The third vaccine dose significantly reduces susceptibility to the B.1.1.529 (Ômicron) SARS‐CoV‐2 variant

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader The third vaccine dose significantly reduces susceptibility to the B.1.1.529 (Ômicron) SARS‐CoV‐2 variant via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract The main COVID-19 vaccine formulations used today are mainly based on the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein as an antigen. However, new virus variants capable of escaping neutralization activity of serum antibodies elicited in vaccinated individuals have emerged. The Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant caused epidemics in regions of the world in which most of the population has been vaccinated. In this study, we aimed to understand what determines individual's susceptibility to Omicron in a scenario of extensive vaccination. For that purpose, we collected nasopharynx swab (n = 286) and blood samples (n = 239) from flu-like symptomatic patients, as well as their vaccination history against COVID-19. We computed the data regarding vaccine history, COVID-19 diagnosis, COVID-19 serology and viral genome sequencing to evaluate their impact on the number of infections. As main results, we showed that vaccination in general did not reduce the number of individuals infected by Omicron, even with an increased immune response found among vaccinated non-infected individuals. Nonetheless, we found that individuals who received the third vaccine dose showed significantly reduced susceptibility to Omicron infections. A relevant evidence that support this finding was the higher virus neutralization capacity of serum samples of most patients who received the third vaccine dose. In summary, this study shows that boosting immune responses after a third vaccine dose reduces susceptibility to COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant. Results presented in this study are useful for future formulations of COVID-19 vaccination policies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on Web

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Rapid Detection of Monkeypox Virus by Multiple Cross Displacement Amplification Combined with Nanoparticle‐based Biosensor platform

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Rapid Detection of Monkeypox Virus by Multiple Cross Displacement Amplification Combined with Nanoparticle‐based Biosensor platform via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract The current outbreak of monkeypox virus (MPXV) has become a public health emergency of international concern that highlights the need for rapid, sensitive MPXV diagnostic assays. Here, we combined isothermal multiple cross displacement amplification (MCDA) with nanoparticle-based lateral flow biosensor (LFB) to devise a diagnostic test for the diagnosis of MPXV infection (called MPXV-MCDA-LFB) and differentiation of West and Central African MPXV isolates. The MPXV-MCDA-LFB protocol conducts isothermal MCDA reaction for DNA templates followed by LFB detection of preamplification target sequences. Two MCDA primer sets were designed targeting the D41L and ATI genes of Central and West African MPXV isolates, respectively, and the optimal condition of two MCDA reactions was 64 ºC for 30 min. The two MCDA reactions were decoded by LFB, which was devised for detecting three targets, including two amplicons yielded from two MCDA reactions and a chromatography contr ol. Thus, the MPXV-MCDA-LFB assay could be completed within 50 min including rapid template preparation (15 min), MCDA reaction (30 min) and reporting of result (< 5 min). The MPXV-MCDA-LFB method is very sensitive and can detect the target genes (D14L and ATI) with as low as five copies of plasmid template per reaction and 12.5 copies of pseudovirus in human blood samples. MPXV-MCDA-LFB assay does not cross-react with non-MPXV templates, validating its specificity. Therefore, the MPXV-MCDA-LFB assay developed here is a useful tool for rapid and reliable diagnosis of MPXV infection. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on Web

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Severe bacterial non-AIDS infections in persons with HIV: the epidemiology and evolution of antibiotic resistance over an 18-year period (2000–2017) in the ANRS CO3 AquiVih-Nouvelle-Aquitaine cohort

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Severe bacterial non-AIDS infections in persons with HIV: the epidemiology and evolution of antibiotic resistance over an 18-year period (2000–2017) in the ANRS CO3 AquiVih-Nouvelle-Aquitaine cohort via Clinical Infectious Diseases Advance Access Abstract Background Severe non-AIDS bacterial infections (SBIs) are one of the leading causes of hospital admissions among persons with HIV (PWH) in regions with high ART coverage. Methods This large prospective cohort study of PWH examined the types of infections, bacterial documentation, and evolution of antibiotic resistance among PWH hospitalized with SBIs over an 18-year period. Results Between 2000 and 2017, 459 PWH had at least one SBI with bacterial documentation. Among the 847 SBIs, there were 280 cases of bacteremia, 269 cases of pneumonia, and 240 urinary tract infections. The 1025 isolated bacteria included Enterobacteriaceae (n = 394; mainly Escherichia coli), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 153) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 82). The proportion of S. pn eumoniae as the causative agent in pneumonia and bacteremia decreased sharply over time, from 34% to 8% and from 21 to 3%, respectively.The overall antibiotic resistance of S. aureus and S. pneumoniae decreased progressively but it increased for Enterobacteriaceae (from 24% to 48% for amoxicillin-clavulanate, from 4 to 18% for cefotaxime, and from 5% to 27% for ciprofloxacin). Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis was associated with higher nonsusceptibility of S. pneumoniae to amoxicillin and erythromycin, higher nonsusceptibility of Enterobacteriaceae to beta-lactams and fluoroquinolones, and a higher risk of extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae. Conclusions The bacterial resistance pattern among PWH between 2014 and 2017 was broadly similar to that in the general population, with the exception of a higher resistance profile of Enteroba cteriaceae to fluoroquinolones. The use of cotrimoxazole as prophylaxis was associated with an increased risk of antibiotic resistance. View on Web

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Are psychedelics the answer to chronic pain: a review of current literature

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Are psychedelics the answer to chronic pain: a review of current literature via Pain Practice Abstract Chronic pain is a common and complex problem, with an unknown etiology. Psychedelics like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin, may play a role in the management of chronic pain. Through activation of the serotonin-2A (5-HT2A) receptor, several neurophysiological responses result in the disruption of functional connections in brain regions associated with chronic pain. Healthy reconnections can be made through neuroplastic effects, resulting in sustained pain relief. However, this process is not fully understood and evidence of efficacy is limited and of low quality. In cancer and palliative related pain, the analgesic potential of psychedelics was established decades ago, and the current literature shows promising results on efficacy and safety in patients with cancer-related psychological distress. In other areas, patients suffering from severe headache disorders like migraine and cluster headache who have self-medicated with psychedelics report both acute and prophylactic efficacy of LSD and psilocybin. Randomized control trials are now being conducted to study the effects in cluster headache Furthermore, psychedelics have a generally favorable safety profile especially when compared to other analgesics like opioids. In addition, psychedelics do not have the addictive potential of opioids. Given the current epidemic use of opioids, and that patients are in desperate need of an alternative treatment, it is important that further research is conducted on the efficacy of psychedelics in chronic pain conditions. View on Web

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Editorial perspective: Leaving the baby in the bathwater in neurodevelopmental research

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Editorial perspective: Leaving the baby in the bathwater in neurodevelopmental research via Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Neurodevelopmental conditions are characterised by differences in the way children interact with the people and environments around them. Despite extensive investigation, attempts to uncover the brain mechanisms that underpin neurodevelopmental conditions have yet to yield any translatable insights. We contend that one key reason is that psychologists and cognitive neuroscientists study brain function by taking children away from their environment, into a controlled lab setting. Here, we discuss recent research that has aimed to take a different approach, moving away from experimental control through isolation and stimulus manipulation, and towards approaches that embrace the measurement and targeted interrogation of naturalistic, user-defined and complex, multivariate datasets. We review three worked examples (of stress processing, early activity level in ADHD and social brain development in autism) to illustrate how these new approaches might lead t o new conceptual and translatable insights into neurodevelopment. View on Web

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Integrative systems immunology uncovers molecular networks of the cell cycle that stratify COVID‐19 severity

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Title: Integrative systems immunology uncovers molecular networks of the cell cycle that stratify COVID‐19 severity via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract Several perturbations in the number of peripheral blood leukocytes, such as neutrophilia and lymphopenia associated with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity, point to systemic molecular cell cycle alterations during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, the landscape of cell cycle alterations in COVID-19 remains primarily unexplored. Here, we performed an integrative systems immunology analysis of publicly available proteome and transcriptome data to characterize global changes in the cell cycle signature of COVID-19 patients. We found significantly enriched cell cycle-associated gene co-expression modules and an interconnected network of cell cycle-associated differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and genes (DEGs) by integrating the molecular data of 1,469 individuals (981 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients and 488 controls [either healthy controls or individuals with other respiratory illnesses]). Among these DEPs and DEGs are seve ral cyclins (CCNs), cell division cycles (CDCs), cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), and mini-chromosome maintenance (MCMs) proteins. COVID-19 patients partially shared the expression pattern of some cell cycle-associated genes with other respiratory illnesses but exhibited some specific differential features. Notably, the cell cycle signature predominated in the patients' blood leukocytes (B, T, and NK cells) and was associated with COVID-19 severity and disease trajectories. These results provide a unique global understanding of distinct alterations in cell cycle-associated molecules in COVID-19 patients, suggesting new putative pathways for therapeutic intervention. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on Web

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Birth weight, gestational age and risk of cardiovascular disease in early adulthood: Influence of familial factors

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Birth weight, gestational age and risk of cardiovascular disease in early adulthood: Influence of familial factors via American Journal of Epidemiology - Advance Access Abstract The association between intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life might be confounded by familial factors. We conducted a bi-national register-based cohort study to assess associations of birthweight for gestational age (GA), a proxy for IUGR, and GA with CVD risk in early adulthood, before and after addressing familial factors via sibling comparison. We included 3,410,334 live non-malformed singleton births in Sweden (1973-1996) and Denmark (1978-1998). During a median follow-up of 10 years from age 18 onwards, 29,742 individuals developed incident CVD (hypertensive, ischemic heart, and cerebrovascular diseases). Compared with individuals born with appropriate birthweight for GA (AGA, 10th-90th percentiles) or full term (39-40 gestational weeks), individuals born severely small for GA (SGA, <3rd percentile) or preterm (22-36 weeks) were at increased risk of CVD [HRs (95% CIs): 1.38 (1.32-1.45) and 1 .31 (1.25-1.38), respectively]. The association was attenuated when comparing individuals born SGA with their AGA siblings (1.11, 0.99-1.25), but remained robust when comparing individuals born preterm with their term siblings (1.21, 1.07-1.37). Our findings suggest that both SGA and preterm birth are associated with CVD risk in early adulthood, with greater familial confounding noted for SGA. View on Web

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