Improving risk prediction for pulmonary embolism in COVID-19 patients using echocardiography.

SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with increased risk for pulmonary embolism (PE), a fatal complication that can cause right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. Serum D-dimer levels are a sensitive test to suggest PE, however lacks specificity in COVID-19 patients. The goal of this study was to identify a model that better predicts PE diagnosis in hospitalized COVID-19 patients using clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic imaging predictors.

Preclinical validation of a live attenuated dermotropic Leishmania vaccine against vector transmitted fatal visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), a potentially fatal disease is caused by Leishmania donovani parasites with no vaccine available. Here we produced a dermotropic live attenuated centrin gene deleted Leishmania major (LmCen) vaccine under Good Laboratory Practices and demonstrated that a single intradermal injection confers robust and durable protection against lethal VL transmitted naturally via bites of L. donovani-infected sand flies and prevents mortality.

Essential Role of Neutrophils in the Protective Immune Response Induced by a Live Attenuated Vaccine.

No licensed vaccine exists against visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a disease caused by the parasite. We have previously reported both macrophages and dendritic cells play important role in the protection induced by a live attenuated centrin gene-deleted ( ) parasite vaccine. The role of neutrophils in orchestrating the initial innate response to pathogens is widely recognized.

A second generation leishmanization vaccine with a markerless attenuated Leishmania major strain using CRISPR gene editing.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by Leishmania protozoa transmitted by infected sand flies. Vaccination through leishmanization with live Leishmania major has been used successfully but is no longer practiced because it resulted in occasional skin lesions. A second generation leishmanization is described here using a CRISPR genome edited L.

The IL-33/ST2 Axis in Immune Responses Against Parasitic Disease: Potential Therapeutic Applications.

Parasitic infections pose a wide and varying threat globally, impacting over 25% of the global population with many more at risk of infection. These infections are comprised of, but not limited to, toxoplasmosis, malaria, leishmaniasis and any one of a wide variety of helminthic infections. While a great deal is understood about the adaptive immune response to each of these parasites, there remains a need to further elucidate the early innate immune response.