Progress and challenges in the vaccine-based treatment of head and neck cancers

Head and neck (HN) cancer represents one of the most challenging diseases because the mortality remains high despite advances in early diagnosis and treatment. Although vaccine-based approaches for the treatment of advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck have achieved limited clinical success, advances in cancer immunology provide a strong foundation and powerful new tools to guide current attempts to develop effective cancer vaccines. This article reviews what has to be rather what has been done in the field for the development of future vaccines in HN tumours

Antibacterial Action of Extracellular Mammalian Group IIA Phospholipase A2 against Grossly Clumped <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>

ABSTRACT Fibrinogen-dependent interactions of Staphylococcus aureus are believed to contribute to bacterial virulence by promoting bacterial attachment to fibrinogen-coated surfaces and inducing the formation of bacterial clumps that are likely resistant to phagocytosis. Although S. aureus produces several fibrinogen-binding proteins, the cell wall-associated protein clumping factor (encoded by clfA ) appears to be most important in bacterial interactions with immobilized or soluble purified fibrinogen. We have compared bacterial clumping in several strains of S. aureus , including isogenic ClfA + and ClfA − Newman strains, in the presence of purified rabbit fibrinogen, human plasma, and inflammatory fluid and examined the effect of clumping on bacterial sensitivity to mammalian group IIA phospholipase A2 (PLA2). This enzyme is the major extracellular bactericidal agent in inflammatory fluid active against S. aureus . Both ClfA-dependent and ClfA-independent bacterial clumping was observed, depending on the source and fibrinogen content of the biological fluid. In each case, clumping only partially reduced the antibacterial activity of PLA2, suggesting that this extracellular enzyme can substantially penetrate dense bacterial clumps. Bacterial clumps could be dispersed by added proteases, restoring full antibacterial activity to PLA2. Thus, the extracellular mobilization of group IIA PLA2 during inflammation may provide a mechanism by which the host can control the proliferation and survival of S. aureus even after bacterial clumping. </jats:p