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N Z Vet J 2021 Apr 9:1-15. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Tāwharau Ora, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand.

Aims: To determine the frequency of infection, shedding dynamics of and genotype diversity in waterfowl temporarily resident in a rehabilitation facility and in mallards in the wild.

Methods: Conjunctival-choanal-cloacal swabs were collected from apparently healthy captive wild mallards (; n=114) and paradise shelducks (; n=10) temporarily housed at a waterfowl breeding and rehabilitation facility (Wellington, NZ) and from wild mallards in Palmerston North (n=50), and Southland (n=50). DNA extracted from the swabs was analysed using quantitative PCR (qPCR) high-resolution melt curve (HRM) analysis, targeting the gene of

Results: Of the captive waterfowl, 39/114 (34%) mallards and 6/10 (60%) paradise shelducks were positive for as were 24/100 (24%) of wild mallards. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 8;11(1):7792. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Servicio de Hematología y Oncología Médica, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, Centro Regional de Hemodonación, Universidad de Murcia, IMIB-Arrixaca, CIBERER, Avda. Marqués de Los Vélez, s/n, 30008, Murcia, Spain.

SARS-CoV-2 infection increases the risk of thrombosis by different mechanisms not fully characterized. Although still debated, an increase in D-dimer has been proposed as a first-line hemostasis test associated with thromboembolic risk and unfavorable prognosis. We aim to systematically and comprehensively evaluate the association between thrombin generation parameters and the inflammatory and hypercoagulable state, as well as their prognostic value in COVID-19 patients. Read More

Ann Vasc Surg 2021 Apr 2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Department of Thoracic Surgery, University of Health Sciences, Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.

Background: COVID-19 is a multisystemic disorder. Hematologic and cardiovascular involvement of COVID-19 causes thromboembolic events across multiple organs which mainly manifest as venous thromboembolism, and rarely, peripheral arterial thromboembolic events. In-situ thrombosis of a healthy, non-atherosclerotic native artery is rare, and COVID-19 has been reported to be a cause of this phenomenon. Read More

Front Immunol 2021 17;12:645304. Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Animal Health Department, NEIKER-Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development-Basque Research and Technology Allianca (BRTA), Derio, Spain.

subsp. (Map) is the underlying pathogen causing bovine paratuberculosis (PTB), an enteric granulomatous disease that mainly affects ruminants and for which an effective treatment is needed. Macrophages are the primary target cells for Map, which survives and replicates intracellularly by inhibiting phagosome maturation. Read More

Front Immunol 2021 19;12:625712. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.

Malaria can cause life-threatening complications which are often associated with inflammatory reactions. More subtle, but also contributing to the burden of disease are chronic, often subclinical infections, which result in conditions like anemia and immunologic hyporesponsiveness. Although very frequent, such infections are difficult to study in endemic regions because of interaction with concurrent infections and immune responses. Read More

Anticancer Res 2021 Apr;41(4):1849-1858

Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany;

Background/aim: Epidemiological studies showed an increased risk of developing laryngeal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) for employees working in the construction business. This suggested a causal link between exposure to cement particles and development of HNSCC but data were missing.

Materials And Methods: We established an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guideline 487-conform micronucleus assay (MNA) using oropharyngeal mucosa-derived primary epithelial cells (OPCs) ex vivo. Read More

Theriogenology 2021 Mar 27;167:99-110. Epub 2021 Mar 27.

School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia.

Although it is well established that chlamydial disease renders female koalas infertile, there has been limited research on its effects on male koala fertility, specifically sperm quality. This study determined whether chlamydial infection adversely affects semen quality of naturally infected koalas and spermatozoa recovered from Chlamydia negative koalas co-incubated in vitro with C. pecorum elementary bodies (EBs). Read More

Mol Microbiol 2021 Apr 3. Epub 2021 Apr 3.

Center for Infectious Disease Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.

Streptococcus pneumoniae resides in the human upper airway as a commensal but also causes pneumonia, bacteremia, meningitis and otitis media. It remains unclear how pneumococci adapt to nutritional conditions of various host niches. We here show that MetR, a LysR family transcriptional regulator, serves as a molecular adaptor for pneumococcal fitness, particularly in the upper airway. Read More

Pathogens 2021 Mar 23;10(3). Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Department of Ecosystem & Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.

Infections by Chlamydiae are associated with ocular disease in humans and animals. In this study, the presence and diversity of spp. was assessed in diseased and healthy eyes of domestic sheep and wild ruminants that share mountain habitats in northern Spain. Read More

Microorganisms 2021 Mar 9;9(3). Epub 2021 Mar 9.

Research and Development Strategy Department, Kirin Holdings Company, Ltd., Tokyo 164-0001, Japan.

(1) Background: strain Plasma (LC-Plasma) is a unique strain which directly activates plasmacytoid dendritic cells, resulting in the prevention against broad spectrum of viral infection. Additionally, we found that LC-Plasma intake stimulated skin immunity and prevents epicutaneous infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of LC-Plasma dietary supplementation on skin microbiome, gene expression in the skin, and skin conditions in healthy subjects. Read More

Int J Endocrinol 2021 11;2021:6616069. Epub 2021 Mar 11.

Haihe Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Tianjin, China.

COVID-19 is a kind of pneumonia with new coronavirus infection, and the risk of death in COVID-19 patients with diabetes is four times higher than that in healthy people. It is unclear whether there is a difference in chest CT images between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and non-diabetes mellitus (NDM) COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in chest CT images between T2DM and NDM patients with COVID-19 based on a quantitative method of artificial intelligence. Read More

Heart 2021 Mar 31. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.

Objective: Patients with heart failure have shorter mean leucocyte telomere length (LTL), a marker of biological age, compared with healthy subjects, but it is unclear whether this is of prognostic significance. We therefore sought to determine whether LTL is associated with outcomes in patients with heart failure.

Methods: We measured LTL in patients with heart failure from the BIOSTAT-CHF Index (n=2260) and BIOSTAT-CHF Tayside (n=1413) cohorts. Read More

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2021 Mar 31. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Institute of Infection, Inflammation & Immunity, Glasgow, UK.

Background: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is associated with bone erosion and inflammation-induced bone loss, which are mediated by osteoclasts and modulated by inflammatory cytokines. Apremilast (a selective phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor) is efficacious in PsA and acts by inhibiting cytokine production. However, there are no direct data informing whether and how apremilast affects osteoclast formation in humans. Read More

J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2021 Mar 31. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.

People living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have an elevated risk of opioid misuse due to both prescriptions for HIV-associated chronic pain and because injection drug use remains a primary mode of HIV transmission. HIV pathogenesis is characterized by chronic immune activation and microbial dysbiosis, and translocation across the gut barrier exacerbating inflammation. Despite the high rate of co-occurrence, little is known about the microbiome during chronic opioid use in the context of HIV and combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Read More

Liver Int 2021 Mar 31. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

University Hospital Frankfurt, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, D-60590, Frankfurt, Germany.

Background & Aims: HBV genotype G (HBV/G) is mainly found in coinfections with other HBV genotypes and was identified as an independent risk factor for liver fibrosis. This study aimed to analyse the prevalence of HBV/G coinfections in healthy European HBV carriers and to characterize the crosstalk of HBV/G with other genotypes.

Methods: 560 European HBV carriers were tested via HBV/G-specific PCR for HBV/G coinfections. Read More

JMIR Public Health Surveill 2021 Mar 9. Epub 2021 Mar 9.

Preventive Sector, Cairo, EG.

Background: Influenza like Illness (ILI) sentinel surveillance in Egypt started in year 2000 in 8 sentinel sites geographically distributed all over the country. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 was added to the viral testing panel by PCR for the first two patients with ILI seen at one of the sentinel sites. We report the first SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A/H1 virus co-infection with mild symptoms detected through routine influenza like-illness surveillance (ILI) in Egypt. Read More

Front Immunol 2021 11;12:626017. Epub 2021 Mar 11.

Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Guangzhou, China.

Mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells play a critical role in ()-induced gastritis by promoting mucosal inflammation and aggravating mucosal injuries (1, 2). However, the underlying mechanism and key molecules involved are still uncertain. Here we identified OX40, a co-stimulatory molecule mainly expressed on T cells, as a critical regulator to promote proliferation and IL-9 production by MAIT cells and facilitate mucosal inflammation in -positive gastritis patients. Read More

Front Neurol 2021 12;12:602263. Epub 2021 Mar 12.

Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Long-term neurocognitive outcomes following first-line suppressive anti-retroviral therapy (ART) remain uncertain for individuals with HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) co-infection. The study examined neurocognitive performance before and after 72 weeks of ART using repeated multivariate analyses and latent trajectory models. One hundred and sixty adults with chronic, untreated HIV infection ( = 80 with HCV co-infection and = 80 HIV mono-infected) and 80 demographically similar healthy controls were recruited from the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City and the surrounding community, respectively. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2021 Mar 25;14(1):178. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Laboratorio de Inmunopatología Clínica, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.

Background: Feline leishmaniosis is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by Leishmania spp. Leishmania infection in dogs is prevalent in the Mediterranean basin, but in other animals, such as cats, it could also play a role in the epidemiology of the disease. Information on the geographical distribution and epidemiological features of L. Read More

Case Rep Dermatol Med 2021 8;2021:5526435. Epub 2021 Mar 8.

Department of Biochemistry, Baba Raghav Das Medical College, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh 273013, India.

Leishmaniasis was first described in 1824, in the Jessore district of Bengal (now Bangladesh) and more prevalent in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. The disease is associated with depressed cellular immunity. Tinea is a fungal infection of the skin, which can become more extensively pathogenic particularly in patients with depressed cell-mediated immunity. Read More

J Cell Mol Med 2021 Mar 23. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a global pandemic worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a subclass of endogenous, non-protein-coding RNA, which lacks an open reading frame and is more than 200 nucleotides in length. However, the functions for lncRNAs in COVID-19 have not been unravelled. Read More

Elife 2021 03 23;10. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.

Numerous reports of vascular events after an initial recovery from COVID-19 form our impetus to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on vascular health of recovered patients. We found elevated levels of circulating endothelial cells (CECs), a biomarker of vascular injury, in COVID-19 convalescents compared to healthy controls. In particular, those with pre-existing conditions (e. Read More

ACR Open Rheumatol 2021 Mar 19. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

Hospital 12 de Octubre, Healthcare Research Institute and Biomedical Research Centre Network for Epidemiology and Public Health, Madrid, Spain.

Objective: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) present coagulation abnormalities and thromboembolic events that resemble antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). This work has aimed to study the prevalence of APS-related antigens, antibodies, and immune complexes in patients with COVID-19 and their association with clinical events.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 474 adults with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection hospitalized in two Spanish university hospitals. Read More

Hum Vaccin Immunother 2021 Mar 18:1-6. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

This study consisted of two rounds of cross-sectional observations designed to evaluate the persistence of immune protection induced high antigen content hepatitis B (HB) vaccine at 60 μg/1.0 ml formulations administered at a three-dose schedule (Days 0, 28, and 56) in non-responders to routine HB vaccination. In the original phase 3 study, we enrolled 1091 healthy participants (16-60 years old) seronegative for antibody against HB surface antigen (anti-HBs) after primary vaccination. Read More

Emerg Microbes Infect 2021 Dec;10(1):677-686

Yakult Central Institute, Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd., Kunitachi, Tokyo, Japan.

For (PA), infection control and appropriate antimicrobial treatment have become important issues. Diagnosis is critical in managing PA infection, but conventional methods are not highly accurate or rapid. We developed a new PA quantification system based on 23S rRNA-targeted reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Read More

Front Med (Lausanne) 2021 24;8:646846. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

Division of Inflammation and Infection/Rheumatology, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.

Anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) and systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) are autoimmune disorders that often co-occur. Anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) are typical of both conditions and may be associated with vascular events and pregnancy-related morbidities. Whereas, aPL-screening is mandatory for individuals with suspected SLE, the clinical value of longitudinal aPL analyses in established SLE is unclear. Read More

Front Immunol 2021 26;12:599641. Epub 2021 Feb 26.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Primate Biomedical Research, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States.

It remains undefined whether a subset of CD4+ T cells can function as fast-acting cells to control (Mtb) infection. Here we show that the primary CD4+CD161+ T-cell subset, not CD4+CD161-, in unexposed healthy humans fast acted as unconventional T cells capable of inhibiting intracellular Mtb and BCG growth upon exposure to infected autologous and allogeneic macrophages or lung epithelial A549 cells. Such inhibition coincided with the ability of primary CD4+CD161+ T cells to rapidly express/secrete anti-TB cytokines including IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-17, and perforin upon exposure to Mtb. Read More

Transl Psychiatry 2021 03 15;11(1):160. Epub 2021 Mar 15.

Faculty of Medicine, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.

Psychiatric symptoms are seen in some COVID-19 patients, as direct or indirect sequelae, but it is unclear whether SARS-CoV-2 infection interacts with underlying neuronal or psychiatric susceptibilities. Such interactions might arise from COVID-19 immune responses, from infection of neurons themselves or may reflect social-psychological causes. To clarify this we sought the key gene expression pathways altered in COVID-19 also affected in bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia, since this may identify pathways of interaction that could be treatment targets. Read More

Infect Dis Rep 2020 Jul 7;12(11):88-92. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Cellular immune has an important role in response HIV infection, which is attack the infected cells to activate signaling molecule. Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) worked as complementary treatment for HIV infection. The production of ROS and RNS molecules during hyperbaric exposure can affect gene expression which contributes to cellular adaptative response. Read More

Infect Drug Resist 2021 4;14:879-888. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

Department of General Intensive Care Unit, Lingnan Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.

Introduction: Co-infection pneumonia with () and () is rarely reported in previously healthy patients without HIV infection. The diagnosis of pneumonia of and remains challenging due to its nonspecific clinical presentation and the inadequate performance of conventional diagnostic methods.

Case Report: We report the case of a 44-year-old previously healthy male transferred to our hospital in February 2020 with a 4-month history of productive cough and one month of intermittent fever. Read More