Associations between the gut microbiome, inflammation and cardiovascular profiles in people with HIV.

Background: Inflammation and innate immune activation are associated with chronic HIV infection, despite effective treatment. Although gut microbiota alterations are linked to systemic inflammation, the relationships between the gut microbiome, inflammation and HIV remain unclear.

Methods: The UPBEAT-CAD sub-study, examining cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in HIV, enrolled participants matched on HIV status and traditional CVD risk factors.

A psychological model of predictive factors of distress following long COVID.

Background: Long COVID, described as "the continuation or development of new symptoms 3 months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection", is estimated to affect at least 10-20 % of all cases of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Because of its novelty, information regarding the experience of Long COVID is still emerging.

Methods: This study examines psychological distress in two long COVID populations, and their experience of fatigue, cognitive failures, experiential avoidance, rumination, and perceived injustice.

Exploring the cascade of mental healthcare among people with HIV experiencing depressive symptoms in the UK and Ireland: The POPPY study.

Introduction: Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent among people with HIV, which can negatively impact HIV-related outcomes. We explore the cascade of mental healthcare for people with HIV experiencing depressive symptoms.

Methods: People with HIV who were part of the Pharmacokinetic and clinical Observations in PeoPle over fiftY (POPPY) study (2013-2016) were included.

Learning from post-COVID-19 condition for epidemic preparedness: a variable catalogue for future post-acute infection syndromes.

Scope: The emergence of post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) after SARS-CoV-2 infection underscores the critical need for preparedness in addressing future post-acute infection syndromes (PAIS), particularly those linked to epidemic outbreaks. The lack of standardized clinical and epidemiological data during the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly hindered timely diagnosis and effective treatment of PCC, highlighting the necessity of pre-emptively standardizing data collection in clinical studies to better define and manage future PAIS. In response, the Cohort Coordination Board, a consortium of European-funded COVID-19 research projects, has reviewed data from PCC studies conducted by its members.

HIV, the gut microbiome and clinical outcomes, a systematic review.

Background: Effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) has improved the life expectancy of people with HIV (PWH). However, this population is now experiencing accelerated age-related comorbidities, contributed to by chronic immune activation and inflammation, with dysbiosis of the gut microbiome also implicated.

Method: We conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane reviews and international conference abstracts for articles that examined for the following non-communicable diseases (NCDs); cardiovascular disease, cancer, frailty, metabolic, bone, renal and neurocognitive disease, in PWH aged >18 years.

Associations between multimorbidity burden and objective and patient-reported sleep outcomes among people living with HIV.

Background: We aimed to provide insights into the effects of comorbidities on sleep health in people with HIV by assessing associations between multimorbidity patterns and sleep outcomes in the Pharmacokinetic and clinical Observations in PeoPle over fiftY (POPPY) sub-study.

Methods: Principal component analysis identified six multimorbidity patterns among participants with HIV (n = 1073) at baseline: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), Sexually transmitted diseases, Metabolic, Mental/Joint, Neurological and Cancer/Other. Burden z-scores were calculated for each individual/pattern.

Navigating the Landscape of B Cell Mediated Immunity and Antibody Monitoring in SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Efficacy: Tools, Strategies and Clinical Trial Insights.

Correlates of Protection (CoP) are biomarkers above a defined threshold that can replace clinical outcomes as primary endpoints, predicting vaccine effectiveness to support the approval of new vaccines or follow up studies. In the context of COVID-19 vaccination, CoPs can help address challenges such as demonstrating vaccine effectiveness in special populations, against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants or determining the durability of vaccine-elicited immunity. While anti-spike IgG titres and viral neutralising capacity have been characterised as CoPs for COVID-19 vaccination, the contribution of other components of the humoral immune response to immediate and long-term protective immunity is less well characterised.

Robust and persistent B-cell responses following SARS-CoV-2 vaccine determine protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Introduction: A clear immune correlate of protection from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has not been defined. We explored antibody, B-cell, and T-cell responses to the third-dose vaccine and relationship to incident SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: Adults in a prospective cohort provided blood samples at day 0, day 14, and 10 months after the third-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Self-reported immune status and COVID-19 associated subjective cognitive functioning in post-COVID-19 syndrome: Examination of an Irish cohort.

Introduction: Cognitive changes are very frequently reported by people with post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS), but there is limited understanding of the underpinning mechanisms leading to these difficulties. It is possible that cognitive difficulties are related to immune status and/or low mood. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between immune status and cognitive functioning in PCS, while considering whether depression symptoms also influence this association.

Metabolic Complications Associated with Use of Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors (InSTI) for the Treatment of HIV-1 Infection: Focus on Weight Changes, Lipids, Glucose and Bone Metabolism.

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to summarize recently published peer reviewed papers on the influence of treatment with Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors (InSTI) in people with HIV (HIV) on metabolic health, including weight gain, lipid parameters, glucose homeostasis, and bone health.

Recent Findings: InSTI have a mild/moderate effect on weight gain in both antiretroviral (ART) naïve and ART experienced PWH, which is more pronounced in certain groups (i.e.

Obesity Is Associated With Higher Levels of Circulating Cytokines Involved in the Development of Cardiovascular Disease in People Living With HIV.

Background: Obesity is increasingly described in people living with HIV (PLWH), but its impact on immune activation and inflammation in HIV is still poorly characterized. We aimed to analyze the difference in circulating cytokines involved in pathways associated with comorbidities in PLWH according to the presence or absence of obesity.

Methods: Age- and sex-matched PLWH with and without obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 ) from a multicenter, prospective cohort were recruited with a 1:2 ratio.

Early inflammatory profiles predict maximal disease severity in COVID-19: An unsupervised cluster analysis.

Background: The inflammatory changes that underlie the heterogeneous presentations of COVID-19 remain incompletely understood. In this study we aimed to identify inflammatory profiles that precede the development of severe COVID-19, that could serve as targets for optimised delivery of immunomodulatory therapies and provide insights for the development of new therapies.

Methods: We included individuals sampled <10 days from COVID-19 symptom onset, recruited from both inpatient and outpatient settings.

SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity in Urban Population of Wild Fallow Deer, Dublin, Ireland, 2020-2022.

SARS-CoV-2 can infect wildlife, and SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern might expand into novel animal reservoirs, potentially by reverse zoonosis. White-tailed deer and mule deer of North America are the only deer species in which SARS-CoV-2 has been documented, raising the question of whether other reservoir species exist. We report cases of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in a fallow deer population located in Dublin, Ireland.

Immunogenicity, reactogenicity, and safety of a second booster with BNT162b2 or full-dose mRNA-1273: A randomized VACCELERATE trial in adults aged ≥75 years (EU-COVAT-1-AGED Part B).

Objectives: To assess the safety and immunogenicity of a fourth vaccination (second booster) in individuals aged ≥75 years.

Methods: Participants were randomized to BNT162b2 (Comirnaty, 30 µg) or messenger RNA (mRNA)-1273 (Spikevax, 100 µg). The primary end point was the rate of two-fold antibody titer increase 14 days after vaccination, targeting the receptor binding domain (RBD) region of wild-type SARS-CoV-2.

A Multinational Case Series Describing Successful Treatment of Persistent Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection Caused by Omicron Sublineages With Prolonged Courses of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir.

The optimum treatment for persistent infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is not known. Our case series, across 5 hospitals in 3 countries, describes 11 cases where persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection was successfully treated with prolonged courses (median, 10 days [range, 10-18 days]) of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid). Most cases (9/11) had hematological malignancy and 10 (10/11) had received CD20-depleting therapy.

Distinct Inflammatory Phenotypes Are Associated With Subclinical and Clinical Cardiovascular Disease in People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Despite inflammation being implicated in cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH), considerable heterogeneity within populations of PWH exists. Stratifying CVD risk based on inflammatory phenotype could play an important role. Using principal component analyses and unsupervised hierarchical clustering, we examined 38 biomarkers to identify inflammatory phenotypes in 2 independent cohorts of PWH.

The Challenges of Vaccine Trial Participation among Underserved and Hard-to-Reach Communities: An Internal Expert Consultation of the VACCELERATE Consortium.

Underserved and hard-to-reach population groups are under-represented in vaccine trials. Thus, we aimed to identify the challenges of vaccine trial participation of these groups in member countries of the VACCELERATE network. Seventeen National Coordinators (NC), each representing their respective country (15 European countries, Israel, and Turkey), completed an online survey.

Predicting the next pandemic: VACCELERATE ranking of the WorldHealth Organization's Blueprint forAction toPreventEpidemics.

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO)'s Research and Development (R&D) Blueprint for Action to Prevent Epidemics, a plan of action, highlighted several infectious diseases as crucial targets for prevention. These infections were selected based on a thorough assessment of factors such as transmissibility, infectivity, severity, and evolutionary potential. In line with this blueprint, the VACCELERATE Site Network approached infectious disease experts to rank the diseases listed in the WHO R&D Blueprint according to their perceived risk of triggering a pandemic.

Development of a novel medium throughput flow-cytometry based micro-neutralisation test for SARS-CoV-2 with applications in clinical vaccine trials and antibody screening.

Quantifying neutralising capacity of circulating SARS-COV-2 antibodies is critical in evaluating protective humoral immune responses generated post-infection/post-vaccination. Here we describe a novel medium-throughput flow cytometry-based micro-neutralisation test to evaluate Neutralising Antibody (NAb) responses against live SARS-CoV-2 Wild Type and Variants of Concern (VOC) in convalescent/vaccinated populations. Flow Cytometry-Based Micro-Neutralisation Test (Micro-NT) was performed in 96-well plates using clinical isolates WT-B, WT-B.

Associations between host microbiome and inflammation suggest role for host microbiome in driving COVID-19 disease severity.

Systemic inflammation and innate immune activation are associated with COVID-19 disease severity. Knowledge gaps remain in the relationships between microbiome, inflammation and COVID-19 disease severity. To better characterise these associations, we performed 16SrDNA analysis of stool samples in COVID-19 subjects to explore diversity and taxanomic composition.

Distinct receptor binding domain IgG thresholds predict protective host immunity across SARS-CoV-2 variants and time.

SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibodies provide protection against COVID-19. Evidence from early vaccine trials suggested binding antibody thresholds could serve as surrogate markers of neutralising capacity, but whether these thresholds predict sufficient neutralising capacity against variants of concern (VOCs), and whether this is impacted by vaccine or infection history remains unclear. Here we analyse individuals recovered from, vaccinated or with hybrid immunity against SARS-CoV-2.