Immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines and their effect on HIV reservoir in older people with HIV.

Older individuals and people with HIV (PWH) were prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination, yet comprehensive studies of the immunogenicity of these vaccines and their effects on HIV reservoirs are not available. Our study on 68 PWH and 23 HIV-negative participants aged 55 and older post-three vaccine doses showed equally strong anti-spike IgG responses in serum and saliva through week 48 from baseline, while PWH salivary IgA responses were low. PWH had diminished live-virus neutralization responses after two vaccine doses, which were 'rescued' post-booster.

Immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines and their effect on the HIV reservoir in older people with HIV.

Older individuals and people with HIV (PWH) were prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination, yet comprehensive studies of the immunogenicity of these vaccines and their effects on HIV reservoirs are not available. We followed 68 PWH aged 55 and older and 23 age-matched HIV-negative individuals for 48 weeks from the first vaccine dose, after the total of three doses. All PWH were on antiretroviral therapy (cART) and had different immune status, including immune responders (IR), immune non-responders (INR), and PWH with low-level viremia (LLV).

Cell-Enriched Lipotransfer (CELT) Improves Tissue Regeneration and Rejuvenation without Substantial Manipulation of the Adipose Tissue Graft.

The good availability and the large content of adult stem cells in adipose tissue has made it one of the most interesting tissues in regenerative medicine. Although lipofilling is one of the most frequent procedures in plastic surgery, the method still struggles with high absorption rates and volume losses of up to 70%. Therefore, many efforts have been made to optimize liposuction and to process the harvested tissue in order to increase fat graft retention.

The Dietary Inflammatory Index Is Not Associated With Gut Permeability or Biomarkers of Systemic Inflammation in HIV Immunologic Non-responders.

Immunologic non-responders (INRs) are a subset of individuals living with HIV who have suboptimal blood CD4+ T cell recovery despite effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). They are at an increased risk of serious non-AIDS co-morbidities and death, and demonstrate enhanced systemic immune activation. In other populations diet has been correlated with markers of systemic inflammation through the Diet Inflammatory Index (DII), but this association has not been studied in persons living with HIV (PLWH).

Randomized, Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial of De Simone Formulation Probiotic During HIV-Associated Suboptimal CD4+ T Cell Recovery.

Objective: To assess whether probiotic supplementation may reduce disease-linked systemic immune activation in people living with HIV with the immunologic nonresponder phenotype.

Design: Phase 2b, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial.

Methods: HIV-positive individuals with blood CD4+ T-cell counts <350/mm3 despite viral suppression were randomized to 2:1 to receive De Simone Formulation Probiotic (DSFP; "Visbiome" commercially) or placebo for 48 weeks; target enrollment was 36 patients.

A Case for Raising the Camera: A Driving Simulator Test of Camera-Monitor Systems.

Objective: This experiment provides a first-of-its-kind driving-simulator study to investigate the feasibility of camera-monitor systems (CMS) with displaced side-mounted cameras in sedans.

Background: Among the increasing number of studies investigating the replacement of side-mounted rearview mirrors with CMS, the placement of side-mounted cameras has been largely neglected. Moreover, user preferences with respect to camera placement have not been validated in a driving simulator.

Outcome of melanoma patients with elevated LDH treated with first-line targeted therapy or PD-1-based immune checkpoint inhibition.

Background: Elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a known predictive and prognostic factor for a poor outcome in patients with metastatic melanoma. It is unclear whether first-line targeted therapy (TT) or immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) is more beneficial in melanoma patients with elevated LDH because prospective studies in this area are lacking.

Methods: This multicentre retrospective cohort study was conducted at 25 melanoma centres worldwide to analyse progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) among melanoma patients with elevated LDH.

Potential therapeutic effect of low-dose paclitaxel in melanoma patients resistant to immune checkpoint blockade: A pilot study.

The low dose application of chemotherapeutic agents such as paclitaxel was previously shown to initiate anti-tumor activity by neutralizing myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in melanoma mouse models. Here, we investigated immunomodulating effects of low-dose paclitaxel in 9 metastatic melanoma patients resistant to prior treatments. Three patients showed response to therapy (two partial responses and one stable disease).

Inter- and Intraobserver Agreement in Measuring Urolithiasis Density on Nonenhanced Computed Tomography.

Treatment choice for urolithiasis is partially based on measuring stone density in HU on nonenhanced computed tomography (NECT). Interobserver variability in these measurements could have treatment consequences. This study aims to assess the observer agreement of measuring HU and whether the use of a protocol leads to a better agreement.

Cyberbiosecurity: A New Perspective on Protecting U.S. Food and Agricultural System.

Our national data and infrastructure security issues affecting the "bioeconomy" are evolving rapidly. Simultaneously, the conversation about cyber security of the U.S.

Effects of Visually Induced Motion Sickness on Emergency Braking Reaction Times in a Driving Simulator.

Objective: The study explores associations of visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) with emergency braking reaction times (RTs) in driving simulator studies. It examines the effects over the progression of multiple simulated drives.

Background: Driving simulator usage has many advantages for RT studies; however, if it induces VIMS, the observed driving behavior might deviate from real-world driving, potentially masking or skewing results.

Renal imaging in 199 Dutch patients with Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome: Screening compliance and outcome.

Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome is associated with an increased risk for renal cell carcinoma. Surveillance is recommended, but the optimal imaging method and screening interval remain to be defined. The main aim of our study was to evaluate the outcomes of RCC surveillance to get insight in the safety of annual US in these patients.

Incidence of Listeria spp. in Ready-to-Eat Food Processing Plant Environments Regulated by the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

A multiyear survey of 31 ready-to-eat (RTE) food processing plants in the United States was conducted to determine the incidence of Listeria spp. in various RTE production environments. Samples were collected from 22 RTE plants regulated by the U.

Interest in tanning beds and sunscreen in German-speaking countries.

Background: The growing incidence of nearly all types of skin cancer can be attributed to increased exposure to natural or artificial ultraviolet (UV) radiation. However, there is a scarcity of statistical data on risk behavior or sunscreen use, which would be important for any prevention efforts.

Methods: Using the search engine Google , we analyzed search patterns for the terms Solarium (tanning bed), Sonnencreme (sunscreen), and Sonnenschutz (sun protection) in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland between 2004 and 2016, and compared it to search patterns worldwide.

The evaluation of risk-benefit ratio for gut tissue sampling in HIV cure research.

Introduction: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) does not cure HIV infection due to the persistence of HIV reservoirs in long-lived memory CD4 T cells present in the blood, lymph nodes, intestinal tract, and other tissues. Interest grows in obtaining gut-tissue samples for HIV persistence studies, which poses an ethical challenge to provide study volunteers with adequate information on risks and benefits. Herein we assess the risks and benefits of undergoing gut biopsy procedures for HIV pathogenesis and reservoir studies.

Improving and correcting the contiguity of long-read genome assemblies of three plant species using optical mapping and chromosome conformation capture data.

Long-read sequencing can overcome the weaknesses of short reads in the assembly of eukaryotic genomes; however, at present additional scaffolding is needed to achieve chromosome-level assemblies. We generated Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) long-read data of the genomes of three relatives of the model plant and assembled all three genomes into only a few hundred contigs. To improve the contiguities of these assemblies, we generated BioNano Genomics optical mapping and Dovetail Genomics chromosome conformation capture data for genome scaffolding.

A Population-Based Study of Care at the End of Life Among People With HIV in Ontario From 2010 to 2013.

Background: Aging and increasing comorbidity is changing the end-of-life experience of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the developed world. We quantified, at a population level, the receipt of health care services and associated costs across a comprehensive set of sectors among decedents with and without HIV.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective population-level observational study of all decedents in Ontario and their receipt of health care services, captured through linked health administrative databases, between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2013.

Differences in patterns of survival in metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck.

Background: We examined the assumption in conventional teaching about metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) being an indolent type of disease.

Methods: A single center analysis of 105 cases of ACC was performed. Radiographs were reviewed and tumor response to chemotherapy was measured.

Risk of spontaneous pneumothorax due to air travel and diving in patients with Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome.

Background And Objectives: Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by skin fibrofolliculomas, lung cysts, spontaneous pneumothorax and renal cell cancer due to germline folliculin (FLCN) mutations (Menko et al. in Lancet Oncol 10(12):1199-1206, 2009). The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of spontaneous pneumothorax in patients with BHD during or shortly after air travel and diving.