Nanoparticle vaccines
A nanoparticle is a small particle whose dimensions range between zero nanometers to 100 nanometers. The scientific research relating to nanoparticles are increased in the recent past due to their applicability in the field of medicine. Nanoparticles are naturally-derived vehicles for vaccine delivery. This improvement has been made in the recent past following the safety issues and poor delivery systems that have hampered the development of vaccines. Nanoparticles provide a good platform for the delivery of antigens as well as acting as immunomodulators (Wilhem et al, 2016). Many clinics have recently adopted the use of nanoparticle-based clinics therapies, mostly in the treatment of communicable diseases as well as cancer diseases. As a result, these advances have paved way for the use of nanoparticle vaccines in these clinics to curb the levels of incidence for various infectious diseases. Nanoparticles have been found to be very useful in vaccination because they ensure the stability of the antigens, proper delivery of the antigens to the targeted areas, and immunogenicity.
Critical Thinking, smallpox vs. chickenpox lesions
While most people use the terms chickenpox and smallpox interchangeably, there are various differences between the two. First of all, for a chickenpox infection, the lesions are first seen on the trunk or the face, unlike in a smallpox-infected person where lesions first develop around the mouth and the throat. In chickenpox, there is a successive development of lesions while in smallpox, the lesions develop at the same time and look alike at all the different body sections (Galetta & Gilden, 2015). This means that in chickenpox, while some of the lesions are newly developing, others are already crusting out unlike in smallpox where all lesions develop at the same time. In chickenpox, there is a rapid change of lesions whereby they crust just within 24 hours unlike in smallpox where lesions could take even 15 days before scabbing. In chickenpox, lesions usually sit on the surface of the skin and appear like blisters while in smallpox, lesions are deeply rooted in the skin and are dome-shaped. In chickenpox, the rashes rarely develop on the foot or palms unlike in smallpox here they commonly develop.
Galetta, K. M., & Gilden, D. (2015). Zeroing in on zoster: a tale of many disorders produced by one virus. Journal of the neurological sciences, 358(1-2), 38-45.
Paules, C. I., & Fauci, A. S. (2018). A universal flu vaccine is vital: A century after the deadly pandemic of 1918, we’re still not safe. Scientific American, 318(2).
Wilhelm, S., Tavares, A. J., Dai, Q., Ohta, S., Audet, J., Dvorak, H. F., & Chan, W. C. (2016). Analysis of nanoparticle delivery to tumours. Nature reviews materials, 1(5), 16014.
