Anti-septin complex positive autoimmune encephalitis after severe falciparum malaria: a case report.

Background: Post malaria neurologic syndrome (PMNS) is a rare complication of malaria, usually caused by Plasmodium falciparum. The clinical picture is highly variable and ranges from qualitative disturbances of consciousness and psychosis to damage to the peripheral nerves, usually occurring three to eight weeks after treated malaria.

Case Presentation: We report the case of a 54-year-old male who presented with recurrent clinical symptoms three and a half weeks after severe falciparum malaria.

Influence of Mutations and N-Glycosylation Sites in the Receptor-Binding Domain (RBD) and the Membrane Protein of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern on Antibody Binding in ELISA.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can infect human cells by first attaching to the ACE-2 receptor via its receptor-binding domain (RBD) in the spike protein. Here, we report the influence of N-glycosylation sites of the RBD and the membrane (M) protein on IgG antibody binding in serum samples from patients infected with the original SARS-CoV-2 strain in Germany. The RBDs of the wildtype, alpha, beta, gamma, and kappa variants expressed in HEK293S GnTI- cells were all N-glycosylated at Asn331, Asn334, Asn343, and Asn360 or Asn370, whereas the M-protein was glycosylated at Asn5.

Detection of Antibodies against Endemic and SARS-CoV-2 Coronaviruses with Short Peptide Epitopes.

(1) Background: Coronavirus proteins are quite conserved amongst endemic strains (eCoV) and SARS-CoV-2. We aimed to evaluate whether peptide epitopes might serve as useful diagnostic biomarkers to stratify previous infections and COVID-19. (2) Methods: Peptide epitopes were identified at an amino acid resolution that applied a novel statistical approach to generate data sets of potential antibody binding peptides.

Perceived illness consequences predict the long-term course of handicap in patients with vertigo and dizziness beyond vestibular abnormality.

Objective: Vertigo and dizziness (VD) affect one third of the population during their lifetime. VD patients are oftentimes severely handicapped. One current study showed that illness perceptions, emotional as well as behavioral responses to illness were associated with VD-related handicap at 3-months follow-up.

Evaluation of S- and M-Proteins Expressed in and HEK Cells for Serological Detection of Antibodies in Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infections and mRNA-Based Vaccinations.

This study investigated the IgG and IgA antibody response against recombinant S1 and receptor binding domains (RBD) of the spike (S-) protein and the membrane (M-) protein using a set of 115 serum samples collected from patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Germany before April 2021 using protein and peptide ELISA. As S1- and RBD-proteins expressed in provided poor sensitivities in ELISA, they were replaced by proteins expressed in HEK cells. The RBD-ELISA provided a sensitivity of 90.

Evaluation of the systemic and mucosal immune response induced by COVID-19 and the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine for SARS-CoV-2.

Background: The currently used SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines have proven to induce a strong and protective immune response. However, functional relevance of vaccine-generated antibodies and their temporal progression are still poorly understood. Thus, the central aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of systemic and mucosal humoral immune response after mRNA vaccination with BNT162b2.

Evaluation of Simple Lateral Flow Immunoassays for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies.

Immunization for the generation of protective antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged to be highly effective in preventing hospital admission, need for intensive care treatment and high mortality in the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Lateral flow immune assays (LFIAs) offer a simple and competitive option to monitor antibody production after vaccination. Here, we compared the diagnostic performance of three different lateral flow assays in detecting nucleocapsid protein (NP), S1 subunit (S1) and receptor binding domain (pseudo)-neutralizing antibodies (nRBD) in sera of 107 health care workers prior (V1), two weeks (V2) after first vaccination with BNT162b2 as well as three weeks (V3) and eight months later (V4).

Sensitive and specific serological ELISA for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has triggered the worldwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Serological assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 infections are important to understand the immune response in patients and to obtain epidemiological data about the number of infected people, especially to identify asymptomatic persons not aware of a past infection.

Methods: We recombinantly produced SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N)-protein in Escherichia coli.

Bacterial contamination of the smartphones of healthcare workers in a German tertiary-care hospital before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Assuming that hygiene measures have improved significantly due to COVID-19, we aimed to investigate bacterial colonization on smartphones (SPs) owned by healthcare workers (HCWs) before and during the pandemic.

Methods: Employing a before-and-after study design, randomly selected HCWs were included. Devices underwent sampling under real-life conditions, without prior manipulation.

CD99 and polymeric immunoglobulin receptor peptides deregulation in critical COVID-19: A potential link to molecular pathophysiology?

Identification of significant changes in urinary peptides may enable improved understanding of molecular disease mechanisms. We aimed towards identifying urinary peptides associated with critical course of COVID-19 to yield hypotheses on molecular pathophysiological mechanisms in disease development. In this multicentre prospective study urine samples of PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients were collected in different centres across Europe.

Correlation of humoral immune responses to different SARS-CoV-2 antigens with virus neutralizing antibodies and symptomatic severity in a German COVID-19 cohort.

Monitoring the humoral protective immune response and its durability after SARS-CoV-2 infections is essential for risk assessment of reinfections, the improvement of diagnostic methods and the evaluation of vaccine trials. We have analyzed neutralizing antibodies and IgG responses specific to different antigens, including the inactivated whole-virion of SARS-CoV-2, the spike subunit 1 protein and its receptor binding domain, as well as the nucleocapsid protein. We show the dynamic developments of the responses from the early convalescent stages up to 9 months post symptoms onset in follow-up samples from 57 COVID-19 patients with varying clinical severity.

Deciphering the Transcriptomic Heterogeneity of Duodenal Coeliac Disease Biopsies.

Coeliac disease (CD) is a clinically heterogeneous autoimmune disease with variable presentation and progression triggered by gluten intake. Molecular or genetic factors contribute to disease heterogeneity, but the reasons for different outcomes are poorly understood. Transcriptome studies of tissue biopsies from CD patients are scarce.

Comparison of pre-analytical characteristics for molecular and serological diagnostics of COVID-19.

The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection relies on RT-PCR from nasopharyngeal swabs. The pre-analytical value of different methods of material harvesting for SARS-CoV-2 are unknown. We conducted a comprehensive investigation of the pre-analytical performance for different pharyngeal sampling procedures in hospitalized patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Differences of SARS-CoV-2 serological test performance between hospitalized and outpatient COVID-19 cases.

Background: Serological severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody assays differ in the target antigen specificity, e.g. of antibodies directed against the viral spike or the nucleocapsid protein, and in the spectrum of detected immunoglobulins.

Intermittently Scanned Glucose Values for Continuous Monitoring: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Glycemic Control and Hypoglycemia in 1809 Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes.

Intermittent scanning continuous glucose monitoring (iscCGM) is increasingly used for glycemic monitoring in diabetes care. In this cross-sectional real-world analysis, iscCGM data were compared to traditional parameters of glycemic control in young people with type 1 diabetes. Using the DPV registry, most recent data from children and adolescents aged <18 years with uploaded iscCGM sensor profiles with at least 14 days of data and a > 50% completeness were evaluated using recommended parameters of sensor metrics.

Comprehensive investigation of an in-hospital transmission cluster of a symptomatic SARS-CoV-2-positive physician among patients and healthcare workers in Germany.

We investigated potential transmissions of a symptomatic SARS-CoV-2-positive physician in a tertiary-care hospital who worked for 15 cumulative hours without wearing a face mask. No in-hospital transmissions occurred, despite 254 contacts among patients and healthcare workers. In conclusion, exposed hospital staff continued work, accompanied by close clinical and virologic monitoring.

From illness perceptions to illness reality? Perceived consequences and emotional representations relate to handicap in patients with vertigo and dizziness.

Objective: Vertigo and dizziness (VD) are frequent symptoms that can occur due to various structural pathologies or due to functional impairment. Independent of their aetiology, the symptoms are often associated with physical and psychological burden which manifests in severe handicap in more than half of the patients. It is suggested that illness perceptions, the patients' cognitive and emotional concept of their disease, most likely impact the degree of handicap.

Immune Cellular Evaluation Following Newborn Screening For Severe T and B Cell Lymphopenia.

Newborn screening (NBS) for severe T and/or B cell lymphopenia to identify neonates with severe combined immunodeficiencies (SCID) or agammaglobulinemia rapidly after birth has paved its way into clinical practice. Debate exists on the concept and strategy for rapid verification and stratification of the cellular immune status of positively screened infants. We provide impulses for harmonization of flow cytometric approaches to allow rapid integration in the growing number of immunological laboratories involved in follow-up and subdivision of SCID and non-SCID entities.