Vaccine breakthrough hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia in patients with auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs

Life-threatening `breakthrough' cases of critical COVID-19 are attributed to poor or waning antibody response to the SARS- CoV-2 vaccine in individuals already at risk. Pre-existing autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs underlie at least 15% of critical COVID-19 pneumonia cases in unvaccinated individuals; however, their contribution to hypoxemic breakthrough cases in vaccinated people remains unknown. Here, we studied a cohort of 48 individuals ( age 20-86 years) who received 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine and developed a breakthrough infection with hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia 2 weeks to 4 months later. Antibody levels to the vaccine, neutralization of the virus, and auto- Abs to type I IFNs were measured in the plasma. Forty-two individuals had no known deficiency of B cell immunity and a normal antibody response to the vaccine. Among them, ten (24%) had auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs (aged 43-86 years). Eight of these ten patients had auto-Abs neutralizing both IFN-a2 and IFN-., while two neutralized IFN-omega only. No patient neutralized IFN-ss. Seven neutralized 10 ng/mL of type I IFNs, and three 100 pg/mL only. Seven patients neutralized SARS-CoV-2 D614G and the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) efficiently, while one patient neutralized Delta slightly less efficiently. Two of the three patients neutralizing only 100 pg/mL of type I IFNs neutralized both D61G and Delta less efficiently. Despite two mRNA vaccine inoculations and the presence of circulating antibodies capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2, auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs may underlie a significant proportion of hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia cases, highlighting the importance of this particularly vulnerable population

PLoS One

Quantitative analysis of the vascular network anatomy is critical for the understanding of the vasculature structure and function. In this study, we have combined microcomputed tomography (microCT) and computational analysis to provide quantitative three-dimensional geometrical and topological characterization of the normal kidney vasculature, and to investigate how 2 core genes of the Wnt/planar cell polarity, Frizzled4 and Frizzled6, affect vascular network morphogenesis. Experiments were performed on frizzled4 (Fzd4-/-) and frizzled6 (Fzd6-/-) deleted mice and littermate controls (WT) perfused with a contrast medium after euthanasia and exsanguination. The kidneys were scanned with a high-resolution (16 μm) microCT imaging system, followed by 3D reconstruction of the arterial vasculature. Computational treatment includes decomposition of 3D networks based on Diameter-Defined Strahler Order (DDSO). We have calculated quantitative (i) Global scale parameters, such as the volume of the vasculature and its fractal dimension (ii) Structural parameters depending on the DDSO hierarchical levels such as hierarchical ordering, diameter, length and branching angles of the vessel segments, and (iii) Functional parameters such as estimated resistance to blood flow alongside the vascular tree and average density of terminal arterioles. In normal kidneys, fractal dimension was 2.07±0.11 (n = 7), and was significantly lower in Fzd4-/- (1.71±0.04; n = 4), and Fzd6-/- (1.54±0.09; n = 3) kidneys. The DDSO number was 5 in WT and Fzd4-/-, and only 4 in Fzd6-/-. Scaling characteristics such as diameter and length of vessel segments were altered in mutants, whereas bifurcation angles were not different from WT. Fzd4 and Fzd6 deletion increased vessel resistance, calculated using the Hagen-Poiseuille equation, for each DDSO, and decreased the density and the homogeneity of the distal vessel segments. Our results show that our methodology is suitable for 3D quantitative characterization of vascular networks, and that Fzd4 and Fzd6 genes have a deep patterning effect on arterial vessel morphogenesis that may determine its functional efficiency

Evaluation of Prion Deposits and Microglial Activation in Scrapie-Infected Mice Using Molecular Imaging Probes

International audienceA characteristic of prion diseases which affect both animals and humans is the aggregation of PrP amyloid fibrils in the brain, associated with a chronic inflammatory response dominated by microglial activation. In this study, we hypothesised that specific ligands of the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) would be effective in the evaluation of microglial activation related to PrP(sc) deposits in prion disease. Chronological studies using in vitro autoradiography were carried out with [(3)H]-PK11195 and [(125)I]-IMPY on frozen cerebral sections from scrapie-infected mice and controls. Accumulation of prion deposits was confirmed by histoblot staining with prion protein-specific monoclonal antibody. Ex vivo autoradiographic studies were carried out with [(125)I]-CLINDE and [(125)I]-IMPY at the terminal stage of infection. Chronological studies using in vitro autoradiography showed that PrP(sc) deposits were co-localised with activated microglia as early as 60 days post-inoculation. Progressive levels of PrP(sc) and TSPO staining were successively observed in the hippocampus, cortex and left thalamus of infected mouse brain sections in the course of the disease and were correlated with the signals obtained by histoblot staining. Significant TSPO labelling was also observed ex vivo in the cortex, hippocampus and thalamus of scrapie-infected mice. In parallel, [(125)I]-IMPY showed labelling in the same cerebral regions but with high background staining. These findings indicate the ability of [(125)I]-IMPY and [(125)I]-CLINDE to evaluate prion deposits and microglial activation in vitro and ex vivo in scrapie-infected mice at different stages of the disease

Growth of V2O5 nanorods from ball-milled powders and their performance in cathodes and anodes of lithium-ion batteries

The two-stage procedure of ball milling and annealing in air represents a prospective method of preparing nanorods of V2O5 with electrochemical properties suitable for the application in lithium-ion batteries. Commercially purchased V2O5 powder is milled in a ball mill as the first step of the synthesis. The as-milled precursor is subsequently annealed in air to produce the morphology of nanorods via solid-state recrystallization. We have recently investigated intermediate stages of the formation of nanorods, and this paper summarizes the synthesis method including the description of the current understanding of the growth mechanism. The obtained V2O5 nanorods have been assessed as an electrode material for both anodes and cathodes of lithium-ion batteries. When used in cathodes, the nanorods demonstrate a better retention of capacity upon cycling than that of the commercially available powder of V2O5. When used in anodes, the performances of nanorods and the reference V2O5 powder are similar to a large extent, which is related to a different operating mechanism of V2O5 in anodes. The experimentally observed capacity of V2O5 nanorods in an anode has stabilized at the level of about 450 mAh/g after few cycles

Optimization of 1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones towards broad-spectrum metallo-β-lactamase inhibitors showing potent synergistic activity on VIM- and NDM-1-producing clinical isolates

peer reviewe

Energy storage studies on InVO4 as high performance anode material for li-ion batteries

10.1021/am401501aACS Applied Materials and Interfaces5167777-778