Potential protective role of interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 3 (IFIT3) in COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a quest to understand why certain individuals remain uninfected or asymptomatic despite repetitive exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Here, we focused on six exposed females residing with their symptomatic and reinfected SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive COVID-19 partners. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from couples were analysed for poly (I:C)-induced mRNA expression of type I/III interferons and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs).

Relevance of Circulating microRNA, and their Association with Islet Cell Autoantibodies in Type 1 Diabetes Pathogenesis.

Aims/hypothesis: The role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenesis and progression of type 1 diabetes (T1D) has been described, but data remain scarce and conflicting.

Objectives: To evaluate the potential biological involvement of miRNA expression in the immune response and beta cell function in T1D.

Methods: We screened 10 serum miRNAs from 142 subjects divided into three groups: healthy individuals (control group; n = 52) and patients at different stages of T1D progression, from the initial immunological manifestation, presenting islet cell autoantibodies (AbP group; n = 39), to partial and severe beta cell damage in T1D (recent T1D group; n = 51).

Anti-RBD IgG antibodies from endemic coronaviruses do not protect against the acquisition of SARS-CoV-2 infection among exposed uninfected individuals.

Background: The Coronaviridae family comprises seven viruses known to infect humans, classified into alphacoronaviruses (HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63) and betacoronaviruses (HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1), which are considered endemic. Additionally, it includes SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome), MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome), and the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, responsible for COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 induces severe respiratory complications, particularly in the elderly, immunocompromised individuals and those with underlying diseases.

Post-COVID-19 condition: systemic inflammation and low functional exercise capacity.

Introduction: Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) is characterised by a plethora of symptoms, with fatigue appearing as the most frequently reported. The alterations that drive both the persistent and post-acute disease newly acquired symptoms are not yet fully described. Given the lack of robust knowledge regarding the mechanisms of PCC we have examined the impact of inflammation in PCC, by evaluating serum cytokine profile and its potential involvement in inducing the different symptoms reported.

Unraveling the role of miRNAs as biomarkers in Chagas cardiomyopathy: Insights into molecular pathophysiology.

Background: Chagas cardiomyopathy (ChCM) is a severe form of Chagas disease and a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The dysregulation of the immune response leads to cardiac remodeling and functional disruptions, resulting in life-threatening complications. Conventional diagnostic methods have limitations, and therapeutic response evaluation is challenging.

Inflammation and mitochondria in the pathogenesis of chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy.

Chagas disease (CD), caused by the protozoan parasite , is a neglected disease affecting around 6 million people. About 30% of CD patients develop chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy (CCC), an inflammatory cardiomyopathy that occurs decades after the initial infection, while most infected patients (60%) remain asymptomatic in the so-called indeterminate form (IF). Death results from heart failure or arrhythmia in a subset of CCC patients.

Parasite DNA and Markers of Decreased Immune Activation Associate Prospectively with Cardiac Functional Decline over 10 Years among Seropositive Individuals in Brazil.

Parasitemia and inflammatory markers are cross-sectionally associated with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) among patients with . However, the prospective association of the parasite load and host immune response-related characteristics with CCC (that is, progressors) among seropositive individuals has only been partially defined. In a cohort of seropositive patients in Montes Claros and São Paulo, Brazil who were followed over 10 years, we identified the association of a baseline parasite load and systemic markers of inflammation with a decline in cardiac function and/or the presence of cardiac congestion 10 years later.

4-Hydroxynonenal impairs miRNA maturation in heart failure via Dicer post-translational modification.

Background And Aims: Developing novel therapies to battle the global public health burden of heart failure remains challenging. This study investigates the underlying mechanisms and potential treatment for 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) deleterious effects in heart failure.

Methods: Biochemical, functional, and histochemical measurements were applied to identify 4-HNE adducts in rat and human failing hearts.

Understanding COVID-19 progression with longitudinal peripheral blood mononuclear cell proteomics: Changes in the cellular proteome over time.

The clinical presentation of COVID-19 is highly variable, and understanding the underlying biological processes is crucial. This study utilized a proteomic analysis to investigate dysregulated processes in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with COVID-19 compared to healthy volunteers. Samples were collected at different stages of the disease, including hospital admission, after 7 days of hospitalization, and 30 days after discharge.

ChagasDB: 80 years of publicly available data on the molecular host response to Trypanosoma cruzi infection in a single database.

Chagas disease is a parasitical disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi which affects ∼7 million people worldwide. Per year, ∼10 000 people die from this pathology. Indeed, ∼30% of humans develop severe chronic forms, including cardiac, digestive or neurological disorders, for which there is still no treatment.

Corrigendum: Follow-up of young adult monozygotic twins after simultaneous critical coronavirus disease 2019: a case report.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.

Pentoxifylline reduces inflammation and prevents myocardial perfusion derangements in experimental chronic Chagas' cardiomyopathy.

Background: Myocardial perfusion defect (MPD) is common in chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) and is associated with inflammation and development of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. We tested the hypothesis that pentoxifylline (PTX) could reduce inflammation and prevent the development of MPD in a model of CCC in hamsters.

Methods And Results: We investigated with echocardiogram and rest myocardial perfusion scintigraphy at baseline (6-months after T.

ZnO-Based Electrochemical Immunosensor to Assess Vaccine-Induced Antibody-Mediated Immunity against Wild-Type and Gamma SARS-CoV-2 Strains.

The evaluation of serological responses to COVID-19 is crucial for population-level surveillance, developing new vaccines, and evaluating the efficacy of different immunization programs. Research and development of point-of-care test technologies remain essential to improving immunity assessment, especially for SARS-CoV-2 variants that partially evade vaccine-induced immune responses. In this work, an impedimetric biosensor based on the immobilization of the recombinant trimeric wild-type spike protein (S protein) on zinc oxide nanorods (ZnONRs) was employed for serological evaluation.

Immunological evaluation of young unvaccinated patients with Turner syndrome after COVID-19.

Objectives: The X-chromosome contains the largest number of immune-related genes, which play a major role in COVID-19 symptomatology and susceptibility. Here, we had a unique opportunity to investigate, for the first time, COVID-19 outcomes in six unvaccinated young Brazilian patients with Turner syndrome (TS; 45, X0), including one case of critical illness in a child aged 10 years, to evaluate their immune response according to their genetic profile.

Methods: A serological analysis of humoral immune response against SARS-CoV-2, phenotypic characterization of antiviral responses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after stimuli, and the production of cytotoxic cytokines of T lymphocytes and natural killer cells were performed in blood samples collected from the patients with TS during the convalescence period.

MiRNA-30d and miR-770-5p as potential clinical risk predictors of Vasoplegic Syndrome in Patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

The aims of this study were to perform pre-surgery miRNA profiling of patients who develop Vasoplegic syndrome (VS) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and identify those miRNAs that could be used as VS prognostic tools and biomarkers. The levels of 754 microRNAs (miRNAs) were measured in whole blood samples from a cohort of patients collected right before the coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. We compared the miRNA levels of those who developed VS (VASO group) with those who did not (NONVASO group) after surgery.

Immunodominant antibody responses directed to SARS-CoV-2 hotspot mutation sites and risk of immune escape.

Introduction: Considering the likely need for the development of novel effective vaccines adapted to emerging relevant CoV-2 variants, the increasing knowledge of epitope recognition profile among convalescents and afterwards vaccinated with identification of immunodominant regions may provide important information.

Methods: We used an RBD peptide microarray to identify IgG and IgA binding regions in serum of 71 COVID-19 convalescents and 18 vaccinated individuals.

Results: We found a set of immunodominant RBD antibody epitopes, each recognized by more than 30% of the tested cohort, that differ among the two different groups and are within conserved regions among betacoronavirus.

Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibody profiling in patients with Chagas disease treated with benznidazole assessed by genome phage display.

Background: There have been significant improvements in Chagas disease therapy and it is now widely accepted that most patients with chronic disease might benefit from therapy. However, there are challenges to monitor drug efficacy and cure for these patients, which are important impediments for current and future therapies. Trypanosoma cruzi-PCR is highly variable while IgG seroconversion takes decades yielding variable results depending on the antigen(s) used for the assay.

MUC22, HLA-A, and HLA-DOB variants and COVID-19 in resilient super-agers from Brazil.

Background: Although aging correlates with a worse prognosis for Covid-19, super elderly still unvaccinated individuals presenting mild or no symptoms have been reported worldwide. Most of the reported genetic variants responsible for increased disease susceptibility are associated with immune response, involving type I IFN immunity and modulation; cluster genes; inflammasome activation; genes of interleukins; and chemokines receptors. On the other hand, little is known about the resistance mechanisms against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The oldest unvaccinated Covid-19 survivors in South America.

Background: Although older adults are at a high risk of severe or critical Covid-19, there are many cases of unvaccinated centenarians who had a silent infection or recovered from mild or moderate Covid-19. We studied three Brazilian supercentenarians, older than 110 years, who survived Covid-19 in 2020 before being vaccinated.

Results: Despite their advanced age, humoral immune response analysis showed that these individuals displayed robust levels of IgG and neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against SARS-CoV-2.

Drug Repurposing in Chagas Disease: Chloroquine Potentiates Benznidazole Activity against Trypanosoma cruzi and .

Drug combinations and drug repurposing have emerged as promising strategies to develop novel treatments for infectious diseases, including Chagas disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the repurposed drugs chloroquine (CQ) and colchicine (COL), known to inhibit Trypanosoma cruzi infection in host cells, could boost the anti-T. cruzi effect of the trypanocidal drug benznidazole (BZN), increasing its therapeutic efficacy while reducing the dose needed to eradicate the parasite.

Follow-up of young adult monozygotic twins after simultaneous critical coronavirus disease 2019: A case report.

Background: The influence of the host genome on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) susceptibility and severity is supported by reports on monozygotic (MZ) twins where both were infected simultaneously with similar disease outcomes, including several who died due to the SARS-CoV-2 infection within days apart. However, successive exposures to pathogens throughout life along with other environmental factors make the immune response unique for each individual, even among MZ twins.

Case Presentation And Methods: Here we report a case of a young adult monozygotic twin pair, who caught attention since both presented simultaneously severe COVID-19 with the need for oxygen support despite age and good health conditions.

Blood DNA methylation marks discriminate Chagas cardiomyopathy disease clinical forms.

Chagas disease is a parasitic disease from South America, affecting around 7 million people worldwide. Decades after the infection, 30% of people develop chronic forms, including Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy (CCC), for which no treatment exists. Two stages characterized this form: the moderate form, characterized by a heart ejection fraction (EF) ≥ 0.