International immunopharmacology
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Nov 2020
Meta AnalysisSarcopenia affects clinical efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
The clinical impact of sarcopenia on the immune checkpoint inhibitor's (ICI) efficacy and immune-related adverse events in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between sarcopenia and clinical outcomes of ICI immunotherapy. ⋯ Sarcopenia was associated with worse treatment response and shorter long-term efficacy in NSCLC patients treated with ICI immunotherapy. Moreover, sarcopenia does not increase the rate of immune-related adverse events.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Nov 2020
Clinical TrialPromising effects of tocilizumab in COVID-19: A non-controlled, prospective clinical trial.
The clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection ranges from mild symptoms to severe complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome. In this syndrome, inflammatory cytokines are released after activation of the inflammatory cascade, with the predominant role of interleukin (IL)-6. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of tocilizumab, as an IL-6 antagonist, in patients with severe or critical SARS-CoV-2 infection. ⋯ Based on the current results, tocilizumab may be a promising agent for patients with severe or critical SARS-CoV-2 infection, if promptly initiated during the severe stage.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Nov 2020
ReviewOverview of the current promising approaches for the development of an effective severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. There is a gap in our understanding regarding the immunopathogenesis of COVID-19. However, many clinical trials are underway across the world for screening effective drugs against COVID-19. ⋯ The vaccines are deemed as a significant part of disease prevention for emerging viral diseases, since, in several cases, other therapeutic choices are limited or non-existent, or that diseases result in such an accelerated clinical worsening that the efficacy of treatments is restricted. Therefore, effective vaccines against COVID-19 are urgently required to overcome the tremendous burden of mortality and morbidity correlated with SARS-CoV-2. In this review, we will describe the latest evidence regarding outstanding vaccine approaches and the challenges for vaccine production.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Nov 2020
ReviewUnderstanding the complexities of SARS-CoV2 infection and its immunology: A road to immune-based therapeutics.
Emerging infectious diseases always pose a threat to humans along with plant and animal life. SARS-CoV2 is the recently emerged viral infection that originated from Wuhan city of the Republic of China in December 2019. Now, it has become a pandemic. ⋯ Thereafter, the eighth section describes viral strategies to hijack the host antiviral immune response and generate the "cytokine storm". The ninth section describes about transgenic humane ACE2 (hACE2) receptor expressing mice to study immunity, drugs, and vaccines. The article ends with the development of different immunomodulatory and immunotherapeutics strategies, including vaccines waiting for their approval in humans as prophylaxis or treatment measures.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Nov 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialInterferon β-1b in treatment of severe COVID-19: A randomized clinical trial.
In this study, efficacy and safety of interferon (IFN) β-1b in the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19 were evaluated. Among an open-label, randomized clinical trial, adult patients (≥18 years old) with severe COVID-19 were randomly assigned (1:1) to the IFN group or the control group. Patients in the IFN group received IFN β-1b (250 mcg subcutaneously every other day for two consecutive weeks) along with the national protocol medications while in the control group, patients received only the national protocol medications (lopinavir/ritonavir or atazanavir/ritonavir plus hydroxychloroquine for 7-10 days). ⋯ IFN β-1b was effective in shortening the time to clinical improvement without serious adverse events in patients with severe COVID-19. Furthermore, admission in ICU and need for invasive mechanical ventilation decreased following administration of IFN β-1b. Although 28-day mortality was lower in the IFN group, further randomized clinical trials with large sample size are needed for exact estimation of survival benefit of IFN β-1b.