The magnitude and quality of the germinal center (GC) response decline with age, resulting in poor vaccine-induced immunity in older individuals. A functional GC requires the co-ordination of multiple cell types across time and space, in particular across its two functionally distinct compartments: the light and dark zones. In aged mice, there is CXCR4-mediated mislocalization of T follicular helper (T) cells to the dark zone and a compressed network of follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) in the light zone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObesity is associated with an increased risk of severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and mortality. COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of serious COVID-19 outcomes; however, their effectiveness in people with obesity is incompletely understood. We studied the relationship among body mass index (BMI), hospitalization and mortality due to COVID-19 among 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffective vaccines have reduced the morbidity and mortality caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection; however, the elderly remain the most at risk. Understanding how vaccines generate protective immunity and how these mechanisms change with age is key for informing future vaccine design. Cytotoxic CD8 T cells are important for killing virally infected cells, and vaccines that induce antigen-specific CD8 T cells in addition to humoral immunity provide an extra layer of immune protection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmergence from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has been facilitated by the rollout of effective vaccines. Successful vaccines generate high-affinity plasma blasts and long-lived protective memory B cells. Here, we show a requirement for T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and the germinal center reaction for optimal serum antibody and memory B cell formation after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfluenza infection imparts an age-related increase in mortality and morbidity. The most effective countermeasure is vaccination; however, vaccines offer modest protection in older adults. To investigate how aging impacts the memory B cell response, we track hemagglutinin-specific B cells by indexed flow sorting and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) in 20 healthy adults that were administered the trivalent influenza vaccine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The spread of SARS-CoV-2 has caused a worldwide pandemic that has affected almost every aspect of human life. The development of an effective COVID-19 vaccine could limit the morbidity and mortality caused by infection and may enable the relaxation of social-distancing measures. Age is one of the most significant risk factors for poor health outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection; therefore, it is desirable that any new vaccine candidates elicit a robust immune response in older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExercise training at a variety of intensities increases maximal oxygen uptake (VOmax), the strongest predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. The purpose of the present study was to perform a systematic review, meta-regression and meta-analysis of available literature to determine if a dose-response relationship exists between exercise intensity and training-induced increases in VOmax in young healthy adults. Twenty-eight studies involving human participants (Mean age: 23±1 yr; Mean VOmax: 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWithin the span of 2 decades, cell-based regenerative therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension have progressed from bench-side hypotheses to clinical realities. Promising preclinical investigations that examined the therapeutic potential of endothelial progenitor cell and mesenchymal stem cell populations have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of these cell types and provided the foundation for first-in-man clinical trials. Moreover, these studies have improved our understanding of the therapeutic mechanisms by which stem/progenitor cells exert their regenerative functions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The present study examined the effect of reducing sprint interval training (SIT) work-interval duration on increases in maximal and submaximal performance.
Methods: Subjects (n = 36) were assigned to one of three training groups: endurance training (ET; 60 min per session for weeks 1-2, increasing to 75 min per session for weeks 3-4), or sprint interval training consisting of either repeated 30 (SIT 30) or 15 (SIT 15) second all-out intervals (starting with 4 bouts per session for weeks 1-2, increasing to 6 intervals per session for weeks 3-4). Training consisted of cycling 3 times per week for 4 weeks.
Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a lethal disease characterized by excessive proliferation of pulmonary vascular endothelial cells (ECs). Hereditary PAH (HPAH) is often caused by mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2 gene (BMPR2). However, the mechanisms by which these mutations cause PAH remain unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMuscle activation as well as changes in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) following high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) were examined in young healthy men (n = 8; age, 21.9±2.2 yrs; VO2peak, 53.
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