Increased SARS-CoV-2 IgG4 has variable consequences dependent upon Fc function, Fc receptor polymorphism, and viral variant.

Repeated mRNA COVID-19 vaccination increases spike-specific immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) titers. Here, we characterized the influence of increased IgG4 titers on a range of Fc-mediated responses. Elevated spike-specific IgG4 reduced binding to FcγRIIIa and decreased antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity.

Intracluster correlation coefficients from cluster randomized trials conducted within the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP).

The intracluster correlation coefficient (ICC) measures the correlation of observations within clusters and is a key parameter for power and sample size calculations for cluster randomized trials (CRTs). To facilitate the design of future CRTs within the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), all studies from the NCORP website were reviewed to identify completed CRTs. ICCs for primary and secondary outcomes (when available) were ascertained from these trials and summarized in this article as a resource for future trial development.

An in silico framework for the rational design of vaginal probiotic therapy.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common condition characterized by a shift in vaginal microbiome composition that is linked to negative reproductive outcomes and increased susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections. Despite the commonality of BV, standard-of-care antibiotics provide limited control of recurrent BV episodes and development of new biotherapies is limited by the lack of controlled models needed to evaluate new dosing and treatment regimens. Here, we develop an in silico framework to evaluate selection criteria for potential probiotic strains, test adjunctive therapy with antibiotics, and alternative dosing strategies.

Reduced organ damage accumulation in adult patients with SLE on anifrolumab plus standard of care compared to real-world external controls.

Objectives: Anifrolumab is approved for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We aimed to determine if anifrolumab plus standard of care (SOC) was associated with reduced organ damage accumulation in adult patients with moderately to severely active SLE compared to real-world (RW) external controls from the University of Toronto Lupus Clinic (UTLC) cohort who received SOC only.

Methods: Patients who initiated 300 mg anifrolumab in the TULIP (Treatment of Uncontrolled Lupus via the Interferon Pathway) trials were included in the anifrolumab arm; key eligibility criteria were applied to the UTLC to create the RW SOC arm.