Assessing advances in three decades of clinical antiretroviral therapy on the HIV-1 reservoir.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has improved the clinical management of HIV-1 infection. However, little is known about how the latest ART recommendations affect the heterogeneity of HIV-1 reservoir size.

Methods: We used a complete statistical approach to outline parameters underlying diversity in HIV-1 reservoir size in a cohort of 892 people with HIV-1 (PWH) on suppressive ART for >3 years.

Mpox cases finding: Evaluation of a Primary Care detection program in the Northern Metropolitan area from Barcelona (Spain).

Main Aim: In July 2022, an extensive outbreak of Mpox (monkeypox) was considered by WHO as a Public Health Emergency. The objective of this study is to describe the obtained results from a Mpox case detection program in a semi-urban healthcare area where approximately 420 Primary Care physicians work.

Design: An observational prospective study performed between June 01, 2022 and December 31, 2023.

Lamivudine modulates the expression of neurological impairment-related genes and LINE-1 retrotransposons in brain tissues of a Down syndrome mouse model.

Elevated activity of retrotransposons is increasingly recognized to be implicated in a wide range of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases, including Down syndrome (DS), which is the most common chromosomal condition causing intellectual disability globally. Previous research by our group has revealed that treatment with lamivudine, a reverse transcriptase inhibitor, improved neurobehavioral phenotypes and completely rescued hippocampal-dependent recognition memory in a DS mouse model, Ts65Dn. We hypothesized that retrotransposition rates would increase in the Ts65Dn mouse model, and lamivudine could block retrotransposons.

Morbidity burden of imported chronic schistosomiasis among West African migrants.

Background: Past exposure to schistosomiasis is frequent among migrants from endemic countries, and chronic untreated infection may lead to long-term morbidities.

Methods: We carried out a prospective population-based cross-sectional study among migrants from endemic Sub-Saharan countries living in Barcelona, Spain. Participants had not been previously diagnosed or treated for schistosomiasis.

Production and Immunogenicity of FeLV Gag-Based VLPs Exposing a Stabilized FeLV Envelope Glycoprotein.

The envelope glycoprotein (Env) of retroviruses, such as the Feline leukemia virus (FeLV), is the main target of neutralizing humoral response, and therefore, a promising vaccine candidate, despite its reported poor immunogenicity. The incorporation of mutations that stabilize analogous proteins from other viruses in their prefusion conformation (e.g.

Nucleotide-Binding Oligomerization Domain 1 (NOD1) Agonists Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Human Lung Epithelial Cells through Harnessing the Innate Immune Response.

The lung is prone to infections from respiratory viruses such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A challenge in combating these infections is the difficulty in targeting antiviral activity directly at the lung mucosal tract. Boosting the capability of the respiratory mucosa to trigger a potent immune response at the onset of infection could serve as a potential strategy for managing respiratory infections.

VLPs generated by the fusion of RSV-F or hMPV-F glycoprotein to HIV-Gag show improved immunogenicity and neutralizing response in mice.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) vaccines have been long overdue. Structure-based vaccine design created a new momentum in the last decade, and the first RSV vaccines have finally been approved in older adults and pregnant individuals. These vaccines are based on recombinant stabilized pre-fusion F glycoproteins administered as soluble proteins.

Nucleic Acid Vaccines Encoding Proteins and Virus-like Particles for HIV Prevention.

The development of HIV prophylactic vaccines is facing an impasse, since all phase IIb/III clinical trials were halted in 2023 without demonstrating efficacy. Thus, the field is in need of developing novel immunogens and vaccination strategies that induce broadly neutralising antibodies together with potent Fc-dependent effector functions, as well as protective cross-reactive CD4 and CD8 T cell responses. Nucleic acid vaccines, particularly mRNA vaccines, have been one of the major groundbreaking advances in the current decade.

Immunization with V987H-stabilized Spike glycoprotein protects K18-hACE2 mice and golden Syrian hamsters upon SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Safe and effective severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines are crucial to fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Most vaccines are based on a mutated version of the Spike glycoprotein [K986P/V987P (S-2P)] with improved stability, yield and immunogenicity. However, S-2P is still produced at low levels.

Immunisation efficacy of a stabilised SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein in two geriatric animal models.

Age is associated with reduced efficacy of vaccines and linked to higher risk of severe COVID-19. Here we determined the impact of ageing on the efficacy of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine based on a stabilised Spike glycoprotein (S-29) that had previously shown high efficacy in young animals. Thirteen to 18-month-old golden Syrian hamsters (GSH) and 22-23-month-old K18-hCAE2 mice were immunised twice with S-29 protein in AddaVax adjuvant.

Virus-like particle-mediated delivery of structure-selected neoantigens demonstrates immunogenicity and antitumoral activity in mice.

Background: Neoantigens are patient- and tumor-specific peptides that arise from somatic mutations. They stand as promising targets for personalized therapeutic cancer vaccines. The identification process for neoantigens has evolved with the use of next-generation sequencing technologies and bioinformatic tools in tumor genomics.

Novel Spike-stabilized trimers with improved production protect K18-hACE2 mice and golden Syrian hamsters from the highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant.

Most COVID-19 vaccines are based on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein (S) or their subunits. However, S shows some structural instability that limits its immunogenicity and production, hampering the development of recombinant S-based vaccines. The introduction of the K986P and V987P (S-2P) mutations increases the production and immunogenicity of the recombinant S trimer, suggesting that these two parameters are related.

A Randomized Trial of Dolutegravir Plus Darunavir/Cobicistat as a Switch Strategy in HIV-1-Infected Patients With Resistance to at Least 2 Antiretroviral Classes.

Background: Suppressed patients with drug-resistant HIV-1 require effective and simple antiretroviral therapy to maintain treatment adherence and viral suppression.

Methods: This randomized, open-label, noninferiority, multicenter pilot study involved HIV-infected adults who met the following criteria: confirmed HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL for ≥6 months preceding the study randomization, treatment with at least 3 antiretroviral drugs, and a history of drug resistance mutations against at least 2 antiretroviral classes but remaining fully susceptible to darunavir (DRV) and integrase inhibitors. Participants were randomized 1:1 to switch to dolutegravir (DTG; 50 mg once per day) plus DRV boosted with cobicistat (DRV/c; 800/150 mg once per day; 2D group) or continue with their baseline regimen (standard-of-care [SOC] group).

Determinants of the onset and prognosis of the post-COVID-19 condition: a 2-year prospective observational cohort study.

Background: At least 5-10% of subjects surviving COVID-19 develop the post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) or "Long COVID". The clinical presentation of PCC is heterogeneous, its pathogenesis is being deciphered, and objective, validated biomarkers are lacking. It is unknown if PCC is a single entity or a heterogeneous syndrome with overlapping pathophysiological basis.

Safety and immunogenicity of a recombinant protein RBD fusion heterodimer vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.

In response to COVID-19 pandemic, we have launched a vaccine development program against SARS-CoV-2. Here we report the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of a recombinant protein RBD fusion heterodimeric vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 (PHH-1V) evaluated in a phase 1-2a dose-escalation, randomized clinical trial conducted in Catalonia, Spain. 30 young healthy adults were enrolled and received two intramuscular doses, 21 days apart of PHH-1V vaccine formulations [10 µg (n = 5), 20 µg (n = 10), 40 µg (n = 10)] or control [BNT162b2 (n = 5)].

Selective loss of CD107a TIGIT+ memory HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cells in PLWH over a decade of ART.

The co-expression of inhibitory receptors (IRs) is a hallmark of CD8+ T-cell exhaustion (Tex) in people living with HIV-1 (PLWH). Understanding alterations of IRs expression in PLWH on long-term antiretroviral treatment (ART) remains elusive but is critical to overcoming CD8+ Tex and designing novel HIV-1 cure immunotherapies. To address this, we combine high-dimensional supervised and unsupervised analysis of IRs concomitant with functional markers across the CD8+ T-cell landscape on 24 PLWH over a decade on ART.

SAMHD1 expression is a surrogate marker of immune infiltration and determines prognosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in early breast cancer.

Purpose: The lack of validated surrogate biomarkers is still an unmet clinical need in the management of early breast cancer cases that do not achieve complete pathological response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Here, we describe and validate the use of SAMHD1 expression as a prognostic biomarker in residual disease in vivo and in vitro.

Methods: SAMHD1 expression was evaluated in a clinical cohort of early breast cancer patients with stage II-III treated with NACT.

Cetylpyridinium Chloride-Containing Mouthwashes Show Virucidal Activity against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1.

The oral cavity is particularly susceptible to viral infections that are self-recovering in most cases. However, complications may appear in severe cases and/or immunocompromised subjects. Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC)-containing mouthwashes are able to decrease the infectivity of the SARS-CoV-2 virus by disrupting the integrity of the viral envelope.

Corrigendum: Disseminated tuberculosis and diagnosis delay during the COVID-19 era in a Western European country: a case series analysis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.