Longitudinal trajectory of plasma p-tau217 in cognitively unimpaired subjects.

Background: The advent of Alzheimer's disease-modifying drugs requires accurate biological diagnosis to identify candidates for these therapies. So far, the most promising single plasma biomarker is phosphorylated tau at threonine 217 (p-tau217). To understand its biological features, it is essential to know its longitudinal trajectory and factors influencing it in cognitively unimpaired subjects with no brain pathology.

COVID-19 clinical phenotypes in vaccinated and nonvaccinated solid organ transplant recipients: a multicenter validation study.

Clinical phenotypes of COVID-19, associated with mortality risk, have been identified in the general population. The present study assesses their applicability in solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR) hospital-admitted by COVID-19. In a cohort of 488 SOTR, nonvaccinated (n = 394) and vaccinated (n = 94) against SARS-CoV-2, we evaluated 16 demographic, clinical, analytical, and radiological variables to identify the clinical phenotypes A, B, and C.

The evolving landscape of COVID-19 and post-COVID condition in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: A study by ERIC, the European research initiative on CLL.

In this retrospective international multicenter study, we describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and related disorders (small lymphocytic lymphoma and high-count monoclonal B lymphocytosis) infected by SARS-CoV-2, including the development of post-COVID condition. Data from 1540 patients with CLL infected by SARS-CoV-2 from January 2020 to May 2022 were included in the analysis and assigned to four phases based on cases disposition and SARS-CoV-2 variants emergence. Post-COVID condition was defined according to the WHO criteria.

Detection of antinuclear antibodies: recommendations from EFLM, EASI and ICAP.

Objectives: Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are important for the diagnosis of various autoimmune diseases. ANA are usually detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using HEp-2 cells (HEp-2 IFA). There are many variables influencing HEp-2 IFA results, such as subjective visual reading, serum screening dilution, substrate manufacturing, microscope components and conjugate.

Outcomes of octogenarians and nonagenarians with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia: a multicenter retrospective study.

Background: P. aeruginosa bacteremia is a common and severe infection carrying high mortality in older adults. We aimed to evaluate outcomes of P.

Melflufen for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

Introduction: Melphalan flufenamide (melflufen) is a first-in-class peptide-drug conjugate that takes advantage of increased aminopeptidase activity inside tumor cells to rapidly release alkylating agents therein. Melflufen in combination with dexamethasone has been evaluated in multiple clinical trials in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM).

Areas Covered: This profile covers the unique mechanism of action of melflufen, the preclinical results supporting its activity in cellular models of resistance to chemotherapy, its activity in animal models of MM, and the clinical pharmacokinetics of melflufen.

Drug-refractory myasthenia gravis: Clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcome.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients with refractory myasthenia gravis (MG) and to determine the effectiveness and side effects of the drugs used for their treatment.

Methods: This observational retrospective cross-sectional multicenter study was based on data from the Spanish MG Registry (NMD-ES). Patients were considered refractory when their MG Foundation of America post-interventional status (MGFA-PIS) was unchanged or worse after corticosteroids and two or more other immunosuppressive agents.

Urinary CXCL10 specifically relates to HLA-DQ eplet mismatch load in kidney transplant recipients.

Background: Urinary CXCL10 (uCXCL10) is associated with graft inflammation and graft survival, but the factors related to its excretion are not well known. HLA molecular matching at epitope level allow estimating the "dissimilarity" between donor and recipient HLA more precisely, being better related to further transplant outcomes. The relationship between uCXCL10 and HLA molecular mismatch has not been previously explored.

COVID-19 severity and mortality in patients with CLL: an update of the international ERIC and Campus CLL study.

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may be more susceptible to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to age, disease, and treatment-related immunosuppression. We aimed to assess risk factors of outcome and elucidate the impact of CLL-directed treatments on the course of COVID-19. We conducted a retrospective, international study, collectively including 941 patients with CLL and confirmed COVID-19.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autoimmune diagnostics in Europe: A lesson to be learned.

Introduction: The first wave of COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted almost all areas of the health care services to some extent throughout the world. Although the negative impact of COVID-19 on patients with autoimmune diseases has also been recognized, available data in this regard are limited. In the current study of the European Autoimmunity Standardisation Initiative (EASI) we aimed to provide reliable data on the extent of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on test requests for different autoantibodies in European countries.

Glioblastoma invasion factor ODZ1 is induced by microenvironmental signals through activation of a Stat3-dependent transcriptional pathway.

We have previously shown that the transmembrane protein ODZ1 serves for glioblastoma (GBM) cells to invade the surrounding tissue through activation of RhoA/ROCK pathway. However, the transcriptional machinery used by GBM cells to regulate the expression of ODZ1 is unknown. Here we show that interaction with tumor microenvironment elements, mainly activated monocytes through IL-6 secretion, and the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin, induces the Stat3 transcriptional pathway and upregulates ODZ1 which results in GBM cell migration.

Microbiota as Predictor of Mortality in Allogeneic Hematopoietic-Cell Transplantation.

Background: Relationships between microbiota composition and clinical outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic-cell transplantation have been described in single-center studies. Geographic variations in the composition of human microbial communities and differences in clinical practices across institutions raise the question of whether these associations are generalizable.

Methods: The microbiota composition of fecal samples obtained from patients who were undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic-cell transplantation at four centers was profiled by means of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing.

Clinical and therapeutic features of myasthenia gravis in adults based on age at onset.

Objective: To describe the characteristics of patients with very-late-onset myasthenia gravis (MG).

Methods: This observational cross-sectional multicenter study was based on information in the neurologist-driven Spanish Registry of Neuromuscular Diseases (NMD-ES). All patients were >18 years of age at onset of MG and onset occurred between 2000 and 2016 in all cases.

Lymphomas arising in immune-privileged sites: insights into biology, diagnosis, and pathogenesis.

Session 2 of the 2018 European Association of Hematopathology/Society for Hematopathology Workshop focused on lymphomas arising in immune-privileged sites: both lymphomas arising in the traditionally described "immune sanctuary" sites of the central nervous system (CNS) and testes, as well as those arising at sites of local immune privilege. Primary CNS large B cell lymphoma and primary testicular large B cell lymphoma were discussed, and the biology of these unique tumors was highlighted by several cases showing the classic mutation profile including MYD88 L265P and CD79B. The tendency of these tumors to involve both the CNS and testis was also reinforced by several cases.

Efficacy and safety of the combination of reduced duration prophylaxis followed by immuno-guided prophylaxis to prevent cytomegalovirus disease in lung transplant recipients (CYTOCOR STUDY): an open-label, randomised, non-inferiority clinical trial.

Introduction: Prolonged use of antivirals to prevent the development of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in lung transplant patients has been shown to have significant side effects, for which alternatives are being sought to reduce their use. The monitoring of cell immunity against CMV could be an alternative as it has shown to be useful in identifying transplant patients at low risk of infection, who could benefit from shorter prophylaxis. The of the CYTOCOR study is to demonstrate that the combination of a reduced prophylaxis strategy with subsequent CMV-specific immunological monitoring would allow CMV infection to be controlled in lung transplant patients as effectively as the usual strategy (prophylaxis followed by pre-emptive therapy), while reducing the side effects of antivirals due to the shorter duration of prophylaxis.