Distinct roles of vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibodies and T cells in protection and disease.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) lack cross-reactivity between SARS-CoV species and variants and fail to mediate long-term protection against infection. The maintained protection against severe disease and death by vaccination suggests a role for cross-reactive T cells. We generated vaccines containing sequences from the spike or receptor binding domain, the membrane and/or nucleoprotein that induced only T cells, or T cells and NAbs, to understand their individual roles.

Proteomic Analysis of Pleural Effusions from COVID-19 Deceased Patients: Enhanced Inflammatory Markers.

Critically ill COVID-19 patients with pleural effusion experience longer hospitalization, multisystem inflammatory syndrome, and higher rates of mortality. Generally, pleural effusion can serve as a diagnostic value to differentiate cytokine levels. This study aimed to evaluate the pleural effusions of COVID-19 deceased patients for 182 protein markers.

Morphological changes without histological myocarditis in hearts of COVID-19 deceased patients.

Patients with underlying heart diseases have a higher risk of dying from Covid-19. It has also been suggested that Covid-19 affects the heart through myocarditis. Despite the rapidly growing research on the management of Covid-19 associated complications, most of the ongoing research is focused on the respiratory complications of Covid-19, and little is known about the prevalence of myocarditis.

Mechanistic insights into COVID-19 by global analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 3CL substrate degradome.

The main viral protease (3CL) is indispensable for SARS-CoV-2 replication. We delineate the human protein substrate landscape of 3CL by TAILS substrate-targeted N-terminomics. We identify more than 100 substrates in human lung and kidney cells supported by analyses of SARS-CoV-2-infected cells.

Pulmonary stromal expansion and intra-alveolar coagulation are primary causes of COVID-19 death.

Most COVID-19 victims are old and die from unrelated causes. Here we present welve complete autopsies, including two rapid autopsies of young patients where the cause of death was COVID-19 ARDS. The main virus induced pathology was in the lung parenchyma and not in the airways.

Diagnostic disagreement between clinical standard histopathological- and retrospective assessment of histopathology-based gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease in children.

Background: No previous paediatric study has evaluated the frequency of diagnostic disagreement between clinical standard histopathological assessment (CSHA) and retrospective, independent, histopathological assessment (RIHA) of gastrointestinal Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GI-GVHD) METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, based on gastrointestinal biopsies collected from allogeneic HSCT-treated children (<18 years) with symptom-based GI-GVHD, we evaluated; disagreement of histopathology-based GI-GVHD diagnosis in CSHA vs RIHA, and potential clinical consequences of differences between the assessments. The CSHA-based diagnoses were retrieved from histopathology reports. The RIHA was performed by one pathologist, blinded to the CSHA outcomes and based on the minimal criteria for histopathology-based GI-GVHD diagnosis by the NIH 2014.

The Effect of Methylselenocysteine and Sodium Selenite Treatment on microRNA Expression in Liver Cancer Cell Lines.

The unique character of selenium compounds, including sodium selenite and Se-methylselenocysteine (MSC), is that they exert cytotoxic effects on neoplastic cells, providing a great potential for treating cancer cells being highly resistant to cytostatic drugs. However, selenium treatment may affect microRNA (miRNA) expression as the pattern of circulating miRNAs changed in a placebo-controlled selenium supplement study. This necessitates exploring possible changes in the expression profiles of miRNAs.

Clinical relevance of endoscopy with histopathological assessment in children with suspected gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease.

Endoscopy with histopathological assessment is an established practice to confirm gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease (GI-GVHD). However, the clinical relevance of this approach in children is incompletely evaluated. In a retrospective cohort study, we investigated the frequency of treatment changes in response to histopathological findings in all children (<18 years) in Sweden who underwent endoscopy for suspected GI-GVHD (2000-2013) after receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Choice of Endoscopic Procedure in Children With Clinically Suspected Gastrointestinal Graft-versus-host Disease.

Objectives: Gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease (GI-GVHD) is a potentially life-threatening complication after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Symptoms indicating GI-GVHD motivates endoscopy with biopsy sampling and histopathological confirmation. Optimal extent of endoscopy in children is, however, presently unknown.

Risk Factors for Invasive Mold Infections and Implications for Choice of Prophylaxis after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Invasive mold infections (IMIs) are major complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with high mortality. We retrospectively investigated incidence and risk factors for IMI after 797 HSCTs in a center with high autopsy frequency, trying to identify patient groups that would potentially benefit from mold-active prophylaxis. The cumulative 1-year incidence of IMI was 2.

Epidemiology and outcomes of patients with invasive mould infections: a retrospective observational study from a single centre (2005-2009).

Invasive mould infection (IMI) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. However, Swedish epidemiology data are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology and outcome of IMI.

Posaconazole concentrations in human tissues after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Few data have been published regarding posaconazole tissue concentrations in humans. We analyzed tissue concentrations in biopsy specimens taken at autopsy from seven patients who received posaconazole prophylaxis because of graft-versus-host disease. The results were compared to plasma concentrations collected before death.

Improved survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in recent years. A single-center study.

We analyzed the outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) over the past 2 decades. Between 1992 and 2009, 953 patients were treated with HSCT, mainly for a hematologic malignancy. They were divided according to 4 different time periods of treatment: 1992 to 1995, 1996 to 2000, 2001 to 2005, and 2006 to 2009.

Mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of therapy-resistant graft-versus-host disease.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have immunomodulatory effects. The aim was to study the effect of MSC infusion on graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

Methods: We gave MSC to eight patients with steroid-refractory grades III-IV GVHD and one who had extensive chronic GVHD.