Publications by authors named "Garcia-Vilanova A"

Article Synopsis
  • Tuberculosis is a major cause of death from infectious diseases, with the infection first occurring in the alveoli, where it interacts with alveolar lining fluid (ALF).
  • Research indicates that as people age, ALF becomes more oxidized and inflammatory, which helps the bacteria (likely Mycobacterium tuberculosis) reproduce more effectively in human macrophages and type II alveolar epithelial cells (ATs).
  • The study reveals that exposure to ALF from elderly humans (E-ALF) enhances the bacteria's ability to adapt and replicate by upregulating specific genes, suggesting that changes in lung mucosa with age significantly impact how tuberculosis develops and survives within human cells.
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Article Synopsis
  • - Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant health issue, particularly for older adults and those with weakened immune systems, as T cell response is essential for fighting the infection but can be hampered by aging and chronic illness.
  • - The study examines mitochondrial transplantation (mito-transfer) to improve the differentiation and function of CD4 T cells in aged mouse models and human T cells from older people, finding it promotes better immune responses during TB infection.
  • - Mito-transfer enhances T cell function by increasing mitochondrial mass and modifying cytokine production, potentially reducing exhaustion and senescence, making it a promising strategy for improving immune responses in elderly and chronic TB patients, with wider implications for other diseases linked to mitochondrial dysfunction.
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With devastating health and socioeconomic impact worldwide, much work is left to understand the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), with emphasis in the severely affected elderly population. Here, we present a proteomics study of lung tissue obtained from aged vs. young rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and olive baboons (Papio Anubis) infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

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The parasites that cause malaria undergo an obligate, asymptomatic developmental stage in the host liver before initiating the symptomatic blood-stage infection. The parasite liver stage is a key intervention point for antimalarial chemoprophylaxis: successful targeting of liver-stage parasites prevents disease development in individuals and can help to reduce parasite transmission in populations, as the gametocyte forms that transmit infection to mosquitos are exclusively found in the blood stage. Antimalarial drugs that can target multiple parasite stages are thus highly desirable, and one emerging cellular target for such multistage active compounds is the process of protein synthesis or translation.

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Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the bacterium (), remains a significant health concern worldwide, especially in populations with weakened or compromised immune systems, such as the elderly. Proper adaptive immune function, particularly a CD4 T cell response, is central to host immunity against . Chronic infections, such as , as well as aging promote T cell exhaustion and senescence, which can impair immune control and promote progression to TB disease.

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The elderly population is highly susceptible to developing respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis, a devastating disease caused by the airborne pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) that kills one person every 18 seconds. Once M.

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Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death for people living with HIV (PLWH). We hypothesized that altered functions of innate immune components in the human alveolar lining fluid of PLWH (HIV-ALF) drive susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection.

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Mitochondrial dysfunction alters cellular metabolism, increases tissue oxidative stress, and may be principal to the dysregulated signaling and function of CD4 T lymphocytes in the elderly. In this proof of principle study, it is investigated whether the transfer of functional mitochondria into CD4 T cells that are isolated from old mice (aged CD4 T cells), can abrogate aging-associated mitochondrial dysfunction, and improve the aged CD4 T cell functionality. The results show that the delivery of exogenous mitochondria to aged non-activated CD4 T cells led to significant mitochondrial proteome alterations highlighted by improved aerobic metabolism and decreased cellular mitoROS.

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Unlabelled: Upon infection, ( ) reaches the alveolar space and comes in close contact with human alveolar lining fluid (ALF) for an uncertain period of time prior to its encounter with alveolar cells. We showed that homeostatic ALF hydrolytic enzymes modify the cell envelope, driving -host cell interactions. Still, the contribution of ALF during infection is poorly understood.

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a worldwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Despite the high efficacy of the authorized vaccines, there may be uncertain and unknown side effects or disadvantages associated with current vaccination approaches. Live-attenuated vaccines (LAVs) have been shown to elicit robust and long-term protection by the induction of host innate and adaptive immune responses.

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Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has demonstrated the need for novel, affordable, and efficient reagents to help reduce viral transmission, especially in high-risk environments including medical treatment facilities, close quarters, and austere settings. We examined transition-metal nanozeolite suspensions and quaternary ammonium compounds as an antiviral surface coating for various textile materials.

Methods: Zeolites are crystalline porous aluminosilicate materials, with the ability of ion-exchanging different cations.

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There is a critical need for physiologically relevant, robust, and ready-to-use in vitro cellular assay platforms to rapidly model the infectivity of emerging viruses and develop new antiviral treatments. Here we describe the cellular complexity of human alveolar and tracheobronchial air liquid interface (ALI) tissue models during SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus (IAV) infections. Our results showed that both SARS-CoV-2 and IAV effectively infect these ALI tissues, with SARS-CoV-2 exhibiting a slower replication peaking at later time-points compared to IAV.

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Conventionally, hyperimmune globulin drugs manufactured from pooled immunoglobulins from vaccinated or convalescent donors have been used in treating infections where no treatment is available. This is especially important where multi-epitope neutralization is required to prevent the development of immune-evading viral mutants that can emerge upon treatment with monoclonal antibodies. Using microfluidics, flow sorting, and a targeted integration cell line, a first-in-class recombinant hyperimmune globulin therapeutic against SARS-CoV-2 (GIGA-2050) was generated.

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Tuberculosis (TB), considered an ancient disease, is still killing one person every 21 seconds. Diagnosis of still has many challenges, especially in low and middle-income countries with high burden disease rates. Over the last two decades, the amount of drug-resistant (DR)-TB cases has been increasing, from mono-resistant (mainly for isoniazid or rifampicin resistance) to extremely drug resistant TB.

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Purpose: Repeated instillations of bacillus Calmette et Guérin (BCG) are the gold standard immunotherapeutic treatment for reducing recurrence for patients with high-grade papillary non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and for eradicating bladder carcinoma-in situ. Unfortunately, some patients are unable to tolerate BCG due to treatment-associated toxicity and bladder removal is sometimes performed for BCG-intolerance. Prior studies suggest that selectively delipidated BCG (dBCG) improves tolerability of intrapulmonary delivery reducing tissue damage and increasing efficacy in preventing Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in mice.

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The older adult population, estimated to double by 2050, is at increased risk of respiratory infections and other pulmonary diseases. Biochemical changes in the lung alveolar lining fluid (ALF) and in alveolar compartment cells can alter local immune responses as we age, generating opportunities for invading pathogens to establish successful infections. Indeed, the lung alveolar space of older adults is a pro-inflammatory, pro-oxidative, dysregulated environment that remains understudied.

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Article Synopsis
  • SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, with vaccines showing reduced effectiveness against emerging variants.
  • Researchers are developing a live-attenuated vaccine (LAV) by creating recombinant forms of the virus that lack specific accessory proteins, leading to slower replication and reduced virus fitness.
  • Testing in animal models showed that this vaccine format elicits strong immune responses and effectively protects against SARS-CoV-2, indicating its potential as a safe and effective option for preventing COVID-19.
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Tuberculosis (TB) infection, caused by the airborne pathogen (), resulted in almost 1.4 million deaths in 2019, and the number of deaths is predicted to increase by 20% over the next 5 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon reaching the alveolar space, comes into close contact with the lung mucosa before and after its encounter with host alveolar compartment cells.

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Tuberculosis (TB) infection, caused by the airborne pathogen ( . ), resulted in almost 1.4 million deaths in 2019 and the number of deaths is predicted to increase by 20% over the next 5 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the viral pathogen responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As of 19 May 2021, John Hopkins University's COVID-19 tracking platform reported 3.3 million deaths associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the third coronavirus in less than 20 years to spillover from an animal reservoir and cause severe disease in humans. High impact respiratory viruses such as pathogenic beta-coronaviruses and influenza viruses, as well as other emerging respiratory viruses, pose an ongoing global health threat to humans. There is a critical need for physiologically relevant, robust and ready to use, cellular assay platforms to rapidly model the infectivity of emerging respiratory viruses and discover and develop new antiviral treatments.

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Vaccine and antiviral development against SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 disease would benefit from validated small animal models. Here, we show that transgenic mice expressing human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) by the human cytokeratin 18 promoter (K18 hACE2) represent a susceptible rodent model. K18 hACE2 transgenic mice succumbed to SARS-CoV-2 infection by day 6, with virus detected in lung airway epithelium and brain.

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The cell envelope has been evolving over time to make the bacterium transmissible and adaptable to the human host. In this context, the cell envelope contains a peripheral barrier full of lipids, some of them unique, which confer with a unique shield against the different host environments that the bacterium will encounter at the different stages of infection. This lipid barrier is mainly composed of glycolipids that can be characterized by three different subsets: trehalose-containing, mannose-containing, and 6-deoxy-pyranose-containing glycolipids.

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Introduction: Eccrine spiradenomas are rare adnexal tumours of the skin that originate in the sweat glands. There are only three cases, including ours, diagnosed as malignant transformation in the breast.

Presentation Of Case: We present a case of an asymptomatic 48 year old woman in whom the lesion was detected on the basis of breast cancer prevention programme.

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