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Background Despite being considered a high-risk population for invasive fungal disease, specific features of candidemia among solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients remain poorly characterized. Methods We compiled prospective data from two multicenter studies on candidemia performed over two consecutive periods in Spain: the CANDIPOP Study (2010-2011) and the CANDI-Bundle Study (2016-2018). Episodes diagnosed in adult SOT recipients in 10 participating centers were included. Risk factors for clinical failure (all-cause 7-day mortality and/or persistent candidemia for >= 72 hours) and 30-day mortality were investigated by univariate analysis. Results We included 55 episodes of post-transplant candidemia (32 and 23 of which occurred during the first and second periods). Kidney (38.2%) and liver recipients (30.9%) were the most common populations. Candida albicans accounted for 27.3% of episodes. The proportion of C glabrata increased over time (18.8% vs 30.4% for the first and second periods). There were no differences in the rate of fluconazole non-susceptible isolates (50.0% vs 60.0%, respectively). Clinical failure and 30-day mortality occurred in 25.5% and 27.3% of episodes and were associated with the severity of candidemia (Pitt score and severe sepsis/septic shock). Kidney transplantation (unadjusted odds ratio [uOR]: 0.17; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03-0.85; P-value = .020), early catheter removal (uOR: 0.15; 95% CI: 0.03-0.76; P-value = .013), and appropriate early antifungal therapy (uOR: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.02-0.89; P-value = .041) were protective for 30-day mortality. Conclusions High rates of non-albicans species and fluconazole non-susceptibility must be taken into account to optimize therapeutic management and outcomes in SOT recipients with candidemia.

CANDIPOP Project, the CANDI‐Bundle Group GEIRAS‐GEMICOMED (SEIMC) REIPI., [Background] Despite being considered a high‐risk population for invasive fungal disease, specific features of candidemia among solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients remain poorly characterized., [Methods] We compiled prospective data from two multicenter studies on candidemia performed over two consecutive periods in Spain: the CANDIPOP Study (2010‐2011) and the CANDI‐Bundle Study (2016‐2018). Episodes diagnosed in adult SOT recipients in 10 participating centers were included. Risk factors for clinical failure (all‐cause 7‐day mortality and/or persistent candidemia for ≥72 hours) and 30‐day mortality were investigated by univariate analysis., [Results] We included 55 episodes of post‐transplant candidemia (32 and 23 of which occurred during the first and second periods). Kidney (38.2%) and liver recipients (30.9%) were the most common populations. Candida albicans accounted for 27.3% of episodes. The proportion of C glabrata increased over time (18.8% vs 30.4% for the first and second periods). There were no differences in the rate of fluconazole non‐susceptible isolates (50.0% vs 60.0%, respectively). Clinical failure and 30‐day mortality occurred in 25.5% and 27.3% of episodes and were associated with the severity of candidemia (Pitt score and severe sepsis/septic shock). Kidney transplantation (unadjusted odds ratio [uOR]: 0.17; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03‐0.85; P ‐value = .020), early catheter removal (uOR: 0.15; 95% CI: 0.03‐0.76; P ‐value = .013), and appropriate early antifungal therapy (uOR: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.02‐0.89; P ‐value = .041) were protective for 30‐day mortality., [Conclusions] High rates of non‐albicans species and fluconazole non‐susceptibility must be taken into account to optimize therapeutic management and outcomes in SOT recipients with candidemia., The CANDIPOP Project was supported by non‐restrictive research grants from Gilead Sciences, MSD, Astellas Pharma, and Pfizer. This study was cofounded by Fundación SEIMC‐GESIDA, by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (co‐financed by the European Development Regional Fund [ERDF] >A way to achieve Europe>), and by the Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD12/0015). The CANDI‐Bundle Study was supported by “Plan Nacional de I + D+I” and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias [FIS] PI15/00744), Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD16/0016). MFR holds a research contract “Miguel Servet” (CP 18/00073) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Instituto de Salud Carlos III.

Objectives: Rezafungin (CD101) is a new long-acting echinocandin allowing weekly dosing, currently undergoing phase-II clinical trials for invasive candidiasis. The aim of this study was to assess rezafungin's in vitro activity against the most frequent Candida species following the EUCAST methodology. Methods: The susceptibility of 2018 clinical Candida isolates was determined at four European laboratories. In parallel, six control strains were repeatedly tested. Wild-type upper limits (WT-ULs), defined as the MIC value where the wild-type distribution ends, were determined following the principles for EUCAST ECOFF-setting. Results: The lowest rezafungin MICs (geometric MIC (GM-MIC), MIC range (mg/L)) were observed for C. albicans (0.016, 0.002–0.125) and the highest for C. parapsilosis (1.657, 0.063->4). MICs for the remaining species were in between these values (GM-MICs 0.048–0.055). Visual and statistical WT-ULs were identical for C. glabrata (0.125), C. krusei (0.125), C. parapsilosis (4), and C. tropicalis (0.25). If adopting these WT-ULs for classification into WT and non-WT populations, 1/413 C. glabrata, 1/402 C. krusei, 1/398 C. parapsilosis, and 1/402 C. tropicalis isolates were categorized as non-WT, all of which derived from Laboratory 1. For C. albicans unexplained laboratory variation was observed (WT-UL: 0.063–0.125 in Laboratories 1 and 2 versus 0.016 in Laboratories 3 and 4). A similar systematic difference was observed comparing the MICs for the three C. albicans QC strains, specifically, obtained in Laboratories 1and 2 with those in Laboratories 3 and 4. Discussion: Rezafungin displayed species-specific activity similar to other echinocandins. Interlaboratory variation was observed for the most susceptible species C. albicans clinical and QC strains, an observation that warrants further investigation. © 2018 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Objective: Our aims were to examine the ability of the human papillomaviruse (HPV) 16 E2 protein to induce apoptosis in a murine HPV-transformed cell line, and to evaluate its antitumor properties on HPV-associated tumors in vivo in immunocompetent mice. Methods: HPV-transformed murine BMK-16/myc cells and human SiHa cells were transfected with the HPV 16 E2 gene to examine the effects of the E2 protein on cell growth and on the E6 and E7 oncogenes as well as DNA fragmentation and activation of the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Finally, to test the antitumor effect of the E2 protein on an experimental mouse tumor model, we generated a recombinant adenovirus expressing the E2 protein. Results: The E2 protein inhibited the growth of SiHa and BMK-16/myc cell lines, and repressed the E6 and E7 oncogenes. Moreover, the E2 protein induced DNA fragmentation and apoptosis through activation of caspases 8 and 3 in BMK-16/myc cells. On the other hand, E2 also showed antitumor effects in vivo. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that E2 exerts pro-apoptotic activity in a murine HPV-transformed cell line as well as an antitumor effect in vivo.

Objective: Paradoxical growth (PG) and trailing effect (TE) are frequently observed during antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST). These two phenomena interfere with the determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The aim of this study was to assess the clinical impact of TE and PG. Methods: We analysed the frequency of TE and PG of 690 Candida isolates collected froma population-based study performed in Spain (CANDIPOP) and correlated the results with clinical outcome of the patients. Results: Around 70% (484/690) of the isolates exhibited TE to azoles. Candida tropicalis showed the highest presence of TE (39/53 isolates exhibited residual growth > 25% of control). No TE was seen in most of the isolates from the psilosis complex. PG was mainly associated with echinocandins. In patients treated with fluconazole within the first 48 hours after blood sampling (n = 221), the presence of TE to azoles tended to be associated with lower 30-day mortality (odds ratio (OR) 0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.25-1.00) but not with clinical failure (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.45-1.54). In the subgroup of 117 patients treated with echinocandins, the presence of PG was not associated with patient's response to antifungal treatment (OR for 30-day mortality 1.63, 95% CI 0.76-4.03; OR for clinical failure 1.17, 95% CI 0.53-2.70). Conclusions: TE or PG are widely expressed among Candida spp., although they do not seem to influence clinical outcome. (C) 2016 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trabajo presentado en la 11º Reunión de la Red Española de Levaduras, celebrada en El Escorial (España), del 13 al 15 de diciembre de 2017, The interaction of Candida albicans with the innate immune system is the key determinant of the pathogen/commensal balance. Upon phagocytosis, C. albicans adapts to the nutrient conditions within the phagosome by inducing alternative metabolic pathways, such amino acids uptake as a carbon source. The metabolism of these nutrients is essential for neutralization of the macrophage phagosome, a process that contributes to hyphal growth and fungal escape from the phagocyte. When C. albicans utilizes amino acids as the sole carbon source, it excretes ammonia raising the pH of the phagosome. This process depends on Stp2, a transcription factor that controls expression of amino acid permeases Pga1and Pga2. In C. albicans, The NDR signalling mediated by the Cbk1 kinase is required for hyphal growth and biofilm formation. Here we uncovered a new function of Cbk1 in neutralization of extracellular pH. Mutants lacking CBK1 were defective in alkalinization on amino-acid-rich medium and showed differences in post-translational modifications of Stp2 compared with wild-type cells. In addition, the hypomorpic cbk1-6A mutant showed reduced macrophage cytotoxicity. RNA seq of phagocytated cbk1-6A cells is in progress., MICINN/European Union FEDER (BIO2015-70195-C2-2R) y Ayudas a Grupos de Investigación de la Junta de Extremadura (GR15008).

Oscar Peralta-Zaragoza,1 Víctor Hugo Bermúdez-Morales,1 Carlos Pérez-Plasencia,2,3 Jonathan Salazar-León,1 Claudia Gómez-Cerón,1 Vicente Madrid-Marina11Direction of Chronic Infections and Cancer, Research Center in Infection Diseases, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México; 2Oncogenomics Laboratory, National Cancer Institute of Mexico, Tlalpan, México; 3Biomedicine Unit, FES-Iztacala UNAM, México City, MéxicoAbstract: Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide and the development of new diagnosis, prognostic, and treatment strategies merits special attention. Although surgery and chemoradiotherapy can cure 80%–95% of women with early stage cancer, the recurrent and metastatic disease remains a major cause of cancer death. Many efforts have been made to design new drugs and develop gene therapies to treat cervical cancer. In recent decades, research on treatment strategies has proposed several options, including the role of HPV E6 and E7 oncogenes, which are retained and expressed in most cervical cancers and whose respective oncoproteins are critical to the induction and maintenance of the malignant phenotype. Other efforts have been focused on antitumor immunotherapy strategies. It is known that during the development of cervical cancer, a cascade of abnormal events is induced, including disruption of cellular cycle control, perturbation of antitumor immune response, alteration of gene expression, and deregulation of microRNA expression. Thus, in this review article we discuss potential targets for the treatment of cervical cancer associated with HPV infection, with special attention to immunotherapy approaches, clinical trials, siRNA molecules, and their implications as gene therapy strategies against cervical cancer development.Keywords: Cervical cancer, clinical trials, gene therapy, HPV E6 and E7 oncogenes, siRNAs

Persistent infection with high-risk HPV is the etiologic agent associated with the development of cervical cancer (CC) development. However, environmental, social, epidemiological, genetic, and host factors may have a joint influence on the risk of disease progression. Cervical lesions caused by HPV infection can be removed naturally by the host immune response and only a small percentage may progress to cancer; thus, the immune response is essential for the control of precursor lesions and CC. We present a review of recent research on the molecular mechanisms that allow HPV-infected cells to evade immune surveillance and potential targets of molecular therapy to inhibit tumor immune escape.

CANDIPOP Project: B. Padilla, P. Muñoz, J. Guinea, J. R. Paño Pardo, J. García-Rodríguez, C. G. Cerrada, J. Fortún, P. Martín, E. Gómez, P. Ryan, C. Campelo, I. de los Santos, Gil, V. Buendía, B. P. Gorricho, M. Alonso, F. S. Sanz, J. M. Aguado, P. Merino, F. González Romo, M. Gorgolas, I. Gadea, J. E. Losa, A. Delgado-Iribarren, A. Ramos, Y. Romero, I. S. Romero, O. Zaragoza, M. Cuenca-Estrella, J. Rodríguez-Baño, A. I. Suarez, A. Loza, A. I. Aller García, E. Martín-Mazuelos, M. R. Pérez de Pipaón, J. Garnacho, C. Ortiz, M. Chávez, F. L. Maroto, M. Salavert, J. Pemán, J. Blanquer, D. Navarro, J. J. Camarena, R. Zaragoza, V. Abril, C. Gimeno, S. Hernández, G. Ezpeleta, E. Bereciartua, J. L. Hernández Almaraz, M. Montejo, R. A. Rivas, R. Ayarza, A. M. Planes, I. R. Camps, B. Almirante, J. Mensa, M. Almela, M. Gurgui, F. Sánchez-Reus, J. Martínez-Montauti, M. Sierra, J. P. Horcajada, L.Sorli, J. Gómez, A. Gené, M. Urrea, A. Mularoni, M.Valerio, A. Díaz-Martín, F. Puchades., [Objectives] The clinical correlation of fluconazole antifungal susceptibility testing (AST) for Candida isolates and its integration with pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) parameters is unclear. We analysed the impact of fluconazole minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, 24-hour area under the concentration–time curve (AUC24) and AUC24/MIC ratio on the outcome of candidemic patients., [Methods] We included 257 episodes of candidaemia treated with fluconazole monotherapy for ≥72 hours from a population-based surveillance conducted in 29 hospitals (CANDIPOP Project). AST was centrally performed by European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) and Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) microdilution methods. Primary outcome was clinical failure (30-day mortality and/or persistent candidaemia for ≥72 hours from initiation of therapy). Secondary outcomes included early (3–7 days) and late (3–30 days) mortality., [Results] Rates of clinical failure, early and late mortality among evaluable episodes were 32.3% (80/248), 3.1% (8/257) and 23.4% (59/248). There was no relationship between fluconazole MIC values or PK/PD parameters and clinical failure. Although MIC values ≥2 mg/L by EUCAST (positive predictive value 32.1%, negative predictive value 68.7%) and ≥0.5 mg/L by CLSI (positive predictive value 34.8%, negative predictive value 74.4%) appeared to be optimal for predicting clinical failure, no significant associations remained after multivariate adjustment (odds ratio 1.67; 95% confidence interval 0.48–5.79; p 0.423). Lack of association was consistent for alternative thresholds (including proposed clinical breakpoints). The only association found for secondary outcomes was between an AUC24/MIC ratio >400 h by CLSI and early mortality (odds ratio 0.18; 95% confidence interval 0.04–0.98; p 0.026)., [Conclusions] High fluconazole MIC values did not negatively impact outcome of patients with candidaemia treated with fluconazole. No effect of PK/PD targets on the risk of clinical failure was found., Supported in part by nonrestrictive research grants from Gilead, MSD, Astellas and Pfizer. This study was cofunded by Fundación SEIMC-GESIDA; the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (cofinanced by the European Development Regional Fund (ERDF) ‘A Way to Achieve Europe’); and the Spanish Network for the Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD12/0015). MFR holds a ‘Juan Rodés’ clinical research contract (JR14/00036) and JG a ‘Miguel Servet’ contract (CPII15/00006), both from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Instituto de Salud Carlos III. MFR has received honoraria for talks on behalf of Pfizer and Gilead Sciences. JG has received grant support from Astellas Pharma, MICOLAB, the Mutua Madrileña Foundation and the Spanish Health Research Fund (FIS). He has been paid for talks on behalf of Gilead Sciences, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Astellas Pharma, Hickma Pharmaceutica and United Medical. BA has received grant support from Gilead Sciences, Pfizer and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. He has received honoraria for talks on behalf of Gilead Sciences, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Astellas Pharma and Novartis. BP has received honoraria for talks on behalf of Gilead Sciences, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Astellas Pharma and Novartis. MCE has received grant support from Astellas Pharma, bioMérieux, Gilead Sciences, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Schering Plough, Soria Melguizo SA, Ferrer International, the Europea Union, the ALBAN program, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation, the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Education, the Spanish Health Research Fund, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness), the Ramon Areces Foundation and the Mutua Madrileña Foundation.