Rotavirus-Specific Maternal Serum Antibodies and Vaccine Responses to RV3-BB Rotavirus Vaccine Administered in a Neonatal or Infant Schedule in Malawi.

High titres of rotavirus-specific maternal antibodies may contribute to lower rotavirus vaccine efficacy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). RV3-BB vaccine (G3P[6]) is based on a neonatal rotavirus strain that replicates well in the newborn gut in the presence of breast milk. This study investigated the association between maternal serum antibodies and vaccine response in infants administered the RV3-BB vaccine.

Type I interferon signaling induces melanoma cell-intrinsic PD-1 and its inhibition antagonizes immune checkpoint blockade.

Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) is a premier cancer drug target for immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Because PD-1 receptor inhibition activates tumor-specific T-cell immunity, research has predominantly focused on T-cell-PD-1 expression and its immunobiology. In contrast, cancer cell-intrinsic PD-1 functional regulation is not well understood.

Optimal bowel diameter thresholds for diagnosing small bowel obstruction and surgical intervention with point-of-care ultrasound.

Objectives: A bowel diameter threshold of ≥2.5 cm, originally derived from the research using computed tomography, is frequently used for diagnosing small bowel obstruction (SBO) with point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). We sought to determine the optimal bowel diameter threshold for diagnosing SBO using POCUS and its accuracy in predicting surgical intervention.

Type-2 immunity associated with type-1 related skin inflammatory diseases: friend or foe?

Chronic inflammatory skin diseases are multifactorial diseases that combine genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, and metabolic disturbances associated with abnormal immune responses. From an immunological perspective, the better understanding of their physiopathology has demonstrated a large complex network of immune cell subsets and related cytokines that interact with both epidermal and dermal cells. For example, in type-1-associated diseases such as alopecia areata, vitiligo, and localized scleroderma, recent evidence suggests the presence of a type-2 inflammation that is well known in atopic dermatitis.

Aetiopathogenesis of Vitiligo.

Vitiligo is a chronic auto-immune disease characterized by skin depigmentation due to the loss of melanocytes. The better understanding of the disease mechanisms is currently undergoing a significant dynamism, opening a new era in therapeutic development. The pathophysiology of vitiligo has attracted the attention of researchers for years and many advances have been made in clarifying the crosstalk between the cellular players involved in the development of vitiligo lesions.

Vitiligo: Current Therapies and Future Treatments.

The current management of vitiligo remains challenging; however, different strategies can be proposed to patients with a good efficacy in many cases. First, it is important to identify patients in the active phase of the disease because treatment should start as soon as possible to halt its progression. For patients with a stable disease, the treatment strategy is now well-stratified and is based on a combination of phototherapy (natural or in a cabin) and topical immunomodulatory agents.

A case report of point-of-care ultrasound directed thrombectomy: a reversible cause of cardiac arrest managed with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulation.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been increasingly employed in the emergency department for patients with a potentially reversible cause of cardiac arrest. We present the case of a young female patient with an in-hospital cardiac arrest who was found to have severe right heart strain on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), suggesting a massive pulmonary embolism. Rapid bedside diagnosis using ultrasound expedited bedside cannulation and initiation of ECMO as a bridge to surgical thrombectomy, and ultimately the patient survived with full neurologic function.

Resident memory T cells in nonlesional skin and healed lesions of patients with chronic inflammatory diseases: Appearances can be deceptive.

Tissue-resident memory T (T) cells serve as a first line of defense in peripheral tissues to protect the organism against foreign pathogens. However, autoreactive T cells are increasingly implicated in autoimmunity, as evidenced in chronic autoimmune and inflammatory skin conditions. This highlights the need to characterize their phenotype and understand their role for the purpose of targeting them specifically without affecting local immunity.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound of Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Introduction Acute COVID-19 patients can suffer from chronic symptoms known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is established in acute COVID, but its utility in PASC is unclear. We sought to determine the incidence of cardiac and pulmonary abnormalities with POCUS in patients with PASC in a COVID-19 recovery clinic.

Evaluation of Facial Vitiligo Severity with a Mixed Clinical and Artificial Intelligence Approach.

Vitiligo is the most common depigmenting skin disorder. Given the ongoing development of new targeted therapies, it has become important to evaluate adequately the surface area involved. Assessment of vitiligo scores can be time consuming, with variations between investigators.

Multi-center analysis of point-of-care ultrasound for small bowel obstruction: A systematic review and individual patient-level meta-analysis.

Objective: The study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in identifying small bowel obstruction (SBO) and to investigate the impact of clinician experience level and body mass index (BMI) on POCUS performance for diagnosing SBO in the Emergency Department.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed and Cochrane databases from January 2011-2022. We performed a meta-analysis using individual patient-level data from prospective diagnostic accuracy studies from which we obtained data from the corresponding authors.

Histo-blood group antigen profile of Australian Aboriginal children and seropositivity following oral rotavirus vaccination.

Background: Histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) may influence immune responses to rotavirus vaccination.

Methods: HBGA phenotyping was determined by detection of antigens A, B, H and Lewis a and b in saliva using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Secretor status was confirmed by lectin antigen assay if A, B and H antigens were negative or borderline (OD ± 0.

Impact of house dust mite in vitiligo skin: environmental contribution to increased cutaneous immunity and melanocyte detachment.

Background: Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disorder characterized by loss of melanocytes. Protease-mediated disruption of junctions between keratinocytes and/or keratinocyte intrinsic dysfunction may directly contribute to melanocyte loss. House dust mite (HDM), an environmental allergen with potent protease activity, contributes to respiratory and gut disease but also to atopic dermatitis and rosacea.

An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Introduction of Point-of-Care Ultrasound in an Urban Academic Primary Care Center.

Introduction Limited guidance exists for primary and urgent care ultrasound applications. This study sought to identify the most useful applications for providers in these clinical settings, to create and implement a structured interdisciplinary point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) curriculum, and to assess the effectiveness of the course.  Methods This prospective cohort study took place at an urban academic medical center.

Alopecia areata: Recent advances and emerging therapies.

Alopecia areata is an acquired, chronic, non-scarring hair disorder of the skin affecting 0.5-2% of the general population worldwide. Multiple mechanisms are involved in the disease, namely genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, impaired hair growth, and altered inflammatory and immune responses.

Cytokine-Mediated Crosstalk Between Keratinocytes and T Cells in Atopic Dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by barrier dysfunction, dysregulated immune response, and dysbiosis with increased colonization. Infiltration of various T helper cell subsets into lesional skin and subsequent cytokine release are a hallmark of AD. Release of cytokines by both T cells and keratinocytes plays a key role in skin inflammation and drives many AD features.

Point-of-care Ultrasound for the Evaluation of Acute Arterial Pathology in the Emergency Department: A Case Series.

Introduction: The use of point-of care ultrasound (POCUS) in the evaluation of vascular emergencies including abdominal aortic aneurysm and deep vein thrombosis is well established. However, no current guidelines exist to outline the use of POCUS in the management of acute peripheral arterial pathology.

Case Series: Here, we present a case series that illustrates the utility of POCUS in the assessment of both traumatic and nontraumatic peripheral arterial disease.

Neonatal rotavirus vaccine (RV3-BB) immunogenicity and safety in a neonatal and infant administration schedule in Malawi: a randomised, double-blind, four-arm parallel group dose-ranging study.

Background: Rotavirus vaccines reduce rotavirus-related deaths and hospitalisations but are less effective in high child mortality countries. The human RV3-BB neonatal G3P[6] rotavirus vaccine administered in a neonatal schedule was efficacious in reducing severe rotavirus gastroenteritis in Indonesia but had not yet been evaluated in African infants.

Methods: We did a phase 2, randomised, double-blind, parallel group dose-ranging study of three doses of oral RV3-BB rotavirus vaccine in infants in three primary health centres in Blantyre, Malawi.

Utilization of Automated Keyword Search to Identify E-Scooter Injuries in the Emergency Department.

Background and objective Accurate identification and categorization of injuries from medical records can be challenging, yet it is important for injury epidemiology and prevention efforts. Coding systems such as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) have well-known limitations. Utilizing computer-based techniques such as natural language processing (NLP) can help augment the identification and categorization of diseases in electronic health records.