No abstract

No abstract

Background Emerging studies indicate that some COVID-19 patients suffer from persistent symptoms including breathlessness and chronic fatigue; however the long-term immune response in these patients presently remains ill-defined. Methods Here we describe the phenotypic and functional characteristics of B and T cells in hospitalised COVID-19 patients during acute disease and at 3-6 months of convalescence. Findings We report that the alterations in B cell subsets observed in acute COVID-19 patients were largely recovered in convalescent patients. In contrast, T cells from convalescent patients displayed continued alterations with persistence of a cytotoxic programme evident in CD8 + T cells as well as elevated production of type-1 cytokines and IL-17. Interestingly, B cells from patients with acute COVID-19 displayed an IL-6/IL-10 cytokine imbalance in response to toll-like receptor activation, skewed towards a pro-inflammatory phenotype. Whereas the frequency of IL-6 + B cells was restored in convalescent patients irrespective of clinical outcome, recovery of IL-10 + B cells was associated with resolution of lung pathology. Conclusions Our data detail lymphocyte alterations in previously hospitalized COVID-19 patients up to 6 months following hospital discharge and identify 3 subgroups of convalescent patients based on distinct lymphocyte phenotypes, with one subgroup associated with poorer clinical outcome. We propose that alterations in B and T cell function following hospitalisation with COVID-19 could impact longer term immunity and contribute to some persistent symptoms observed in convalescent COVID-19 patients. Funding Provided by UKRI, Lister Institute of Preventative Medicine, The Wellcome Trust, The Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research and 3M Global Giving.

Tumor-homing peptides have been exploited to create nanocarriers for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to the placenta.

Genetic factors underlying leukocyte telomere length (LTL) may provide insights into telomere homeostasis, with direct links to disease susceptibility. Genetic evaluation of 23,096 Singaporean Chinese samples identifies 10 genome-wide loci ( P < 5 × 10 −8 ). Several of these contain candidate genes ( TINF2 , PARP1 , TERF1 , ATM and POT1 ) with potential roles in telomere biology and DNA repair mechanisms. Meta-analyses with additional 37,505 European individuals reveals six more genome-wide loci, including associations at MPHOSPH6 , NKX2-3 and TYMS . We demonstrate that longer LTL associates with protection against respiratory disease mortality [HR = 0.854(0.804–0.906), P = 1.88 × 10 −7 ] in the Singaporean Chinese samples. We further show that the LTL reducing SNP rs7253490 associates with respiratory infections ( P = 7.44 × 10 −4 ) although this effect may not be strongly mediated through LTL. Our data expands on the genetic basis of LTL and may indicate on a potential role of LTL in immune competence.

No abstract

This study confirms inflammatory processes are major players in labor events in choriodecidua, as in other gestational tissues. Suppressing uterine inflammation is likely to be critical for arresting premature labor.

Key TCA cycle metabolites, especially fumarate, may be involved in the pathophysiologic pathway independent of traditional cardio-renal risk factors, leading to CKD progression in patients with T2DM.