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Byline: Natsumi. Norikawa, Kinuko. Irie, Masato. Ishikawa, Tomoko. Hiraiwa, Kentaro. Izumi, Toshiyuki. Yamamoto Introduction To date, many cases of bullous pemphigoid (BP) under treatment with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) have [...]

Purpose International guidelines recommend screening for connective tissue disease (CTD) with autoantibodies when evaluating patients with idiopathic interstitial lung disease (ILD). Idiopathic inflammatory myositis comprises of a subgroup of CTD diagnosed with myositis antibodies (MA), often presenting with ILD. Our aim was to evaluate the utility of MA screening in patients with idiopathic ILD. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients referred with idiopathic ILD to a tertiary centre ILD clinic who were screened for MA. Patients with known or suspected CTD were excluded. Descriptive statistics, univariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression were used to detect associations between MA and patient characteristics. Results Of 360 patients, 165 met inclusion criteria and 44 (26.7%) were identified to have MA. Fourteen patients (8.5%) had a change in diagnosis as a result of MA screening. Multivariable logistic regression identified the presence of MA to be associated with current smoking [OR 6.87 (1.65-28.64), p = 0.008] and a diffusing capacity of < 70% predicted [OR 2.55 (1.09-5.97), p = 0.03]. In patients with a change in diagnosis due to MA screening, 3 (1.8%) underwent a surgical lung biopsy and 2 (1.2%) were previously treated with antifibrotic therapy. Conclusions Screening for MA in patients with idiopathic ILD can contribute to a change in patient diagnosis, and may prevent invasive testing and unproven use of antifibrotic therapy. These results support the addition of MA to CTD screening panels during the initial evaluation of idiopathic ILD., Author(s): Lee Fidler [sup.1] , Irena Doubelt [sup.2] , Sonja Kandel [sup.3] , Jolene H. Fisher [sup.1] , Shikha Mittoo [sup.4] , Shane Shapera [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0001 [...]

Cancer cells can evade immune surveillance through the expression of inhibitory ligands that bind their cognate receptors on immune effector cells. Expression of programmed death ligand 1 in tumor microenvironments is a major immune checkpoint for tumor-specific T cell responses as it binds to programmed cell death protein-1 on activated and dysfunctional T cells.sup.1. The activity of myeloid cells such as macrophages and neutrophils is likewise regulated by a balance between stimulatory and inhibitory signals. In particular, cell surface expression of the CD47 protein creates a 'don't eat me' signal on tumor cells by binding to SIRP[alpha] expressed on myeloid cells.sup.2-5. Using a haploid genetic screen, we here identify glutaminyl-peptide cyclotransferase-like protein (QPCTL) as a major component of the CD47-SIRP[alpha] checkpoint. Biochemical analysis demonstrates that QPCTL is critical for pyroglutamate formation on CD47 at the SIRP[alpha] binding site shortly after biosynthesis. Genetic and pharmacological interference with QPCTL activity enhances antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis and cellular cytotoxicity of tumor cells. Furthermore, interference with QPCTL expression leads to a major increase in neutrophil-mediated killing of tumor cells in vivo. These data identify QPCTL as a novel target to interfere with the CD47 pathway and thereby augment antibody therapy of cancer. QPCTL is a modifier of CD47-SIRP[alpha] binding and its blockade enhances macrophage- and neutrophil-mediated antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity towards tumor cells., Author(s): Meike E. W. Logtenberg [sup.1] , J. H. Marco Jansen [sup.2] , Matthijs Raaben [sup.3] , Mireille Toebes [sup.1] , Katka Franke [sup.4] , Arianne M. Brandsma [sup.2] , [...]

The first enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) isolate (Fermon) was identified in 1962 (1,2). Before a 2014 EV-D68 outbreak, US reports of EV-D68 were relatively sparse ( The Study We assessed the [...]

Introduction: Over the last two decades, the incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV began increasing in post-industrialized countries. Little is known about transmission of acute or recent HCV, in particular among MSM living with HIV co-infection, which creates uncertainty about potential for reinfection after HCV treatment. Using phylogenetic methods, clinical, epidemiological and molecular data can be combined to better understand transmission patterns. These insights may help identify strategies to reduce reinfection risk, enhancing effectiveness of HCV treatment as prevention strategies. The aim of this study was to identify multi-risk profiles and factors associated with phylogenetic pairs and clusters among people with recent HCV infection. Methods: Data and specimens from five studies of recent HCV in Australia and New Zealand (2004 to 2015) were used. HCV Core-E2 sequences were used to infer maximum likelihood trees. Clusters were identified using 90% bootstrap and 5% genetic distance threshold. Multivariate logistic regression and latent class analyses were performed. Results: Among 237 participants with Core-E2 sequences, 47% were in a pair/cluster. Among HIV/HCV co-infected participants, 60% (74/123) were in a pair/cluster, compared to 30% (34/114) with HCV mono-infection (p < 0.001). HIV/HCV co-infection (vs. HCV mono-infection; adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 2.37, 95% confidence interval(CI), 1.45, 5.15) was independently associated with phylogenetic clustering. Latent class analysis identified three distinct risk profiles: (1) people who inject drugs, (2) HIV-positive gay and bisexual men (GBM) with low probability of injecting drug use (IDU) and (3) GBM with IDU & sexual risk behaviour. Class 2 (vs. Class 1, AOR 3.40; 95% CI, 1.52, 7.60), was independently associated with phylogenetic clustering. Many clusters displayed homogeneous characteristics, such as containing individuals exclusively from one city, individuals all with HIV/HCV co-infection or individuals sharing the same route of acquisition of HCV. Conclusions: Clusters containing individuals with specific characteristics suggest that HCV transmission occurs through discrete networks, particularly among HIV/HCV co-infected individuals. The greater proportion of clustering found among HIV/HCV co-infected participants highlights the need to provide broad direct-acting antiviral access encouraging rapid uptake in this population and ongoing monitoring of the phylogeny. Keywords: human immunodeficiency virus; hepatitis C virus; co-infection; phylogenetic clustering; latent class analysis; multi-risk profiles; gay and bisexual men; people who inject drugs, 1 | INTRODUCTION Globally, the prevalence and incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among people who inject drugs (PWID) is high, with approximately 42.4% to 62.1% of PWID estimated [...]

The availability of biological reference materials, including antigens, antibodies, and nucleic acids, is essential for development of vaccines, biotherapeutics, and diagnostics (1). Complex macromolecules, such as immunoglobulins, or genetic material [...]

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) can be broadly divided into Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) from their clinical phenotypes. Over 150 host susceptibility genes have been described, although most overlap between CD, UC and their subtypes, and they do not adequately account for the overall incidence or the highly variable severity of disease. Replicating key findings between two long-term IBD cohorts, we have defined distinct networks of taxa associations within intestinal biopsies of CD and UC patients. Disturbances in an association network containing taxa of the Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae families, typically producing short chain fatty acids, characterize frequently relapsing disease and poor responses to treatment with anti-TNF-[alpha] therapeutic antibodies. Alterations of taxa within this network also characterize risk of later disease recurrence of patients in remission after the active inflamed segment of CD has been surgically removed. A disturbed microbial network characterizes relapsing refractory Crohn's disease and antedates disease recurrence after surgical removal of the active disease segment., Author(s): Bahtiyar Yilmaz [sup.1] [sup.2] , Pascal Juillerat [sup.1] [sup.2] , Ove Øyås [sup.3] , Charlotte Ramon [sup.3] , Francisco Damian Bravo [sup.2] , Yannick Franc [sup.4] , Nicolas Fournier [...]