Background. Pine processionary larvae produce urticating hairs (setae) that serve for protection against predators. Setae induce cutaneous reactions in animals and humans. The presence of toxic or ...allergic mechanisms is a matter of debate.
Objectives. To detect the presence of allergens in setae and to characterize them.
Materials and methods. Setae extracts were characterized by gel staining and immunoblot, with sera from patients with immediate reactions and positive prick test reactions, as well as a rabbit antiserum raised against setae. Setae proteins were fractionated by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The most relevant allergen was analysed by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS), and its sequence was deduced from an expressed sequence tag bank.
Results. Setae contained at least seven different allergens. The most intense detection corresponded to a protein of MW ∼ 14 000 that was similar to thaumetopoein, a previously described protein with mast cell‐degranulating properties. MALDI‐MS‐based de novo sequencing provided a partial amino acid sequence different from that of the previously described allergen Tha p 1, and it was named Tha p 2. This allergen was detected in 61% of patients, and it is therefore a new major caterpillar allergen.
Conclusions. Penetration of the setae from the pine processionary caterpillar delivers their allergenic content in addition to causing mechanical or toxic injury.
Abstract We examined whether somatosensory activity could be modulated by the observation of bodily experiences. For this purpose, somatosensory-evoked potentials elicited by non-painful stimulation ...were recorded when subjects were viewing a hand penetrated by a needle, touched by a cotton swab or at resting without stimulation. Participants were instructed to adopt an egocentric perspective when viewing the videos and to rate pain intensity and unpleasantness supposedly experienced by the model, as well as the unpleasantness induced by the video clips. Results indicated that pain videos were rated as more unpleasant than touch videos, and that observation of both pain and touch video clips led to a significant enhancement of P50 amplitudes as compared to viewing a hand without stimulation. Moreover, enhanced P50 amplitudes during observation of both pain and touch in others were associated with increased unpleasant ratings induced by the video clips, as well as with high scores in a perspective taking scale (IRI). These findings provide support for the involvement of an attentional bottom-up mechanism which could be responsible to enhance sensory processing of somatic information when observing bodily experiences in others irrespective of whether they are painful or not.
Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are a heterogeneous group of diseases caused by intrinsic defects of the immune system. Estimating the immune competence of immunocompromised patients for an infection ...risk assessment or after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination constituted a challenge.
The aim of this study was to determine the humoral responses of patients with IEI through a comprehensive analysis of specific receptor-binding domain-positive (RBD+) IgG+ memory B cells (MBCs) by flow cytometry, together with routine S-specific IgG antibodies and QuantiFERON SARS-CoV-2 (T-cell response), before the vaccine and 3 weeks after a second dose.
We first analyzed the percentage of specific RBD+ IgG+ MBCs in healthy healthcare workers. Within the control group, there was an increase in the percentage of specific IgG+ RBD+ MBCs 21 days after the second dose, which was consistent with S-specific IgG antibodies.Thirty-one patients with IEI were included for the pre- and post-vaccination study; IgG+ RBD+ MBCs were not evaluated in 6 patients due to an absence of B cells in peripheral blood. We detected various patterns among the patients with IEI with circulating B cells (25, 81%): an adequate humoral response was observed in 12/25, consider by the detection of positive S-specific IgG antibodies and the presence of specific IgG+ RBD+ MBCs, presenting a positive T-cell response; in 4/25, very low S-specific IgG antibody counts correlated with undetectable events in the IgG+ RBD+ MBC compartment but with positive cellular response. Despite the presence of S-specific IgG antibodies, we were unable to detect a relevant percentage of IgG+ RBD+ MBCs in 5/25; however, all presented positive T-cell response. Lastly, we observed a profound failure of B and T-cell response in 3 (10%) patients with IEI, with no assessment of S-specific IgG antibodies, IgG+ RBD+ MBCs, and negative cellular response. The identification of specific IgG+ RBD+ MBCs by flow cytometry provides information on different humoral immune response outcomes in patients with IEI and aids the assessment of immune competence status after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2), together with S-specific IgG antibodies and T-cell responses.
We analyzed 136 children with tuberculosis disease or infection and a positive QuantiFERON-TB (QFT) assay, followed-up for a median of 21 months (0.4-11years). QFT reversed in 16.9% of cases, with ...significant decreases in TB1 (-1.72
. -0.03 IU/ml, p=0.001) and TB2 (-1.65
. -0.43 IU/ml, p=0.005) levels compared to non-reverters. We found a higher QFT reversion rate among children under 5 years (25.0%
11.9%, p=0.042), and those with TST induration <15mm (29%
13.3%, p=0.055). Our data reveal that, although QFT test remained positive in the majority of children, reversion occurred in 16% of cases in a progressive and stable pattern. Younger age and reduced TST induration were associated with QFT reversion.
The aim of this analysis was to ascertain the type of relationship between fish and seafood consumption, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA) intake, and depression prevalence.
...Cross-sectional analyses of the PREDIMED-Plus trial. Fish and seafood consumption and ω-3 PUFA intake were assessed through a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Self-reported life-time medical diagnosis of depression or use of antidepressants was considered as outcome. Depressive symptoms were collected by the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between seafood products and ω-3 PUFA consumption and depression. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to assess the association between fish and long-chain (LC) ω-3 PUFA intake and depressive symptoms.
Out of 6587 participants, there were 1367 cases of depression. Total seafood consumption was not associated with depression. The odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence intervals (CIs)) for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quintiles of consumption of fatty fish were 0.77 (0.63⁻0.94), 0.71 (0.58⁻0.87), and 0.78 (0.64⁻0.96), respectively, and
for trend = 0.759. Moderate intake of total LC ω-3 PUFA (approximately 0.5⁻1 g/day) was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of depression.
In our study, moderate fish and LC ω-3 PUFA intake, but not high intake, was associated with lower odds of depression suggesting a U-shaped relationship.
The relation between dietary magnesium intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) or mortality was evaluated in several prospective studies, but few of them have assessed the risk of all-cause ...mortality, which has never been evaluated in Mediterranean adults at high cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to assess the association between magnesium intake and CVD and mortality risk in a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk with high average magnesium intake. The present study included 7216 men and women aged 55-80 y from the PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) study, a randomized clinical trial. Participants were assigned to 1 of 2 Mediterranean diets (supplemented with nuts or olive oil) or to a control diet (advice on a low-fat diet). Mortality was ascertained by linkage to the National Death Index and medical records. We fitted multivariable-adjusted Cox regressions to assess associations between baseline energy-adjusted tertiles of magnesium intake and relative risk of CVD and mortality. Multivariable analyses with generalized estimating equation models were used to assess the associations between yearly repeated measurements of magnesium intake and mortality. After a median follow-up of 4.8 y, 323 total deaths, 81 cardiovascular deaths, 130 cancer deaths, and 277 cardiovascular events occurred. Energy-adjusted baseline magnesium intake was inversely associated with cardiovascular, cancer, and all-cause mortality. Compared with lower consumers, individuals in the highest tertile of magnesium intake had a 34% reduction in mortality risk (HR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.45, 0.95; P < 0.01). Dietary magnesium intake was inversely associated with mortality risk in Mediterranean individuals at high risk of CVD. This trial was registered at controlled-trials.com as ISRCTN35739639.
The effect of freezing rate, temperature and storage time of Anisakis L3 infecting fish mince in controlled conditions were studied in terms of larval viability and parasite antigen release. In order ...to determine the potential infectivity of larvae that might accidentally survive a freezing process, their agar penetration ability, survival in artificial gastric juice, and respiratory control were analysed in infected hake muscle in conditions that produced various survival rates. For that a series of experiments was conducted with 10–30 L3 per 75 g of mince, frozen and stored to provide a variety of freezing kinetic conditions and storage times. The results highlight the importance of a number of kinetic parameters in the survival of Anisakis larvae, not only final temperatures or storage times. High freezing rates, preferred in order to maintain optimum fish eating quality, are able to kill Anisakis larvae faster, but may cause a higher release of antigens to the surrounding medium. The characteristics of the surviving L3 were impaired as compared to the controls. No relationship between the latter and the percentage of viability due to different freezing conditions was found, which suggest that any larva which shows any sign of movement after freezing should be treated as equally infective.
•Other kinetic parameters besides T or storage time affect Anisakis L3 survival.•Fast freezing rates are able to kill Anisakis larvae even at −10 °C.•Fast freezing rates may cause a higher release of antigens.•Biological or physiological parameters are impaired in freeze-surviving L3.
► SP/NK-1R antagonists respectively induces/inhibit proliferation in lung cancer cells. ► NK-1 receptor antagonists induce apoptosis in human lung cancer cells. ► Human lung cancer cells overexpress ...the tachykinin 1 gene. ► The NK-1 receptor is involved in the viability of human lung cancer cells. ► Substance P and NK-1 receptors are expressed in human lung cancer samples.
The last decades have seen no significant progress in extending the survival of lung cancer patients and there is an urgent need to improve current therapies. The substance P (SP)/neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) system plays an important role in the development of cancer: SP and NK-1R antagonists respectively induce cell proliferation and inhibition in human cancer cell lines. No study of the involvement of this system in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells has been carried out in depth. Here, we demonstrate the involvement of the SP/NK-1R system in human H-69 (SCLC) and COR-L23 (NSCLC) cell lines: (1) they express isoforms of the NK-1R and mRNA for the NK-1R; (2) they overexpress the tachykinin 1 gene; (3) the NK-1R is involved in their viability; (4) SP induces their proliferation; (5) NK-1R antagonists (Aprepitant (Emend), L-733,060, L-732,138) inhibit the growth of both cell lines in a concentration-dependent manner; (6) the specific antitumor action of these antagonists against such cells occurs through the NK-1R; and (7) lung cancer cell death is due to apoptosis. We also demonstrate the presence of NK-1Rs and SP in all the human SCLC and NSCLC samples studied. Our findings indicate that the NK-1R may be a promising new target in the treatment of lung cancer and that NK-1R antagonists could be new candidate antitumor drugs in the treatment of SCLC and NSCLC.
ABSTRACT
Background
Sotrovimab is a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb) that seems to remain active against recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants. The ...evidence on its use in kidney transplant (KT) recipients, however, is limited.
Methods
We performed a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of 82 KT patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection {coronavirus disease 2019 COVID-19} treated with sotrovimab.
Results
Median age was 63 years. Diabetes was present in 43.9% of patients, and obesity in 32.9% of patients; 48.8% of patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate under 30 mL/minute/1.73 m2. Additional anti–COVID-19 therapies were administered to 56 patients, especially intravenous steroids (65.9%). Sotrovimab was administered early (<5 days from the onset of the symptoms) in 46 patients (56%). Early-treated patients showed less likely progression to severe COVID-19 than those treated later, represented as a lower need for ventilator support (2.2% vs 36.1%; P < .001) or intensive care admission (2.2% vs 25%; P = .002) and COVID-19–related mortality (2.2% vs 16.7%; P = .020). In the multivariable analysis, controlling for baseline risk factors to severe COVID-19 in KT recipients, early use of sotrovimab remained as a protective factor for a composite outcome, including need for ventilator support, intensive care, and COVID-19–related mortality. No anaphylactic reactions, acute rejection episodes, impaired kidney function events, or non-kidney side effects related to sotrovimab were observed.
Conclusions
Sotrovimab had an excellent safety profile, even in high-comorbidity patients and advanced chronic kidney disease stages. Earlier administration could prevent progression to severe disease, while clinical outcomes were poor in patients treated later. Larger controlled studies enrolling KT recipients are warranted to elucidate the true efficacy of monoclonal antibody therapies.
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