Comparative Profiling of Salivary Cortisol and Salivary DHEA-S Among Healthy Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women.

During pregnancy, circulatory cortisol levels increase, remaining steady over the second-third trimester. In contrast, profile of salivary cortisol during pregnancy is debatable, more influenced by factors like time of sample collection in the day. Circulatory DHEA-S decrease by at least 50% over the second-third trimester of pregnancy.

Comparative profiling of prenatal cortisol and DHEA-S among pregnant women with poor birth outcome and pregnant women with normal birth outcome.

Context: Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) are indispensable hormones for normal pregnancy. It is unclear if these hormones, specifically DHEA-S can offer value for predicting poor birth outcome.

Objective: To compare prenatal cortisol and DHEA-S levels among pregnant women with normal or poor birth outcome.

Ramping up of SARS CoV-2 testing for the diagnosis of COVID-19 to better manage the next phase of pandemic and reduce the mortality in India.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, a new member of the Coronavirus family. The virus was first identified in Wuhan, China, where the epidemic originated. The viral genome was sequenced and a real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay was developed and used for the detection of virus.

Remarkably Robust Antiviral Immune Response despite Combined Deficiency in Caspase-8 and RIPK3.

Caspase-8 (Casp8)-mediated signaling triggers extrinsic apoptosis while suppressing receptor-interacting protein kinase (RIPK) 3-dependent necroptosis. Although Casp8 is dispensable for the development of innate and adaptive immune compartments in mice, the importance of this proapoptotic protease in the orchestration of immune response to pathogens remains to be fully explored. In this study, C57BL/6 mice show robust innate and adaptive immune responses to the natural mouse pathogen, murine CMV.

Robust mucosal-homing antibody-secreting B cell responses induced by intramuscular administration of adjuvanted bivalent human norovirus-like particle vaccine.

Background: Two major antigenically heterogenous norovirus genogroups (GI and GII) commonly infect humans and are the leading cause of foodborne, viral gastrointestinal infections in adults.

Methods: We assessed B cell responses in participants in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation phase 1 study of the safety and immunogenicity of an intramuscular bivalent norovirus virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine. The vaccine contained a GI.

RIP1 suppresses innate immune necrotic as well as apoptotic cell death during mammalian parturition.

The pronecrotic kinase, receptor interacting protein (RIP1, also called RIPK1) mediates programmed necrosis and, together with its partner, RIP3 (RIPK3), drives midgestational death of caspase 8 (Casp8)-deficient embryos. RIP1 controls a second vital step in mammalian development immediately after birth, the mechanism of which remains unresolved. Rip1(-/-) mice display perinatal lethality, accompanied by gross immune system abnormalities.

B cell response and hemagglutinin stalk-reactive antibody production in different age cohorts following 2009 H1N1 influenza virus vaccination.

The 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza virus carried a swine-origin hemagglutinin (HA) that was closely related to the HAs of pre-1947 H1N1 viruses but highly divergent from the HAs of recently circulating H1N1 strains. Consequently, prior exposure to pH1N1-like viruses was mostly limited to individuals over the age of about 60 years. We related age and associated differences in immune history to the B cell response to an inactivated monovalent pH1N1 vaccine given intramuscularly to subjects in three age cohorts: 18 to 32 years, 60 to 69 years, and ≥70 years.

Host differences in influenza-specific CD4 T cell and B cell responses are modulated by viral strain and route of immunization.

The antibody response to influenza infection is largely dependent on CD4 T cell help for B cells. Cognate signals and secreted factors provided by CD4 T cells drive B cell activation and regulate antibody isotype switching for optimal antiviral activity. Recently, we analyzed HLA-DR1 transgenic (DR1) mice and C57BL/10 (B10) mice after infection with influenza virus A/New Caledonia/20/99 (NC) and defined epitopes recognized by virus-specific CD4 T cells.

T cell immunoglobulin and mucin protein-3 (Tim-3)/Galectin-9 interaction regulates influenza A virus-specific humoral and CD8 T-cell responses.

Reactions to pathogens are usually tuned to effect immunity and limit tissue damage. Several host counterinflammatory mechanisms inhibit tissue damage but these may also act to constrain the effectiveness of immunity to acute infections, as we demonstrate in mice acutely infected with influenza A virus (IAV). We show that compared with wild type (WT), galectin-9 knockout (G9KO) mice mounted a more robust acute phase virus-specific CD8 T-cell response as well as higher and more rapid virus-specific serum IgM, IgG, and IgA responses and also cleared virus more rapidly than did WT mice.

Influenza virus variation in susceptibility to inactivation by pomegranate polyphenols is determined by envelope glycoproteins.

Pomegranates have high levels of polyphenols (PPs) and may be a rich source of compounds with antiviral activity. We evaluated the direct anti-influenza activity of three commercially available pomegranate extracts: pomegranate juice (PJ), a concentrated liquid extract (POMxl), and a 93% PP powder extract (POMxp). The acidity of PJ and POMxl solutions contributed to rapid anti-influenza activity, but this was not a factor with POMxp.

Quantitative analysis of influenza virus-specific B cell memory generated by different routes of inactivated virus vaccination.

We consider both Ab-secreting cell (ASC) and memory B cell (B(Mem)) populations in a quantitative analysis of virus-specific B cell memory generated by intramuscular or intranasal vaccination of mice with inactivated influenza virus. After both forms of vaccination, the memory phase was characterized by localization of ASCs in the bone marrow and dispersion of B(Mem) to organized lymphoid tissues. The stronger IgG response to intramuscular vaccination correlated with larger numbers of IgG ASCs in the bone marrow and IgG B(Mem).