Search

The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine protects against all-cause mortality in children, but the immunological mechanisms mediating these effects are poorly known. We systematically investigated whether MMR can induce long-term functional changes in innate immune cells, a process termed trained immunity, that could at least partially mediate this heterologous protection. In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 39 healthy adults received either the MMR vaccine or a placebo. Using single-cell RNA-Seq, we found that MMR caused transcriptomic changes in CD14+ monocytes and NK cells, but most profoundly in γδ T cells. Monocyte function was not altered by MMR vaccination. In contrast, the function of γδ T cells was markedly enhanced by MMR vaccination, with higher production of TNF and IFN-γ, as well as upregulation of cellular metabolic pathways. In conclusion, we describe a trained immunity program characterized by modulation of γδ T cell function induced by MMR vaccination.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine is well known for inducing trained immunity in myeloid and natural killer cells, which can explain its cross-protective effect against heterologous infections. Although displaying functional characteristics of both adaptive and innate immunity, γδ T-cell memory has been only addressed in a pathogen-specific context. In this study, we aimed to determine whether human γδ T cells can mount trained immunity and therefore contribute to the cross-protective effect of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine. We investigated in vivo induction of innate memory in γδ T cells by Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination in healthy human volunteers by combining single-cell RNA sequencing technology with immune functional assays. The total number of γδ T cells and membrane markers of activation was not influenced by Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination. In contrast, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin changed γδ T cells' transcriptional programs and increased their responsiveness to heterologous bacterial and fungal stimuli, including lipopolysaccharide and Candida albicans, as simultaneously characterized by higher tumor necrosis factor and interferon γ production, weeks after vaccination. Human γδ T cells in adults display the potential to develop a trained immunity phenotype after Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement. L.A.B.J. and M.G.N. are scientific founders of TTxD and Lemba. All authors claim no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for Leukocyte Biology.)

The ability to perform in vitro fertilization, together with sperm cryopreservation, greatly facilitates the long-term laboratory maintenance of wild-type and transgenic model organisms and helps prevent genetic drift. It is also useful in cases where reproduction may be compromised. In this protocol, we present a method for in vitro fertilization of the African Turquoise killifish Nothobranchius furzeri that is compatible with the use of fresh or cryopreserved sperm., (© 2023 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.)

Sperm cryopreservation is an essential method for the genetic preservation and long-term storage of wild-type and transgenic animal stocks. In addition, it allows for the synchronization of gamete availability and the transport and sharing of lines between different laboratories. Here, we describe a protocol developed in our laboratory for the extraction and cryopreservation of killifish ( Nothobranchius furzeri ) sperm., (© 2023 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.)

Both innate errors of immunity, such as familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), and the common inflammatory disease gout are characterized by episodes of sterile inflammatory attacks in the absence of an infection. While these disorders encompass distinct pathologies due to differentially affected metabolic pathways and inflammasome activation mechanisms, their common features are the excessive production of interleukin (IL)-1ß and innate immune cell hyperreactivity. On the other hand, the role of T cells and innate-like lymphocytes such as gamma delta (γδ) T cells in these pathologies is ill-defined. In order to widen our understanding of T cell involvement in CGD, FMF and gout pathology, we developed multicolour immunophenotyping panels for flow cytometry to characterize γδ T cells as well as CD4 and CD8 T cell populations in terms of their cytokine production, activation status, memory or naive phenotypes, exhaustion status, homing receptor expression, and cytotoxic activity. Our study is the first deep immunophenotyping analysis of T cell populations in CGD, FMF, and gout patients. We found that CGD affects the frequencies and activation status of T cells, while gout impairs the cytokine production capacity of Vδ2 T cells. FMF was characterized by decreased percentages of regulatory T cells in circulation and attenuated IFN-γ production capacity by Vδ2 T cells. Autoinflammatory syndromes and congenital defects of phagocyte differentially affect T cell compartments. Future studies are warranted to assess whether these phenotypical changes are relevant for disease pathology., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

With the growing body of evidence, it is now clear that not only adaptive immune cells but also innate immune cells can mount a more rapid and potent nonspecific immune response to subsequent exposures. This process is known as trained immunity or innate (learned) immune memory. This review discusses the different immune and nonimmune cell types of the central and peripheral immune systems that can develop trained immunity. This review highlights the intracellular signaling and metabolic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying the formation of innate immune memory. Finally, this review explores the health implications together with the potential therapeutic interventions harnessing trained immunity., (Copyright © 2023 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The ever-growing number of articles related to full-endoscopic spine surgery published in the last few decades presents a challenge which is perplexing and time-consuming in identifying the current research status. The study aims to identify and analyze the most cited works related to full-endoscopic decompression spine surgery, compare the articles published by different publishers and area, and show the current publication status of full-endoscopic research., Methods: Using Bibliometrix, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer, we analyzed the bibliometric data selected from the Web of Science database between 1992 and 2022. Spine has the highest H-index with the most-cited journal in the field of full-endoscopic decompression spine surgery. China ranked as the most productive country, whereas the most cited with high H-index papers came from South Korea. For the author analysis, Yeung AT, Ruetten S, Hoogland T, Ahn Y, Choi G, and Mayer HM were the most impactful authors in the global and local citations. The most productive organization is Wooridul Spine Hospital., Conclusion: The bibliometric study showed a growing trend of research on full-endoscopic decompression spine surgery over the past 30 years. It has demonstrated that there is a significant increase in the number of authors, institutions, and internationally collaborated countries. However, the quality of studies is still low, and the lack of high-quality clinical evidence and the trend of general journal submissions has somewhat affected the quality of endoscopy journals in recent years.

We discuss the technical details and operative advantages of approaching pathologies from the contralateral side in cases of asymmetric spinal stenosis. The contralateral approach offers better manipulative freedom and a more accessible target approach along the plane of the pathology, allowing safer decompression and facet preservation; further, this approach is ergonomic for surgeons. We recommend the adoption of this approach in decompressing asymmetric spinal stenosis.

Over the last decade, the African turquoise killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, has emerged as an important model system for the study of vertebrate biology and ageing. Propagation of laboratory inbred strains of Nothobranchius furzeri, such as GRZ, however, can pose challenges due to the short window of fertility, the efforts and space requirements involved in continuous strain maintenance, and the risks of further inbreeding. The current method for long term strain preservation relies on arrest of embryos in diapause. To create an alternative for long term maintenance, we developed a robust protocol to cryopreserve and revive sperm for in vitro fertilization (IVF). We tested a variety of extender and activator buffers for sperm IVF, as well as cryoprotectants to achieve practical long-term storage and fertilization conditions tailored to this species. Our protocol enabled sperm to be preserved in a cryogenic condition for months and to be revived with an average of 40% viability upon thawing. Thawed sperm were able to fertilize nearly the same number of eggs as natural fertilization, with an average of ~ 25% and peaks of ~ 55% fertilization. This technical advance will greatly facilitate the use of N. furzeri as a model organism., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background and Study Aims:  Technically and anatomically, accessing a high-grade migrated lumbar disk herniation (LDH) using traditional full endoscopic lumbar diskectomy (FELD) approaches (either transforaminal or interlaminar) is challenging. The objective of this study was to present an effective and safe surgical approach for high-grade up-migrated LDH by translaminar FELD., Patients and Methods:  Thirteen patients with soft high-grade up-migrated LDH treated with a translaminar FELD between May 2015 and July 2018 were reviewed in this study. Five of these patients had very high-grade up-migration. Clinical outcomes were assessed including preoperative and postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) for back and leg pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and MacNab criteria., Results:  Overall, 7 of the 13 patients had disk-fragment migration at L4-L5: three at L5-S1, two at L3-L4, and the remaining one at L2-L3. In all cases, the highly up-migrated LDH was removed successfully through the translaminar approach, as confirmed by postoperative magnetic resonance imaging. The improvements of VAS for back and leg pain were 4.5 ± 0.9 to 1.3 ± 1.3 and 7.1 ± 1.0 to 1.6 ± 0.7, respectively (both p  < 0.05). The ODI decreased from preoperative 41.9 ± 6.0 to postoperative 13.0 ± 4.1 ( p  < 0.05). According to the MacNab criteria, the satisfaction rate was 92.3% (excellent or good outcomes). None of the patients experienced any perioperative complications or recurrence during the follow-up period., Conclusion:  Although full endoscopic technique via the translaminar keyhole route may not be used as a routine surgical approach, it could serve as a feasible alternative method for patients with highly up-migrated disk herniation., Competing Interests: None declared., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate clinical and radiologic results as well as biomechanical changes after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), cervical disc replacement (CDR), and posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF) and/or discectomy in individuals with unilateral single-level cervical radiculopathy., Methods: A total of 97 patients received surgical treatment for unilateral intolerable radiculopathy between February 2012 and August 2017. Clinical outcomes included Neck Disability Index (NDI), visual analogue scale (VAS) for neck and arm pain, and modified Odom's criteria. Range of motion (ROM) of the whole cervical (C-ROM), operated segment (S-ROM), and upper and lower adjacent segment (U-ROM and L-ROM) were measured., Results: A total of 55 ACDFs, 21 CDRs, and 21 PCFs were performed. Clinical improvement in NDI and VAS scores were significant after surgery; however, there was no statistical significance among groups. Satisfaction rate (based on Odom's criteria) of PCF (76.2%) was inferior to that of ACDF (90.9%) and CDR (90.5%) without statistical difference. S-ROM, U-ROM, and L-ROM were slightly better in the CDR and PCF groups, without statistical significance. C-ROM significantly increased in CDR group (P = 0.04) and slightly increased in PCF group (P = 0.27). In the ACDF group, C-ROM decreased (P = 0.21) and on the contrary, the U-ROM and L-ROM increased (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: ACDF, CDR, and PCF resulted in pain relief and improvement in neck function for patients with unilateral radiculopathy. Comparatively, ACDF provides the lowest reoperation rate. CDR is effective in ameliorating cervical ROMs. PCF has a greater probability of reoperation; however, ROM after surgery is better than with ACDF., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To measure the morphological dimensions of the spinous process (SP) and interspinous space, and provide a basis for the development of interspinous devices for the Korean or East Asian populations., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the anatomical parameters of 120 patients. The parameters included height, length, and width of SP, interspinous distance (supine, standing, and dynamic), cortical thickness of SP, and spino-laminar (S-L) angle. Correlations between measurements, age, and gender were investigated., Results: The largest height, length, and cortical thickness and S-L angle were noted at L3. The largest width was observed at S1. The interspinous distance decreased significantly from L2-3 to L5-S1 and was significantly larger in the supine than in standing posture for L5-S1. Cortical thickness was gradually tapered from the anterior to the posterior position. The S-L angle at L2 and L3 was similar and significantly decreased from L3 to S1. An increased trend in width with aging and a decreased trend in distance (supine) were noted. A significant increase in height, length, and distance in males compared with females was also observed., Conclusions: The interspinous space is wider at the anterior, and the cortex is thicker anteriorly. Accordingly, it appears that the optimized implant position lies in the interspinous space anteriorly. The varying interspinous space with different postures and gradually narrowing with age suggest the need for caution when sizing the device. Gender differences also need to be considered when designing implantable devices.

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is the most common degenerative disease of the spine in elderly patients. Although there are several surgical options for the treatment of this disease, minimally invasive techniques for localized decompression of the true clinical generator of the patient's disease has revolutionized spinal surgery recently. This article presents an alternate application of the anterior transcorporeal tunnel approach in combination with computed tomography (CT)-based intraoperative navigation in the treatment of patients with cervical myelopathy secondary to spondylosis. Three clinical cases are used as examples to demonstrate how this procedure can be used to decompress a localized target in cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Clinical images of each case are shown. Cervical decompression was successfully achieved in all three patients, with the improvement of preoperative symptoms. The anterior transcorporeal tunnel approach combined with the use of CT-based intraoperative spinal navigation may be a feasible minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy in selected cases., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We studied the efficacy and safety of intravenous ondansetron 4 mg for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting after minor gynaecological laparoscopic surgery in Oriental women. This double-blind randomised study compared ondansetron with placebo, given before the induction of anaesthesia. The anaesthetic technique used thiopentone, fentanyl, atracurium, nitrous oxide and isoflurane. Patients were studied for 24 h with nausea assessed using a verbal numeric scale from 0-10 and emetic episodes recorded as they occurred. Results were available for 102 patients in each group. In the first postoperative hour, fewer patients in the ondansetron Group (12%) had emetic episodes compared with the placebo group (33%, P < 0.01). Nausea score over the first hour (sum of three readings at 0, 30 and 60 min) was lower in the ondansetron group (median 1.6) compared with the placebo group (3.1, P < 0.05). Over the 24 h period, fewer patients in the ondansetron group had emetic episodes (25%) or nausea (43%) compared with patients in the placebo group (56%, P < 0.01) and (58%, P < 0.05) respectively. No adverse events were seen. Ondansetron 4 mg was more effective than placebo in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting throughout the 24 h after minor laparoscopic surgery.