Correlation Between Respiratory Accessory Muscles and Diaphragm Pillars MRI and Pulmonary Function Test in Late-Onset Pompe Disease Patients

Objectives: Pompe disease is a rare genetic disease produced by mutations in the GAA gene leading to progressive skeletal and respiratory muscle weakness. T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging is useful to identify fatty replacement in skeletal muscles of late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) patients. Previous studies have shown that replacement by fat correlates with worse results of muscle function tests. Our aim was to investigate if fat replacement of muscles involved in the ventilation process correlated with results of the spirometry and predicted respiratory muscle impairment in LOPD patients over time. Materials and Methods: We studied a cohort of 36 LOPD patients followed up annually in our center for a period of 4 years. We quantified muscle fat replacement using Mercuri score of the thoracic paraspinal and abdominal muscles and the pillars of the diaphragm. We correlated the combined Mercuri scores of these areas with spirometry results and the need of respiratory support. Results: We found a statistically significant correlation (Spearman test, p 0.6) between forced vital capacity seated and lying and fat fraction score of all muscle groups studied. The group of patients who needed respiratory support had higher fat fraction scores than patients not requiring ventilatory support. Higher fat replacement in these areas correlated with worse progression in spirometry values over time. Conclusions: Fat replacement of paraspinal, abdominal, and trunk muscles correlates with results of spirometry and is able to predict worsening in respiratory muscle function tests that could lead to an emerging ventilatory dysfunction. Therefore, the identification of fat replacement in these muscle groups should lead to a closer monitorization of patients. Radiologic evaluation of diaphragm pillars in T1-weighted imaging axial sequences could also be helpful to predict respiratory insufficiency

Platelet Derived Growth Factor-AA Correlates With Muscle Function Tests and Quantitative Muscle Magnetic Resonance in Dystrophinopathies

Introduction: Duchenne (DMD) and Becker (BMD) muscular dystrophy are X-linked muscular disorders produced by mutations in the DMD gene which encodes the protein dystrophin. Both diseases are characterized by progressive involvement of skeletal, cardiac, and respiratory muscles. As new treatment strategies become available, reliable biomarkers and outcome measures that can monitor disease progression are needed for clinical trials. Methods: We collected clinical and functional data and blood samples from 19 DMD patients, 13 BMD patients, and 66 healthy controls (8 pediatric and 58 adult controls), and blood samples from 15 patients with dysferlinopathy (DYSF) and studied the serum concentration of 4 growth factors involved in the process of muscle fibrosis. We correlated the serum concentration of these growth factors with several muscle function tests, spirometry results and fat fraction identified by quantitative Dixon muscle MRI. Results: We found significant differences in the serum concentration of Platelet Derived Growth Factor-AA (PDGF-AA) between DMD patients and pediatric controls, in Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF) between BMD patients and adult controls, and in and Transforming Growth Factor- β1 (TGF-β1) between BMD and DYSF patients. PDGF-AA showed a good correlation with several muscle function tests for both DMD and BMD patients and with thigh fat fraction in BMD patients. Moreover, PDGF-AA levels were increased in muscle biopsies of patients with DMD and BMD as was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and Real-Time PCR studies. Conclusion: Our study suggests that PDGF-AA should be further investigated in a larger cohort of DMD and BMD patients because it might be a good biomarker candidate to monitor the progression of these diseases

PDGF-BB serum levels are decreased in adult onset Pompe patients

Adult onset Pompe disease is a genetic disorder characterized by slowly progressive skeletal and respiratory muscle weakness. Symptomatic patients are treated with enzymatic replacement therapy with human recombinant alfa glucosidase. Motor functional tests and spirometry are commonly used to follow patients up. However, a serological biomarker that correlates with the progression of the disease could improve follow-up. We studied serum concentrations of TGFβ, PDGF-BB, PDGF-AA and CTGF growth factors in 37 adult onset Pompe patients and 45 controls. Moreover, all patients performed several muscle function tests, conventional spirometry, and quantitative muscle MRI using 3-point Dixon. We observed a statistically significant change in the serum concentration of each growth factor in patients compared to controls. However, only PDGF-BB levels were able to differentiate between asymptomatic and symptomatic patients, suggesting its potential role in the follow-up of asymptomatic patients. Moreover, our results point to a dysregulation of muscle regeneration as an additional pathomechanism of Pompe disease

Utilidad de la resonancia magnética como marcador para el seguimiento de pacientes con enfermedad de pompe del adulto

A la malaltia de Pompe, l’acumulació progressiva de glucògen al múscul culmina amb la pèrdua progressiva de fibres musculars i la substitució del teixit muscular per teixit fibro-adipós. La teràpia de reemplaçament enzimàtic (TRE) ha mostrat que és capaç d’estabilitzar la simptomatologia dels pacients, tot i que tot sembla indicar que el deteriorament muscular continua progressant el que porta a l’empitjorament de la força muscular. És evident que necessitem nous marcadors de seguiment que siguin capaços d’identificar canvis a l’estructura muscular que encara no es tradueixen en un canvi en la debilitat muscular. La imatge de ressonància magnètica s’ ha establert en els darrers anys com una eina útil en el seguiment de les miopaties hereditàries, com la malaltia de Pompe, ja que és capaç de mostrar canvis en l’ estructura muscular, especialment acúmul de greix, abans que es produeixi un impacte en els símptomes dels pacients. En la present tesi doctoral, explorem la utilitat de dues tècniques específiques de ressonància magnètica (seqüència 2 punt-Dixon i la Transferència de Magnetització) per caracteritzar i quantificar el dany als músculs esquelètics de pacients amb malaltia de Pompe d’inici tardà. Als nostres estudis hem observat que la ressonància mostra canvis abans que aquests tinguin un impacte en la funció muscular, per la qual cosa es planteja com una molt bona tècnica per fer el seguiment de la resposta a la TRE dels pacients a la clínica diària, però també a assajos clínics que analitzen l’eficàcia de noves teràpies. En el cas dels pacients pre-simptomàtics, un augment de greix pot indicar que la malaltia muscular ha començat a afectar la capacitat dels músculs dels pacients per regenerar-se i aquests estan degenerant, donant pas a la pèrdua de fibres musculars i augment de fracció grassa. Aquestes dades suggereixen que la tècnica de Dixon pot ser útil tant en la clínica diària com en els estudis d’història natural o en assajos clínics en pacients amb malaltia de Pompe. La segona tècnica de ressonància magnètica utilitzada en aquesta tesi va ser la transferència de magnetització (TM) per tal d’estudiar els canvis estructurals que podrien estar relacionats amb l’acumulació de glucògen en el muscle d’aquests pacients. Hem observat que existeix una correlació negativa entre la fracció grassa i la TM, és a dir a major contingut gras menor TM, la qual cosa confirma que la massa grassa té un menor nombre de macromolècules, a diferència del múscul esquelètic que té una gran quantitat de proteïnes que formen part de l’estructura sarcomèrica. Aquestes dades suggereixen que la TM és útil per detectar pèrdua de massa muscular en els pacients amb malaltia de Pompe. Conseqüentment, hem evidenciat una correlació significativa entre la TM i els resultats de les proves funcionals, demostrant que aquesta tècnica podria ser útil en el seguiment dels pacients amb aquesta malaltia.En la enfermedad de Pompe, la acumulación progresiva de glucógeno en el músculo culmina con la pérdida progresiva de fibras musculares y la sustitución del tejido muscular por tejido fibro-adiposo. La terapia de reemplazo enzimático (TRE) ha mostrado que es capaz de estabilizar la sintomatología de los pacientes, a pesar de que todo parece indicar que el deterioro muscular continúa progresando lo que lleva a el empeoramiento de la fuerza muscular. Es evidente que necesitamos nuevos marcadores de seguimiento que sean capaces de identificar cambios en la estructura muscular que todavía no se traducen en un cambio en la debilidad muscular. La imagen de resonancia magnética se ha establecido en los últimos años como una herramienta útil en el seguimiento de las miopatías hereditarias, como la enfermedad de Pompe, ya que es capaz de mostrar cambios en la estructura muscular, especialmente acúmulo de grasa, antes de que se produzca un impacto en los síntomas de los pacientes. En la presente tesis doctoral, exploramos la utilidad de dos técnicas específicas de resonancia magnética (secuencia 2 punto-Dixon y la Transferencia de Magnetización) para caracterizar y cuantificar el daño en los músculos esquelético de pacientes con enfermedad de Pompe de inicio tardío. En nuestros estudios hemos observado que la resonancia muestra cambios antes de que éstos tengan un impacto en la función muscular, por lo que se plantea como una muy buena técnica para realizar el seguimiento de la respuesta a la TRE de los pacientes en la clínica diaria, pero también en ensayos clínico que analizan la eficacia de nuevas terapias. En el caso de los pacientes pre-sintomáticos, un aumento de grasa puede indicar que la enfermedad muscular ha empezado a afectar la capacidad de los músculos de los pacientes para regenerarse y éstos están degenerando, dando paso a la pérdida de fibras musculares y aumento de fracción grasa. Estos datos sugieren que la técnica de Dixon puede ser útil tanto en la clínica diaria como en los estudios de historia natural o en ensayos clínicos en pacientes con enfermedad de Pompe. La segunda técnica de resonancia magnética utilizada en esta tesis fue la transferencia de magnetización (TM) con el fin de estudiar los cambios estructurales que podrían estar relacionados con la acumulación de glucógeno en el musculo de estos pacientes. Hemos observado que existe una correlación negativa entre la fracción grasa y la TM, es decir a mayor contenido graso menor TM, lo que confirma que la masa grasa tiene un menor número de macromoléculas, a diferencia del músculo esquelético que tiene una gran cantidad de proteínas que forman parte de la estructura sarcomérica. Estos datos sugieren que la TM es útil para detectar pérdida de masa muscular en los pacientes con enfermedad de Pompe. Consecuentemente, hemos evidenciado una correlación significativa entre la TM y los resultados de las pruebas funcionales, demostrando que esta técnica podría ser útil en el seguimiento de los pacientes con esta enfermedad.In Pompe disease, the progressive accumulation of glycogen in the muscle culminates in the progressive loss of muscle fibers and the replacement of muscle tissue with fibro-adipose tissue. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is able to stabilize patients’ symptomatology, although it seems that muscle deterioration continues to progress leading to worsening muscle strength. We need new follow-up markers that can identify changes in muscle structure that do not yet translate into a change in muscle weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging has been established in recent years as a useful tool in the follow-up of hereditary myopathies, such as Pompe disease, as it can show changes in muscle structure, especially fat accumulation before there is an impact on patients’ symptoms. In the present dissertation, we explored the usefulness of two specific MRI techniques (2-point-Dixon sequence and Magnetization Transfer) to characterize and quantify skeletal muscle damage in patients with late-onset Pompe disease. In our studies we have observed that MRI shows changes before they have an impact on muscle function, making it a very good technique for monitoring the response to ERT of patients in daily clinical practice, but also in clinical trials analyzing the efficacy of new therapies. In the case of pre-symptomatic patients, an increase in fat may indicate that the muscle disease has started to affect the ability of the patient’s muscles to regenerate and they are degenerating, giving way to loss of muscle fibers and an increase in fat fraction. These data suggest that Dixon’s technique may be useful both in daily clinical practice and in natural history studies or clinical trials in patients with Pompe disease. The second MRI technique used in this thesis was magnetization transfer (MT) to study structural changes that could be related to glycogen accumulation in the muscle of these patients. We have observed that there is a negative correlation between fat fraction and MT, i.e. the higher the fat content the lower the MT, which confirms that fat mass has a lower number of macromolecules, unlike skeletal muscle which has a large amount of proteins that are part of the sarcomeric structure. These data suggest that MT is useful for detecting muscle mass loss in patients with Pompe disease. Consequently, we have evidenced a significant correlation between MT and functional test results, demonstrating that this technique could be useful in the follow-up of patients with this disease.Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Programa de Doctorat en Medicin

Utilidad de la resonancia magnética como marcador para el seguimiento de pacientes con enfermedad de Pompe del adulto

A la malaltia de Pompe, l'acumulació progressiva de glucògen al múscul culmina amb la pèrdua progressiva de fibres musculars i la substitució del teixit muscular per teixit fibro-adipós. La teràpia de reemplaçament enzimàtic (TRE) ha mostrat que és capaç d'estabilitzar la simptomatologia dels pacients, tot i que tot sembla indicar que el deteriorament muscular continua progressant el que porta a l'empitjorament de la força muscular. És evident que necessitem nous marcadors de seguiment que siguin capaços d'identificar canvis a l'estructura muscular que encara no es tradueixen en un canvi en la debilitat muscular. La imatge de ressonància magnètica s' ha establert en els darrers anys com una eina útil en el seguiment de les miopaties hereditàries, com la malaltia de Pompe, ja que és capaç de mostrar canvis en l' estructura muscular, especialment acúmul de greix, abans que es produeixi un impacte en els símptomes dels pacients. En la present tesi doctoral, explorem la utilitat de dues tècniques específiques de ressonància magnètica (seqüència 2 punt-Dixon i la Transferència de Magnetització) per caracteritzar i quantificar el dany als músculs esquelètics de pacients amb malaltia de Pompe d'inici tardà. Als nostres estudis hem observat que la ressonància mostra canvis abans que aquests tinguin un impacte en la funció muscular, per la qual cosa es planteja com una molt bona tècnica per fer el seguiment de la resposta a la TRE dels pacients a la clínica diària, però també a assajos clínics que analitzen l'eficàcia de noves teràpies. En el cas dels pacients pre-simptomàtics, un augment de greix pot indicar que la malaltia muscular ha començat a afectar la capacitat dels músculs dels pacients per regenerar-se i aquests estan degenerant, donant pas a la pèrdua de fibres musculars i augment de fracció grassa. Aquestes dades suggereixen que la tècnica de Dixon pot ser útil tant en la clínica diària com en els estudis d'història natural o en assajos clínics en pacients amb malaltia de Pompe. La segona tècnica de ressonància magnètica utilitzada en aquesta tesi va ser la transferència de magnetització (TM) per tal d'estudiar els canvis estructurals que podrien estar relacionats amb l'acumulació de glucògen en el muscle d'aquests pacients. Hem observat que existeix una correlació negativa entre la fracció grassa i la TM, és a dir a major contingut gras menor TM, la qual cosa confirma que la massa grassa té un menor nombre de macromolècules, a diferència del múscul esquelètic que té una gran quantitat de proteïnes que formen part de l'estructura sarcomèrica. Aquestes dades suggereixen que la TM és útil per detectar pèrdua de massa muscular en els pacients amb malaltia de Pompe. Conseqüentment, hem evidenciat una correlació significativa entre la TM i els resultats de les proves funcionals, demostrant que aquesta tècnica podria ser útil en el seguiment dels pacients amb aquesta malaltia.En la enfermedad de Pompe, la acumulación progresiva de glucógeno en el músculo culmina con la pérdida progresiva de fibras musculares y la sustitución del tejido muscular por tejido fibro-adiposo. La terapia de reemplazo enzimático (TRE) ha mostrado que es capaz de estabilizar la sintomatología de los pacientes, a pesar de que todo parece indicar que el deterioro muscular continúa progresando lo que lleva a el empeoramiento de la fuerza muscular. Es evidente que necesitamos nuevos marcadores de seguimiento que sean capaces de identificar cambios en la estructura muscular que todavía no se traducen en un cambio en la debilidad muscular. La imagen de resonancia magnética se ha establecido en los últimos años como una herramienta útil en el seguimiento de las miopatías hereditarias, como la enfermedad de Pompe, ya que es capaz de mostrar cambios en la estructura muscular, especialmente acúmulo de grasa, antes de que se produzca un impacto en los síntomas de los pacientes. En la presente tesis doctoral, exploramos la utilidad de dos técnicas específicas de resonancia magnética (secuencia 2 punto-Dixon y la Transferencia de Magnetización) para caracterizar y cuantificar el daño en los músculos esquelético de pacientes con enfermedad de Pompe de inicio tardío. En nuestros estudios hemos observado que la resonancia muestra cambios antes de que éstos tengan un impacto en la función muscular, por lo que se plantea como una muy buena técnica para realizar el seguimiento de la respuesta a la TRE de los pacientes en la clínica diaria, pero también en ensayos clínico que analizan la eficacia de nuevas terapias. En el caso de los pacientes pre-sintomáticos, un aumento de grasa puede indicar que la enfermedad muscular ha empezado a afectar la capacidad de los músculos de los pacientes para regenerarse y éstos están degenerando, dando paso a la pérdida de fibras musculares y aumento de fracción grasa. Estos datos sugieren que la técnica de Dixon puede ser útil tanto en la clínica diaria como en los estudios de historia natural o en ensayos clínicos en pacientes con enfermedad de Pompe. La segunda técnica de resonancia magnética utilizada en esta tesis fue la transferencia de magnetización (TM) con el fin de estudiar los cambios estructurales que podrían estar relacionados con la acumulación de glucógeno en el musculo de estos pacientes. Hemos observado que existe una correlación negativa entre la fracción grasa y la TM, es decir a mayor contenido graso menor TM, lo que confirma que la masa grasa tiene un menor número de macromoléculas, a diferencia del músculo esquelético que tiene una gran cantidad de proteínas que forman parte de la estructura sarcomérica. Estos datos sugieren que la TM es útil para detectar pérdida de masa muscular en los pacientes con enfermedad de Pompe. Consecuentemente, hemos evidenciado una correlación significativa entre la TM y los resultados de las pruebas funcionales, demostrando que esta técnica podría ser útil en el seguimiento de los pacientes con esta enfermedad.In Pompe disease, the progressive accumulation of glycogen in the muscle culminates in the progressive loss of muscle fibers and the replacement of muscle tissue with fibro-adipose tissue. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is able to stabilize patients' symptomatology, although it seems that muscle deterioration continues to progress leading to worsening muscle strength. We need new follow-up markers that can identify changes in muscle structure that do not yet translate into a change in muscle weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging has been established in recent years as a useful tool in the follow-up of hereditary myopathies, such as Pompe disease, as it can show changes in muscle structure, especially fat accumulation before there is an impact on patients' symptoms. In the present dissertation, we explored the usefulness of two specific MRI techniques (2-point-Dixon sequence and Magnetization Transfer) to characterize and quantify skeletal muscle damage in patients with late-onset Pompe disease. In our studies we have observed that MRI shows changes before they have an impact on muscle function, making it a very good technique for monitoring the response to ERT of patients in daily clinical practice, but also in clinical trials analyzing the efficacy of new therapies. In the case of pre-symptomatic patients, an increase in fat may indicate that the muscle disease has started to affect the ability of the patient's muscles to regenerate and they are degenerating, giving way to loss of muscle fibers and an increase in fat fraction. These data suggest that Dixon's technique may be useful both in daily clinical practice and in natural history studies or clinical trials in patients with Pompe disease. The second MRI technique used in this thesis was magnetization transfer (MT) to study structural changes that could be related to glycogen accumulation in the muscle of these patients. We have observed that there is a negative correlation between fat fraction and MT, i.e. the higher the fat content the lower the MT, which confirms that fat mass has a lower number of macromolecules, unlike skeletal muscle which has a large amount of proteins that are part of the sarcomeric structure. These data suggest that MT is useful for detecting muscle mass loss in patients with Pompe disease. Consequently, we have evidenced a significant correlation between MT and functional test results, demonstrating that this technique could be useful in the follow-up of patients with this disease

Identification of serum microRNAs as potential biomarkers in Pompe disease

Coinvestigators – The Spanish Pompe Study Group: Miguel Angel Barba-Romero; Joseba Barcena; María Rosario Carzorla; Carlota Creus; Jaume Coll-Canti; Noemí de Luna; Manuel Díaz; Cristina Domínguez; Roberto Fernández Torrón; María José García Antelo; Josep María Grau; María Teresa Gómez Caravaca; Juan Carlos León Hernández; Adolfo López de Munain; Francisco Antonio Martinez-García; Yolanda Morgado; Antonio Moreno; Germán Morís; Miguel Angel Muñoz-Blanco; Andres Nascimento; Carmen Paradas; José Luis Parajua Pozo; Luis Querol; Arturo Robledo-Strauss; Ricard Rojas García, Ricard; Íñigo Rojas-Marcoso; José Antonio Salazar; Mercedes Usón[Objective] To analyze the microRNA profile in serum of patients with Adult Onset Pompe disease (AOPD). [Methods] We analyzed the expression of 185 microRNAs in serum of 15 AOPD patients and five controls using microRNA PCR Panels. The expression levels of microRNAs that were deregulated were further studied in 35 AOPD patients and 10 controls using Real‐Time PCR. Additionally, the skeletal muscle expression of microRNAs which showed significant increase levels in serum samples was also studied. Correlations between microRNA serum levels and muscle function test, spirometry, and quantitative muscle MRI were performed (these data correspond to the study NCT01914536 at ClinicalTrials.gov). [Results] We identified 14 microRNAs that showed different expression levels in serum samples of AOPD patients compared to controls. We validated these results in a larger cohort of patients and we found increased levels of three microRNAs, the so called dystromirs: miR‐1‐3p, miR‐133a‐3p, and miR‐206. These microRNAs are involved in muscle regeneration and the expression of these was increased in patients' muscle biopsies. Significant correlations between microRNA levels and muscle function test were found. [Interpretation] Serum expression levels of dystromirs may represent additional biomarkers for the follow‐up of AOPD patients.This study was supported by a grant from Sanofi‐Genzyme (GZ‐2015‐11342) to Dr. Gallardo and has been registered in Clinicaltrials.gov (identifier NCT03045042)

Follow‐up of late‐onset Pompe disease patients with muscle magnetic resonance imaging reveals increase in fat replacement in skeletal muscles

Altres ajuts: This investigation was sponsored by the following grants, one from Sanofi Genzyme and another from the Spanish Ministry of Health, Fondos FEDER-ISCIII. Isabel Illa has received speaker honorarium from Grifols and Sanofi-Genzyme. Jordi Díaz-Manera has received speaker honorarium from PTC Therapeutics and Sanofi-Genzyme. The authors of this manuscript certify that they comply with the ethical guidelines for authorship and publishing in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia, and Muscle.42Altres ajuts: MSCBS/PI18-01525Altres ajuts: MSCBS/PI18-0111Late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive degeneration of the skeletal muscles produced by a deficiency of the enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase. Enzymatic replacement therapy with recombinant human alpha-glucosidase seems to reduce the progression of the disease; although at the moment, it is not completely clear to what extent. Quantitative muscle magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) is a good biomarker for the follow-up of fat replacement in neuromuscular disorders. The aim of this study was to describe the changes observed in fat replacement in skeletal muscles using qMRI in a cohort of LOPD patients followed prospectively. A total of 36 LOPD patients were seen once every year for 4 years. qMRI, several muscle function tests, spirometry, activities of daily living scales, and quality-of-life scales were performed on each visit. Muscle MRI consisted of two-point Dixon studies of the trunk and thigh muscles. Computer analysis of the images provided the percentage of muscle degenerated and replaced by fat in every muscle (known as fat fraction). Longitudinal analysis of the measures was performed using linear mixed models applying the Greenhouse-Geisser test. We detected a statistically significant and continuous increase in mean thigh fat fraction both in treated (+5.8% in 3 years) and in pre-symptomatic patients (+2.6% in 3years) (Greenhouse-Geisser p < 0.05). As an average, fat fraction increased by 1.9% per year in treated patients, compared with 0.8% in pre-symptomatic patients. Fat fraction significantly increased in every muscle of the thighs. We observed a significant correlation between changes observed in fat fraction in qMRI and changes observed in the results of the muscle function tests performed. Moreover, we identified that muscle performance and mean thigh fat fraction at baseline visit were independent parameters influencing fat fraction progression over 4 years (analysis of covariance, p < 0.05). Our study identifies that skeletal muscle fat fraction continues to increase in patients with LOPD despite the treatment with enzymatic replacement therapy. These results suggest that the process of muscle degeneration is not stopped by the treatment and could impact muscle function over the years. Hereby, we show that fat fraction along with muscle function tests can be considered a good outcome measures for clinical trials in LOPD patients

Compartamentalización de la respuesta inmune frente a patógenos: Rol en el control del proceso infecciosos y en la inducción de autoinmunidad.

El objetivo general del presente proyecto es evaluar las interacciones patógeno-huésped en microambientes particulares a fin de establecer la participación de los mecanismos inmunes locales en el control del proceso infeccioso, el efecto de estas interacciones en la homeostasis tisular, el quiebre de los mecanismos de tolerancia y su asociación a la inducción de procesos autoinmunes. Dos patologías infecciosas serán motivo de nuestro estudio, la infección por Candida albicans como modelo de activación de mecanismos innatos locales y respuesta protectiva y la infección urogenital por Chlamydia trachomatis como factor desencadenante de procesos autoinmunes en individuos susceptibles. En el abordaje de esta temática se transfiere la experiencia previa de los investigadores de este grupo en las áreas de enfermedades infecciosas, mecanismos innatos de defensa e inmunoregulación de respuesta autoinmune a la resolución de los interrogantes abiertos sobre estas patologías. El objetivo general será abordado mediante el desarrollo de tres objetivos específicos. I- Estudio de los eventos etiotatogénicos en Candidiasis cerebral: Rol del receptor de beta-glucanos Dectin-1 en la activación de las células gliales frente a Candida albicans. II: Estudio de los eventos etiopatogénicos a nivel hepático durante la infección por C. albicans: rol de la activación de los LI NKT. III-Estudio de las consecuencias patogenicas de la infección por Cm en individuos susceptibles o no a desarrollar prostatitis autoinmune (PA)

Risk of COVID-19 after natural infection or vaccinationResearch in context

Summary: Background: While vaccines have established utility against COVID-19, phase 3 efficacy studies have generally not comprehensively evaluated protection provided by previous infection or hybrid immunity (previous infection plus vaccination). Individual patient data from US government-supported harmonized vaccine trials provide an unprecedented sample population to address this issue. We characterized the protective efficacy of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and hybrid immunity against COVID-19 early in the pandemic over three-to six-month follow-up and compared with vaccine-associated protection. Methods: In this post-hoc cross-protocol analysis of the Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, we allocated participants into four groups based on previous-infection status at enrolment and treatment: no previous infection/placebo; previous infection/placebo; no previous infection/vaccine; and previous infection/vaccine. The main outcome was RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 >7–15 days (per original protocols) after final study injection. We calculated crude and adjusted efficacy measures. Findings: Previous infection/placebo participants had a 92% decreased risk of future COVID-19 compared to no previous infection/placebo participants (overall hazard ratio [HR] ratio: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.05–0.13). Among single-dose Janssen participants, hybrid immunity conferred greater protection than vaccine alone (HR: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01–0.10). Too few infections were observed to draw statistical inferences comparing hybrid immunity to vaccine alone for other trials. Vaccination, previous infection, and hybrid immunity all provided near-complete protection against severe disease. Interpretation: Previous infection, any hybrid immunity, and two-dose vaccination all provided substantial protection against symptomatic and severe COVID-19 through the early Delta period. Thus, as a surrogate for natural infection, vaccination remains the safest approach to protection. Funding: National Institutes of Health

Risk of COVID-19 after natural infection or vaccinationResearch in context

Background: While vaccines have established utility against COVID-19, phase 3 efficacy studies have generally not comprehensively evaluated protection provided by previous infection or hybrid immunity (previous infection plus vaccination). Individual patient data from US government-supported harmonized vaccine trials provide an unprecedented sample population to address this issue. We characterized the protective efficacy of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and hybrid immunity against COVID-19 early in the pandemic over three-to six-month follow-up and compared with vaccine-associated protection. Methods: In this post-hoc cross-protocol analysis of the Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, we allocated participants into four groups based on previous-infection status at enrolment and treatment: no previous infection/placebo; previous infection/placebo; no previous infection/vaccine; and previous infection/vaccine. The main outcome was RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 >7–15 days (per original protocols) after final study injection. We calculated crude and adjusted efficacy measures. Findings: Previous infection/placebo participants had a 92% decreased risk of future COVID-19 compared to no previous infection/placebo participants (overall hazard ratio [HR] ratio: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.05–0.13). Among single-dose Janssen participants, hybrid immunity conferred greater protection than vaccine alone (HR: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01–0.10). Too few infections were observed to draw statistical inferences comparing hybrid immunity to vaccine alone for other trials. Vaccination, previous infection, and hybrid immunity all provided near-complete protection against severe disease. Interpretation: Previous infection, any hybrid immunity, and two-dose vaccination all provided substantial protection against symptomatic and severe COVID-19 through the early Delta period. Thus, as a surrogate for natural infection, vaccination remains the safest approach to protection. Funding: National Institutes of Health