10 (8579.71 eggs) for TdT. The TdT had a shorter adult longevity, longer development time, and higher adult emergence rate than did its non-infected bisexual counterpart. CONCLUSION A medium brood size in a A. pernyi egg host was optimal to produce offspring parasitoids with higher fitness parameters for both bisexual Wolbachia-uninfected and thelytokous Wolbachia-infected lines of T. dendrolimi. The determination of optimal clutch size for T. dendrolimi will provide the reference for the quality control of T. dendrolimi production and improvement of the field performance of the wasps. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.Streptokinase is used worldwide as a cost-effective treatment for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Manufacturers use the WHO International Standard (IS) for Streptokinase to potency label their products, ensuring consistent, safe, and effective dosing. Stocks of the 3rd IS for Streptokinase (coded 00/464) are running low, and an international collaborative study was organised to calibrate a replacement. A total of 15 laboratories from 9 countries took part, using chromogenic and/or fibrin clot lysis methods to determine the potency of two candidate preparations, coded 16/356 (sample B) and 16/358 (sample C), relative to the 3rd IS (00/464). A third sample (88/824, sample A) which was used in the collaborative studies to establish the 2nd and 3rd IS, was also included. There was good agreement in potency estimates from different assay methods, and low variability both within and between laboratories. Long-term stability modelling indicated the candidates are very stable. Comparison of potency estimates for 88/824 (sample A) with potencies calculated in previous studies revealed a variability of only 1.9 % over the course of three collaborative studies spanning 30 years and more than 50 years of Streptokinase standardisation. This indicates excellent continuity of the International Unit (IU) and assay methods. Following agreement by study participants and Scientific and Standardization Committee (SSC) experts of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization (ECBS) established 16/358 (sample C) as the 4th IS for Streptokinase with a potency of 1013 IU per ampoule, in October 2019. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Acute exposure to high doses of radiation leads to severe myelosuppression, but few treatments are currently available to treat hematopoietic syndrome of acute radiation syndrome. Granulocyte colony stimulating factors (e.g., filgrastim) stimulate proliferation of neutrophil precursors and enhance mature neutrophil function. Owing to ethical constraints on conducting clinical research in lethally irradiated humans, we developed a model-based strategy to integrate preclinical experience in irradiated non-human primates (NHP) and other clinical myelosuppressive conditions to inform filgrastim dosing to treat hematopoietic syndrome of acute radiation syndrome. Models predicting neutrophil counts and overall survival based on drug exposures were calibrated and scaled from NHPs to adult and pediatric human subjects. Several scenarios were examined investigating variations in filgrastim doses, dose frequency, treatment initiation, and duration, as well as the effect of age and radiation dose rate. Model-based simulations and established safety profiles supported that a subcutaneous filgrastim dose of 10 µg/kg once daily provides a significant survival benefit (50%) over placebo in both adults and children, provided that the treatment is initiated within 1 to 14 days after radiation exposure and lasts 2 to 3 weeks. For treatment durations of longer than 3 weeks, filgrastim treatment is not expected to provide significantly greater benefit. This survival benefit is expected to hold for the wide range of radiation doses and dose rates (0.01 to 1000 Gy/h) examined. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND AND AIMS The aim of this study was to analyse long-term patient and graft survival after liver transplantation for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH-LT) from the prospective multicentre European Liver Transplant Registry. METHODS Patient and liver transplant survival between 1998 and 2017 were analysed. Patients after AIH-LT (n=2,515) were compared with patients receiving LT for the other autoimmune liver diseases primary biliary cholangitis (PBC-LT, n=3,733) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC-LT, n=5,155) and for alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC-LT, n=19,567). RESULTS After AIH-LT, patient survival was 79.4%, 70.8% and 60.3% and graft survival 73.2%, 63.4% and 50.9% after 5, 10 and 15 years of follow-up. Overall patient survival was similar to patients after ALC-LT (P=0.44), but worse than after PBC-LT (hazard ratio [HR]=1.48, P less then 0.001) and PSC-LT (HR=1.19, P=0.002). AIH-LT patients were at increased risk for death (HR=1.37-1.84, P less then 0.001) and graft loss (HR=1.35-1.80, P less then 0.001) from infections compared to all other groups and had a particularly increased risk for lethal fungal infections (HR=3.38-4.20, P≤0.004). Excluding patients who died within 90 days after LT, the risk of death after AIH-LT was superior compared to ALC-LT (HR=0.84, P=0.004), worse compared to PBC-LT (HR=1.38, P less then 0.001) and similar compared to PSC-LT (P=0.93). AIH patients with living donor LT (LDLT) showed reduced survival compared to patients receiving donation after brain death (HR=1.96, P less then 0.001). CONCLUSION In AIH-LT patients, overall survival is inferior to PBC-LT and PSC-LT. The high risk of death after AIH-LT is caused mainly by early fatal infections, including fungal infections. Patients with LDLT for AIH show reduced survival. However, prognosis is more favourable in AIH patients who survived the first 90 days after LT. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.OBJECTIVES To assess the use of risk of bias (ROB) assessment tools and the reporting quality of ROB assessment results in systematic reviews (SRs) of acupuncture for depression, as well as to evaluate the ROB of depression-related randomized controlled trials (RCT). METHODS Embase, Medline, Chinese Journal Full-Text Database (CJFD), VIP Chinese Technology Periodical Database, and WanFang Data Resource System of Digital Periodicals were searched from their inception to 24 November 2017. SRs of RCTs concerning acupuncture on depression were included. General characteristics and the information related to risk of bias in SRs were extracted. A descriptive analysis was used. RESULTS Thirty-nine SRs were included. Of these, two (5%) did not perform a ROB assessment, 18.9% did not report the ROB assessment results, and 62.2% did not report the assessment results of each ROB item. Text descriptions and tables were commonly used in reporting forms. Only 32.4% of SRs reported support for judgment. The reporting rate of ROB assessment results was low in all items (13.5%-35.1%). Regarding RCTs, 59.7% used adequate randomization methods, 13.1% performed adequate allocation concealment, 12.5% performed adequate blinding of participants and personnel, 27.3% performed adequate blinding of the assessment outcomes, and 41.5% and 49.3% had a low ROB in terms of incomplete outcome data and selective outcome reporting, respectively. CONCLUSION For the SRs of acupuncture for depression, the selection of ROB assessment tools needs to be optimized. The reporting quality is poor, and the overall ROB of RCTs is high. Therefore, the results may not be reliable. © 2020 Chinese Cochrane Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.Steroid avoidance in pediatric kidney transplants was found effective with extended daclizumab induction. Upon discontinuation of daclizumab, lymphocyte-depleting agents became used, with little comparative data. We assessed outcomes in children undergoing low immunologic-risk deceased donor (DD) kidney transplants using induction with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) compared to alemtuzumab. We reviewed consecutive DD kidney transplants from January 2015 to September 2017 at two pediatric centers that used different lymphocyte-depleting agents in steroid-avoidance protocols ATG (Center A) and alemtuzumab (Center B), with tacrolimus and MMF as maintenance immunosuppression. Anti-infective prophylaxis was based on center protocol. Over the first year post-tx, there were similar rates of infections. EBV and BK viremia were comparable though Center A manifested more low-grade CMV viremia (A 46% vs B 0%; P = .0009) at median onset 1.8 months, followed by early seroconversion. Reduction of immunosuppression did not differ between groups. DSA at 1 year was similar (A 8% vs 13%) with low rates of BPAR. Need for steroid-based conversion was low. There were no graft losses and no differences in median eGFR at 30, 90, 180, and 365 days. (a) 1-year graft outcomes are excellent in steroid-avoidance regimens using ATG or alemtuzumab induction; (b) conversion to steroid-based therapy is low; (c) alemtuzumab/high-dose MMF is associated with lower WBC and more GCSF use; (d) alemtuzumab/higher dose MMF results in more diarrhea and azathioprine conversion than ATG/lower dose MMF; (e) CMV viremia is seen more often with ATG use with infection prophylaxis reduction; however, seroconversion occurs promptly. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Diet-induced obesity is associated with impaired B cell driven humoral immunity, which coincides with chronic inflammation and has consequences for responses to infections and vaccinations. Here we review key nutritional, cellular, and molecular mechanisms by which obesity may impair aspects of humoral immunity such as B cell development, class switch recombination, and formation of long-lived antibody secreting cells. A key theme to emerge is the central role of white adipose tissue on the formation and function of pro-inflammatory B cell subsets that exacerbate insulin resistance. We highlight the underlying role of select hormones such as leptin, which may be driving the formation of pro-inflammatory B cells in the absence of antigen stimulation. The review also extensively covers the regulatory role of lipid metabolites such as prostaglandins (PGs) and specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) that are synthesized from polyunsaturated fatty acids. Notably, SPM biosynthesis is impaired in obesity and contributes toward impaired antibody production. We include future directions for research including avenues for therapeutic intervention. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.INTRODUCTION Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) provision is a priority intervention for high HIV prevalence settings and populations at substantial risk of HIV acquisition. This mathematical modelling analysis estimated the impact, cost and cost-effectiveness of scaling up oral PrEP in 13 countries. METHODS We projected the impact and cost-effectiveness of oral PrEP between 2018 and 2030 using a combination of the Incidence Patterns Model and the Goals model. We created four PrEP rollout scenarios involving three priority populations-female sex workers (FSWs), serodiscordant couples (SDCs) and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW)-both with and without geographic prioritization. We applied the model to 13 countries (Eswatini, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe). The base case assumed achievement of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS 90-90-90 antiretroviral therapy targets, 90% male circumcision coverage by 2020 and 90% efficacy and adherence levels for oral PrEP.