5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (DMXAA), a partial STING agonist, competes for human STING activation.

5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (DMXAA) is a mouse-selective stimulator of interferon gene (STING) agonist exerting STING-dependent anti-tumor activity. Although DMXAA cannot fully activate human STING, DMXAA reached phase III in lung cancer clinical trials. How DMXAA is effective against human lung cancer is completely unknown.

Spontaneous resolution of inflammatory myopathy involving the masseter muscle following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.

According to previous reports, most cases of inflammatory myopathy following messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccination can be classified as idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, particularly dermatomyositis, owing to their similar clinical features and courses. However, some patients have different clinical features and courses. We report a rare case of transient inflammatory myopathy involving the masseter muscle following the third dose of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccination.

CpG ODN (K3)-toll-like receptor 9 agonist-induces Th1-type immune response and enhances cytotoxic activity in advanced lung cancer patients: a phase I study.

Background: Cytosine-phosphate-guanine oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG ODN) (K3)-a novel synthetic single-stranded DNA immune adjuvant for cancer immunotherapy-induces a potential Th1-type immune response against cancer cells. We conducted a phase I study of CpG ODN (K3) in patients with lung cancer to assess its safety and patients' immune responses.

Methods: The primary endpoint was the proportion of dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) at each dose level.

Safety and immunogenicity of a quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine adjuvanted with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin: A phase 1 clinical trial.

Objectives: Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CyD), an oligosaccharide used as an excipient in pharmaceutical preparation, was recently reported to function as a vaccine adjuvant to co-administered antigens. In this study, we investigated the safety and immunogenicity of a seasonal influenza vaccine adjuvanted with HP-β-CyD (FluCyD-vac) in healthy adults compared with those of a standard seasonal influenza vaccine (Flu-vac).

Methods: We conducted a single-blinded randomized phase 1 clinical trial study, and used two quadrivalent split seasonal influenza vaccines: FluCyD-vac containing 9 μg of HA/strain and 20% w/v of HP-β-CyD, and Flu-vac containing 15 μg of hemagglutinin (HA)/strain only.

Cellular Adhesion Is a Controlling Factor in Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation Induced by Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies.

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic Ab (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a life-threatening condition characterized by improper activation of neutrophils and the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in small vessels. This study aimed to explain the role of NETs in AAV pathogenesis by investigating a link between adhesion and NET release using human neutrophils. We leveraged an imaging flow cytometry-based assay and three-dimensional culture to demonstrate that neutrophil adhesion is essential for ANCA-induced NET formation.

Recovery from prolonged thrombocytopenia in patients with TAFRO syndrome: case series and literature review.

TAFRO syndrome is a newly proposed disease that is characterised by thrombocytopenia, anasarca, fever, reticulin fibrosis (or renal dysfunction), and organomegaly. Generally, high doses of corticosteroids are recommended for the initial treatment of TAFRO syndrome; however, some patients experience prolonged refractory thrombocytopenia after initiating such therapies. If corticosteroid treatment alone is ineffective, additional immunosuppressive therapies such as cyclosporine A are recommended.

Refractory liver dysfunction was remarkably improved with chelating agents of Wilson's disease, in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus-like syndrome after a parvovirus B19 infection.

Parvovirus B19 infection has been reported to be associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Liver dysfunction is frequently observed in SLE patients. However, liver dysfunction caused by an aberrant copper metabolism is rarely seen in patients with parvovirus B19 infection.

IL-33 Is Essential for Adjuvant Effect of Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodexrin on the Protective Intranasal Influenza Vaccination.

Vaccine adjuvants are traditionally used to augment and modulate the immunogenicity of vaccines, although in many cases it is unclear which specific molecules contribute to their stimulatory activity. We previously reported that both subcutaneous and intranasal administration of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD), a pharmaceutical excipient widely used to improve solubility, can act as an effective adjuvant for an influenza vaccine. However, the mechanisms by which mucosal immune pathway is critical for the intranasal adjuvant activity of HP-β-CD have not been fully delineated.

Heparin induces neutrophil elastase-dependent vital and lytic NET formation.

Heparin is used extensively as an anticoagulant in a broad range of diseases and procedures; however, its biological effects are not limited to coagulation and remain incompletely understood. Heparin usage can lead to the life-threatening complication known as heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), caused by the development of antibodies against heparin/PF4 complexes. Here, we demonstrate the ability of heparin to induce neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).