mRNA bivalent booster enhances neutralization against BA.2.75.2 and BQ.1.1.

The emergence of the highly divergent SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has jeopardized the efficacy of vaccines based on the ancestral spike. The bivalent COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccine within the United States is comprised of the ancestral and the Omicron BA.5 spike.

COVID-19 and plasma cells: Is there long-lived protection?

Infection with SARS-CoV-2, the etiology of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, has resulted in over 450 million cases with more than 6 million deaths worldwide, causing global disruptions since early 2020. Memory B cells and durable antibody protection from long-lived plasma cells (LLPC) are the mainstay of most effective vaccines. However, ending the pandemic has been hampered by the lack of long-lived immunity after infection or vaccination.

Bispecific antibodies targeting distinct regions of the spike protein potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern threatens the efficacy of existing vaccines and therapeutic antibodies and underscores the need for additional antibody-based tools that potently neutralize variants by targeting multiple sites of the spike protein. We isolated 216 monoclonal antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 from plasmablasts and memory B cells collected from patients with coronavirus disease 2019. The three most potent antibodies targeted distinct regions of the receptor binding domain (RBD), and all three neutralized the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Beta variants.

MicroRNA-155 Modulates Macrophages' Response to Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria through COX-2/PGE2 Signaling.

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been recognized as a causative agent of various human diseases, including severe infections in immunocompromised patients, such as people living with HIV. The most common species identified is the -intracellulare complex (MAI/MAC), accounting for a majority of infections. Despite abundant information detailing the clinical significance of NTM, little is known about host-pathogen interactions in NTM infection.

Heterofunctional Particles as Single Cell Sensors to Capture Secreted Immunoglobulins and Isolate Antigen-Specific Antibody Secreting Cells.

Isolating cells based on their secreted proteins remain a challenge. The authors demonstrate a capacity for high throughput single-cell protein secretion analysis and isolation based on heterofunctional particles combined with fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). The workflow shows that antibody secreting cells (ASCs) specific for the H1 protein from influenza virus can be isolated from B cells.

Immediate Reactions After the First Dose of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Messenger RNA Vaccines Do Not Preclude Second-Dose Administration.

Addressing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy and minimizing potential vaccine contraindications are critical to combatting the pandemic. We describe a practical approach to immediate adverse events after the first dose of messenger RNA vaccines for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, focusing on diagnosis and management of allergic reactions.

A Bioinformatic Approach to Utilize a Patient's Antibody-Secreting Cells against to Detect Challenging Musculoskeletal Infections.

Noninvasive diagnostics for musculoskeletal infections (MSKI) remain challenging. Abs from newly activated, pathogen-specific plasmablasts in human blood, which emerge during an ongoing infection, can be used for diagnosing and tracking treatment response in diabetic foot infections. Using multianalyte immunoassays on medium enriched for newly synthesized Abs (MENSA) from Ab-secreting cells, we assessed anti- IgG responses in 101 MSKI patients (63 culture-confirmed , 38 -negative) and 52 healthy controls.

Frontline Science: Pathological conditioning of human neutrophils recruited to the airway milieu in cystic fibrosis.

Recruitment of neutrophils to the airways, and their pathological conditioning therein, drive tissue damage and coincide with the loss of lung function in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). So far, these key processes have not been adequately recapitulated in models, hampering drug development. Here, we hypothesized that the migration of naïve blood neutrophils into CF airway fluid in vitro would induce similar functional adaptation to that observed in vivo, and provide a model to identify new therapies.

Long-lived antigen-induced IgM plasma cells demonstrate somatic mutations and contribute to long-term protection.

Long-lived plasma cells are critical to humoral immunity as a lifelong source of protective antibodies. Antigen-activated B cells-with T-cell help-undergo affinity maturation within germinal centres and persist as long-lived IgG plasma cells in the bone marrow. Here we show that antigen-specific, induced IgM plasma cells also persist for a lifetime.

A Vision-Based Respiration Monitoring System for Passive Airway Resistance Estimation.

Objective: Airway resistance is the mechanical cause of most of the symptoms in obstructive pulmonary disease, and can be considered as the primary measure of disease severity. A low-cost and noninvasive method to measure the airway resistance that does not require patient effort could be of great benefit in evaluating the severity of lung diseases, especially in patient population that are unable to use spirometry, such as young children.

Methods: The Vision-Based Passive Airway Resistance Estimation (VB-PARE) technology is a passive method to measure airway resistance noninvasively.

Viral shedding and immune responses to respiratory syncytial virus infection in older adults.

Background: Comprehensive analyses of host, viral, and immune factors associated with severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in adults have not been performed.

Methods: Adults with RSV infection identified in both outpatient and inpatient settings were evaluated. Upper and lower respiratory tract virus load, duration of virus shedding, select mucosal chemokine and cytokine levels, humoral and mucosal immunoglobulin responses, and systemic T-cell responses were measured.

Secondary organic aerosol-forming reactions of glyoxal with amino acids.

Glyoxal, the simplest and most abundant alpha-dicarbonyl compound in the atmosphere, is scavenged by clouds and aerosol, where it reacts with nucleophiles to form low-volatility products. Here we examine the reactions of glyoxal with five amino acids common in clouds. When glyoxal and glycine, serine, aspartic acid or ornithine are present at concentrations as low as 30/microM in evaporating aqueous droplets or bulk solutions, 1,3-disubstituted imidazoles are formed in irreversible second-order reactions detected by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS).