of anti-VZV antibodies and anti-HAV antibodies were -5.86% and -2.90%, which greater than the predefined non-inferiority margin (-10%). The incidence rate of adverse reactions in Group A was lower than Group B (9.33% vs 16.22%), and only one serious adverse event was reported in Group B, which was unrelated to the study vaccine. In conclusion, the co-administration of VarV with HepA has non-inferior immunogenicity and safety profiles were quite comparable with the separate administration of both vaccines.Trial registration number: NCT05526820 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Rice artificial hybridization for genetic analysis.

Artificial hybridization has probably been practiced since ancient time; however, the science of genetics did not initiate until Gregor Mendel conducted a series of crosses between different pure lines of garden pea and made careful observations and systematical analyses of their offspring. Artificial hybridization or crossing between carefully chosen parents has been and still is the primary way to transfer genes from different germplasm for self-pollinated rice. Through gene recombination, novel genetic variation is created by different arrangements of genes existing in parental lines. Procedures of artificial hybridization involve the selection of appropriate panicles from representative plants of the female parents, the emasculation of female parents, and the pollination of emasculated panicles with abundant pollens of selected male parents. Of the numerous proposed methods, hot water and vacuum emasculation have proven to be the most robust and reliable ones. A successful and efficient hybridization program also relies on the knowledge of parental lines or germplasm, the reproductive biology and development of rice, the conditions needed to promote flowering and seed development, and the techniques to synchronize flowering of diverse parents.