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Multistage fracturing in the Bakken formation, Elm Coulee field, Williston basin, Montana, has been performed using hydraulic packers for zonal isolation with ball-actuated fracture sleeves to improve performance of horizontal wells. Optimizing development drilling and fracture-treatment designs for horizontal wells requires an estimation of the fracture geometry (azimuth, height, and half-length, with respect to lateral orientation). A fracture treatment designed under the assumption of a longitudinal fracture (along the length of the borehole) will be entirely inadequate if the actual fracture propagates in a transverse orientation (perpendicular to the length of the borehole) and vice versa. Recovery factor and reserves estimation, interference, drainage, and well spacing require an understanding of the created fracture geometry from multistage completions. This paper describes how real-time downhole microseismic monitoring, fracture-treatment pressure interpretation, and subsequent production evaluation were used to better understand the created-fracture geometry, completion staging efficiency, and fracture-stimulation effectiveness in a project with two parallel 4,000-ft middle-Bakken treatment horizontal wells 2,000 ft apart with a horizontal well in between. The following topics will be discussed as part of this paper: I. Success and failure in achieving proper stage isolation, diversion, and fracture-stimulation coverage using hydraulic packers for zonal isolation with ball-actuated fracture sleeves in two 4,000-ft laterals. 2. Fracture azimuth and halfqength as related to entry-point spacing and intersections with nearby wells. 3. Fracture-height growth up into the Lodgepole limestone and down into the Three Forks formation as related to microseismic location uncertainties and use of this information in fracture-model calibration. 4. Discussion and comparison of the production response for past completion strategies to the current approach, as well as discussion about production interference between horizontal wells. The integration of fracturing-mechanics studies that began with the initial vertical wells and concluded with current-day horizontal applications in concert with detailed reservoir-engineering evaluations has resulted in significant production improvement in the Bakken formation, Elm Coulee field, Williston basin, Montana. Detailed reservoir engineering led to optimized multistage fracturing that was applied using hydraulic packers for zonal isolation with ball-actuated fracture sleeves to improve performance of horizontal wells. Using a calibrated/customized fracture model that had been developed from evaluation of hundreds of wells in the basin, the fracture-treatment pump schedules were designed to minimize *Now with Liberty Oilfield Services LLC Copyright 2012 Society of Petroleum Engineers This paper (SPE 139774) was accepted for presentation at the SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference and Exhibition, The Woodlands, Texas, USA, 24-26 January 2011, and revised for publication. Original manuscript received for review 14 December 2010. Revised manuscript received for review 6 June 2011. Paper peer approved 23 August 2011. fracture complexity and optimize lateral proppant placement to attempt to create an ideal transverse-fracture geometry within a horizontal well. Microseismic imaging was used to confirm the historical information in the basin, fracture mechanics studies, and customized models relative to the azimuth, height, and half-length with respect to lateral orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protein composition of an Outer Membrane Vesicle (OMV) preparation that constitutes the active pharmaceutical ingredient of VA-MENGOC-BC®, an effective vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis serogroups B, and C is presented. This preparation has a high lipid content and five abundant membrane proteins (FetA, PorA, PorB, RmpM, and Opc), constituting approximately 70% of the total protein mass. The protein composition was determined by combining the use of the Hexapeptide Ligand Library and an orthogonal tandem fractionation of tryptic peptides by reverse-phase chromatography at alkaline and acid pH. This approach equalizes the concentration of tryptic peptides derived from low- and high-abundance proteins as well as considerably simplifying the number of peptides analyzed by LC-MS/MS, enhancing the possibility of identifying low-abundance species. Fifty-one percent of the proteins originally annotated as membrane proteins in the genome of the MC58 strain were identified. One hundred and sixty-eight low-abundance cytosolic proteins presumably occluded within OMV were also identified. Four (NadA, NUbp, GNA2091, and fHbp), out of the five antigens constituting the Bexsero® vaccine, were detected in this OMV preparation. In particular, fHbp is also the active principle of the Trumenba® vaccine developed by Pfizer. The HpuA and HpuB gene products (not annotated in the MC58 genome) were identified in the CU385 strain, a clinical isolate that is used to produce this OMV. Considering the proteins identified here and previous work done by our group, the protein catalogue of this OMV preparation was extended to 266 different protein species.

Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B infections are a serious health threat to the world that cannot be prevented by vaccination. Here, we report an analysis of the MC58 Neisseria meningitidis genome aimed at the identification of new potential vaccine candidates. 'Hypothetical' and 'conserved hypothetical' annotated genes, together with those with putative functions related to the cell envelope, were subjected to extensive sequence similarity searches, as well as motif, cellular location, and domain analyses complemented with manual curation. As a result, a set of 35 uncharacterized ORFs, predicted to encode for surface exposed or virulence related proteins, was identified. The candidates were subdivided in three categories: 1) predicted outer membrane proteins (OMPs) unique of the Neisseria genus; 2) conserved OMPs from various genus and 3) proteins homologous to known OMPs or to proteins previously found to be immunogenic in animal models. Two of the final candidates, nmb1126 and nmb0181, were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The resulting products were purified by Metal Chelating Chromatography and used to immunize mice. The recombinant proteins were capable of inducing antibodies against the native antigen in preparations of a panel of three strains and displayed bactericidal activity against the homologous strains.

The Keystone Symposia "Advancing vaccines in the genomic era" was held in the Convention Center of the Windsor Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from October 31 to November 4. It was part of the Keystone Global Symposia series sponsored by Bill and Melinda Gates Fundation. Two-hundred and twenty delegates and more than a hundred of others participants around the world attended. The event was subdivided into 10 workshops covering 68 lectures and 120 posters on the latest results for vaccine design, development and testing, most of them with examples of the application of the Systems Biology approach with new technologies and an integral focus. The high quality of debates and researchers meetings brought about the general concerns on the main infectious diseases. They also provided an extraordinary opportunity to exchange about new ideas and to establish collaboration programs.

The conference Immunological Mechanisms of Vaccination of the Keystone Symposia was held on December 13-18, 2012, in Ottawa, Canada. There were more than 400 participants from all over the world in the field of immunology and vaccine research. During five days, attendees had the possibility to present and discuss their current work and also to encourage new collaborations. Fifty-five oral presentations were grouped in seven sessions according to the following topics: Innate sensing of pathogens and vaccines, Augmenting immune response to vaccines, T and B cell memory to vaccines, Understanding signatures of vaccine protective efficacy, Translating immunity to vaccines and Vaccines against global threats. Additionally, more than 240 posters were presented and two workshops on Novel adjuvants and Vaccine delivery were organized. The quality of the papers presented at this conference shows that there is a global concern in eradicating chronic and re-emerging infectious diseases. Currently, a special attention is focused to the search for new and potent adjuvants and delivery systems that allows the generation of the immune response at the systemic and mucosal compartments to increase vaccine efficacy .

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

As cancer detection and treatment improve, the number of long-term survivors will continue to grow, as will the need to improve their survivorship experience and health outcomes. We need to better understand cancer and its treatment's short- and long-term adverse consequences and to prevent, detect, and treat these consequences effectively. Delivering care through a collaborative care model; standardizing information offered to and collected from patients; standardizing approaches to documenting, treating, and reducing adverse effects; and creating a data infrastructure to make population-based information widely available are all actions that can improve survivors' outcomes. National policies that address gaps in insurance coverage, the cost and value of treatment and survivorship care, and worker benefits such as paid sick leave can also concurrently reduce cancer burden. The National Cancer Policy Forum and the Forum on Aging, Disability, and Independence at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine sponsored a virtual workshop on "Addressing the Adverse Consequences of Cancer Treatment," November 9-10, 2020, to examine long-term adverse consequences of cancer treatment and to identify practices and policies to reduce treatment's negative impact on survivors. This commentary discusses high-priority issues raised during the workshop and offers a path forward., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has had multilevel effects on non-COVID-19 health and health care, including deferral of routine cancer prevention and screening and delays in surgical and other procedures. Health and health care use has also been affected by pandemic-related loss of employer-based health insurance, food and housing disruptions, and heightened stress, sleep disruptions and social isolation. These disruptions are projected to contribute to excess non-COVID-19 deaths over the coming decades. At the same time municipalities, health systems and individuals are making changes in response to the pandemic, including modifications in the environmental to promote health, implementation of telehealth platforms, and shifts towards greater self-care and using remote platforms to maintain social connections. We used a multi-level biopsychosocial model to examine the available literature on the relationship between COVID-19-related changes and breast cancer prevention to identify current gaps in knowledge and identify potential opportunities for future research. We found that COVID-19 has impacted several aspects of social and economic life, through a variety of mechanisms, including unemployment, changes in health care delivery, changes in eating and activity, and changes in mental health. Some of these changes should be reduced, while others should be explored and enhanced.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a substantial human, social and economic toll globally, but its impact on Black/African Americans, Latinx, and American Indian/Alaska Native communities in the U.S. is unconscionable. As the U.S. continues to combat the current COVID-19 cycle and prepares for future pandemics, it will be critical to learn from and rectify past and contemporary wrongs. Drawing on experiences in genomic research and intersecting areas in medical ethics, health disparities, and human rights, this article considers three key COVID-19-related issues: research to identify remedies; testing, contact tracing and surveillance; and lingering health needs and disability. It provides a pathway for the future: community engagement to develop culturally-sensitive responses to the myriad genomic/bioethical dilemmas that arise, and the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to transition the country from its contemporary state of segregation in healthcare and health outcomes into an equitable and prosperous society for all.

Transparency about the costs that patients incur is an increasingly important factor in making decisions throughout the course of diagnosis and treatment. Both patients and providers regard honest, informed discussions about these costs as critical to providing person-centered care, but often encounter a range of barriers to initiating and maintaining these conversations. The Patient Advocate Foundation/National Patient Advocate Foundation with partial funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has conducted both quantitative and qualitative research with patients and providers designed to identify key issues related to cost of care discussions. These include components of financial toxicity for patients, both related to direct costs and to quality of life, as well as questions as to who should initiate these conversations, when they should take place, and what kind of information and training are needed to make these conversations meaningful. This article reports the results of this work with recommendations for providers about how to incorporate cost of care discussions into the normal clinical work flow and patient life flow., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

In this article, we present a brief history of cancer advocacy and discuss the variety of ways advocates have become involved in cancer research and subsequently present principles that establish a framework for successful research advocacy based on a review of many early initiatives coupled with our knowledge as long-time cancer advocates. Challenges to effective advocacy are described, and recommendations for increasing meaningful contributions by research advocates are proposed. The purpose of this article is to discuss the exciting field of research advocacy and to help shape a more productive future for advocates and their scientific collaborators., (©2013 AACR.)