Exploring the landscape of symptom-specific inflammatory cytokines in post-COVID syndrome patients.

Introduction: Post-COVID syndrome (PCS) is characterized by a polymorphism of symptoms with hypothetical pathophysiological mechanisms. Here, we aimed to analyze the profile of inflammatory cytokines in patients with PCS and to study the relationship between this profile, the clinical symptoms as well as the endothelial function in PCS.

Methods: Our analytical study involved all eligible patients (n = 66) with PCS included from April 2021 to December 2021.

Changes in Physical Fitness, Muscle Damage and Cognitive Function in Elite Rugby Players over a Season.

This study proposes to monitor the physical, immune and cognitive responses and adaptations of elite rugby players throughout the season based on the loads performed. Anthropometric measurements, physical fitness tests (e.g.

Abnormal expression of oxylipins and related synthesizing/signaling pathways in inflammatory bowel diseases.

We investigated selected oxylipins and related synthesizing/signaling pathways in 28 patients with Crohn's disease (CD), 19 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 39 controls. Plasma and mucosal PUFA/oxylipin profiles were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. mRNA expression of 5, 12 and 15-lipooxygenases, FPR2/ALXR, FFAR4/GPR120, annexin A1, and interleukin-10 were analyzed by qRT-PCR.

Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after natural infection: insights from a study on Pasteur Institute of Tunis employees.

This study aimed to assess the kinetics of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2, following natural infection in a cohort of employees of the Institut Pasteur de Tunis (IPT) and to assess the risk of reinfection over a 12-months follow-up period. A prospective study was conducted among an open cohort of IPT employees with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection that were recruited between September 2020 and March 2021. Sera samples were taken at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after confirmation of COVID-19 infection and tested for SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to the spike (S-RBD) protein (IgG anti-S-RBD) and for neutralizing antibodies.

A novel approach to designing viral precision vaccines applied to SARS-CoV-2.

Efficient precision vaccines against several highly pathogenic zoonotic viruses are currently lacking. Proteolytic activation is instrumental for a number of these viruses to gain host-cell entry and develop infectivity. For SARS-CoV-2, this process is enhanced by the insertion of a furin cleavage site at the junction of the spike protein S1/S2 subunits upstream of the metalloprotease TMPRSS2 common proteolytic site.

A Longitudinal Study in Tunisia to Assess the Anti-RBD IgG and IgA Responses Induced by Three Different COVID-19 Vaccine Platforms.

Background: Vaccination constitutes the best strategy against COVID-19. In Tunisia, seven vaccines standing for the three main platforms, namely RNA, viral vector, and inactivated vaccines, have been used to vaccinate the population at a large scale. This study aimed to assess, in our setting, the kinetics of vaccine-induced anti-RBD IgG and IgA antibody responses.

Immunogenicity and Tolerance of BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients.

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) induces acquired immunodeficiency, potentially altering vaccine response. Herein, we aimed to explore the clinical tolerance and the humoral and cellular immune responses following anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in ASCT recipients.

Methods: A prospective, non-randomized, controlled study that involved 43 ASCT subjects and 31 healthy controls.

Whole-exome sequencing reveals novel variants of monogenic diabetes in Tunisia: impact on diagnosis and healthcare management.

Monogenic diabetes (MD) accounts for 3%-6% of all cases of diabetes. This prevalence is underestimated due to its overlapping clinical features with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Hence, genetic testing is the most appropriate tool for obtaining an accurate diagnosis.

Development of an Optimized Process for Functional Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike S1 Receptor-Binding Domain Protein Produced in the Baculovirus Expression Vector System.

To map the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and evaluate immune response variations against this virus, it is essential to set up efficient serological tests locally. The SARS-CoV-2 immunogenic proteins were very expensive and not affordable for lower- middle-income countries (LMICs). For this purpose, the commonly used antigen, receptor-binding domain (RBD) of spike S1 protein (S1RBD), was produced using the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS).

Immunogenicity of Mix-and-Match CoronaVac/BNT162b2 Regimen versus Homologous CoronaVac/CoronaVac Vaccination: A Single-Blinded, Randomized, Parallel Group Superiority Trial.

(1) Background: This study aimed to compare the immunogenicity of the mix-and-match CoronaVac/BNT162b2 vaccination to the homologous CoronaVac/CoronaVac regimen. (2) Methods: We conducted a simple-blinded randomized superiority trial to measure SARS-CoV-2 neutralization antibodies and anti-spike receptor binding domain (RBD) IgG concentrations in blood samples of participants who had received the first dose of CoronaVac vaccine followed by a dose of BNT162b2 or CoronaVac vaccine. The primary endpoint for immunogenicity was the serum-neutralizing antibody level with a percentage of inhibition at 90% at 21-35 days after the boost.

Altered mucosal and plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids, oxylipins, and endocannabinoids profiles in Crohn's disease.

Selected mucosal and plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and related oxylipins and endocannabinoids were determined in 28 Crohn's disease (CD) patients and 39 controls. Fasting blood and colonic biopsies were collected in all participants, during a disease flare for the patients. Thirty-two lipid mediators including PUFAs, oxylipins, and endocannabinoids were assessed by LC-MS/MS.

Natriuretic-like Peptide Lebetin 2 Mediates M2 Macrophage Polarization in LPS-Activated RAW264.7 Cells in an IL-10-Dependent Manner.

Snake natriuretic peptide (NP) Lebetin 2 (L2) has been shown to improve cardiac function and reduce fibrosis as well as inflammation by promoting M2-type macrophages in a reperfused myocardial infarction (MI) model. However, the inflammatory mechanism of L2 remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the effect of L2 on macrophage polarization in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.

VISTA+/CD8+ status correlates with favorable prognosis in Epithelial ovarian cancer.

Immunotherapy by blocking immune checkpoint regulators has emerged as a new targeted therapy for some cancers. Among them V-domain Ig suppressor of Tcell activation (VISTA) which is identified as a novel checkpoint regulator in ovarian cancer. This study aimed to investigate the VISTA role in Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), and its relationship with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) markers and its prognostic value.

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to Prioritize People for COVID-19 Vaccination When Vaccines Are in Short Supply.

COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for a rapid tool supporting decision-makers in prioritizing patients in the immediate and overwhelming context of pandemics, where shortages in different healthcare resources are faced. We have proposed Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to create a system of criteria and weights to prioritize uses of COVID-19 vaccines in groups of people at significantly higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease or death, when vaccines are in short supply, for use in Tunisia. The prioritization criteria and the levels within each criterion were identified based on available COVID-19 evidence with a focus on the criteria selected by Tunisian scientific committees.

Incidence and risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection among workers in a public health laboratory in Tunisia.

The aim of this study was to measure the extent of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among workers at the Institut Pasteur de Tunis (IPT), a public health laboratory involved in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia, and to identify risk factors for infection in this occupational setting. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on IPT workers not vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Participants completed a questionnaire that included a history of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

PpSP32, the Phlebotomus papatasi immunodominant salivary protein, exerts immunomodulatory effects on human monocytes, macrophages, and lymphocytes.

Background: The saliva of sand flies, vectors of Leishmania parasites, contains several components that exert pharmacological activity facilitating the acquisition of blood by the insect and contributing to the establishment of infection. Previously, we demonstrated that PpSP32 is the immunodominant salivary antigen in humans exposed to Phlebotomus papatasi bites and validated its usefulness as a predictive biomarker of disease. PpSP32, whose functions are little known to date, is an intriguing protein due to its involvement in the etiopathogenesis of pemphigus, an auto-immune disease.

Auto-antibodies against type I IFNs in > 10% of critically ill COVID-19 patients: a prospective multicentre study.

Background: Auto-antibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I interferons (IFN) have been found in about 15% of critical cases COVID-19 pneumonia and less than 1% of mild or asymptomatic cases. Determining whether auto-Abs influence presentation and outcome of critically ill COVID-19 patients could lead to specific therapeutic interventions. Our objectives were to compare the severity at admission and the mortality of patients hospitalized for critical COVID-19 in ICU with versus without auto-Abs.

Double-negative T cells are increased in HIV-infected patients under antiretroviral therapy.

Double-negative T (DNT) cells are a T-cell subset with a CD4-CD8- phenotype. They represent 1% to 5% of circulating lymphocytes, but an increase in this proportion can be found during lymphoproliferative and autoimmune diseases. This increase has also been reported in persons with HIV (PWH).

Inflammatory landscape in Xeroderma pigmentosum patients with cutaneous melanoma.

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a DNA repair disease that predisposes to early skin cancers as cutaneous melanoma. Melanoma microenvironment contains inflammatory mediators, which would be interesting biomarkers for the prognosis or for the identification of novel therapeutic targets. We used a PCR array to evaluate the transcriptional pattern of 84 inflammatory genes in melanoma tumors obtained from XP patients (XP-Mel) and in sporadic melanoma (SP-Mel) compared to healthy skin.

Humoral and Cellular Immunogenicity of Six Different Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in Adults: A Comparative Study in Tunisia (North Africa).

Background: The mass vaccination campaign against SARS-CoV-2 was started in Tunisia on 13 March 2021 by using progressively seven different vaccines approved for emergency use. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the humoral and cellular immunity in subjects aged 40 years and over who received one of the following two-dose regimen vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, namely mRNA-1273 or Spikevax (Moderna), BNT162B2 or Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech), Gam-COVID-Vac or Sputnik V (Gamaleya Research Institute), ChAdOx1-S or Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), BIBP (Sinopharm), and Coronavac (Sinovac).

Material And Methods: For each type of vaccine, a sample of subjects aged 40 and over was randomly selected from the national platform for monitoring COVID-19 vaccination and contacted to participate to this study.

COVID-19 in Tunisia (North Africa): Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the General Population of the Capital City Tunis.

Seroprevalence studies are essential to get an accurate estimate of the actual SARS-CoV-2 diffusion within populations. We report on the findings of the first serosurvey conducted in Tunis prior to the implementation of mass vaccination and analyzed factors associated with seropositivity. A household cross sectional survey was conducted (March-April 2021) in Tunis, spanning the end of the second wave and the beginning of the third wave of COVID-19.

IgA anti-beta-2 glycoprotein I antibodies in chronic hepatitis C.

Background And Study Aims: Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) have been reported not only in various autoimmune conditions but also in other infections, such as chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. The aim of this study is to evaluate the frequency of aPL in patients with CHC.

Patients And Methods: Ninety-six CHC patients and 90 healthy blood donors (HBD) were studied.