Association between Reactogenicity and Immunogenicity in a Vaccinated Cohort with Two mRNA SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines at a High-Complexity Reference Hospital: A Analysis on Immunology Aspects of a Prospective Cohort Study.

Enhancing our comprehension of mRNA vaccines may facilitate the future design of novel vaccines aimed at augmenting immune protection while minimising reactogenic responses. Before this design is carried out, it is important to determine whether adaptive immunity correlates with the reactogenicity profile of vaccines. We studied a large cohort that was vaccinated with mRNA vaccines to answer this question.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Humoral and Cellular Immunity in a Cohort of Vaccinated Solid Organ Transplant Recipients.

The aim of the present study was to determine humoral and T-cell responses after four doses of mRNA-1273 vaccine in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, and to study predictors of immunogenicity, including the role of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in immunity. Secondarily, safety was also assessed. Liver, heart, and kidney transplant recipients eligible for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination from three different institutions in Barcelona, Spain were included.

Barriers and facilitators for adopting healthy lifestyles in breast cancer survivors: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: This scoping review will identify barriers and facilitators for the adoption of 7 healthy lifestyle components by female breast cancer survivors. This will be achieved by mapping the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research recommendations and the Lifestyle Medicine pillars.

Introduction: Adherence to healthy lifestyle components (including weight management, physical activity, healthy diet, restorative sleep, avoidance of risky substances, forming and maintaining healthy relationships, and stress management) may improve the quality of life of breast cancer survivors and reduce the risk of adverse patient outcomes.

Genotypic and Phenotypic Study of Antiviral Resistance Mutations in Refractory Cytomegalovirus Infection.

Background: This study describes the genotypic and phenotypic characterization of novel human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genetic variants of a cohort of 94 clinically resistant HCMV patients.

Methods And Results: Antiviral-resistant mutations were detected in the UL97, UL54, and UL56 target genes of 25 of 94 (26.6%) patients.

Surveillance of influenza B severe hospitalized cases during 10 seasons in Catalonia: Does the lineage make a difference?

Influenza B viruses circulate in two lineages (B/Victoria and B/Yamagata). Although classically affecting children, recently it has shown a high rate of infection and increased hospitalization in the elderly. To describe and analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of severe hospitalized laboratory-confirmed influenza B virus (SHLCI-B) cases in Catalonia associated with mismatch from Influenza B virus strain included in the trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV).

Dye decomposition and air de-pollution performance of TiO/SiO and N-TiO/SiO photocatalysts coated on Portland cement mortar substates.

In this study, the newly synthesized TiO and N doped TiO clusters were added to silica sol to synthesize N-TiO/SiO composites via the sol-gel method. Afterwards, the prepared sols were applied by brushing on portland cement. Doping with nitrogen significantly increased the absorption of TiO towards the visible region, thus, increasing the photocatalytic activity.

Assessment of UL56 Mutations before Letermovir Therapy in Refractory Cytomegalovirus Transplant Recipients.

mutations in the terminase subunit and its associated phenotypes were studied in the context of cytomegalovirus (CMV) transplant recipients clinically resistant to DNA-polymerase inhibitors, naive to letermovir. R246C was the only variant detected by standard and deep sequencing, located within the letermovir-resistance-associated region (residues 230-370). R246C emerged in 2/80 transplant recipients (1 hematopoietic and 1 heart) since first cytomegalovirus replication and responded transiently to various alternative antiviral treatments .

Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 epidemics on prevention and care for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Objective: To assess the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemics on the prevention and care for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections at a major reference centre providing preventive and clinical services in Catalonia, Spain.

Design: We retrospectively compared anonymized clinical and laboratory data from March to December 2020 vs. 2019.

Lack of Prognostic Value of SARS-CoV2 RT-PCR Cycle Threshold in the Community.

The immense impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health systems has motivated the scientific community to search for clinical prognostic factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Low cycle threshold values (Ct) of diagnostic real-time RT-PCR assays in hospitalized patients have been associated with a poor prognosis in several studies, whereas other studies did not find this association. We explored whether SARS-CoV-2 Ct values at diagnosis were associated with a poor outcome (admission to hospital and death) in 604 community patients diagnosed at primary health centers.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Normalized Viral Loads and Subgenomic RNA Detection as Tools for Improving Clinical Decision Making and Work Reincorporation.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) provides a highly variable cycle threshold (Ct) value that cannot distinguish viral infectivity. Subgenomic ribonucleic acid (sgRNA) has been used to monitor active replication. Given the importance of long RT-PCR positivity and the need for work reincorporation and discontinuing isolation, we studied the functionality of normalized viral loads (NVLs) for patient monitoring and sgRNA for viral infectivity detection.

Humoral and Cellular Responses to mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines Administered to Hemodialysis Patients.

Rationale & Objective: Patients with kidney failure who are receiving maintenance dialysis have a higher risk of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and worse clinical outcomes after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) than the general population. Therefore, immunization against SARS-CoV-2 with effective vaccines is an important component of health-maintenance strategies for these patients. This study evaluated the humoral and cellular responses to messenger RNA (mRNA) SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in this population.

Lifestyle habits of adults during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Cyprus: evidence from a cross-sectional study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread adoption of virus control measures have inevitably disrupted efforts to address lifestyle risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCD). This study aimed to explore the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on all lifestyle medicine pillars, namely diet, physical activity, sleep, stress, social support and use of risky substances.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on a convenient sample of adults who resided in Cyprus during the Spring 2020 lockdown.

Persistent replication of SARS-CoV-2 in a severely immunocompromised patient treated with several courses of remdesivir.

Microbiological response of SARS-CoV-2 to remdesivir in immunocompromised patients has not been evaluated. We present the case of a severely immunocompromised patient with persistent replication of SARS-CoV-2, who required different courses of remdesivir. Short courses of remdesivir might be insufficient in immunocompromised patients due to prolonged viral clearance.

Immunological and virological efficacy of different antiretroviral regimens initiated during acute/recent HIV infection.

Objectives: Antiretroviral treatment (ART) during acute/recent HIV infection decreases transmission and optimizes immune recovery but the optimal ART-regimen in this setting is unknown. The objectives were to analyze the virological efficacy, immunological reconstitution and tolerability of different ART-regimens at 3 years after starting ART during acute/recent HIV infection.

Design: Retrospective cohort study of consecutive acutely/recently infected patients who started ART within 6 months postinfection.

A Simple, Long-Lasting Treatment for Concrete by Combining Hydrophobic Performance with a Photoinduced Superhydrophilic Surface for Easy Removal of Oil Pollutants.

Superhydrophobic surfaces present promising applications in the protection of building materials, such as the self-cleaning effect promoted by their high water-repellent properties. However, these surfaces easily lose their properties when exposed to oil contaminants. This is a critical weak point for their application in building facades, which are exposed to environmental pollutants such as hydrocarbons and vandalism (e.

Study of cytomegalovirus resistance in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients.

Introduction: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most important opportunistic pathogen associated with transplant. The objective of this study was the characterization of CMV resistance mutations in allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplant recipients (allo-TPH) and the study of associated factors.

Methods: A retrospective study of a cohort of allo-TPH recipients with post-transplant CMV reactivations with stable or increasing viral loads (CV), despite adequate antiviral treatment for at least 2weeks.

Prevalence, clinical characteristics and outcome of severe primary HIV-1 infection: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Severe cases of primary HIV infection have been described in patients presenting with neurological involvement, AIDS defining events or other life-threatening events. These severe forms have not been fully studied.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and characteristics of severe PHI in a hospital-based cohort of primary HIV infection, and the response to the early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) at 12 months.

E157Q integrase strand-transfer inhibitor substitution in patients with acute/recent HIV infection.

Objectives: Integrase strand-transfer inhibitor (InSTI)-based regimens are the preferred combinations for naïve HIV-infected individuals. Polymorphic substitutions that reduce InSTIs activity have been described, with E157Q being one of the most frequently found. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of E157Q substitution in newly diagnosed acute/recent HIV cases and the presence of transmission clusters.

Ormosils loaded with SiO nanoparticles functionalized with Ag as multifunctional superhydrophobic/biocidal/consolidant treatments for buildings conservation.

The alarming increase of pollution has significantly increased buildings maintenance. Nowadays, the economic figures associated to repairing activities are even more relevant than those corresponding to new construction works, especially on heritage buildings. Since the degradation of building materials is the result of a complex combination of physical, chemical and biological agents, the development of multifunctional protective treatments remains a significant challenge.

Measles virus genotype D4 strains with non-standard length M-F non-coding region circulated during the major outbreaks of 2011-2012 in Spain.

In recent decades, vaccination has substantially reduced the number of measles cases to levels close to the elimination stage. However, major measles outbreaks occurred in Europe during 2010-2012, after the introduction of the D4-Enfield lineage. We have performed a molecular characterization of 75 measles virus genotype D4 strains from patients infected in Spain between 2004 and 2012 by sequencing the N-450 region and the M-F non-coding region (M-F NCR) in order to identify genetic features of these viruses.