The HIV-1 antibody response: a footprint of the viral reservoir in children vertically infected with HIV.

Several assays have been developed to measure and characterise the replication-competent HIV-1 reservoir, which constitutes the barrier to cure. To date, the application of these assays to studies in children and in limited-resource settings has been minimal, primarily because of their expense, the large required blood volumes, and labour-intensive technologies. For children vertically infected with HIV-1 who initiated suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens in infancy, HIV-1-specific antibody concentrations are associated with viral persistence and could be used to estimate the size of the residual latent reservoir on ART.

Early antiretroviral therapy-treated perinatally HIV-infected seronegative children demonstrate distinct long-term persistence of HIV-specific T-cell and B-cell memory.

Objective: To investigate long-term persistence of HIV-specific lymphocyte immunity in perinatally HIV-infected children treated within the first year of life.

Design: Twenty perinatally HIV-infected children who received ART therapy within the first year of life (early treated) and with stable viral control (>5 years) were grouped according to their serological response to HIV.

Methods: Western blot analysis and ELISA defined 14 HIV-seropositive and six seronegative patients.

Impact of Early Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation on HIV-Specific CD4 and CD8 T Cell Function in Perinatally Infected Children.

Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in vertically HIV-infected children limits the size of the virus reservoir, but whether the time of treatment initiation (TI) can durably impact host immune responses associated with HIV infection is still unknown. This study was conducted in PBMC of 20 HIV-infected virally suppressed children on ART (mean age 9.4 y), classified as early treated (ET; age at ART initiation ≤0.

Prolonged Impairment of Immunological Memory After Anti-CD20 Treatment in Pediatric Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome.

Anti-CD20 therapy is effective in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS). However, transient or sustained hypogammaglobulinemia predisposing to an increased risk of infectious diseases can follow treatment in some patients. We analyzed the long-term effects of anti-CD20 therapy on immunological memory in 27 frequently-relapsing/steroid-dependent INS pediatric patients after more than 4 years from the first and at least 2 years from the last anti-CD20 infusion.

OMIC Technologies and Vaccine Development: From the Identification of Vulnerable Individuals to the Formulation of Invulnerable Vaccines.

Routine vaccination is among the most effective clinical interventions to prevent diseases as it is estimated to save over 3 million lives every year. However, the full potential of global immunization programs is not realised because population coverage is still suboptimal. This is also due to the inadequate immune response and paucity of informative correlates of protection upon immunization of vulnerable individuals such as newborns, preterm infants, pregnant women, and elderly individuals as well as those patients affected by chronic and immune compromising medical conditions.

Immune Activation, Inflammation, and Non-AIDS Co-Morbidities in HIV-Infected Patients under Long-Term ART.

Despite effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), people living with HIV (PLWH) still present persistent chronic immune activation and inflammation. This condition is the result of several factors including thymic dysfunction, persistent antigen stimulation due to low residual viremia, microbial translocation and dysbiosis, caused by the disruption of the gut mucosa, co-infections, and cumulative ART toxicity. All of these factors can create a vicious cycle that does not allow the full control of immune activation and inflammation, leading to an increased risk of developing non-AIDS co-morbidities such as metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-Antibody Repertoire Estimates Reservoir Size and Time of Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation in Virally Suppressed Perinatally HIV-Infected Children.

Background: Assays to estimate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reservoir size require large amounts of blood, which represents a drawback especially in pediatric settings. We investigated whether HIV-antibody repertoire could estimate the viral reservoir size. Moreover, we assessed the magnitude of HIV-antibody response as a predictor of time of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation.

Quantitative Multiplexed Imaging Analysis Reveals a Strong Association between Immunogen-Specific B Cell Responses and Tonsillar Germinal Center Immune Dynamics in Children after Influenza Vaccination.

Generation of Ag-specific humoral responses requires the orchestrated development and function of highly specialized immune cells in secondary lymphoid organs. We used a multiparametric approach combining flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, and histocytometry to analyze, for the first time to our knowledge in children, tonsils from seasonal influenza-vaccinated children. We used these novel imaging assays to address the mucosal immune dynamics in tonsils investigating the spatial positioning, frequency, and phenotype of immune cells after vaccination.

Waning of vaccine-induced immunity to measles in kidney transplanted children.

Vaccine-preventable diseases are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplant recipients who undergo immunosuppression after transplantation. Data on immune responses and long-term maintenance after vaccinations in such population are still limited.We cross-sectionally evaluated the maintenance of immune response to measles vaccine in kidney transplanted children on immunosuppressive therapy.

Sesquiterpene compounds from Inula viscosa.

Two new compounds, 2,5-dihydroxyisocostic acid and 2,3-dihydroxycostic acid together with three known sesquiterpene compounds, Isocostic acid, Carabrone and Tomentosin, have been isolated from the acetone extract of Inula viscosa (L.) Aiton. The structures of all new compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods, in particular 1D and 2D (1)H- and (13)C-NMR.