Lower Humoral and Cellular Immunity Following Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection Compared to Symptomatic Infection in Education (The ACE Cohort).

Purpose: Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections were widely reported during the COVID-19 pandemic, acting as a hidden source of infection. Many existing studies investigating asymptomatic immunity failed to recruit true asymptomatic individuals. Thus, we conducted a longitudinal cohort study to evaluate humoral- and cell-mediated responses to infection and vaccination in well-defined asymptomatic young adults (the Asymptomatic COVID-19 in Education [ACE] cohort).

Food web trophic control modulates tropical Atlantic reef ecosystems response to marine heat wave intensity and duration.

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are episodes of anomalous warming in the ocean that can last from a few days to years. MHWs have different characteristics in terms of intensity, duration and frequency and generate thermal stress in marine ecosystems. In reef ecosystems, they are one of the main causes of the decreased presence and abundance of corals, invertebrates and fish.

Magnitude of venous or capillary blood-derived SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell response determines COVID-19 immunity.

T cells specific for SARS-CoV-2 are thought to protect against infection and development of COVID-19, but direct evidence for this is lacking. Here, we associated whole-blood-based measurement of SARS-CoV-2-specific interferon-γ-positive T cell responses with positive COVID-19 diagnostic (PCR and/or lateral flow) test results up to 6 months post-blood sampling. Amongst 148 participants donating venous blood samples, SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell response magnitude is significantly greater in those who remain protected versus those who become infected (P < 0.

Seven mysteries of LAG-3: a multi-faceted immune receptor of increasing complexity.

Despite three decades of research to its name and increasing interest in immunotherapies that target it, LAG-3 remains an elusive co-inhibitory receptor in comparison to the well-established PD-1 and CTLA-4. As such, LAG-3 targeting therapies have yet to achieve the clinical success of therapies targeting other checkpoints. This could, in part, be attributed to the many unanswered questions that remain regarding LAG-3 biology.

Whole blood-based measurement of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells reveals asymptomatic infection and vaccine immunogenicity in healthy subjects and patients with solid-organ cancers.

Accurate assessment of SARS-CoV-2 immunity is critical in evaluating vaccine efficacy and devising public health policies. Whilst the exact nature of effective immunity remains incompletely defined, SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses are a critical feature that will likely form a key correlate of protection against COVID-19. Here, we developed and optimized a high-throughput whole blood-based assay to determine the T-cell response associated with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or vaccination amongst 231 healthy donors and 68 cancer patients.

Pouring petrol on the flames: Using oncolytic virotherapies to enhance tumour immunogenicity.

Oncolytic viruses possess the ability to infect, replicate and lyse malignantly transformed tumour cells. This oncolytic activity amplifies the therapeutic advantage and induces a form of immunogenic cell death, characterized by increased CD8 T-cell infiltration into the tumour microenvironment. This important feature of oncolytic viruses can result in the warming up of immunologically 'cold' tumour types, presenting the enticing possibility that oncolytic virus treatment combined with immunotherapies may enhance efficacy.

T cell phenotypes in COVID-19 - a living review.

COVID-19 is characterized by profound lymphopenia in the peripheral blood, and the remaining T cells display altered phenotypes, characterized by a spectrum of activation and exhaustion. However, antigen-specific T cell responses are emerging as a crucial mechanism for both clearance of the virus and as the most likely route to long-lasting immune memory that would protect against re-infection. Therefore, T cell responses are also of considerable interest in vaccine development.

In Human Autoimmunity, a Substantial Component of the B Cell Repertoire Consists of Polyclonal, Barely Mutated IgG B Cells.

B cells are critical for promoting autoimmunity and the success of B cell depletion therapy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) confirms their importance in driving chronic inflammation. Whilst disease specific autoantibodies are useful diagnostically, our understanding of the pathogenic B cell repertoire remains unclear. Defining it would lead to novel insights and curative treatments.

Computing individual and collective ethical utility for optimally planning phase III trials.

A quantitative evaluation of individual and collective ethics is proposed here, with the aim of providing a tool for sample size determination/estimation that goes further than the standard power setting of 80-90%. Individual ethics deal with issues that concern the patients enrolled in the trial, where collective ones concern the patients not enrolled in the trial, and who might benefit from a positive result. The global ethical utility (GEU) of a phase III trial is introduced here, being the summation of individual and collective ethical utilities, and can be viewed as a function of the sample size.

Comprehensive evaluation of cardiac involvement in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) with cardiac magnetic resonance.

Background: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a systemic necrotizing vasculitis characterized by hypereosinophilia. EGPA typically develops in three clinical phases, beginning with asthma, followed by tissue eosinophilia and finally systemic vasculitis. Cardiac involvement is the most important predictor of mortality; it occurs in approximately 15-60% of EGPA patients, a significant proportion of whom are asymptomatic and have normal electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiogram.

The Kullback-Leibler autodependogram.

The autodependogram is a graphical device recently proposed in the literature to analyze autodependencies. It is defined computing the classical Pearson -statistics of independence at various lags in order to point out the presence lag-depedencies. This paper proposes an improvement of this diagram obtained by substituting the -statistics with an estimator of the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the bivariate density of two delayed variables and the product of their marginal distributions.

Characterization of the Danube River sediments using the PMF multivariate approach.

Chemical composition data for the Danube River and its tributaries sediments were analyzed using positive matrix factorization (PMF). The objective was to identify both natural and anthropogenic sources affecting Danube Basin. During the Joint Danube Survey 2 (JDS2) campaign 148 bottom sediments samples were collected.

Hyposialylated α1-acid glycoprotein inhibits phagocytosis of feline neutrophils.

Feline α1-acid glycoprotein (fAGP) modifies both its serum concentration and its glycan moiety during diseases. fAGP is hyposialylated in cats with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), but not in clinically healthy cats or in cats with other diseases. This study was aimed to determine whether hyposialylated fAGP influences phagocytosis.

Natural radionuclides in the rocks of the Valle del Cervo Pluton in Piedmont.

Monitoring of the gamma radiation in Valle del Cervo Pluton was performed by determining U and Th contents in the main rock types cropping out over the entire area and pertaining to the granitic complex, syenitic complex and monzonitic complex. In particular, syenitic rocks were largely used as building and ornamental materials (e.g.

Radon-prone areas in the Lombard plain.

This paper reports the results of indoor radon measurements carried out in the Lombard plain. The aim of this study, which is based on the geological context, was to identify radon high-risk areas. The underlying geology has been established by means of the available stratigraphies giving a schematic representation of the sites in which either occurrence of gravel or silt and clay predominate with depths ranging from 0 to 50 m.