Comparison of the effectiveness of four SARS-COV-2 v accines in Nuevo Leon, Mexico: A test-negative control study.

Objective: The objective of the present study was to provide statewide estimates of real-world effectiveness in reducing the odds of one primary (symptomatic COVID-19 infection) and two secondary outcomes (hospitalization and severe COVID-19 infection) by four vaccines BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech), ChAdOx1 (AstraZeneca), Ad5-nCoV (CanSinoBIO), and CoronaVac (Sinovac Life Sciences), used in Northeast Mexico.

Design: We conducted a test-negative case-control study and analyzed statewide surveillance data from December 2020 to August 2021. SITE: Primary attention and hospitalization.

Severe COVID-19 patients have severe vitamin D deficiency in Northeast Mexico.

Objective: the association between vitamin D and COVID-19 severity is not consistent. We compared prevalences and analyzed the association between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 severity in Northeast Mexico. Methods: this was a cross-sectional study with individuals consecutively included at a referral diagnostic center during March-September 2020 (n = 181).

Advances in gene therapy for hemophilia.

Hemophilia is a hereditary disorder that can be life-threatening in individuals who have severe spontaneous bleeding resulting from minor trauma or surgery. Although replacement therapy of the missing exogenous factor has improved patients' quality of life, it has not been possible to establish a long-term treatment. Due to the severity of the disease and the need for repetitive doses throughout the patient's life, replacement therapy has become a high-cost treatment option; therefore, the development of self-sustainable long-term therapies is critical.

Antitumor Response by Endoplasmic Reticulum-Targeting DNA Vaccine Is Improved by Adding a KDEL Retention Signal.

Directing an antigen to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) improves the antigen-specific immune response, revealing a potentially useful strategy in cancer immunotherapy using tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). This can be achieved by fusing the antigen to an ER chaperone protein, such as calreticulin (CRT). We previously reported the antitumor response by fusing the CRT signal peptide (SP) and its ER retention sequence (KDEL) to full-length human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) E6 and E7 antigens, obtaining a potent antitumoral effect.