Factors associated with elevated SARS-CoV-2 immune response in children and adolescents.

Background: Understanding the distinct immunologic responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection among pediatric populations is pivotal in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and informing future public health strategies. This study aimed to identify factors associated with heightened antibody responses in children and adolescents to identify potential unique immune dynamics in this population.

Methods: Data collected between July and December 2023 from the Texas Coronavirus Antibody REsponse Survey (Texas CARES), a statewide prospective population-based antibody survey among 1-to-19-year-old participants, were analyzed.

Prozone masks elevated SARS-CoV-2 antibody level measurements.

We report a prozone effect in measurement of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibody levels from an antibody surveillance program. Briefly, the prozone effect occurs in immunoassays when excessively high antibody concentration disrupts the immune complex formation, resulting in a spuriously low reported result. Following participant inquiries, we observed anomalously low measurement of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibody levels using the Roche Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S immunoassay from participants in the Texas Coronavirus Antibody Research survey (Texas CARES), an ongoing prospective, longitudinal antibody surveillance program.

SARS-CoV-2 Serostatus and COVID-19 Illness Characteristics by Variant Time Period in Non-Hospitalized Children and Adolescents.

Objective: To describe COVID-19 illness characteristics, risk factors, and SARS-CoV-2 serostatus by variant time period in a large community-based pediatric sample.

Design: Data were collected prospectively over four timepoints between October 2020 and November 2022 from a population-based cohort ages 5 to 19 years old.

Setting: State of Texas, USA.

Incidence and Predictors of Breakthrough and Severe Breakthrough Infections of SARS-CoV-2 After Primary Series Vaccination in Adults: A Population-Based Survey of 22 575 Participants.

Background: Breakthrough infections of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are well documented. The current study estimates breakthrough incidence across pandemic waves, and evaluates predictors of breakthrough and severe breakthrough infections (defined as those requiring hospitalization).

Methods: In total, 89 762 participants underwent longitudinal antibody surveillance.

Methodology to estimate natural- and vaccine-induced antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in a large geographic region.

Accurate estimates of natural and/or vaccine-induced antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 are difficult to obtain. Although model-based estimates of seroprevalence have been proposed, they require inputting unknown parameters including viral reproduction number, longevity of immune response, and other dynamic factors. In contrast to a model-based approach, the current study presents a data-driven detailed statistical procedure for estimating total seroprevalence (defined as antibodies from natural infection or from full vaccination) in a region using prospectively collected serological data and state-level vaccination data.

The interaction of BDNF Val66Met, PTSD, and child abuse on psychophysiological reactivity and HPA axis function in a sample of Gulf War Veterans.

Introduction: While the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism has been linked to various psychological disorders, limited focus has been on its relationship to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and early traumas such as child abuse. Therefore, we assessed whether Val66Met was associated with fear potentiated psychophysiological response and HPA axis dysfunction and whether PTSD status or child abuse history moderated these outcomes in a sample of Veterans.

Methods: 226 and 173 participants engaged in a fear potentiated acoustic startle paradigm and a dexamethasone suppression test (DST) respectively.

The effects of early trauma and the FKBP5 gene on PTSD and the HPA axis in a clinical sample of Gulf War veterans.

Previous research indicates that interactions between FKBP5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and child abuse are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adulthood. We examined the relationship between the T-allele of the rs1360780 FKBP5 SNP and child abuse on PTSD and the HPA axis in a clinical sample of Gulf War veterans. Genotyping was completed on 266 veterans and 174 veterans additionally participated in a low dose dexamethasone suppression test (DST).

PG490-88, a derivative of triptolide, causes tumor regression and sensitizes tumors to chemotherapy.

Treatment of solid tumors with combinations of chemotherapeutic agents has not led to significant increases in long-term survival. Recent studies support a role for inhibitors of checkpoint arrest as a means to enhance the cytotoxicity of chemotherapy. We have shown previously that triptolide (PG490), an oxygenated diterpene derived from a Chinese medicinal plant, induces apoptosis in cultured tumor cells and sensitizes tumor cells to topoisomerase inhibitors by blocking p53-mediated induction of p21.

The molecular biology of lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the result of molecular changes that occur in the cell, resulting in the deregulation of pathways which control normal cellular growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. Several of these pathways contain well-characterized proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes which are found to be mutated or have abnormal expression patterns in lung cancer. The molecular changes that characterize lung cancer are complex, but it is known that cigarette smoking causes most squamous cell and small-cell carcinomas.