Rapid clinical recovery of a SARS-CoV-2 infected common variable immunodeficiency patient following the infusion of COVID-19 convalescent plasma.

Background: Common variable immunodeficiency is the most prevalent symptomatic primary immunodeficiency in adults. Affected patients fail to mount an appropriate humoral response against community acquired infectious diseases and recent reports have provided data supporting the increased susceptibility of these patients to severe SARS-CoV-2 infections. In this context, the infusion of COVID-19 convalescent plasma could represent an effective therapeutic strategy.

Complexation of whey protein with caffeic acid or (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate as a strategy to induce oral tolerance to whey allergenic proteins.

Proteins and phenolic compounds can interact and form soluble and insoluble complexes. In this study, the complexation of whey protein isolate (WPI) with caffeic acid (CA) or (-)‑epigallocatechin‑3‑gallate (EGCG) is investigated as a strategy to attenuate oral sensitization in C3H/HeJ mice against WPI. Treatment with WPI-CA reduced the levels of IgE, IgG1, IgG2a and mMCP-1 in serum of mice measured by ELISA.

Renal outcome in IgA nephropathy according to Oxford classification and ultrastructural analysis in a Brazilian center .

Aims: Correlate clinical and histologic features with renal outcome in patients with biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy (IgAN).

Materials And Methods: Retrospective analysis of records and renal tissue of IgAN patients. Histology was revised according to MEST score of Oxford classification.

Diacerhein improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in mice on a high-fat diet.

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are characterized by insulin resistance, and the common basis of these events is a chronic and systemic inflammatory process marked by the activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and inhibitor-κB kinase (IKKβ)/nuclear factor-κB (NFκB) pathways, up-regulated cytokine synthesis, and endoplasmic reticulum dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of diacerhein administration, an antiinflammatory drug that reduces the levels of inflammatory cytokines, on insulin sensitivity and signaling in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. Swiss mice were fed with conventional chow (control group) or a high-fat diet (DIO group).

Adsorption of antiphospholipid antibodies on affinity magnetoliposomes.

Phosphatidylcholine-based magnetoliposomes containing specific ligands for biological molecules, so-called affinity magnetoliposomes (AML), may prove to be useful as adsorbents in applications such as diagnosis or anchoring and delivery of drugs at specific sites in the human body. In the present study, the performance of affinity magnetoliposomes to adsorb anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) from a previously characterized pool of patients with autoimmune diseases is described. The magnetic vesicles were prepared by enrobing nanometer-sized colloidal magnetite particles with a phospholipid bilayer composed of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and the affinity lipid ligand cardiolipin (CL).

In vitro evaluation of biospecific and pseudobiospecific ligands aimed at extracorporeal treatment for immunoglobulin E removal.

This work investigated the potential use of an alternative adsorbent to anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE)-agarose for IgE selective adsorption therapy. A screening of several commercially available adsorbents (Concanavalin A, Lens culinaris[Lc], d-tryptophan, poly-l-lysine, and aminohexyl immobilized on agarose) was done through batch system assays, considering some criteria, such as adsorption capacity, selectivity, and biocompatibility. In the Lc-agarose adsorbent, total IgE, and specific IgE--for the airborne allergens Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Blomia tropicalis--were significantly better removed (63, 58, and 59%, respectively) than immunoglobulin G (19%), immunoglobulin A (33%), immunoglobulin M (9%), and albumin (18%).

Role of the kinin B1 receptor in insulin homeostasis and pancreatic islet function.

Kinins are potent vasoactive peptides generated in blood and tissues by the kallikrein serine proteases. Two distinct kinin receptors have been described, one constitutive (subtype B2) and one inducible (subtype B1), and many physiological functions have been attributed to these receptors, including glucose homeostasis and control of vascular permeability. In this study we show that mice lacking the kinin B1 receptor (B1-/- mice) have lower fasting plasma glucose concentrations but exhibit higher glycemia after feeding when compared to wild-type mice.

Consumption of a fat-rich diet activates a proinflammatory response and induces insulin resistance in the hypothalamus.

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in several regions of the world. General changes in lifestyle, including consumption of fat-rich food, are among the most important factors leading to an unprecedented increase in the prevalence of this disease. Weight gain results from an imbalance between caloric intake and energy expenditure.

Fungi allergens produced by solid-state fermentation process: optimization and allergen characterization.

Allergenic extracts were produced from Drechslera (Helminthosporium) monoceras biomass cultured by solid-state fermentation using wheat bran as the substrate. The main fermentation variables were selected by statistical design, and the optimized biomass yield (1.43 mg/[g of dry substrate d]) was obtained at pH 9.