Publications by authors named "Lavell A"

The plant endoplasmic reticulum (ER) contacts heterotypic membranes at membrane contact sites (MCSs) through largely undefined mechanisms. For instance, despite the well-established and essential role of the plant ER-chloroplast interactions for lipid biosynthesis, and the reported existence of physical contacts between these organelles, almost nothing is known about the ER-chloroplast MCS identity. Here we show that the Arabidopsis ER membrane-associated VAP27 proteins and the lipid-binding protein ORP2A define a functional complex at the ER-chloroplast MCSs.

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This field note examines the disaster risk construction process in Lima, Peru. More commonly experienced hazard contexts are considered in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. We provide an empirical analysis based on Lima-wide data and using findings from a single case study settlement to illustrate more general conclusions.

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Members of the family dominate the blood virome, emerging early in life. The anellome, representing the variety of anelloviruses within an individual, stabilizes by adulthood. Despite their supposedly commensal nature, elevated anellovirus concentrations under immunosuppressive treatment indicate an equilibrium controlled by immunity.

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Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is a rare autoimmune condition associated with recombinant adenovirus (rAV)-based COVID-19 vaccines. It is thought to arise from autoantibodies targeting platelet factor 4 (aPF4), triggered by vaccine-induced inflammation and the formation of neo-antigenic complexes between PF4 and the rAV vector. To investigate the specific induction of aPF4 by rAV-based vaccines, we examined sera from rAV vaccine recipients (AZD1222, AD26.

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Unlabelled: In the 2020s, understanding disaster risk requires a strong and clear recognition of values and goals that influence the use of political and economic power and social authority to guide growth and development. This configuration of values, goals, power and authority may also lead to concrete drivers of risk at any one time. Building on previous disaster risk frameworks and experiences from practice, since 2010, the 'Forensic Investigations of Disasters (FORIN)' approach has been developed to support transdisciplinary research on the transformational pathways societies may follow to recognise and address root causes and drivers of disaster risk.

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Background: To improve effectiveness of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, it is important to identify factors that influence the immune response induced by vaccination. Evidence for the role of vitamin D in immune response against SARS-CoV-2 is contradictory. It is therefore of interest whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations affect the humoral and/or cellular response following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

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Background: Hospital health care workers (HCW) are at increased risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2. We investigated whether certain behavioral and physical features, e.g.

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Article Synopsis
  • * High levels of antibodies against HCoV-OC43 were associated with a significantly lower likelihood of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared to those with lower antibody levels.
  • * Results suggest that establishing immunity through past HCoV infections, particularly HCoV-OC43, could be valuable in the development of vaccines that target multiple coronaviruses.
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Large-scale vaccination campaigns have prevented countless hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. However, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants that escape from immunity challenges the effectiveness of current vaccines. Given this continuing evolution, an important question is when and how to update SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to antigenically match circulating variants, similarly to seasonal influenza viruses where antigenic drift necessitates periodic vaccine updates.

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Infants may develop severe viral respiratory tract infections because their immune system is still developing in the first months after birth. Human milk provides passive humoral immunity during the first months of life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, circulation of common respiratory viruses was virtually absent due to the preventative measures resulting in reduced maternal exposure.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study examined how well different COVID-19 vaccines (BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, AZD1222, and Ad26.COV2.S) neutralize various SARS-CoV-2 variants, particularly among health care workers in the Netherlands.
  • Results showed that mRNA-1273 produced the highest neutralizing antibody levels, followed by BNT162b2, while adenovirus vector-based vaccines had significantly lower levels.
  • After a booster dose of BNT162b2, all vaccines improved their neutralizing abilities against variants, especially the Omicron variant, highlighting the importance of booster shots in enhancing vaccine effectiveness.
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The urgent need for, but limited availability of, SARS-CoV-2 vaccines worldwide has led to widespread consideration of dose-sparing strategies. Here, we evaluate the SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses following BNT162b2 vaccination in 150 previously SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals from a population-based cohort. One week after first vaccine dose, spike protein antibody levels are 27-fold higher and neutralizing antibody titers 12-fold higher, exceeding titers of fully vaccinated SARS-CoV-2-naive controls, with minimal additional boosting after the second dose.

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Current SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are losing efficacy against emerging variants and may not protect against future novel coronavirus outbreaks, emphasizing the need for more broadly protective vaccines. To inform the development of a pan-coronavirus vaccine, we investigated the presence and specificity of cross-reactive antibodies against the spike (S) proteins of human coronaviruses (hCoV) after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. We found an 11- to 123-fold increase in antibodies binding to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV as well as a 2- to 4-fold difference in antibodies binding to seasonal hCoVs in COVID-19 convalescent sera compared to pre-pandemic healthy donors, with the S2 subdomain of the S protein being the main target for cross-reactivity.

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Rhomboid-like proteins are intramembrane proteases with a variety of regulatory roles in cells. Though many rhomboid-like proteins are predicted in plants, their detailed molecular mechanisms or cellular functions are not yet known. Of the 13 predicted rhomboids in Arabidopsis thaliana, one, RBL10, affects lipid metabolism in the chloroplast, because in the respective rbl10 mutant the transfer of phosphatidic acid through the inner envelope membrane is disrupted.

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Background: To optimise the use of available SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, some advocate delaying second vaccination for individuals infected within six months. We studied whether post-vaccination immune response is equally potent in individuals infected over six months prior to vaccination.

Methods: We tested serum IgG binding to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and neutralising capacity in 110 healthcare workers, before and after both BNT162b2 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccinations.

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Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) pose a threat to human immunity induced by natural infection and vaccination. We assessed the recognition of three VOCs (B.1.

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Plants resist infection by pathogens using both preexisting barriers and inducible defense responses. Inducible responses are governed in a complex manner by various hormone signaling pathways. The relative contribution of hormone signaling pathways to nonhost resistance to pathogens is not well understood.

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Importance: It is unclear when, where, and by whom health care workers (HCWs) working in hospitals are infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Objective: To determine how often and in what manner nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection occurs in HCW groups with varying exposure to patients with COVID-19.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study comprised 4 weekly measurements of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies and collection of questionnaires from March 23 to June 25, 2020, combined with phylogenetic and epidemiologic transmission analyses at 2 university hospitals in the Netherlands.

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Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants pose a threat to human immunity induced by natural infection and vaccination. We assessed the recognition of three variants of concern (B.1.

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Although giant viruses have existed for millennia and possibly exerted great evolutionary influence in their environment. Their presence has only been noticed by virologists recently with the discovery of Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus in 2003. Its virion with a diameter of 500 nm and its genome larger than 1 Mpb shattered preconceived standards of what a virus is and triggered world-wide prospection studies.

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Mitochondrial and plastid biogenesis requires the biosynthesis and assembly of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. In Arabidopsis (), the mitochondrial outer membrane protein DGD1 SUPPRESSOR1 (DGS1) is part of a large multi-subunit protein complex that contains the mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system 60-kD subunit, the translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 40-kD subunit (TOM40), the TOM20s, and the Rieske FeS protein. A point mutation in , , altered the stability and protease accessibility of this complex.

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The thylakoid membranes of the chloroplast harbor the photosynthetic machinery that converts light into chemical energy. Chloroplast membranes are unique in their lipid makeup, which is dominated by the galactolipids mono- and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG and DGDG). The most abundant galactolipid, MGDG, is assembled through both plastid and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) pathways in Arabidopsis, resulting in distinguishable molecular lipid species.

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Great strides have been made in understanding how membranes and lipid droplets are formed and maintained in land plants, yet much more is to be learned given the complexity of plant lipid metabolism. A complicating factor is the multi-organellar presence of biosynthetic enzymes and unique compositional requirements of different membrane systems. This necessitates a rich network of transporters and transport mechanisms that supply fatty acids, membrane lipids and storage lipids to their final cellular destination.

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Ossifying subperiosteal haematoma is an exceedingly rare manifestation of Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). We report an interesting case of plexiform neurofibroma causing a rapidly growing tibial mass as a result of subperiosteal haemorrhage, in an 11-year-old girl with previously undiagnosed NF-1. This reflects a precursor of the more mature periosteal ossification seen in cases traditionally termed "subperiosteal cysts".

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