Long-term effect of corticosteroid treatment during acute COVID-19 infection on pulmonary function test results.

Background: The outbreak of the novel coronavirus 19 has led to unprecedented clinical challenges globally. Various therapeutic and pharmacologic interventions have been proposed, yet evidence of their long-term efficacy remains limited. Corticosteroids (CS) have shown efficacy in the sub-acute phase of the pandemic.

Comparison between diffuse and partial involvement of thoracic lymph nodes on the outcome of sarcoidosis patients.

Background And Aim: Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease of unknown etiology with diverse clinical manifestations. Disease may resolve spontaneously or require immunosuppression to control progression. Currently, there is no predictive model to direct treatment, and management is guided by symptoms and functional impairment.

Personalizing non-small cell lung cancer treatment through patient-derived xenograft models: preclinical and clinical factors for consideration.

Purpose: In the pursuit of creating personalized and more effective treatment strategies for lung cancer patients, Patient-Derived Xenografts (PDXs) have been introduced as preclinical platforms that can recapitulate the specific patient's tumor in an in vivo model. We investigated how well PDX models can preserve the tumor's clinical and molecular characteristics across different generations.

Methods: A Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) PDX model was established in NSG-SGM3 mice and clinical and preclinical factors were assessed throughout subsequent passages.

Tumor- and circulating-free DNA methylation identifies clinically relevant small cell lung cancer subtypes.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy composed of distinct transcriptional subtypes, but implementing subtyping in the clinic has remained challenging, particularly due to limited tissue availability. Given the known epigenetic regulation of critical SCLC transcriptional programs, we hypothesized that subtype-specific patterns of DNA methylation could be detected in tumor or blood from SCLC patients. Using genomic-wide reduced-representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) in two cohorts totaling 179 SCLC patients and using machine learning approaches, we report a highly accurate DNA methylation-based classifier (SCLC-DMC) that can distinguish SCLC subtypes.

Examining the Patterns of Mpox Vaccine Uptake in a Vulnerable Population.

Background: The current Mpox outbreak presents unique vaccination challenges in vulnerable populations. Understanding factors associated with vaccine uptake in vulnerable populations is required for a successful vaccination campaign.

Methods: This population-based cohort study was conducted in Clalit Health Services and included all individuals eligible for the Modified Vaccinia Ankara vaccine.

Implementation of Comprehensive Genomic Profiling in Ovarian Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Analysis.

Comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) allows for the detection of driver alterations at high resolution, but the limited number of approved targeted therapies and their high costs have contributed to its limited clinical utilization. We retrospectively compared data of 946 women with ovarian cancer (11.4% were referred to CGP, and 88.

New-onset systemic lupus erythematosus following BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine: a case series and literature review.

Emerging data evaluated the possible link between the Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) vaccine and acute flares of rheumatic autoimmune diseases. However, the association between the COVID-19 vaccine and the development of de-novo rheumatic autoimmune diseases remained unclear. We report the first case series of three male patients who developed new-onset systemic lupus erythematosus following receiving Pfizer BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination.

In vivo engineered B cells secrete high titers of broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies in mice.

Transplantation of B cells engineered ex vivo to secrete broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) has shown efficacy in disease models. However, clinical translation of this approach would require specialized medical centers, technically demanding protocols and major histocompatibility complex compatibility of donor cells and recipients. Here we report in vivo B cell engineering using two adeno-associated viral vectors, with one coding for Staphylococcus aureus Cas9 (saCas9) and the other for 3BNC117, an anti-HIV bNAb.

Alleviation of a polyglucosan storage disorder by enhancement of autophagic glycogen catabolism.

This work employs adult polyglucosan body disease (APBD) models to explore the efficacy and mechanism of action of the polyglucosan-reducing compound 144DG11. APBD is a glycogen storage disorder (GSD) caused by glycogen branching enzyme (GBE) deficiency causing accumulation of poorly branched glycogen inclusions called polyglucosans. 144DG11 improved survival and motor parameters in a GBE knockin (Gbe ) APBD mouse model.

SARS-CoV-2 spike variants exhibit differential infectivity and neutralization resistance to convalescent or post-vaccination sera.

Toward eradicating the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines that induce high humoral and cellular immune responses are essential. However, SARS-CoV-2 variants have begun to emerge and raise concerns, as they may potentially compromise vaccine efficiency. Here, we monitored neutralization potency of convalescent or Pfizer-BTN162b2 post-vaccination sera against pseudoviruses displaying spike proteins derived from wild-type SARS-CoV-2, or its UK-B.

Engineered B cells expressing an anti-HIV antibody enable memory retention, isotype switching and clonal expansion.

HIV viremia can be controlled by chronic antiretroviral therapy. As a potentially single-shot alternative, B cells engineered by CRISPR/Cas9 to express anti-HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are capable of secreting high antibody titers. Here, we show that, upon immunization of mice, adoptively transferred engineered B cells home to germinal centers (GC) where they predominate over the endogenous response and differentiate into memory and plasma cells while undergoing class switch recombination (CSR).

Validation of Lung EpiCheck, a novel methylation-based blood assay, for the detection of lung cancer in European and Chinese high-risk individuals.

Aim: Lung cancer screening reduces mortality. We aim to validate the performance of Lung EpiCheck, a six-marker panel methylation-based plasma test, in the detection of lung cancer in European and Chinese samples.

Methods: A case-control European training set (n=102 lung cancer cases, n=265 controls) was used to define the panel and algorithm.

Routine comprehensive Aspergillus screening of bronchoalveolar lavage samples in lung transplant recipients.

Background: Invasive aspergillosis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in lung transplant recipients (LTRs). Early diagnosis may improve outcome, yet is challenging. We assessed the diagnostic yield of a routine, comprehensive, prospectively employed Aspergillus screening strategy in LTRs.

Tacrolimus Levels Are Not Associated with Risk of Malignancy in Lung Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND Lung transplant (LTx) recipients suffer from high rates of malignancy. Exposure to immunosuppressive medication such as tacrolimus has been proposed as a risk factor for tumorigenesis. We hypothesized that chronically high levels of tacrolimus would be associated with risk of malignancy.

Lung transplantation in cystic fibrosis patients in Israel: The importance of ethnicity and nutritional status.

Objectives: To assess the characteristics that correlate with better outcomes after lung transplantation for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients with CF who underwent lung transplantation between 1996 and 2014 at Rabin Medical Center, Israel.

Results: Fifty patients with CF underwent 55 lung transplantations.

Survival following lung transplantation for artificial stone silicosis relative to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Background: Silicosis is a progressive lung disease resulting from the inhalation of respirable crystalline silica. Lung transplantation is the only treatment for end-stage silicosis. The aim of this study was to analyze the survival experience following lung transplantation among patients with silicosis.

Prognostic utility of admission cell-free DNA levels in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations (COPDEs) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a novel biomarker associated with clinical outcomes in several disease states but has not been studied in COPD. The objectives of this study were to assess cfDNA levels during a COPDE, to evaluate the association of cfDNA with clinical parameters and to explore the prognostic implications of cfDNA levels on long-term survival.

Inactivation of non-enveloped virus by 1,5 iodonaphthyl azide.

Background: A photoactive hydrophobic agent 1,5-iodonaphthyl-azide (INA), has been previously shown to completely inactivate the enveloped viruses. INA sequesters into the lipid bilayer of the virus envelope and upon UV-irradiation bind to the hydrophobic domains of the envelope glycoproteins. In our earlier study, we have shown that the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) genomic RNA was also inactivated during the inactivation of the virus with INA.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum inactivated by targeting the hydrophobic domain of the membrane preserves surface lipoproteins and induces a strong immune response.

An innovative approach for inactivation of Mycoplasma gallisepticum using the hydrophobic photoinduced alkylating probe 1, 5-iodonaphthylazide (INA) is described. Treatment of washed M. gallisepticum mid-exponential culture (0.

Renal function preservation with the mTOR inhibitor, Everolimus, after lung transplant.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common complication of calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) in solid organ transplantation. Previous data suggest that the use of everolimus as an immunosuppressant drug leads to improvement in renal function. The aim of our study was to establish the effect of everolimus in combination with lower doses of CNIs on renal function among lung transplant recipients.