A humanised ACE2, TMPRSS2, and FCGRT mouse model reveals the protective efficacy of anti-receptor binding domain antibodies elicited by SARS-CoV-2 hybrid immunity.

Background: Despite the importance of vaccination- and infection-elicited antibodies (Abs) to SARS-CoV-2 immunity, current mouse models do not fully capture the dynamics of Ab-mediated immunity in vivo, including potential contributions of the neonatal Fc receptor, encoded by FCGRT.

Methods: We generated triple knock-in (TKI) mice expressing human ACE2, TMPRSS2, and FCGRT; and evaluated the protective efficacy of anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal Abs (mAbs) and plasma from individuals with immunity elicited by vaccination alone plus SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced (hybrid) immunity.

Findings: A human anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAb harbouring a half-life-extending mutation, but not the wild-type mAb, exhibited prolonged half-life in TKI mice and protected against lung infection with Omicron BA.

Novel pharmacological approaches to lowering blood pressure and managing hypertension.

Hypertension is the leading cause of death globally, primarily due to its strong association with cardiovascular disease. The global prevalence of hypertension has surged over the past three decades, driven by rising rates of diabetes mellitus and obesity. Despite current antihypertensive therapies, only a small proportion of patients with hypertension achieve adequate blood pressure control, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies.

Hypertension in Sri Lanka: a systematic review of prevalence, control, care delivery and challenges.

Hypertension (HTN) is recognized as a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular deaths in South Asia. Our aim was to furnish a comprehensive analysis of HTN prevalence, trends, control efforts, awareness, barriers in care delivery and associated factors, based on nationally derived evidence in Sri Lanka. A systematic search of online databases ( PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus ), local journals and repositories yielded 6704 results, of which 106 were included.