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Background/Objectives: Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) accompanied by asthma often show poor prognoses and require continuous management. This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of eosinophil counts in nasal polyp tissue for selecting individuals who would benefit from ongoing management in CRS patients with asthma. Methods: Patients with asthma who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery for CRS with nasal polyps were included in the study. Eosinophil counts in nasal polyp tissues were quantified, and retrospective data were collected from laboratory and clinical findings, including endoscopic examinations, CT scans, and Japan Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Rating and Evaluation Committee (JESREC) scores. Disease control status was evaluated through endoscopic examination 6 months post-surgery. Results: A total of 42 patients were divided into two groups based on their disease management status 6 months post-operation: the well-control group (24 patients, 57.14%) and the poor-control group (18 patients, 42.86%). Demographics and laboratory findings did not show significant differences between the groups. However, the JESREC score (p = 0.04) and tissue eosinophil count (p = 0.02) were significantly different. Multivariate analysis identified tissue eosinophil count as the only risk factor associated with prognosis, with a cut-off value of 90/HPF. Conclusions: In CRS patients with asthma, high tissue eosinophil counts in nasal polyps were associated with poor disease control, which is the most potent predictor of prognosis. The assessment of eosinophil counts in nasal polyp tissue could aid in identifying patients who would benefit from continuous management and tailored interventions for improved outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid biosynthesis in the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis depends on biotin for posttranslational modification of key enzymes. However, the mycobacterial biotin synthetic pathway is not fully understood. Here, we show that rv1590, a gene of previously unknown function, is required by M. tuberculosis to synthesize biotin. Chemical–generic interaction experiments mapped the function of rv1590 to the conversion of dethiobiotin to biotin, which is catalyzed by biotin synthases (BioB). Biochemical studies confirmed that in contrast to BioB of Escherichia coli, BioB of M. tuberculosis requires Rv1590 (which we named "biotin synthase auxiliary protein" or BsaP), for activity. We found homologs of bsaP associated with bioB in many actinobacterial genomes, and confirmed that BioB of Mycobacteriumsmegmatis also requires BsaP. Structural comparisons of BsaP-associated biotin synthases with BsaP-independent biotin synthases suggest that the need for BsaP is determined by the [2Fe–2S] cluster that inserts sulfur into dethiobiotin. Our findings open new opportunities to seek BioB inhibitors to treat infections with M. tuberculosis and other pathogens. Lipid biosynthesis in the pathogen M. tuberculosis depends on biotin for posttranslational modification of key enzymes. Here, Qu et al. identify an auxiliary protein that is required by M. tuberculosis to synthesize biotin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of infants at 18–24 months born in the Korean Neonatal Network with a birth weight <500 g. Methods: The anthropometric and neurodevelopmental data of infants with a birth weight <500 g at a gestational age of ≥22 weeks who were registered in the Korean Neonatal Network 2013–2017 and followed up at a corrected age of 18–24 months were reviewed. Neurodevelopmental impairment was defined as the presence of any of the following: (1) cerebral palsy; (2) severe visual impairment; (3) hearing impairment; or (4) cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment was defined as (1) a Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II Mental Development Index score <70; and (2) Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III Cognitive and Language Composite scores <85. Cognitive testing was performed for infants with suspected problems upon clinician's referral to developmental specialists. Results: At a median corrected age of 20 months, 26/52 (50%) of included infants had neurodevelopmental impairment. Cerebral palsy, severe visual impairment, wearing of glasses, hearing impairment, and cognitive impairment occurred in 22%, 0%, 8%, 5%, and 57% of the included infants, respectively. The proportions of infants with <2 standard deviations of weight, length, and head circumference were 54%, 52%, and 56%, respectively. The majority (70%) of infants were rehospitalized, and the most common cause was respiratory problems. Conclusion: Half of infants with a birth weight <500 g in Korea may exhibit neurodevelopmental impairment and growth retardation at a corrected age of 18–24 months. Multidisciplinary follow-up along with continuous rehabilitation will be needed to improve neurological and physical development in this special population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Early echocardiographic pulmonary artery measurements as prognostic indicators in left congenital diaphragmatic hernia" published in BMC Pediatrics. The correction updates the affiliation of one of the authors, Euiseok Jung, to the Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, University of Ulsan. The original article can be found online, and the correction provides the updated contact information for Euiseok Jung. [Extracted from the article]

Background: It is essential to consider a practical antibody test to successfully implement marker vaccines and validate vaccination efficacy against classical swine fever virus (CSFV). The test should include a serological antibody assay, combined with a tool for differentiating infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA). The immunochromatographic test strip (ICS) has been exclusively designed for detecting CSFV E2 antibodies while lacking in detecting E rns antibodies, which can be employed and satisfy DIVA strategy. This study developed a novel ICS for detecting CSFV E2/E rns dual-antibody. The effectiveness of ICS in evaluating the DIVA capability of two novel chimeric pestivirus vaccine candidates was assessed., Methods: Recombinant E2 or E rns protein was transiently expressed in the plant benthamiana using Agrobacterium tumefaciens . ICS was subsequently assembled, and goat anti-rabbit IgG and recombinant CSFV E2 or E rns protein were plated onto the nitrocellulose membrane as control and test lines, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of ICS were evaluated using sera with different neutralizing antibody titers or positive for antibodies against CSFV and other pestiviruses. The coincidence rates for detecting E2 and E rns antibodies between ICS and commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were also computed. ICS performance for DIVA capability was evaluated using sera from pigs vaccinated with conventional vaccine or chimeric vaccine candidates., Results: E2 and E rns proteins were successfully expressed in N. benthamiana -produced recombinant proteins. ICS demonstrated high sensitivity in identifying CSFV E2 and E rns antibodies, even at the low neutralizing antibody titers. No cross-reactivity with antibodies from other pestiviruses was confirmed using ICS. There were high agreement rates of 93.0 and 96.5% between ICS and two commercial ELISA kits for E2 antibody testing. ICS also achieved strong coincidence rates of 92.9 and 89.3% with two ELISA kits for E rns antibody detection. ICS confirmed the absence of CSFV E rns -specific antibodies in sera from pigs vaccinated with chimeric vaccine candidates., Conclusion: E2 and E rns proteins derived from the plant showed great potential and can be used to engineer a CSFV E2/E rns dual-antibody ICS. The ICS was also highly sensitive and specific for detecting CSFV E2 and E rns antibodies. Significantly, ICS can fulfill the DIVA concept by incorporating chimeric vaccine candidates., Competing Interests: E-JS, YP, and JK were employed by BioApplications Inc. S-HH and H-NL were employed by Celltrix Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Huynh, Sohn, Park, Kim, Shimoda, Hiono, Isoda, Hong, Lee and Sakoda.)

Purpose: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most frequent cancer with limited therapeutic achievements. Recently, adoptive cellular immunotherapy has been developed as an antitumor therapy. However, its efficacy has not been tested in CRC. This study investigated the ability of an immune cell cocktail of dendritic cells (DCs), T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells to overcome immunological hurdles and improve the therapeutic efficacy of cell therapy for CRC., Methods: CRC lysate-pulsed monocyte-derived DCs (Mo-DCs), CRC antigen-specifically expanded T cells (CTL), and in vitro-expanded NK cells were cultured from patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The ability of the combined immune cells to kill autologous tumor cells was investigated by co-culturing the combined immune cells with patient-derived tumor cells., Results: The Mo-DCs produced expressed T cell co-stimulating molecules like CD80, CD86, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR and HLA-ABC, at high levels and were capable of activating naive T cells. The expanded T cells were predominantly CD8 T cells with high levels of CD8 effector memory cells and low levels of regulatory T cells. The NK cells expressed high levels of activating receptors and were capable of killing other cancer cell lines (K562 and HT29). The immune cell cocktail demonstrated a higher ability to kill autologous tumor cells than single types. An in vivo preclinical study confirmed the safety of the combined immune cell adaptive therapy showing no therapy-related death or general toxicity symptoms., Conclusion: The results suggested that combined immune cell adaptive therapy could overcome the limited efficacy of cell immunotherapy.