Background And Aims: In response to direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) therapy, patients who experience a decrease in hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) considerably reduce liver complications and have increased survival. This study aimed to assess the metabolomic changes associated with the changes in HVPG from the start of DAA therapy until 48 weeks after effective DAA therapy in patients with advanced HCV-related cirrhosis.
Methods: We carried out a multicenter longitudinal study in 31 patients with advanced hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis.
Infect Dis Poverty
December 2024
Front Pharmacol
October 2024
Dried blood spot (DBS) sampling is increasingly used for hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening. HCVcAg testing offers a faster and more streamlined approach to diagnosing HCV infection. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the diagnostic performance of the Abbott ARCHITECT HCV Ag assay for screening active HCV infection using DBS samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study evaluated titers and amplitudes of anti-E2 antibodies (anti-E2-Abs) and neutralizing antibodies against hepatitis C virus (HCV; anti-HCV-nAbs) in HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals over five years after successful HCV treatment completion. We retrospectively analyzed 76 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients achieving sustained virologic response post-HCV treatment. Plasma levels of anti-E2-Abs and anti-HCV-nAbs against five HCV genotypes (Gt1a, Gt1b, Gt2a, Gt3a, and Gt4a) were determined using ELISA and microneutralization assays, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Altered bacterial translocation is associated with changes in hepatic function and the progression from compensated to decompensated cirrhosis. Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score is an essential indicator of liver severity. Thus, we aimed to study differences in the blood microbiome together with metabolome profile between HCV-infected patients with CTP class B (CTP-B, significant functional compromise) and patients with CTP class A (CTP-A, well-compensated cirrhosis).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes virus-induced-senescence. There is an association between shorter telomere length (TL) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and hospitalization, severity, or even death. However, it remains unknown whether virus-induced-senescence is reversible.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cancer patients often have weakened immune systems, resulting in a lower response to vaccines, especially those receiving immunosuppressive oncological treatment (OT). We aimed to assess the impact of OT on the humoral and T-cell response to the B.1 lineage and Omicron variant following COVID-19 vaccination in patients with solid and hematological neoplasms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Extracellular vesicles (EVs), containing microRNAs (miRNAs) and other molecules, play a central role in intercellular communication, especially in viral infections caused by SARS-CoV-2. This study explores the miRNA profiles in plasma-derived EVs from patients with severe COVID-19 vs controls, identifying potential mortality predictors.
Methods: This prospective study included 36 patients with severe COVID-19 and 33 controls without COVID-19.
J Infect Public Health
June 2024
Background: COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) has emerged as a relatively common complication. Multiple studies described this relationship in critical patients, however its incidence and outcome in other risk groups such as immunosuppressed patients remains unknown. In this sense, we aimed to evaluate the rates and outcomes of CAPA in hematological patients and according to the different hematological malignances, comparing to invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in non-COVID-19 ones.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Panbio™ COVID-19 IgG Rapid Test Device ("Panbio™") detects IgG antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from viral infection or vaccination.
Objectives: To determine the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the Panbio™ professional use test, using fingerstick whole blood and venous plasma.
Study Design: Fingerstick whole blood and venous plasma from each participant were tested with Panbio™ and compared against the SARS-CoV-2 IgG II assay on the Abbott Architect™ platform (Europe) or the equivalent AdviseDx SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Abbott Alinity i™ platform (US).
Int J Infect Dis
January 2024
Objectives: We aimed to analyze whether the expression of inflammatory and antiviral genes in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-infected infants' peripheral blood is associated with bronchiolitis progression.
Methods: We conducted a prospective study on 117 infants between 2015 and 2023. The expression levels of nine genes were quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
Background: About 25% of patients with acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection show spontaneous clearance within the first six months of infection but may remain at risk of inflammaging, aging, and liver and non-liver disease complications. This study evaluated the differences in the plasma levels of immune checkpoints (ICs) and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) biomarkers between patients who had spontaneously eliminated HCV infection (SC group) and individuals without evidence of HCV infection (C group).
Methods: We performed a multicenter retrospective study of 56 individuals: 32 in the SC and 24 in the C groups.
Interleukin 7 receptor (IL7R) is vital in the adaptive immune response against human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV). We assessed IL7RA polymorphisms (SNPs) in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve HIV patients for their association with spontaneous HIV infection control. We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 667 ART-naïve patients categorized by HIV progression (ordinal variable): 150 rapid progressors, 334 moderate/typical progressors, 86 long-term nonprogressors elite controllers (LTNPs-EC), and 97 LTNPs-non-EC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: We aimed to assess IgG antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (anti-SARS-CoV-2 S IgG) in vaccinated mothers and their infants at delivery and 2-3 months of age.
Methods: We conducted a prospective study on mothers who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BNT162b2, Moderna mRNA-1273, or Oxford-AstraZeneca ChAdOx1-S) during pregnancy and on their infants. The baseline was at the time of delivery (n = 93), and the end of follow-up was 2 to 3 months post-partum (n = 53).
Int J Infect Dis
November 2023
Objectives: This study analyzed the association of TNFAIP3-interacting protein 1 (TNIP1) polymorphisms with the symptomatic human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) infection and bronchiolitis in infants.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted involving 129 hospitalized infants with symptomatic HRSV infection (case group) and 161 healthy infants (control group) in South Africa (2016-2018). Six TNIP1 polymorphisms (rs869976, rs4958881, rs73272842, rs3792783, rs17728338, and rs999011) were genotyped.
Despite highly effective treatments to cure hepatitis C, almost 80% of chronically HCV-infected people are not treated, as they are unaware of their infection. Diagnostic rates and linkage to care must be substantially improved to reverse this situation. The HCV core antigen (HCVcAg) is a highly conserved protein that can be detected in the blood of HCV-infected patients and indicates active infection.
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