Plasma calprotectin as a severity biomarker in pediatric invasive Streptococcus pyogenes infections: insights from a multicenter immune profiling study during an outbreak.

Purpose: To characterize the immune signature of pediatric invasive Streptococcus pyogenes infections (iGAS) and identify host biomarkers associated with disease severity.

Methods: Plasma samples (n = 32) were collected during an iGAS outbreak from a multicentric Spanish pediatric cohort, including patients with iGAS (n = 19), S. pyogenes acute tonsillitis (n = 3), and healthy children/controls (n = 10).

Comprehensive immune profiling and predictive modelling of paediatric acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology from a Spanish cohort.

Introduction: Paediatric acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology (PAHUA) has emerged as a global health concern, yet its cause remains unidentified. This study characterises the clinical and immunological profiles of PAHUA to identify reliable immune biomarkers for accurate diagnosis.

Methods: Samples from 24 PAHUA patients, 6 children with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), and 13 healthy paediatric volunteers (HVs) were analysed.

Corrigendum to "Proteins from SARS-CoV-2 reduce T cell proliferation: A mirror image of sepsis" [Heliyon Volume 6, Issue 12, December 2020, Article e05635].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.

Lipoxin A levels correlate with severity in a Spanish COVID-19 cohort: potential use of endogenous pro-resolving mediators as biomarkers.

Background: SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of the COVID-19 global pandemic, leads to a wide variety of responses among patients. Some of them present a very severe phenotype, while others only experience mild symptoms or are even asymptomatic. This differential prognosis is tightly related to the inflammatory status of the patient.

The prognostic impact of SIGLEC5-induced impairment of CD8 T cell activation in sepsis.

Background: Sepsis is associated with T-cell exhaustion, which significantly reduces patient outcomes. Therefore, targeting of immune checkpoints (ICs) is deemed necessary for effective sepsis management. Here, we evaluated the role of SIGLEC5 as an IC ligand and explored its potential as a biomarker for sepsis.

mRNA-1273 boost after BNT162b2 vaccination generates comparable SARS-CoV-2-specific functional responses in naïve and COVID-19-recovered individuals.

Introduction: COVID-19 vaccines based on mRNA have represented a revolution in the biomedical research field. The initial two-dose vaccination schedule generates potent humoral and cellular responses, with a massive protective effect against severe COVID-19 and death. Months after this vaccination, levels of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 waned, and this promoted the recommendation of a third vaccination dose.

Thiosulfinate-Enriched Extract Exhibits Differential Effects between Healthy and Sepsis Patients: The Implication of HIF-1α.

Garlic () has historically been associated with antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and microbiocidal properties, mainly due to its richness in thiosulfates and sulfur-containing phytoconstituents. Sepsis patients could benefit from these properties because it involves both inflammatory and refractory processes. We evaluated the effects of thiosulfinate-enriched extract (TASE) on the immune response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by monocytes from healthy volunteers (HVs) and patients with sepsis.

The Impact of Colistin Resistance on the Activation of Innate Immunity by Lipopolysaccharide Modification.

Colistin resistance is acquired by different lipopolysaccharide (LPS) modifications. We proposed to evaluate the of effect colistin resistance acquisition on the innate immune response. We used a pair of ST11 clone Klebsiella pneumoniae strains: an OXA-48, CTX-M-15 K.

Fused Cells between Human-Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Monocytes Keep Stemness Properties and Acquire High Mobility.

Human-adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs) are multipotent stem cells which have become of great interest in stem-cell therapy due to their less invasive isolation. However, they have limited migration and short lifespans. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms by which these cells could migrate is of critical importance for regenerative medicine.

Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells Fuse with Monocytes to Form Tumour Hybrid Cells with the Ability to Migrate and Evade the Immune System.

Background: The cancer cell fusion theory could be one of the best explanations for the metastasis from primary tumours.

Methods: Herein, we co-cultured colorectal cancer (CRC) stem cells with human monocytes and analysed the properties of the generated tumour hybrid cells (THCs). The presence of THCs in the bloodstream together with samples from primary and metastatic lesions and their clinical correlations were evaluated in CRC patients and were detected by both FACS and immunofluorescence methods.

Differential Immune Checkpoint and Ig-like V-Type Receptor Profiles in COVID-19: Associations with Severity and Treatment.

Identifying patients' immune system status has become critical to managing SARS-CoV-2 infection and avoiding the appearance of secondary infections during a hospital stay. Despite the high volume of research, robust severity and outcome markers are still lacking in COVID-19. We recruited 87 COVID-19 patients and analyzed, by unbiased automated software, 356 parameters at baseline emergency department admission including: high depth immune phenotyping and immune checkpoint expression by spectral flow cytometry, cytokines and other soluble molecules in plasma as well as routine clinical variables.

Identification of sSIGLEC5 and sLAG3 as New Relapse Predictors in Lung Cancer.

Lung cancer (LC) continues to be the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women worldwide. After complete tumour resection, around half of the patients suffer from disease relapse, emphasising the critical need for robust relapse predictors in this disease. In search of such biomarkers, 83 patients with non-microcytic lung cancer and 67 healthy volunteers were studied.

Intertwined leukocyte balances in tumours and peripheral blood as robust predictors of right and left colorectal cancer survival.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) accounts for 9.4% of overall cancer deaths, ranking second after lung cancer. Despite the large number of factors tested to predict their outcome, most patients with similar variables show big differences in survival.

Toward Tumor Fight and Tumor Microenvironment Remodeling: PBA Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Reduces Tumor Hybrid Cells' Pluripotency in Bladder Cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) is the second most frequent cancer of the genitourinary system. The most successful therapy since the 1970s has consisted of intravesical instillations of (BCG) in which the tumor microenvironment (TME), including macrophages, plays an important role. However, some patients cannot be treated with this therapy due to comorbidities and severe inflammatory side effects.

Cellular and humoral functional responses after BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination differ longitudinally between naive and subjects recovered from COVID-19.

We have analyzed BNT162b2 vaccine-induced immune responses in naive subjects and individuals recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), both soon after (14 days) and later after (almost 8 months) vaccination. Plasma spike (S)-specific immunoglobulins peak after one vaccine shot in individuals recovered from COVID-19, while a second dose is needed in naive subjects, although the latter group shows reduced levels all along the analyzed period. Despite how the neutralization capacity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mirrors this behavior early after vaccination, both groups show comparable neutralizing antibodies and S-specific B cell levels late post-vaccination.

CD137 Costimulation Counteracts TGFβ Inhibition of NK-cell Antitumor Function.

Enhancing natural killer (NK) cell-based cancer immunotherapy by overcoming immunosuppression is an area of intensive research. Here, we have demonstrated that the anti-CD137 agonist urelumab can overcome TGFβ-mediated inhibition of human NK-cell proliferation and antitumor function. Transcriptomic, immunophenotypic, and functional analyses showed that CD137 costimulation modified the transcriptional program induced by TGFβ on human NK cells by rescuing their proliferation in response to IL2, preserving their expression of activating receptors (NKG2D) and effector molecules (granzyme B, IFNγ) while allowing the acquisition of tumor-homing/retention features (CXCR3, CD103).

Soluble SIGLEC5: A New Prognosis Marker in Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most deadly and third most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. There is significant heterogeneity among patients with CRC, which hinders the search for a standard approach for the detection of this disease. Therefore, the identification of robust prognostic markers for patients with CRC represents an urgent clinical need.

SARS-CoV-2 Proteins Induce Endotoxin Tolerance Hallmarks: A Demonstration in Patients with COVID-19.

According to a large number of reported cohorts, sepsis has been observed in nearly all deceased patients with COVID-19. We and others have described sepsis, among other pathologies, to be an endotoxin tolerance (ET)-related disease. In this study, we demonstrate that the culture of human blood cells from healthy volunteers in the presence of SARS-CoV-2 proteins induced ET hallmarks, including impairment of proinflammatory cytokine production, low MHC class II (HLA-DR) expression, poor T cell proliferation, and enhancing of both phagocytosis and tissue remodeling.

Potential Role of the Galectin-9/TIM-3 Axis in the Disparate Progression of SARS-CoV-2 in a Married Couple: A Case Report.

We report the disparate clinical progression of a couple infected by SARS-CoV-2 based on their immune checkpoint (IC) levels and immune cell distribution in blood from admission to exitus in patient 1 and from admission to discharge and recovery in patient 2. A detailed clinical follow-up accompanied by a longitudinal analysis of immune phenotypes and IC levels is shown. The continuous increase in the soluble IC ligand galectin-9 (Gal-9) and the increment in T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing 3 (TIM-3) protein in T cells in patient 1 suggests an activation of the Gal-9/TIM-3 axis and, subsequently, a potential cell exhaustion in this patient that did not occur in patient 2.

Proteins from SARS-CoV-2 reduce T cell proliferation: A mirror image of sepsis.

Increased cytokine levels, acute phase reactants and immune checkpoint expression changes have been described in patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we have reported a monocyte polarization towards a low HLA-DR and high PD-L1 expression after long exposure to proteins from SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, CD86 expression was also reduced over SARS-CoV-2 proteins exposure.

Soluble PD-L1: a potential immune marker for HIV-1 infection and virological failure.

Despite viral control, basal chronic inflammation and its related comorbidities remain unsolved problems among HIV-infected individuals. Soluble factors derived from myeloid cells have emerged as potent markers associated with HIV-related comorbidities and mortality. In the present report, we explored the relationship between soluble programmed death-ligand 1 (sPD-L1) and HIV-1 infection, antiretroviral therapy (ART), CD4/CD8 ratio, viral load (VL), and sexually transmitted coinfections.