Vaccine responses and hybrid immunity in people living with HIV after SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a challenge for people living with HIV (PLWH), particularly immune non-responders (INR) with compromised CD4 T-cell reconstitution following antiretroviral therapy (CD4 count <350 cells per mm). Their diminished vaccine responses raised concerns about their vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections (BTI). Our in-depth study here revealed chronic inflammation in PLWH and a limited anti-Spike IgG response after vaccination in INR.

Clinical trial: An open-label, randomised trial of different re-start strategies after treatment withdrawal in HBeAg negative chronic hepatitis B.

Background: Stopping nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) may trigger a beneficial immune response leading to HBsAg loss, but clinical trials on re-start strategies are lacking.

Aim: To assess whether it is beneficial to undergo a prolonged flare after NA cessation.

Methods: One-hundred-and-twenty-seven patients with HBeAg negative, non-cirrhotic CHB with at least 24 months of viral suppression on NA therapy were included.

Differences in integrated assessment and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) for people with HIV across the WHO European region.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the extent of integration of non-communicable disease (NCD) assessment and management in HIV clinics across Europe.

Methods: A structured electronic questionnaire with 41 multiple-choice and rating-scale questions assessing NCD assessment and management was sent to 88 HIV clinics across the WHO European Region during March-May 2023. One response per clinic was collected.

Treatment cessation in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B: clinical response is associated with increase in specific proinflammatory cytokines.

Patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B may experience an immune response after stopping nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA)therapy, which may potentially trigger HBsAg loss or off-therapy sustained viral control. The immunological mechanisms determining clinical response remain poorly understood. To identify inflammatory signatures associated with defined outcomes, we analysed plasma cytokines and chemokines from 57 HBeAg-negative patients enrolled in the Nuc-Stop Study at baseline and 12 weeks after NA cessation.