0000000000542675

AUTHOR

Eleonora Cimini

0000-0002-2659-0868

Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Specifically Suppress IFN-γ Production and Antitumor Cytotoxic Activity of Vδ2 T Cells.

γδ T cells represent less than 5% of circulating T cells; they exert a potent cytotoxic function against tumor or infected cells and secrete cytokines like conventional αβ T cells. As αβ T cells γδ T cells reside in the typical T cell compartments (the lymph nodes and spleen), but are more widely distributed in tissues throughout the body. For these reasons, some investigators are exploring the possibility of immunotherapies aimed to expand and activate Vδ2 T cells, or using them as Chimeric Antigen Receptor carriers. However, the role of immunosuppressive microenvironment on Vδ2 T cells during infections and cancers has not been completely elucidated. In particular, the effects of myeloid-…

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COVID-19 in people living with HIV: Clinical implications of dynamics of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2.

ABSTRACT Background Little evidence on COVID‐19 in people living with HIV (PLWH) is currently available. Material and Methods We reported clinical and viro‐immunological data of all HIV‐positive patients admitted to our centre with COVID‐19 from March 1 to May 12,2020. Results Overall, five patients were included: all were virologically‐suppressed on antiretroviral therapy and CD4+ count was >350 cell/mm3 in all but two patients. Although all patients had evidence of pneumonia on admission, only one developed respiratory failure. SARS‐CoV‐2‐RNA was never detected from nasopharyngeal swabs in two patients, whereas, in the others, viral clearance occurred within a maximum of 43 days. IgG prod…

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The unbalanced p53/SIRT1 axis may impact lymphocyte homeostasis in COVID-19 patients

Abstract Background/objectives A dysregulated inflammatory profile plays an important role in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pathogenesis. Moreover, the depletion of lymphocytes is typically associated with an unfavourable disease course. We studied the role and impact of p53 and deacetylase Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) on lymph-monocyte homeostasis and their possible effect on T and B cell signalling. Methods Gene expression analysis and flow cytometry were performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 35 COVID-19 patients and 10 healthy donors (HD). Inflammatory cytokines, the frequency of Annexin+ cells among CD3+ T cells and CD19+ B cell subsets were quantified. Results PBMC from …

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An Inflammatory Profile Correlates With Decreased Frequency of Cytotoxic Cells in Coronavirus Disease 2019

Abstract Increased production of inflammatory cytokines and myeloid-derived suppressor cells occurs in patients with coronavirus disease 2019. These inversely correlated with perforin-expressing natural killer (NK) and CD3+ T cells. We observed a lower number of perforin-expressing NK cells in intensive care unit (ICU) patients compared with non-ICU patients, suggesting an impairment of the immune cytotoxic arm as a pathogenic mechanism.

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GRAd-COV2, a gorilla adenovirus-based candidate vaccine against COVID-19, is safe and immunogenic in younger and older adults

International audience; Safe and effective vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are essential for ending the ongoing pandemic. Although impressive progress has been made with several COVID-19 vaccines already approved, it is clear that those developed so far cannot meet the global vaccine demand alone. We describe a COVID-19 vaccine based on a replication-defective gorilla adenovirus expressing the stabilized prefusion severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein named GRAd-COV2. We assessed the safety and immunogenicity of a single-dose regimen of this vaccine in healthy younger and older adults to select the appropriate dose for each age group…

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GRAd-COV2, a gorilla adenovirus based candidate vaccine against COVID-19, is safe and immunogenic in young and older adults

AbstractSafe and effective vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are urgently needed to control the ongoing pandemic. Although impressive progress has been made with several COVID-19 vaccines already approved, it is clear that those developed so far cannot meet the global vaccine demand. We have developed a COVID-19 vaccine based on a replication-defective gorilla adenovirus expressing the stabilized pre-fusion SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, named GRAd-COV2. We aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of a single-dose regimen of this vaccine in healthy younger and older adults to select the appropriate dose for each age group. To this purpose, a phase 1, dose-escalation, open…

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Different Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Infection of Asymptomatic, Mild, and Severe Cases

Abstract Background SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus, not encountered before by humans. The wide spectrum of clinical expression of SARS-CoV-2 illness suggests that individual immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 play a crucial role in determining the clinical course after first infection. Immunological studies have focussed on patients with moderate to severe disease, demonstrating excessive inflammation in tissues and organ damage. We have studied the individual response to SARS-CoV-2 of asympromatic, mild and severe COVID-19 patients in order to investigate the role of innnate and adaptive immunity in determining the clinical course after first infection. Methods To understand the basis of th…

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