Bacterial and Viral Co-Infections in COVID-19 Patients: Etiology and Clinical Impact.

Background: Mixed infections can worsen disease symptoms. This study investigated the impact of mixed infections with viral and bacterial pathogens in patients positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Methods: Using the in-house multiplex PCR method, we tested 337 SARS-CoV-2 positive samples for co-infections with three bacterial and 14 other viral pathogens.

Relationship between Modern ART Regimens and Immunosenescence Markers in Patients with Chronic HIV Infection.

The increased life expectancy of PLHIV (People Living with HIV) and the successful highly combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) poses new clinical challenges regarding aging and its co-morbid condition. It is commonly believed that HIV infection "accelerates" aging. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is characterized by inflammation and immune activation that persists despite cART, and that may contribute to the development of co-morbid conditions.

Monkeypox in Bulgaria: Significance of Various Clinical Samples, Clinical Manifestation, and Molecular Detection.

: Monkeypox (mpox) is currently the most common orthopoxvirus (OPXV) zoonotic disease, and, since 2022, there has been atypical person-to-person transmission observed in non-endemic countries. The present study aimed to investigate the frequency of monkeypox virus (MPXV) and OPXV DNA detection in recommended and alternative clinical materials taken during the acute and convalescent phases of infection in Bulgarian patients. : The study included laboratory investigation by real time PCR of 181 clinical samples from 42 Bulgarian patients with possible mpox infections.

Deoxyuridine-rich cytoplasmic DNA antagonizes STING-dependent innate immune responses and sensitizes resistant tumors to anti-PD-L1 therapy.

Unlabelled: DNA damage and cytoplasmic DNA induce type-1 interferon (IFN-1) and potentiate responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Our prior work found that inhibitors of the DNA damage response kinase ATR (ATRi) induce IFN-1 and deoxyuridine (dU) incorporation by DNA polymerases, akin to antimetabolites. Whether and how dU incorporation is required for ATRi-induced IFN-1 signaling is not known.

HPV-associated oropharyngeal carcinomas in patients living with HIV on long-term antiretroviral therapy: Case reports.

In the 1970s, human papillomaviruses (HPV) were ascertained as the aetiologic agents of cervical carcinoma. Subsequently, an association with HPV was established in other epithelial tumours, including squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). HPV has demonstrated a high potential for inducing oropharyngeal tumours, with HPV-16 infection posing a significant oncogenic risk.

Antibody-Based and Cell Therapies for Advanced Mastocytosis: Established and Novel Concepts.

Advanced systemic mastocytosis (SM) is a heterogeneous group of myeloid neoplasms characterized by an uncontrolled expansion of mast cells (MC) in one or more internal organs, SM-induced tissue damage, and poor prognosis. Advanced SM can be categorized into aggressive SM (ASM), MC leukemia (MCL), and SM with an associated hematologic neoplasm (SM-AHN). In a vast majority of all patients, neoplastic cells display a mutation, mostly D816V and rarely other variants.

Clinical presentation of monkeypox in patients with different HIV serostatus - two cases from Bulgaria: A case report.

Monkeypox is an emerging zoonosis that has been declared a public health threat due to its spread outside of endemic areas. We present two cases of monkeypox: one involving a 39-year-old male patient living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy with detectable viraemia and a low CD4 count, and another involving a 44-year-old male, negative for HIV, who visited our Diagnostic and Consultative Unit with a new-onset skin rash. Both individuals identify as men who have sex with men and had travelled abroad before the disease onset.

Vienna Cancer Stem Cell Club (VCSCC): 20 year jubilee and future perspectives.

Introduction: The Vienna Cancer Stem Cell Club (VCSCC) was launched by a group of scientists in Vienna in 2002.

Areas Covered: Major aims of the VCSCC are to support research on cancer stem cells (CSC) in hematopoietic malignancies and to translate CSC-related markers and targets into clinical application. A primary focus of research in the VCSCC is the leukemic stem cell (LSC).

Antivirals for the treatment of Monkeypox: utilization in the general and HIV-positive population and gaps for research. A short narrative review.

Monkeypox (Mpox) is an emerging viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), a double-stranded DNA virus member of the genus Orthopoxvirus, first reported in humans in 1970. Since May 2022, a global spread of the infection has occurred that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency. In view of the global threat, efforts have been devoted to bolstering the disease spread as well as identifying viable therapeutic modalities.

Phenotypic characterization of disease-initiating stem cells in JAK2- or CALR-mutated myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are characterized by uncontrolled expansion of myeloid cells, disease-related mutations in certain driver-genes including JAK2, CALR, and MPL, and a substantial risk to progress to secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML). Although behaving as stem cell neoplasms, little is known about disease-initiating stem cells in MPN. We established the phenotype of putative CD34 /CD38 stem cells and CD34 /CD38 progenitor cells in MPN.

Antibody Conjugates Bispecific for Pollen Allergens and ICAM-1 with Potential to Prevent Epithelial Allergen Transmigration and Rhinovirus Infection.

Allergy and rhinovirus (RV) infections are major triggers for rhinitis and asthma, causing a socioeconomic burden. As RVs and allergens may act synergistically to promote airway inflammation, simultaneous treatment strategies for both causative agents would be innovative. We have previously identified the transmembrane glycoprotein intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) as an anchor for antibody conjugates bispecific for ICAM-1 and (Phl p) 2, a major grass pollen allergen, to block allergen transmigration through the epithelial barrier.

PD-L1 overexpression correlates with JAK2-V617F mutational burden and is associated with 9p uniparental disomy in myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are chronic stem cell disorders characterized by enhanced proliferation of myeloid cells, immune deregulation, and drug resistance. JAK2 somatic mutations drive the disease in 50-60% and CALR mutations in 25-30% of cases. Published data suggest that JAK2-V617F-mutated MPN cells express the resistance-related checkpoint PD-L1.

Phenotypic characterization of leukemia-initiating stem cells in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.

Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a stem cell-derived neoplasm characterized by dysplasia, uncontrolled expansion of monocytes, and substantial risk to transform to secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML). So far, little is known about CMML-initiating cells. We found that leukemic stem cells (LSC) in CMML reside in a CD34/CD38 fraction of the malignant clone.

Cell-based and antibody-mediated immunotherapies directed against leukemic stem cells in acute myeloid leukemia: Perspectives and open issues.

Despite new insights in molecular features of leukemic cells and the availability of novel treatment approaches and drugs, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains a major clinical challenge. In fact, many patients with AML relapse after standard therapy and eventually die from progressive disease. The basic concept of leukemic stem cells (LSC) has been coined with the goal to decipher clonal architectures in various leukemia-models and to develop curative drug therapies by eliminating LSC.

STAT5 is Expressed in CD34/CD38 Stem Cells and Serves as a Potential Molecular Target in Ph-Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms.

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 (STAT5) play a key role in the pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). In most patients, V617F or mutations are found and lead to activation of various downstream signaling cascades and molecules, including STAT5. We examined the presence and distribution of phosphorylated (p) STAT5 in neoplastic cells in patients with MPN, including polycythemia vera (PV, = 10), essential thrombocythemia (ET, = 15) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF, = 9), and in the V617F-positive cell lines HEL and SET-2.