Publications by authors named "N Verstegen"
The development of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells is an ongoing process resulting in the formation of various Tfh subsets. Despite advancements, the precise impact of T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation on this process remains incompletely understood. This study explores how TCR-CD3 signaling strength influences naive CD4 T cell differentiation into Tfh-like cells and the concurrent expression of interleukin-21 (IL-21), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ).
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- Methotrexate (MTX) is a common medicine for rheumatoid arthritis, but it may affect how well people’s immune systems respond to vaccines and infections.
- In a study, researchers looked at how MTX treatment affected immune responses in patients who received a COVID-19 vaccine compared to healthy people and others not on MTX.
- They found that while many immune cells were similar between patients and controls, those on MTX had fewer activated CD4 T cells, leading to slower antibody responses after vaccination.
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- The study explores how patients on immunosuppressants (ISPs) respond to SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to healthy controls, particularly looking at antibody levels post-infection.
- Patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) on different ISP therapies showed variable antibody responses, with those on anti-CD20 and sphingosine-1 phosphate therapies having lower antibody levels.
- Despite lower antibody titers, the breakthrough infections in these patients were mostly mild, indicating that ISPs may not severely impede the overall immune response to SARS-CoV-2.
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- mRNA vaccines effectively protect against SARS-CoV-2 in healthy individuals, but their effectiveness in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with ocrelizumab (OCR) is unclear.
- A study found that 63% of OCR-treated MS patients did not produce detectable antibodies after vaccination, and they showed lower antibody responses compared to healthy subjects.
- The research suggests that scheduling vaccinations carefully for OCR-treated patients can improve their immune responses, highlighting potential markers (CD38 and HLA-DR) for assessing vaccine efficacy in these patients.
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- SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 T cells play a crucial role in protecting against viral variants and reducing disease severity, especially in patients lacking cross-reactive antibodies.
- mRNA vaccines elicit strong immune responses, but the effectiveness among patients with chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disorders (IMIDs), particularly those on TNF inhibitors (TNFi), is less understood.
- Analysis revealed that both TNFi-treated and untreated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients generate strong spike-specific CD8 T cell responses after mRNA vaccination, comparable to healthy individuals, indicating that vaccination is beneficial regardless of treatment status.