The Delicate Skin of Preterm Infants: Barrier Function, Immune-Microbiome Interaction, and Clinical Implications.

The skin of preterm infants is a delicate organ with critical structural and functional differences as compared to term born infants. Unique features contribute to an increased susceptibility to injury, infection, thermal instability, and water loss. During rapid, often accelerated adaption of the physical barrier function of preterm skin, a parallel and mutual development of host skin immunity and skin microbiome seem to be crucial for skin homeostasis.

Co- but not Sequential Infection of DCs Boosts Their HIV-Specific CTL-Stimulatory Capacity.

Pathogenic bacteria and their microbial products activate dendritic cells (DCs) at mucosal surfaces during sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and therefore might also differently shape DC functions during co-infection with HIV-1. We recently illustrated that complement (C) coating of HIV-1 (HIV-C), as primarily found during the acute phase of infection before appearance of HIV-specific antibodies, by-passed SAMHD1-mediated restriction in DCs and therefore mediated an increased DC activation and antiviral capacity. To determine whether the superior antiviral effects of HIV-C-exposed DCs also apply during STIs, we developed a co-infection model in which DCs were infected with .

Fast-track development of an in vitro 3D lung/immune cell model to study Aspergillus infections.

To study interactions of airborne pathogens, e.g. Aspergillus (A.

Uptake of clinical yeast isolates by human epithelial cell line.

Objective: The occurrence of yeast infections in humans has increased, with the species belonging to genus Candida still being the most common cause of infection. Nevertheless, infections caused by less common yeasts have been widely reported in recent years. The main objective of this study was to assess the potential of these less common saprophytic yeasts to invade the host cell, which is essential for causing systemic infections.