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Summary: Patients with cancer are at increased risk of death from COVID-19 and have reduced immune responses to SARS-CoV2 vaccines, necessitating regular boosters. We performed comprehensive chart reviews, surveys of patients attitudes, serology for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and T cell receptor (TCR) β sequencing for cellular responses on a cohort of 982 cancer patients receiving active cancer therapy accrued between November-3-2020 and Mar-31-2023. We found that 92 · 3% of patients received the primer vaccine, 70 · 8% received one monovalent booster, but only 30 · 1% received a bivalent booster. Booster uptake was lower under age 50, and among African American or Hispanic patients. Nearly all patients seroconverted after 2+ booster vaccinations (>99%) and improved cellular responses, demonstrating that repeated boosters could overcome poor response to vaccination. Receipt of booster vaccinations was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 0 · 61, p = 0 · 024). Booster uptake in high-risk cancer patients remains low and strategies to encourage booster uptake are needed.

Summary Ferritin proteins have an enormous capacity to store iron in cells. In search for the best conditions to accumulate and store bioavailable iron, we made use of a double mutant null for the monothiol glutaredoxins GRX3 and GRX4. The strain grx3grx4 accumulates high iron concentrations in the cytoplasm, making the metal easily available for ferritin chelation. Here, we perform a comparative study between human (L and H) and soya bean ferritins (H1 and H2) function in the eukaryotic system Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We demonstrate that the four human and soya bean ferritin chains are successfully expressed in our model system. Upon coexpression of either both human or soya bean ferritin chains, respiratory conditions along with iron supplementation led us to obtain the maximum yields of iron stored in yeast described to date. Human and soya bean ferritin chains are functional and present equivalent properties as promoters of cell survival in iron overload conditions. The best system revealed that the four human and soya bean ferritins possess a novel function as anti‐ageing proteins in conditions of iron excess. In this respect, both ferritin chains with oxidoreductase capacity (human‐H and soya bean‐H2) bear the highest capacity to extend life suggesting the possibility of an evolutionary conservation.

Massage has been proposed as a way of facilitating development and growth of newborns through its effects on increasing blood flow, heart rate, digestion, and immunity. Massage might increase basal metabolism and nutrient absorption through endocrine effects such as increase in insulin and adrenaline and decrease in cortisol. Preliminary studies have suggested significant impact on weight gain with shortening of in-hospital stays of up to 6 days. We compared weight gain among preterm infants receiving Vimala massage plus usual care versus usual care alone. A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Sixty clinically stable preterm newborns with a corrected gestational age of 30 to 35 weeks receiving enteral nutrition in the hospital nursery were included. Half of them were assigned at random to receive Vimala massage twice daily for 10 days plus usual nursery care; the others received usual nursery care. Weight, head circumference, caloric intake, and nutritional method were recorded daily. Group characteristics were compared with analysis of variance, T test, and ? 2test as appropriate. There were no differences between groups in gender, gestational age, initial weight, head circumference, and caloric intake and type of nutrition at baseline. Infants receiving massage had a larger weight gain versus the control group since the third day (188.2???41.20 g/kg versus 146.7???56.43 g/kg, P?