Chimeric peptides targeting the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 variants inhibit ACE2 interaction.

Background: The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein is pivotal in facilitating viral entry and serves as a major target for vaccine development and therapeutics. Despite undergoing mutations aimed at evading host immunity, certain regions within the RBD remain conserved.

Objective: This study aimed to identify peptides capable of interacting with these conserved regions of the RBD across various variants and assess their neutralization potential.

Identifying the stability of a new wheat gliadin extract by protein analysis, skin tests and cell degranulation assay.

Background: The commercial wheat extract for skin prick test (SPT) provides less sensitivity to predict wheat allergy, compared to in-house gliadin extracts. SPT is a preferred method to study extract stability as it is the aim of developing extract. The role of cell degranulation assay, a functional assay with the same mechanism as SPT, is not widely used to determine extract stability.

Defining Biomarkers to Predict Natural Resolution in Shrimp Allergy.

Purpose: Tolerance to shrimp has been reported in some patients with a history of shrimp allergy. The predictors of the natural resolution of shrimp allergy have not been widely explored. This study aimed to investigate the role of specific IgE (sIgE) and specific IgG4 (sIgG4) to shrimp extracts and the cross-reactive shrimp allergens tropomyosin (TM), arginine kinase (AK) and myosin light-chain (MLC), as markers of persistent or resolved shrimp allergy (PSA or RSA).