Publications by authors named "Lucero Ramon-Luing"

Introduction: Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is an angioproliferative disease caused by human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) and is mediated by cytokines in an immunodeficient environment. This study aimed to compare IL-6, IL-10, and TNFα levels among AIDS patients with disseminated KS (DKS), treatment naïve patients living with HIV (PLWHIV) without DKS, and healthy controls. Secondary outcomes were to compare cytokines levels in patients with DKS and unfavorable outcomes, as well as an analysis of the behavior of cytokines over time.

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Background: Persistent respiratory symptoms and lung abnormalities post-COVID-19 are public health problems. This study evaluated biomarkers to stratify high-risk patients to the development or persistence of post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease.

Methods: One hundred eighteen patients discharged with residual lung abnormalities compatible with interstitial lung disease (COVID-ILD patients) after a severe COVID-19 were followed for 1 year (post-COVID-ILD patients).

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Introduction: The proteolytic activity of A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17) regulates the release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and TNF receptors (TNFRs) from cell surfaces. These molecules play important roles in tuberculosis (TB) shaping innate immune reactions and granuloma formation.

Methods: Here, we investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ADAM17 influence TNF and TNFRs levels in 224 patients with active TB (ATB) and 118 healthy close contacts.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on IDD-associated lymphoid proliferations linked to HIV, aiming to identify their clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients without organ transplants and on antiretroviral therapy.
  • It analyzed data from 27 HIV+ male patients in Mexico, noting common conditions such as hyperplasia and a significant occurrence of Kaposi sarcoma among them.
  • Results revealed a high prevalence of immunosuppression, with many patients showing severe immune deficiencies and some diagnosed with additional lymphomas, highlighting the need for better understanding and management of these conditions.*
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Chronic infections induce CD4+ T-cells with cytotoxic functions (CD4 CTLs); at present, it is still unknown whether latent tuberculosis (LTB) and active tuberculosis (ATB) induce CD4 CTLs. Plasma and cells from four patient groups-uninfected contact (UC), LTB, and ATB (divided as sensitive [DS-TB]- or resistant [DR-TB]-drug)-were evaluated by flow cytometry, q-PCR, and proteomics. The data showed that ATB patients had an increased frequency of CD4+ T-cells and a decreased frequency of CD8+ T-cells.

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Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection caused by (). B cells are the central mediator of the humoral response; they are responsible for producing antibodies in addition to mediating other functions. The role of the cellular response during the TB spectrum by B cells is still controversial.

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T-cell Immunoglobulin and Mucin Domain 3 (TIM-3) is an immune checkpoint receptor known to regulate T-cell activation and has been targeted for immunotherapy in cancer and other diseases. However, its expression and function in other cell types, such as macrophages, are poorly understood. This study investigated TIM-3 expression in human macrophages polarized to M1 (stimulated with IFN- and LPS) and M2 (stimulated with IL-4 and IL-13) phenotypes using an in vitro model.

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Valganciclovir (VGC) was used in a randomized clinical trial in patients with disseminated Kaposi Sarcoma/human immunodeficiency virus (DKS/HIV) as add-on therapy to evaluate the proinflammatory axis tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and its receptors (TNFRs) in T cells. Two treatment schedules were used: an experimental regime (ER) and a conventional treatment (CT). Mononuclear cells from patients with DKS/HIV were obtained at baseline (W0), 4 (W4), and 12 weeks (W12).

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TNF and IFN-γ trigger cell damage during SARS CoV-2 infection; these cytokines can induce senescence and a cell death process called PANoptosis. This study included 138 vaccine-naïve COVID-19 patients, who were divided into four groups (Gp) according to the plasma level of TNF and IFN-γ (High [] or Normal-Low []), Gp 1: TNF/IFNγ; Gp 2: TNF/IFNγ; Gp 3: TNF/IFNγ; and Gp 4: TNF/IFNγ. Thirty-five apoptosis-related proteins and molecules related to cell death and senescence were evaluated.

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(Mtb) modulates diverse cell death pathways to escape the host immune responses and favor its dissemination, a complex process of interest in pathogenesis-related studies. The main virulence factors of Mtb that alter cell death pathways are classified according to their origin as either non-protein (for instance, lipomannan) or protein (such as the PE family and ESX secretion system). The 38 kDa lipoprotein, ESAT-6 (early antigen-secreted protein 6 kDa), and another secreted protein, tuberculosis necrotizing toxin (TNT), induces necroptosis, thereby allowing mycobacteria to survive inside the cell.

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Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health problem worldwide and is one of the deadliest infectious diseases, only after the current COVID-19 pandemic. Despite significant advances in the TB field, there needs to be more immune response comprehension; for instance, the role played by humoral immunity is still controversial. This study aimed to identify the frequency and function of B1 and immature/transitional B cells in patients with active and latent TB (ATB and LTB, respectively).

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Article Synopsis
  • High levels of HHV-8 viral load in patients with Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) can lead to Severe Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (Severe-IRIS-KS) after starting combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), which increases mortality rates, especially in those with lung issues.
  • A clinical trial compared the effects of starting valganciclovir, an anti-HHV-8 drug, before cART versus cART alone in AIDS patients with disseminated KS.
  • Results showed that while overall mortality was similar between the two groups after 48 weeks, none in the experimental group (EG) died from Severe-IRIS-KS, compared to three in the control group (CG),
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Unlabelled: Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is a protein produced by , which is toxic to humans. It is well known for its ability to stimulate the exacerbated activation of proinflammatory CD4+ T cells (Th1 profile), and in vitro studies have been conducted to understand its mechanism of action and its potential use as an immune therapy. However, the efficiency of the SEB1741 aptamer in blocking SEB has not been experimentally demonstrated.

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Platelets play a major role in coagulation and hemostasis; evidence supports the hypothesis that they also contribute to immunological processes. Increased platelet counts have been associated with poor prognosis in tuberculosis (TB). Platelet-monocyte aggregates have been reported in patients with TB, but it is still unclear if only one monocyte subpopulation is correlated to the platelet count; moreover, the platelet-monocyte axis has not been studied during latent tuberculosis (LTB).

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Article Synopsis
  • The PDZ genes encode scaffold proteins that play essential roles in various signaling pathways, with 153 identified in humans, primarily studied in epithelial and neural cells.
  • This study assessed the expression of 83 PDZ genes in human macrophages and dendritic cells, revealing unique transcriptional profiles that change based on stimulation conditions.
  • Over 40 PDZ genes showed significant expression changes, suggesting their relevance in antigen-presenting cells and potential interactions with viral products that may help these viruses evade the immune response.
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis has developed diverse mechanisms to survive inside phagocytic cells, such as macrophages. Phagocytosis is a key process in eliminating invading pathogens; thus, M. tuberculosis efficiently disrupts phagosome maturation to ensure infection.

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Macrophages are necessary to eliminate pathogens. However, some pathogens have developed mechanisms to avoid the immune response. One of them is modulating the cell death mechanism to favor pathogen survival.

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In recent years, a growing body of evidence has shown the presence of a subpopulation of macrophages that express CD3, especially in the context of mycobacterial infections. Despite these findings, the function of these cells has been poorly understood. Furthermore, the low frequency of CD3+ macrophages in humans limits the study of this subpopulation.

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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and irreversible lung disease of unknown etiology. Myofibroblasts are organized in peculiar subepithelial fibroblasts foci (FF), where they abnormally persist and exclude lymphocytes by unclear mechanisms. FF are the source of an excessive extracellular matrix, which results in progressive stiffening and destruction of the lung architecture.

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Human herpesvirus-8 infection (HHV-8) is the causative agent of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) and is highly prevalent among people living with HIV (KS/HIV). It has been reported that valganciclovir (VGC) reduces HHV-8 replication in KS/HIV patients. However, currently it is unclear if VGC modifies the frequency and induces changes in markers of immune regulation of immune cells necessary to eliminate HHV8-infected cells, such as Natural Killer (NK) and NK T cells (NKT).

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In mycobacterial infections, the number of cells from two newly discovered subpopulations of CD3 myeloid cells are increased at the infection site; one type expresses the T cell receptor (CD3TCRαβ) and the other does not (CD3TCRαβ). The role of (Mtb) virulence in generating these subpopulations and the ability of these cells to migrate remains unclear. In this study, monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) infected in vitro with either a virulent (H37Rv) or an avirulent (H37Ra) Mtb strain were phenotypically characterized based on three MDM phenotypes (CD3, CD3TCRαβ, and CD3TCRαβ); then, their migration ability upon Mtb infection was evaluated.

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Overproduction of inflammatory cytokines is a keystone event in COVID-19 pathogenesis; TNF and its receptors (TNFR1 and TNFR2) are critical pro-inflammatory molecules. ADAM17 releases the soluble (sol) forms of TNF, TNFR1, and TNFR2. This study evaluated TNF, TNFRs, and ADAM17 at the protein, transcriptional, and gene levels in COVID-19 patients with different levels of disease severity.

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Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease. During TB, regulatory T cells (Treg) are related to poor prognosis. However, information about conventional and unconventional Treg (cTreg and uTreg, respectively) is limited.

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Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is an exacerbated immune response that can occur to HIV+ patients after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART). IRIS pathogenesis is unclear, but dysfunctional and exhausted cells have been reported in IRIS patients, and the TIM-3/Gal-9 axis has been associated with chronic phases of viral infection. This study aimed to evaluate the soluble levels of TIM-3 and Gal-9 and their relationship with IRIS development.

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Tuberculosis (TB), caused by (Mtb), remains as a leading infectious cause of death worldwide. The increasing number of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases contributes to the poor control of the TB epidemic. Currently, little is known about the immunological requirements of protective responses against MDR-TB.

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