Mass Spectrometry-Based Method Targeting Ig Variable Regions for Assessment of Minimal Residual Disease in Multiple Myeloma.

Multiple myeloma is a systemic malignancy of monoclonal plasma cells that accounts for 10% of hematologic cancers. With development of highly effective therapies for multiple myeloma, minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment has emerged as an important end point for management decisions. Currently, serologic assays lack the sensitivity for MRD assessment, and invasive bone marrow sampling with flow cytometry or molecular methods has emerged as the gold standard.

The Vaginal Microbiome as a Tool to Predict rASRM Stage of Disease in Endometriosis: a Pilot Study.

Endometriosis remains a challenge to understand and to diagnose. This is an observational cross-sectional pilot study to characterize the gut and vaginal microbiome profiles among endometriosis patients and control subjects without the disease and to explore their potential use as a less-invasive diagnostic tool for endometriosis. Overall, 59 women were included, n = 35 with endometriosis and n = 24 controls.

HLA class II transgenic mice develop a safe and long lasting immune response against StreptInCor, an anti-group A streptococcus vaccine candidate.

Streptococcus pyogenes infections remain a health problem in several countries because of post-streptococcal sequelae, such as rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. We developed a vaccine epitope (StreptInCor) composed of 55 amino acid residues of the C-terminal portion of the M protein that encompasses both T and B cell protective epitopes. Recently, by using human blood samples, we showed that the StreptInCor epitope is able to bind to different HLA class II molecules and that it could be considered a universal vaccine epitope.