Single-dose cefixime 800 mg plus doxycycline 100 mg twice a day for 7 days compared with single-dose ceftriaxone 1 g plus single-dose azithromycin 2 g for treatment of urogenital, rectal, and pharyngeal gonorrhoea: a randomised clinical trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a single dose of oral cefixime 800 mg plus oral doxycycline 100 mg twice a day for 7 days, compared with a recommended single dose of ceftriaxone plus single dose of oral azithromycin, for treatment of uncomplicated urogenital, rectal, or pharyngeal gonorrhoea.

Methods: A noninferiority, open-label, multicentre randomized controlled trial was conducted in Prague, Czech Republic. Some 161 patients, 18-65 years of age diagnosed with uncomplicated urogenital, rectal, or pharyngeal gonorrhoea by nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) were randomized to treatment with single dose of cefixime 800 mg plus doxycycline 100 mg twice a day for 1 week or a single dose of ceftriaxone 1 g intramuscularly plus single dose of azithromycin 2 g.

We are memory: B-cell responses in allergy and tolerance.

The significance of B-cell memory in sustaining IgE-mediated allergies but also ensuring the development of long-term allergen tolerance has remained enigmatic. However, well-thought murine and human studies have begun to shed more light on this highly disputed subject. The present mini review highlights important aspects, like the involvement of IgG1 memory B cells, the meaning of low- or high-affinity IgE antibody production, the impact of allergen immunotherapy, or the relevance of local memory established by ectopic lymphoid structures.

Isolation of Lymphocytes from Human Skin and Murine Tissues: A Rapid and Epitope-Preserving Approach.

Tissue-resident immune cells have been shown to play an important role in skin health and disease. However, owing to limited access to human skin samples and time-consuming, technically demanding protocols, the characterization of tissue-derived cells remains challenging. For this reason, blood-derived leukocytes are frequently used as a surrogate specimen, although they do not necessarily reflect local immune responses in the skin.

Detection of rare autoreactive T cell subsets in patients with pemphigus vulgaris.

Analysis of T lymphocyte proliferation and activation after antigenic or mitogenic stimulation is a vital parameter used in the diagnosis of various immuno-deficiencies and during the monitoring of treatment responses. Most applied techniques are based on the incorporation of tritiated thymidine (H-TdR) or ELISPOT analysis, both rely on rather time-consuming/-intensive protocols or encompass inherent drawbacks such as the inability to distinguish specific cell populations (H-TdR, ELISPOT) or focus on a single cytokine (ELISPOT). Here we aimed at characterizing the rapid expression of intracellular CD154 (CD40L) as a marker for rare antigen-specific CD4+ T cells in pemphigus vulgaris (PV).

Repeatedly negative PCR results in patients with COVID-19 symptoms: Do they have SARS-CoV-2 infection or not?

Objective: To point out possible infection with SARS-CoV-2 in symptomatic patients despite repeated negative nasopharyngeal swab tests for SARS-CoV-2.

Material And Methods: A retrospective observational study carried out at the Na Bulovce Hospital from the beginning of the pandemic until November 2020 included patients (1) who had symptoms compatible with COVID-19; (2) whose nasopharyngeal swab PCR tests in the presence of acute respiratory infection symptoms yielded two consecutive negative results; (3) in whom SARS-CoV-2 infection was subsequently confirmed by serology. Basic demographic and epidemiological data, symptoms, laboratory test results, X-ray findings and timing of virological tests were analysed for these patients.