Abstract: The invention relates to microparticles that may be used for antigen delivery and vaccine immunization strategies. The invention in particular relates to microparticles that are useful in the prophylaxis and treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections.

Abstract: Core-shell nanoparticles comprising: (a) a core which comprises a water insoluble polymer or copolymer, and (b) a shell which comprises a hydrophilic polymer or copolymer; said nanoparticles being obtainable by emulsion polymerization of a mixture comprising, in an aqueous solution, at least one water-insoluble styrenic, acrylic or methacrylic monomer and specific hydrophylic monomers or copolymers.

Abstract: We describe a new two-step culture method for mass production in vitro of erythroid cells from either CD34+ (105 cells/mL) or light-density (106 cells/mL) cells purified from the blood of normal donors and thalassemic patients. The method includes (i) culture of the cells in the presence of dexamethasone and estradiol (10?6 M each) and (ii) the growth factors SCF (50 ng/mL), IL-3 (1 ng/mL), and EPO (1 U/mL). In their proliferative phase, these cultures generated about 1-2×107 erythroblasts for each milliliter of blood collected from normal donors or thalassemic patients. They were composed mostly (90%) of CD45low/glycophorin (GPA)neg/CD71low cells at day 7, 50-60% of which became CD45neg/GPA+/CD71high by days 15-20. However, when cells from days 7 to 12 of the proliferative phase were transferred in differentiation medium containing EPO and insulin, they progressed to mature erythroblasts (>90% benzidinepos and CD45neg/GPA+/CD71medium) in 4 days.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of ex vivo amplification of neonatal T cells from umbilical cord blood which comprises obtaining light density mononuclear cells from a sample of umbilical cord blood and then culturing said light density mononuclear cells in a serum-deprived culture medium supplemented with various cytokine combinations. Particularly, there are reported the effects exerted by cytokine combinations including stem cell factor (SCF), interleukin-7, interleukin-4 and interleukin-2, on the amplification of T cells from cord blood mononuclear cells cultured for 10-11 days under serum-deprived conditions. Of all the combinations investigated, SCF plus interleukin-7 sustained the best fold increase (FI) of total nucleated cells (FI=6.4±1.17), amplifying preferentially CD4+ over CD8+ T cell subsets (FI=4.72±0.79 vs 2.73±1.2, respectively, p<0.05). The addition of interleukin-2 to this combination did not significantly increase the total number of cells generated (FI=7.4±2.

Abstract: We describe a new two-step culture method for mass production in vitro of erythroid cells from either CD34+ (105 cells/mL) or light-density (106 cells/mL) cells purified from the blood of normal donors and thalassemic patients. The method includes (i) culture of the cells in the presence of dexamethasone and estradiol (10−6 M each) and (ii) the growth factors SCF (50 ng/mL), IL-3 (1 ng/mL), and EPO (1 U/mL). In their proliferative phase, these cultures generated about 1-2×107 erythroblasts for each milliliter of blood collected from normal donors or thalassemic patients. They were composed mostly (90%) of CD45low/glycophorin (GPA)neg/CD71low cells at day 7, 50-60% of which became CD45neg/GPA+/CD71high by days 15-20. However, when cells from days 7 to 12 of the proliferative phase were transferred in differentiation medium containing EPO and insulin, they progressed to mature erythroblasts (>90% benzidinepos and CD45neg/GPA+/CD71medium) in 4 days.

Abstract: A method for the diagnosis in vitro of HIV-1 infections by treating CD4-positive cells infected with blood and other biological materials with synthetic peptides derived from V3 region of HTLV-III B strain and from MN strain of HIV-1 virus is reported. The above peptides enhance the infectivity of HIV-1 virus in cellular cultures in vitro.