Adjuvant combination and antigen multimerization shape neutralizing antibody and T cell responses to a SARS-CoV-2 RBD subunit vaccine.

Introduction: The rapid development and deployment of multiple safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines were critical cornerstones of pandemic control. However, vaccine inequity and the emergence of new variants of concern (VOCs) highlighted major gaps in the global strategy to control SARS-CoV-2 infection. Despite the use of distinct platforms, most approved vaccines utilize the Spike protein as the main antigen due to its pivotal role in virus entry, mediated by the receptor binding domain (RBD).

Murine antibody 4B1D3 exhibits broad cross-reactivity and neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), identified in late 2019, spurred a global pandemic, prompting an unprecedented international mobilization in vaccination and public health strategies. Although the pandemic is now under greater control, the worldwide dissemination of variants of concern (VOCs) has led to resistance and decreased vaccine efficacy, highlighting the urgent need for broad-spectrum therapeutic and preventive solutions. In this study, we employed hybridoma technology to generate monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from mice immunized with the SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan Spike protein trimer.

Electrochemical immunosensor for antibody recognition against SARS-CoV-2 B-cell epitope: impact of RBD mutations on antigen-antibody binding.

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein emerged as a critical target for neutralizing antibodies. While immunoinformatics predicts binding sites, confirmation of epitope-antibody interactions remains a challenge. Here, we present a modular and highly sensitive square wave voltammetry immunosensor platform based on zinc oxide nanorods (ZnONRs) for detecting antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 variant epitopes.

Protective role of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses against vital organ related long COVID symptoms.

COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge the world with a major public health problem, long COVID (LC), which is estimated to affect over 400 million people worldwide. Many unknowns remain regarding the mechanisms involved in LC. We investigated the impact of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody and IFN-γ responses on the development of LC and its various phenotypes.

Efficacy and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis: a real-life study.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that occurs more frequently in children but can also manifest in adults. Approximately 15-20% of children are affected worldwide. Persistent AD may be present in approximately 50% of patients during childhood.

Self and parasite-derived peptides selected upon DERAA-bearing HLA-DRB1 alleles activate CD4+ T cells from Chagas cardiomyopathy patients and are associated with ventricular dysfunction.

Introduction: Human infection with the protozoan causes Chagas disease, which may lead to a deadly dilated cardiomyopathy resulting from T-cell-mediated inflammation. We found that specific HLA-DRB1 alleles (*0103, *0402, *1301, and *1302) that display the DERAA motif are linked to this severe clinical manifestation of Chagas disease.

Methods: We employed computational analysis, functional assays, and single-cell RNA sequencing to determine the response of CD4+ T cells from indeterminate (IND) and cardiac (CCC) Chagas patients to peptides selected on DERAA-bearing alleles.

Cardiac and Digestive Forms of Chagas Disease: An Update on Pathogenesis, Genetics, and Therapeutic Targets.

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite (), is a neglected disease affecting around 6 million people, with no effective antiparasitic drugs or vaccines. About 40% of Chagas disease patients develop symptomatic forms in the chronic phase of infection, chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) or digestive forms like megaoesophagus and megacolon, while most infected patients (60%) remain asymptomatic (ASY) in the so-called indeterminate form (IF). CCC is an inflammatory cardiomyopathy that occurs decades after the initial infection.

Corrigendum: Anti-RBD IgG antibodies from endemic coronaviruses do not protect against the acquisition of SARS-CoV-2 infection among exposed uninfected individuals.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.

Neutralizing antibody responses after a two-dose regimen with BNT162b2, CoronaVac or ChAdOx1-S in Brazil: Differential neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has reduced antibody effectiveness, affecting vaccine protection. This study evaluated neutralizing antibodies against Wuhan strain and several variants, including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron, in Brazilians vaccinated twice with CoronaVac, ChAdOx1-S, or BNT162b2 before Delta and Omicron emerged. After the booster, strong antibody responses to the Wuhan strain were seen in all groups, but BNT162b2 resulted in higher anti-Spike and anti-RBD IgG levels.

Efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy using a combination of and extracts in patients with allergic rhinitis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Allergen immunotherapy is the only treatment that may modify the natural course of allergic diseases. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is a promising treatment, especially for children. Few studies currently exist related to optimal dosing for .

Safety of two-dose schedule of COVID-19 adsorbed inactivated vaccine (CoronaVac; Sinovac/Butantan) and heterologous additional doses of mRNA BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) in immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals.

Immunocompromised individuals were considered high-risk for severe disease due to SARS COV-2 infection. This study aimed to describe the safety of two doses of COVID-19 adsorbed inactivated vaccine (CoronaVac; Sinovac/Butantan), followed by additional doses of mRNA BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) in immunocompromised (IC) adults, compared to immunocompetent/healthy (H) individuals. This phase 4, multicenter, open label study included solid organ transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, cancer patients and people with inborn errors of immunity with defects in antibody production, rheumatic, end-stage chronic kidney or liver disease, who were enrolled in the IC group.

Potential protective role of interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 3 (IFIT3) in COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a quest to understand why certain individuals remain uninfected or asymptomatic despite repetitive exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Here, we focused on six exposed females residing with their symptomatic and reinfected SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive COVID-19 partners. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from couples were analysed for poly (I:C)-induced mRNA expression of type I/III interferons and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs).

Unexplained fever with consumptive syndrome in the elderly: two cases of VEXAS syndrome with inflammasome dysregulation.

The aim of this study is to investigate the inflammasome dysregulation in peripheral blood leukocytes of VEXAS patients. The constitutive and in vitro triggered activation of inflammasome in PBMC and neutrophils was analyzed in two Brazilian patients with typical UBA1 mutations, and compared with healthy donors. Our findings highlight the constitutive activation of caspase-1 in VEXAS leukocytes, accompanied by increased plasma levels of IL-18.

A pre-vaccination immune metabolic interplay determines the protective antibody response to a dengue virus vaccine.

Protective immunity to dengue virus (DENV) requires antibody response to all four serotypes. Systems vaccinology identifies a multi-OMICs pre-vaccination signature and mechanisms predictive of broad antibody responses after immunization with a tetravalent live attenuated DENV vaccine candidate (Butantan-DV/TV003). Anti-inflammatory pathways, including TGF-β signaling expressed by CD68 monocytes, and the metabolites phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) positively correlate with broadly neutralizing antibody responses against DENV.

Anti-RBD IgG antibodies from endemic coronaviruses do not protect against the acquisition of SARS-CoV-2 infection among exposed uninfected individuals.

Background: The Coronaviridae family comprises seven viruses known to infect humans, classified into alphacoronaviruses (HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63) and betacoronaviruses (HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1), which are considered endemic. Additionally, it includes SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome), MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome), and the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, responsible for COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 induces severe respiratory complications, particularly in the elderly, immunocompromised individuals and those with underlying diseases.

Hereditary angioedema classification: Expanding knowledge by genotyping and endotyping.

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) encompasses a group of diseases characterized by recurrent, genetically mediated angioedema associated with increased vascular permeability primarily due to bradykinin. The disease poses diagnostic challenges, leading to underdiagnosis and delayed therapy. Severe manifestations include laryngeal and intestinal angioedema, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality.

Post-COVID-19 condition: systemic inflammation and low functional exercise capacity.

Introduction: Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) is characterised by a plethora of symptoms, with fatigue appearing as the most frequently reported. The alterations that drive both the persistent and post-acute disease newly acquired symptoms are not yet fully described. Given the lack of robust knowledge regarding the mechanisms of PCC we have examined the impact of inflammation in PCC, by evaluating serum cytokine profile and its potential involvement in inducing the different symptoms reported.

Live, Attenuated, Tetravalent Butantan-Dengue Vaccine in Children and Adults.

Background: Butantan-Dengue Vaccine (Butantan-DV) is an investigational, single-dose, live, attenuated, tetravalent vaccine against dengue disease, but data on its overall efficacy are needed.

Methods: In an ongoing phase 3, double-blind trial in Brazil, we randomly assigned participants to receive Butantan-DV or placebo, with stratification according to age (2 to 6 years, 7 to 17 years, and 18 to 59 years); 5 years of follow-up is planned. The objectives of the trial were to evaluate overall vaccine efficacy against symptomatic, virologically confirmed dengue of any serotype occurring more than 28 days after vaccination (the primary efficacy end point), regardless of serostatus at baseline, and to describe safety up to day 21 (the primary safety end point).

Inflammation and mitochondria in the pathogenesis of chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy.

Chagas disease (CD), caused by the protozoan parasite , is a neglected disease affecting around 6 million people. About 30% of CD patients develop chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy (CCC), an inflammatory cardiomyopathy that occurs decades after the initial infection, while most infected patients (60%) remain asymptomatic in the so-called indeterminate form (IF). Death results from heart failure or arrhythmia in a subset of CCC patients.

Parasite DNA and Markers of Decreased Immune Activation Associate Prospectively with Cardiac Functional Decline over 10 Years among Seropositive Individuals in Brazil.

Parasitemia and inflammatory markers are cross-sectionally associated with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) among patients with . However, the prospective association of the parasite load and host immune response-related characteristics with CCC (that is, progressors) among seropositive individuals has only been partially defined. In a cohort of seropositive patients in Montes Claros and São Paulo, Brazil who were followed over 10 years, we identified the association of a baseline parasite load and systemic markers of inflammation with a decline in cardiac function and/or the presence of cardiac congestion 10 years later.