Should hikers have a backup map plan in case their phone map malfunctions or their phone gets lost? This is what a recent study published in the Journal of | Technology
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Impact of cellular proteases on the function of antiviral antibodies
Microbiology Monday: Antibodies play a key role in clearing viruses from the body—but there are a lot of ways viruses evade them. For instance, viral infections can hijack host proteases to reduce antibody effectiveness. These proteases lob off viral antigens expressed on host cell membranes, creating soluble decoys that bind antibodies and hinder their neutralizing powers, among other mechanisms. Learn more in JVirology.
Viruses and their hosts have been co-evolving in a continual arms race for fitness and survival, respectively (1). In humans, the innate and adaptive arms of immunity intimately interact to control infection. Antibodies (Abs), secreted by certain activated B cells, are an essential portion of the adaptive immune response and are a major pillar in the viral clearance of both enveloped viruses as well as some non-enveloped viruses (1–5). Certain antibodies are developed with the ability, through their fragment antigen-binding region, to bind to viral epitopes and, through a variety of methods (e.g., steric obstruction or changing conformation), result in the neutralization of the target antigen (4).
Antibodies are also a bridge between the adaptive and innate immune responses. Through their fragment crystallizable (Fc) region, antibodies bind to either activators of the complement system or Fc Receptors (FcR) on effector cells, inducing the so-called antibody “effector” or “non-neutralizing” functions, such as complement-mediated cytotoxicity, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), or antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (6–8). Together, neutralization and effector function induction place antibodies as correlates of protection across many infections (9–11), as well as at the center of vaccine and therapeutic monoclonal antibody design (2–4, 12).
Apart from complement activation, induction of effector functions depends on the formation of an immune synapse between an antibody-coated target and an effector cell. Globally, this immune synapse depends on Ab density on the target membrane, cofactors within the effector cells (adhesion molecules, signaling molecules, or cofactors such as NKG2D on NK cells), and conditioning by the microenvironment (cytokines, pH, etc.). For complement, completion of the cascade and elimination of viruses and/or infected cells depend on the initial hexamerization of the antibody’s Fc on the target surface and the presence and activity of several inhibitory factors existing within the cascade (7, 11).
First evidence of a ‘critical priority’ fungal pathogen becoming more deadly when co-infected with tuberculosis
Cryptococcus neoformans is one of four fungi classified as “critical priority” on the WHO’s Fungal Pathogens Priority List, which was published in October 2022 following decades of research and calls for fungal pathogens to be classified alongside their bacterial and viral counterparts.
The fungus infects people through inhalation of spores or yeast cells in the environment, first colonizing the lungs and can then spread to the brain. In 2020, an estimated 112,000 deaths were associated globally to fungal meningitis caused by C. neoformans.
Increasing evidence shows that co-infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, together with C. neoformans, is a grave public health concern, increasing the risk of death significantly compared to fungal infection alone.
Neuronal networks in the dorsal hippocampus causally regulate rescue behavior in mice
Dos Santos Correa et al. show that exposure to a stressful context promotes the acquisition of rescue behavior in mice and that the dorsal hippocampus is required for this learning. Calcium imaging reveals synchronized neuronal ensembles in the dHPC that mechanistically support successful prosocial rescues.
Shoulder scans in most people above 40 show rotator cuff abnormalities, pain or not
Shoulder pain is the third most common musculoskeletal complaint seen by doctors, affecting approximately 18–31% of the global population each month. Up to 85% of these cases are due to problems with the rotator cuff (RC)—the shoulder’s built-in support system. Made up of four muscles and their tendons, the RC keeps the upper arm bone securely in the socket while allowing the arm to lift, rotate, and move smoothly.
A Finnish Imaging of Shoulder (FIMAGE) study found that rotator cuff changes on MRI are nearly universal after age 40. Overall, 99% of people in this age group showed some form of abnormality on imaging, whether or not they had shoulder pain. The findings are published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The results point toward the fact that many MRI findings likely reflect normal age-related changes in RC rather than the true source of pain. The researchers suggest that routine imaging should not be taken as the sole guide for the diagnosis or treatment of shoulder pain.
Oxytocin reverses anxiety-like behavior after three months of isolation in mice
Periods of prolonged social isolation have long been associated with difficult emotions and, in some cases, with the emergence of psychiatric symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and difficulties connecting with others. Some past psychology studies have suggested that chronic isolation during adolescence, the critical stage between childhood and adulthood, can disrupt the structure and functioning of a brain region known as the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
The PFC is known to play a critical role in various mental functions, including decision-making and the regulation of emotions. Disruptions to this brain region could thus explain the emotional and social difficulties experienced by many people after long periods of isolation.
Researchers at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and other institutes recently carried out a study involving mice that investigated the potential of oxytocin (OXT), a hormone released when bonding or cuddling with others, as a therapeutic target for the mental health symptoms arising from chronic isolation. Their findings, published in Translational Psychiatry, suggest that this hormone could reverse some of the adverse effects of prolonged isolation.
SGLT2 Inhibitors and Cardiorenal Outcomes in T2D With Liver Cirrhosis
Among adults with Type2Diabetes and liver cirrhosis, SGLT2 inhibitor use was associated with lower risks of end-stage kidney disease, cardiovascular events, mortality, and hepatic decompensation compared with DPP4 inhibitors.
Importance Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and liver cirrhosis frequently coexist, creating a high-risk population for adverse outcomes. Patients with both conditions face elevated risks of kidney and cardiovascular complications, yet evidence regarding optimal antidiabetic therapy in this vulnerable population remains limited.
Objective To evaluate the association of sodium-glucose cotransporter–2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) vs dipeptidyl peptidase–4 inhibitor (DPP4i) use with kidney outcomes, cardiovascular events, and hepatic decompensation in patients with concurrent T2D and liver cirrhosis.
Design, Setting, and Participants This nationwide retrospective cohort study utilized data from the Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Database between May 2016 and December 2023. Adults with both T2D and liver cirrhosis who initiated either SGLT2is or DPP4is were included.
Unfinished business: ending the HIV epidemic
SINCE the 1980s, researchers have worked tirelessly to develop effective treatments that can suppress the HIV virus to undetectable levels. As a result, by taking a single daily dose of an antiretroviral (ARV) medicine, people with HIV can now expect to live long and healthy lives – as well as prevent transmission to others.
The impact has been dramatic, with annual global AIDS-related deaths having fallen from 2.1 million at the peak in 2004 to 630,000 in 2024. The number of new acquisitions has plummeted too: an estimated 1.3 million people acquired the virus in 2024, marking a 60 per cent decline since the peak in 1995.
“We’re at a pivotal moment in the quest to end the HIV epidemic,” says Jean van Wyk, chief medical officer at ViiV Healthcare. This quest is to meet the UN’s 2030 goals that ViiV has been involved with since the 1980s as the pioneers of the first ARV medicine.