Human immune and gut microbial parameters associated with inter-individual variations in COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-induced immunity.

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines induce protective adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in most individuals, but there is wide variation in levels of vaccine-induced antibody and T-cell responses. However, the mechanisms underlying this inter-individual variation remain unclear. Here, using a systems biology approach based on multi-omics analyses of human blood and stool samples, we identified several factors that are associated with COVID-19 vaccine-induced adaptive immune responses.

Altered pre-existing SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses in elderly individuals.

Pre-existing SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells, but not antibodies, have been detected in some unexposed individuals. This may account for some of the diversity in clinical outcomes ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe COVID-19. Although age is a risk factor for COVID-19, how age affects SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses remains unknown.

Scoring system for intraoperative diagnosis of intracranial schwannoma by squash cytology.

Objective: To assess the utility of a newly developed squash cytology (SC)-based scoring system for accurate intraoperative diagnosis of schwannoma.

Methods: We first compared SC-based and frozen section (FS) diagnoses with final pathological diagnoses of schwannoma (16 cases), meningioma (39 cases) and low-grade astrocytoma (16 cases). Then, by logistic regression modeling, we identified features of SC preparations that were independently predictive of schwannoma.

Intraoperative squash cytology provides a qualitative intraoperative diagnosis for cases in which frozen section yields a diagnosis of equivocal brain tumour.

Objective: We assessed whether intraoperative squash cytology could provide surgeons with a qualitative diagnosis of brain lesions when frozen section diagnosis is equivocal.

Methods: The study included 51 lesions that were diagnosed intraoperatively as equivocal brain tumour on the basis of frozen section. We retrospectively classified the lesions into five groups according to the final histopathological diagnoses (I: malignant lymphomas; II: diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglia tumours; III: pituitary adenomas, IV: metastatic carcinomas; V: others).