Autoantibodies in COVID-19: implications for disease severity and clinical outcomes.

Few pathogens have historically been subjected to as intense scientific and clinical scrutiny as SARS-CoV-2. The genetic, immunological, and environmental factors influencing disease severity and post-infection clinical outcomes, known as correlates of immunity, remain largely undefined. Clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection vary widely, ranging from asymptomatic cases to those with life-threatening COVID-19 symptoms.

Adult Neurogenesis in the Subventricular Zone of Patients with Huntington's and Parkinson's Diseases and following Long-Term Treatment with Deep Brain Stimulation.

Objective: Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases are characterized by progressive neuronal loss. Previous studies using human postmortem tissues have shown the impact of neurodegenerative disorders on adult neurogenesis. The extent to which adult neural stem cells are activated in the subventricular zone and whether therapeutic treatments such as deep brain stimulation promote adult neurogenesis remains unclear.

Infection Rate and Risk Factors of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Retail Workers at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Quebec, Canada.

During the pandemic, client-facing workers were perceived to be at greater risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study investigated the risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection among a cohort of 304 retail workers in the Quebec City metropolitan area. After providing consent, participants were interviewed to gather information on demographic, socioeconomic, behavioural, and occupational variables.

Longitudinal determination of seroprevalence and immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in a population of food and retail workers through decentralized testing and transformation of ELISA datasets.

Background: Since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, numerous studies have been conducted worldwide to understand our immune response to the virus and to vaccination. This study investigates the humoral response elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection and by vaccination in the poorly studied population of food and retail workers. These occupations were classified as essential by the Public Health Agency of Canada, potentially placing this population at greater risk of infection.

Convalescent plasma in patients receiving rituximab or ocrelizumab for multiple sclerosis or neuromyelitis Optica spectrum disorder with Covid-19: A multicenter retrospective study.

Background: Despite vaccination, patients receiving anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for multiple sclerosis (MS) or neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) have an increased risk of developing severe or protracted COVID-19. The aim of this study was to describe the effect of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) in patients with MS or NMOSD exposed to anti-CD20 and infected by SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: This French national, retrospective cohort study was conducted between November 2020 and June 2023.

Recommendations for European laboratories based on the KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease.

The 2024 Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines for chronic kidney disease (CKD) evaluation and management bring important updates, particularly for European laboratories. These guidelines emphasize the need for harmonization in CKD testing, promoting the use of regional equations. In Europe, the European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) equation is particularly suited for European populations, particularly compared to the CKD-EPI 2021 race-free equation.

Obesity does not influence SARS-CoV-2 humoral vaccine immunogenicity.

Obesity is a recognized factor influencing immune function and infectious disease outcomes. Characterization of the influence of obesity on SARS-CoV-2 humoral vaccine immunogenicity is required to properly tailor vaccine type (mRNA, viral-vector, protein subunit vaccines) and dosing schedule. Data from a prospective cohort study collected over 34 months was used to evaluate the slope of antibody production and decay and neutralizing capacity following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in individuals with and without obesity at baseline.

Coronavirus disease 2019 outcomes in a population-based cohort of people with HIV and a matched cohort of people without HIV during Omicron variant waves.

We found that rates of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing and reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR-confirmed infection were approximately 50% higher in a population-based cohort of people with HIV compared with a matched cohort of people without HIV during the Omicron era (2 January 2022 to 31 March 2023) in Ontario, Canada, after controlling for age, sex, residential census tract, and country of birth. Rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related hospitalization and/or death were more than double. Differences persisted independent of vaccination, healthcare access, and COVID-19 diagnosis.

High SARS-CoV-2 seroincidence but low excess COVID mortality in Sierra Leone in 2020-2022.

While SARS-CoV-2 infection appears to have spread widely throughout Africa, documentation of associated mortality is limited. We implemented a representative serosurvey in one city of Sierra Leone in Western Africa, paired with nationally representative mortality and selected death registration data. Cumulative seroincidence using high quality SARS-CoV-2 serological assays was 69% by July 2021, rising to 84% by April 2022, mostly preceding SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

Experiencing nature leads to healthier food choices.

Experiencing nature has been linked to a host of benefits for health and well-being. Here, we examine if exposure to nature influences the food choices that may contribute to nature's benefits. Five between-subject experiments (n = 39, n = 698, n = 885, n = 1191, and n = 913) show that individuals exposed to the natural environment choose healthier foods when compared to those exposed to urban environments or a control condition.

Novel Guided Self-Help for the treatment of Binge Eating Disorder: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy.

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a prevalent eating disorder. Many individuals with BED do not receive evidence-based care due to many barriers. This preliminary study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a manualized guided self-help (GSH) intervention with support in the form of a culturally adapted manual for a French-Canadian population.

Multivariate analyses and machine learning link sex and age with antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 and vaccination.

Prevention of negative COVID-19 infection outcomes is associated with the quality of antibody responses, whose variance by age and sex is poorly understood. Network approaches identified sex and age effects in antibody responses and neutralization potential of infection and vaccination throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Neutralization values followed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific receptor binding immunoglobulin G (RIgG), spike immunoglobulin G (SIgG) and spike and receptor immunoglobulin G (S, and RIgA) levels based on COVID-19 status.

Immune imprinting: The persisting influence of the first antigenic encounter with rapidly evolving viruses.

Immune imprinting is a phenomenon that stems from the fundamentals of immunological memory. Upon recurrent exposures to an evolving pathogen, the immune system must weigh the benefits of rapidly recalling established antibody repertoires with greater affinity to the initial variant or invest additional time and energy in producing responses specific to the emerging variant. In this review, we delve into the mechanistic complexities of immune imprinting and its role in shaping subsequent immune responses, both and recall, against rapidly evolving respiratory viruses such as influenza and coronaviruses.

Reduced seasonal coronavirus incidence in high-risk population groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Epidemiological data on seasonal coronaviruses (sCoVs) may provide insight on transmission patterns and demographic factors that favor coronaviruses (CoVs) with greater disease severity. This study describes the incidence of CoVs in several high-risk groups in Ottawa, Canada, from October 2020 to March 2022.

Methods: Serological assays quantified IgG and IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-HKU1, and HCoV-229E.

Advanced practice nursing implementation in France: A mixed-method study.

Aim(s): To describe advanced practice nursing (APN) in the French healthcare landscape and to provide insights on how the role is defined and implemented and how the role is perceived by physicians.

Design: A mixed-method approach incorporating qualitative and quantitative data to offer a global understanding of APN implementation in France was used.

Methods: Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews with APNs and physicians in diverse healthcare settings in France.

COVID-19 vaccine immunogenicity and safety surrounding fourth and subsequent vaccine doses in patients with hematologic malignancies.

Background: Immune response to COVID-19 vaccine is diminished in patients with hematologic malignancy. There is limited data regarding response to vaccine doses in these patients.

Purpose: To quantify the humoral immune response engendered by 4th and subsequent doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination as measured by anti-Spike (anti-S) antibody levels, based on dried blood spot (DBS) testing, in patients with hematologic malignancies.

Seasonal human coronaviruses OC43, 229E, and NL63 induce cell surface modulation of entry receptors and display host cell-specific viral replication kinetics.

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted an increased interest in seasonal human coronaviruses. OC43, 229E, NL63, and HKU1 are endemic seasonal coronaviruses that cause the common cold and are associated with generally mild respiratory symptoms. In this study, we identified cell lines that exhibited cytopathic effects (CPE) upon infection by three of these coronaviruses and characterized their viral replication kinetics and the effect of infection on host surface receptor expression.

Correlates of Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 Infections in People with HIV: Results from the CIHR CTN 328 Study.

COVID-19 breakthrough infection (BTI) can occur despite vaccination. Using a multi-centre, prospective, observational Canadian cohort of people with HIV (PWH) receiving ≥2 COVID-19 vaccines, we compared the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific IgG levels 3 and 6 months post second dose, as well as 1 month post third dose, in PWH with and without BTI. BTI was defined as positivity based on self-report measures (data up to last study visit) or IgG data (up to 1 month post dose 3).

Hybrid immunity after BNT162b2 Covid-19 vaccine administration in children aged 5 to 11 years.

Background: The immune response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is stronger among adults with prior infection (hybrid immunity). It is important to understand if children demonstrate a similar response to better inform vaccination strategies. Our study investigated the humoral response after BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine doses in SARS-CoV-2 naïve and recovered children (5-11 years).

Clinical and serological predictors of post COVID-19 condition-findings from a Canadian prospective cohort study.

Introduction: More than 3 years into the pandemic, there is persisting uncertainty as to the etiology, biomarkers, and risk factors of Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC). Serological research data remain a largely untapped resource. Few studies have investigated the potential relationships between post-acute serology and PCC, while accounting for clinical covariates.

Effect of Hepatic Impairment on the Pharmacokinetics of Fenfluramine and Norfenfluramine.

Fenfluramine (Fintepla) is approved for the treatment of seizures associated with the rare epileptic encephalopathies Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Fenfluramine is extensively metabolized; thus, patients with hepatic impairment (HI) might experience changes in exposure to fenfluramine or its metabolites. In this phase 1 study, we investigated the pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety of a single oral dose of 0.

Acceptability and Feasibility of the Telehealth Bariatric Behavioral Intervention to Increase Physical Activity Before Bariatric Surgery: A Single-Case Experimental Study (Part I).

Background: Physical activity (PA) can play an important role in optimizing metabolic/bariatric surgery (MBS) outcomes. However, many MBS patients have difficulty increasing PA, necessitating the development of theory-driven counseling interventions. This study aimed to (1) assess the feasibility and acceptability of the TELEhealth BARIatric behavioral intervention (TELE-BariACTIV) trial protocol/methods and intervention, which was designed to increase moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) in adults awaiting MBS and (2) estimate the effect of the intervention on MVPA.

Supportive Care Needs of Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients in a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Identifying Care Profiles and Future Perspectives.

The prompt introduction of supportive care for patients with cancer leads to a better quality of life, potential survival benefits, and improvements in treatment safety. Considering that patients' needs vary, descriptive assessments could serve as a compass for an efficient and prompt healthcare response. The aim of this study was to identify supportive care needs in newly diagnosed patients according to cancer type.

The effect of dose-interval on antibody response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Vaccination against COVID-19 is highly effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalization, but primary COVID mRNA vaccination schedules often differed from those recommended by the manufacturers due to supply chain issues. We investigated the impact of delaying the second dose on antibody responses to COVID mRNA-vaccines in a prospective cohort of health-care workers in Quebec.

Methods: We recruited participants from the McGill University Health Centre who provided serum or participant-collected dried blood samples (DBS) at 28-days, 3 months, and 6 months post-second dose and at 28-days after a third dose.