B cell heterogeneity in human tuberculosis highlights compartment-specific phenotype and functional roles.

B cells are important in tuberculosis (TB) immunity, but their role in the human lung is understudied. Here, we characterize B cells from lung tissue and matched blood of patients with TB and found they are decreased in the blood and increased in the lungs, consistent with recruitment to infected tissue, where they are located in granuloma associated lymphoid tissue. Flow cytometry and transcriptomics identify multiple B cell populations in the lung, including those associated with tissue resident memory, germinal centers, antibody secretion, proinflammatory atypical B cells, and regulatory B cells, some of which are expanded in TB disease.

Failure to decrease HbA1c levels following TB treatment is associated with elevated Th1/Th17 CD4+ responses.

Introduction: The rising global burden of metabolic disease impacts the control of endemic tuberculosis (TB) in many regions, as persons with diabetes mellitus (DM) are up to three times more likely to develop active TB than those without DM. Active TB can also promote glucose intolerance during both acute infection and over a longer term, potentially driven by aspects of the immune response. Identifying patients likely to have persistent hyperglycemia following TB treatment would enable closer monitoring and care, and an improved understanding of underlying immunometabolic dysregulation.

Vaginal microbiome-hormonal contraceptive interactions associate with the mucosal proteome and HIV acquisition.

Alterations to the mucosal environment of the female genital tract, such as genital inflammation, have been associated with increased HIV acquisition in women. As the microbiome and hormonal contraceptives can affect vaginal mucosal immunity, we hypothesized these components may interact in the context of HIV susceptibility. Using previously published microbiome data from 685 women in the CAPRISA-004 trial, we compared relative risk of HIV acquisition in this cohort who were using injectable depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), norethisterone enanthate (NET-EN), and combined oral contraceptives (COC).

Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition reduces postoperative metastatic disease by targeting surgery-induced myeloid derived suppressor cell-dependent inhibition of Natural Killer cell cytotoxicity.

Cancer surgery while necessary for primary tumor removal, has been shown to induce immune suppression and promote metastases in preclinical models and human cancer surgery patients. Activating the immune system and reversing immunosuppression have emerged as promising ways to treat cancer and they can be safely employed in the perioperative period. In this study, we evaluated the immunotherapeutic potential of phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors to target surgery-induced myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and restore natural killer (NK) cell function in the clinically relevant perioperative period.

Humans' folk physics is sensitive to physical connection and contact between a tool and reward.

Three experiments examined adult humans' folk physics (i.e., their naturally occurring understanding of the physical world) using variations of rope-and-banana problems that are used to study chimpanzees' folk physics.

Incidence, prevalence and possible risk factors for pneumonitis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving methotrexate.

Objective: Methotrexate (MTX) is being used increasingly to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Pneumonitis is a serious side effect of MTX therapy (P-MTX). Our aim was to determine in patients with RA the incidence and prevalence of P-MTX in Western Australia and identify risk factors for the development of this adverse reaction.

Intraarticular pressure and the relationship between synovial perfusion and metabolic demand.

We examined the influence of intraarticular pressure on products of synovial energy metabolism in patients with knee effusions. A range of intraarticular pressures was generated by controlled flexion. Pressures greater than or equal to 45 mm Hg were associated with increased synovial fluid lactate concentrations and pCO2, and decreased pH.

Evaluation of direct and buffy coat films of peripheral blood for the early detection of bacteraemia.

During an 8 month period, 298 evaluations of direct and buffy coat films of peripheral blood for the detection of bacteraemia were undertaken in 287 infants (243 less than 24 h of age and 55 aged between 2 days and 30 days). Bacteraemia was diagnosed by simultaneously drawn aerobic and anaerobic blood cultures. Intracellular organisms were observed in both the direct and buffy coat films of only four of 24 infants with bacteraemia, giving a sensitivity of 17%, specificity of 100% and positive and negative predictive values of 100% and 93%, respectively.

Early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis using a hematologic scoring system.

Hematologic findings and published complete blood cell count criteria were evaluated as screening tests for neonatal sepsis. From the data obtained, a hematologic scoring system was formulated that assigns a score of 1 for each of seven findings: abnormal total leukocyte count, abnormal total neutrophil (PMN) count, elevated immature PMN count, elevated immature to total PMN ratio, immature to mature PMN ratio greater than or equal to 0.3, platelet count less than or equal to 150,000/mm3, and pronounced degenerative changes in PMNs.