The Journal of infectious diseases
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Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus cause severe hemorrhagic fever with high mortality and are potential bioterrorism agents. There are no available vaccines or therapeutic agents. Previous clinical trials evaluated transmembrane-deleted and point-mutation Ebolavirus glycoproteins (GPs) in candidate vaccines. Constructs evaluated in this trial encode wild-type (WT) GP from Ebolavirus Zaire and Sudan species and the Marburgvirus Angola strain expressed in a DNA vaccine. ⋯ NCT00605514.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Delaying BCG vaccination until 8 weeks of age results in robust BCG-specific T-cell responses in HIV-exposed infants.
BCG vaccination prevents disseminated tuberculosis in children, but it is contraindicated for persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection because it can result in severe disease in this population. In tuberculosis-endemic regions, BCG vaccine is administered soon after birth, before in utero and peripartum HIV infection is excluded. We therefore assessed the immunogenicity of BCG vaccine in HIV-exposed infants who received BCG at birth or at 8 weeks of age. ⋯ NCT02062580.
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Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) can cause chronic spinal cord inflammation, known as HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Since CD4(+)CCR4(+) T cells are the main HTLV-1 reservoir, we evaluated the defucosylated humanized anti-CCR4 antibody mogamulizumab as a treatment for HAM/TSP. ⋯ We determined that CD8(+)CCR4(+) T cells and CD4(+)CCR4(+) T cells are prime therapeutic targets for treating HAM/TSP and propose mogamulizumab as a new treatment.
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Administration of convalescent plasma, serum, or hyperimmune immunoglobulin may be of clinical benefit for treatment of severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs) of viral etiology. We conducted a systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis to assess the overall evidence. ⋯ Convalescent plasma may reduce mortality and appears safe. This therapy should be studied within the context of a well-designed clinical trial or other formal evaluation, including for treatment of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus CoV infection.
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Stimulation of the vagus nerve in the so-called cholinergic antiinflammatory pathway (CAP) attenuates systemic inflammation, improving survival in animal sepsis models via α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on immunocompetent cells. Because the relevance of this regulatory pathway is unknown in human sepsis, this pilot study assessed whether the α7 gene expression level in septic patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) might be used to assess CAP activity and clinical outcome. ⋯ This study reveals that the PBMC α7 gene expression level is a clinically relevant marker for CAP activity in sepsis: the higher the α7 expression, the better the inflammation control and the prognosis.