Immunology of Infectious Disease News 6.25 June 27, 2018 | |
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TOP STORYInvestigators showed that fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) enhanced HIV-1 spread via trans-infection in which FRCs capture HIV-1 and facilitate infection of T cells that come into contact with FRCs. [Nat Commun] Full Article | |
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PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)Enhancement of Ebola Virus Infection by Seminal Amyloid Fibrils Several basic seminal amyloids, most notably semen-derived enhancer of viral infection (SEVI), enhanced in vitro infection by HIV and several other viruses. To test the ability of these peptides to enhance Ebola virus (EBOV) infection, viruses bearing the EBOV glycoprotein were preincubated with physiological concentrations of SEVI before infection of physiologically relevant cell lines and primary cells. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract | Press Release Scientists established an in vivo imaging system that combines two-photon excitation microscopy and fluorescent influenza viruses of different pathogenicity. This approach allowed investigators to monitor and correlate several parameters and physiological changes including the spread of infection, pulmonary permeability, pulmonary perfusion speed, number of recruited neutrophils in infected lungs, and neutrophil motion in the lungs of live mice. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract | Press Release Researchers found that MEG3, transcript 4 (MEG3-4) bound to the microRNA miR-138 in a competitive manner with mRNA encoding the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β), thereby increasing IL-1β abundance and intensifying inflammatory responses to bacterial infection in alveolar macrophages and lung epithelial cells in culture and in lung tissue in mice. [Sci Signal] Abstract T-Cell Responses in Adults during Natural Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection The authors evaluated CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses during respiratory syncytial virus infection in adults across the age spectrum. [J Infect Dis] Abstract Immune Checkpoint Blockade Restores HIV-Specific CD4 T Cell Help for NK Cells Researchers examined a cohort of chronically infected subjects prior to initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and individuals with suppressed viral load on ART. They showed that IFN-γ induction in NK cells upon PBMC stimulation by HIV Ag varies inversely with viremia and depends on HIV-specific CD4 T cell help. [J Immunol] Abstract Given that immunosuppression is a hallmark of African trypanosomiasis, scientists investigated the role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in immunity to T. congolense infection. [J Immunol] Abstract H7N9-specific antibody concentrations declined over time, and protective antibodies persisted longer in severely ill patients admitted to ICU and patients presenting with ARDS than that in patients with mild disease. Frequencies of virus-specific IFN-γ secreting T cells were lower in critically ill patients requiring ventilation than those in patients without ventilation within four months after infection. [J Virol] Abstract Efficacy of Commercial Vaccines against Newly Emerging Avian Influenza H5N8 Virus in Egypt Scientists studied the efficacy of the eight most common commercial H5 poultry vaccines in the Egyptian market and compared them with an experimental vaccine based on the Egyptian LPAI H5N8 virus that was prepared by using reverse genetics. [Sci Rep] Full Article Chlamydia trachomatis Paralyzes Neutrophils to Evade the Host Innate Immune Response Investigators showed that C. trachomatis paralyzed the host immune system by preventing the activation of polymorphic nuclear leukocytes (PMNs). PMNs infected with Chlamydia failed to produce neutrophil extracellular traps and the bacteria were able to survive in PMNs for extended periods of time. [Nat Microbiol] Abstract Subscribe to our sister publications: Human Immunology News & Immune Regulation News. | |
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REVIEWSRecent Advances on T-Cell Exhaustion in Malaria Infection The role of several co-inhibitory molecules in malaria infection largely remain unclear, and the authors discuss the potential applicability of co-inhibitory molecules in the management of malaria with a view to harness protective host responses against chronic disease and associated consequences. [Med Microbiol Immunol] Abstract Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the immunology of infectious disease research field. | |
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INDUSTRY NEWSFDA Grants Priority Review to Roche’s Baloxavir Marboxil for the Treatment of Influenza Roche announced that the FDA has accepted a New Drug Application and granted Priority Review for baloxavir marboxil as a single-dose, oral treatment for acute, uncomplicated influenza in patients 12 years and older. [F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd] Press Release ContraVir Pharmaceuticals Initiates Dosing of CRV431 in First In-Human Trial ContraVir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced dosing of the first subject in its single ascending dose Phase I trial in the United States with cyclophilin inhibitor, CRV431. [ContraVir Pharmaceuticals, Inc.] Press Release Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced positive Phase I results of its collaborative vaccine study with INO-4700 against MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). [Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.] Press Release Infectious Disease Researcher Named Alumnus of the Year One of the world’s leading researchers on HIV and AIDS has been named the University of Strathclyde’s Alumnus of the Year. Professor Mario Stevenson, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Miami, has received the award from his alma mater in recognition of his achievements in researching disease, notably AIDS/HIV. [The University of Strathclyde] Press Release | |
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POLICY NEWSThe Karolinska Institute in Stockholm has finally, officially, found disgraced surgeon Paolo Macchiarini guilty of scientific misconduct. However, the verdict is a bitter pill for the four people who raised the alarm about Macchiarini’s fraud. [ScienceInsider] Editorial Top US Court Upholds Trump Travel Ban: Student Visas Already in Decline he travel restrictions now vary by country, and include some exemptions for students. But data from the Department of Justice reveal that the government issued just 289 visas to students from Iran, Libya, Yemen and Somalia in the first three months of this year. [Nature News] Editorial The European country’s autocratic government has made a disturbing grab at the nation’s scientific institutions. [Nature News] Editorial Senate Panel Proposes $2 Billion, 5.4% Increase for NIH A U.S. Senate appropriations subcommittee approved a spending bill that calls for giving the National Institutes of Health (NIH) a $2 billion, 5.4% increase to $39.1 billion in the 2019 fiscal year that begins 1 October. [ScienceInsider] Editorial
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EVENTSNEW Infection and Chronic Disease Meeting Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIESResearch Technologist – Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.) Postdoctoral Fellow – Monoclonal Antibody and Viral Vaccine (SRI Employment) Assistant Professor – Microbial Pathogenesis (University of Maryland School of Dentistry) Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Immunity and Viral Infection (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) Faculty Positions – Infectious Disease Research (Institut Pasteur of Shanghai) Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.
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