Safety and Immunogenicity of a Single Dose of BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine in a Warfarin-Treated Protein S Deficient Patient: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Patients with protein S (PS) deficiency possibly have a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease. Therefore, vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infections is recommended for PS-deficient patients. However, there are limited data regarding the safety and immunogenicity of the currently available COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in PS-deficient patients.

Recurrence of Asymptomatic COVID-19 after Recovery among Healthcare Workers.

We describe five healthcare workers (HCWs) with a recurrence of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection at Siloam Teaching Hospital, Indonesia. All cases involved nurses, with an average age of 27 years. The RT-PCR assay confirmed the first and second infection episodes.

Co-Occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination among Healthcare Workers.

The presented cases describe the concurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection and inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination among eight healthcare workers (HCWs). These cases highlighted the importance of broad hospital screening during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Further study regarding the durability of antibody response induced by infection and first-dose vaccination is required to determine the appropriate time for giving a second dose of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine among these cases.

Antibody response to the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine among healthcare workers, Indonesia.

Background: As healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk for infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), they have priority for receipt of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. The inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine has been used in Indonesia to induce an antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCWs. However, information regarding the kinetics of antibodies induced by this vaccine remains scarce.

Prognostic value of inflammatory markers in patients with COVID-19 in Indonesia.

Background & Aims: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a wide clinical spectrum, ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe diseases with high mortality rate. Early identification of high-risk COVID-19 patients may be beneficial to reduce morbidity and in-hospital mortality. This study aimed to investigate whether baseline levels of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and immune-cell-based inflammatory indices, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived-NLR (d-NLR), and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) at hospital admission are associated with adverse disease outcomes in COVID-19 patients.

Post-vaccination cases of COVID-19 among healthcare workers at Siloam Teaching Hospital, Indonesia.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), compared with the general population. Therefore, they are given priority for the COVID-19 vaccine in the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Indonesia. However, while the daily number of new COVID-19 cases remains high, and data regarding the efficacy of the vaccine in healthcare settings remain unavailable, vaccinated HCWs remain at risk of COVID-19 infection and further transmission.

Expansion of dysfunctional CD56-CD16+ NK cells in chronic hepatitis B patients.

Background & Aims: Natural killer (NK) cells are primary innate effector cells that play an important role in the control of human viral infections. During chronic viral infection, NK cells undergo significant changes in phenotype, function and subset distribution, including the appearance of CD56-CD16+ (CD56-) NK cells, previously identified in chronic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus infection. However, the presence of CD56- NK cells in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remains unknown.

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Eradication With Interferon-Free Direct-Acting Antiviral-Based Therapy Results in KLRG1+ HCV-Specific Memory Natural Killer Cells.

Direct acting antiviral therapies rapidly clear chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and restore natural killer (NK) cell function. We investigated NK-cell memory formation following HCV clearance by examining NK-cell phenotype and responses from control and chronic HCV patients before and after therapy following sustained virologic response at 12 weeks post therapy (SVR12). NK-cell phenotype at SVR12 differed significantly from paired pretreatment samples, with an increase in maturation markers CD16, CD57, and KLRG1.

HBV vaccination and HBV infection induces HBV-specific natural killer cell memory.

Objective: Vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) confers protection from subsequent infection through immunological memory that is traditionally considered the domain of the adaptive immune system. This view has been challenged following the identification of antigen-specific memory natural killer cells (mNKs) in mice and non-human primates. While the presence of mNKs has been suggested in humans based on the expansion of NK cells following pathogen exposure, evidence regarding antigen-specificity is lacking.

Macrophage Coordination of the Interferon Lambda Immune Response.

Lambda interferons (IFN-λs) are a major component of the innate immune defense to viruses, bacteria, and fungi. In human liver, IFN-λ not only drives antiviral responses, but also promotes inflammation and fibrosis in viral and non-viral diseases. Here we demonstrate that macrophages are primary responders to IFN-λ, uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between IFN-λ producing cells and lymphocyte populations that are not intrinsically responsive to IFN-λ.

KLRG1+ natural killer cells exert a novel antifibrotic function in chronic hepatitis B.

Background & Aims: Natural killer (NK) cells are known to exert strong antiviral activity. Killer cell lectin-like receptor subfamily G member 1 (KLRG1) is expressed by terminally differentiated NK cells and KLRG1-expressing lymphocytes are known to expand following chronic viral infections. We aimed to elucidate the previously unknown role of KLRG1 in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Unzipping the cuticle of the human hair shaft to obtain micron/nano keratin filaments.

An attempt has been made to obtain intact individual keratin filaments of various levels from micron cortical, micron macrofibril to nano intermediate filament and polypeptide alpha-helix from the human hair shaft. The feasibility of this initiative has been largely demonstrated by finding that there is a longitudinal seam/zipper on the cuticle of the human hair shaft, which can be unzipped by certain solvents such as performic acid and urea, allowing one to use an anatomical approach to separate intact individual micron/nano filaments. Micron cortical and macrofibril filaments have been obtained.