Αρχειοθήκη ιστολογίου

Αλέξανδρος Γ. Σφακιανάκης
ΩτοΡινοΛαρυγγολόγος
Αναπαύσεως 5
Άγιος Νικόλαος Κρήτη 72100
2841026182
6032607174

Πέμπτη 26 Μαΐου 2022

Humoral immune response to authentic circulating SARS‐CoV‐2 variants elicited by booster vaccination with distinct RBD subunits in mice

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Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 variants could induce immune escape by mutations of the spike protein which are threatening to weaken vaccine efficacy. A booster vaccination is expected to increase the humoral immune response against SARS-CoV-2 variants in the population. We showed that immunization with two doses of wild type receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein, and booster vaccination with wild type or variant RBD protein all significantly increased binding and neutralizing antibody titers against wild type SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in mice. Only the booster immunization by Omicron (BA.1)RBD induced a strong antibody titer against the omicron virus strain and comparable antibody titers against all the other virus strains. These findings might shed the light on COVID-19 booster immunogens.

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COVID Salivary diagnostics: a comparative technical study

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ABSTRACT

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, molecular diagnostics of SARS-CoV-2 have taken center stage in the detection of infected individuals for isolation purposes but also in the mass surveillance as a preventive strategy to contain the virus spread. While nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) have remained the golden standard substrate, salivary diagnostic for SARS-CoV-2 has been proposed as an alternative and non-invasive measure in vulnerable individuals. Nevertheless, there is a widespread assumption that salivary RT-PCR does not match the quality of testing using NPS and particular care should be taken in respect to food or beverage intake, when sampling saliva. Our study indicates that without any precaution in the selection of 190 patients, nor restriction over the time-window of sampling, there is 99% match in the COVID-19 positivity between NPS and saliva when using RT-PCR, with a reported Delta in thermal cycles (Cts) values for the viral genes Envelop e (E) and Open reading frame 1ab (Orf1ab) between 0 and 2, a 98.7% Sensitivity and 100% Specificity. This high accuracy is maintained in pooling configurations that can be used for mass-testing purposes in professional and educational settings. The further advantage to using crude saliva as compared to NPS or mouthwash is that direct methods yield robust results. Overall, our study validates and promotes the use of salivary diagnostic for COVID-19 eliminating the need of a medical practitioner for the sampling, resolving the unpleasantness of the NPS intervention and empowering the patient to do self-testing in times of need.

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Septic shock with Chlamydia abortus infection

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Publication date: June 2022

Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume 22, Issue 6

Author(s): Mengting Liu, Yin Wen, Hongguang Ding, Hongke Zeng

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Concomitant and Exceedingly Rare Causes of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia

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This case report describes a man in his 40s who presented with a 5-month history of worsening dysphonia and dysphagia and was subsequently diagnosed with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma.
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Magnetic resonance guided adaptive stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung tumors in ultracentral location: the MAGELLAN trial (ARO 2021-3)

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Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) is a standard treatment for inoperable primary and secondary lung tumors. In case of ultracentral tumor location, defined as tumor contact with vulnerable mediastinal stru...
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Comparative single-cell RNA-sequencing profiling of BMP4-treated primary glioma cultures reveals therapeutic markers

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Abstract
Background
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor. Its cellular composition is very heterogeneous, with cells exhibiting stem-cell characteristics (GSCs) that co-determine therapy resistance and tumor recurrence. Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP)-4 promotes astroglial and suppresses oligodendrocyte differentiation in GSCs, processes associated with superior patient prognosis. We characterized variability in cell viability of patient-derived GBM cultures in response to BMP4 and, based on single-cell transcriptome profiling, propose predictive positive and early-response markers for sensitivity to BMP4.
Methods
Cell viability was assessed in 17 BMP4-treated patient-derived GBM cultures. In two cultures, one highly sensitive to BMP4 (high therapeutic efficacy) and one with low sensitivity, response to treatment with BMP4 was characterized. We applied single-cell RNA-sequencing, analyzed the relative abundance of cell clusters, searched for and identified the aforementioned two marker types, and validated these results in all 17 cultures.
Results
High variation in cell viability was observed after treatment with BMP4. In three cultures with highest sensitivity for BMP4, a substantial new cell subpopulation formed. These cells displayed decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. Neuronal differentiation was reduced most in cultures with little sensitivity for BMP4. OLIG1/2 levels were found predictive for high sensitivity to BMP4. Activation of ribosomal translation (RPL27A, RPS27) was upregulated within one day in cultures that were very sensitive to BMP4.
Conclusion
The changes in composition of patient-derived GBM cultures obtained after treatment with BMP4 correlate with treatment efficacy. OLIG1/2 expression can predict this efficacy, and upregulation of RPL27A and RPS27 are useful early-response markers.
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