Effectiveness of mRNA BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant among elderly residents from a long-term care facility, South of France, May 2021.

OBJECTIVE: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta variant was classified as a variant of concern in May 2021 due to its increased transmissibility. It became dominant in Europe during the summer, raising concerns on the effectiveness of vaccines. We assessed the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of mRNA BNT162b2 (BioNTech-Pfizer) against SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant during an outbreak affecting long-term care facility (LTCF) residents in southern France, May 2021. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among LTCF residents. We described sex, age, dependency level, reverse transcription PCR and sequencing results, clinical evolution, vaccination status. We compared attack rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection, symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and severe COVID-19 (respiratory support, hospitalization, and/or death) by vaccination status (two doses administered vs. none) to estimate VE (1 - Relative Risk [RR]) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). VE was adjusted by age (Poisson regression). RESULTS: Among 72 LTCF residents, 75.0% (n=54) were women, mean age was 88.7 (SD 8.1) years, 69% (n=49/71) were severely dependent. SARS-CoV-2 infections were identified in 39 residents (54.2%), 11 with symptomatic, and eight with severe COVID-19. All sequenced samples (n=19, 48.7%) had the same Delta variant genomic sequence. Age-adjusted BNT162b2 VE against SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection was 11.2% (95% CI: 0.0-61.1%), it was 88.4% (95% CI: 59.9-96.7%) against symptomatic, and 93.5% (95% CI: 67.2-98.7%) against severe COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: We found a high BNT162b2 VE against symptomatic and severe COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant among LTCF elderly residents, but not against Delta variant infection. This supports vaccination rollout and the implementation of control measures for close contacts among vaccinated LTCF elderly residents.

Predictors of Disordered Eating in Young Males.

Recent findings suggest that disordered eating (DE) symptomatology may be underestimated in the male population. The present study examined depressive symptomatology as a potential mediator of the relationships between body image dissatisfaction, strategies to change body weight and muscles, media pressure, and DE (emotional, restrained and emotional eating) in 260 male undergraduates who completed a self-reported questionnaire. Path analyses indicated that media influence and strategies to decrease body weight had direct positive effects on depressive symptomatology, which in turn predicted emotional eating. Media influence had a direct positive effect on emotional eating, whereas strategies to decrease body weight did not exhibit a direct effect on emotional eating. Therefore, the latter pathway was removed from the model. The link between media pressure, strategies to decrease body weight and emotional eating was partially mediated by depressive symptomatology. The present findings can inform the development and implementation of prevention and education programs for DE in schools and universities.

Differential effects of CXCR4-CXCL12- and CXCR7-CXCL12-mediated immune reactions on murine P0106-125 -induced experimental autoimmune neuritis.

AIM: The role of chemokines and their receptors, which regulate trafficking and homing of leucocytes to inflamed organs in human or murine autoimmune neuritis, has not yet been elucidated in detail, Therefore, the role of the chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CXCR7 and their ligand CXCL12 was studied in autoimmune-mediated inflammation of the peripheral nervous system. METHODS: CXCL12/CXCR4 and/or CXCL12/CXCR7 interactions were specifically inhibited by the compounds AMD3100 or CCX771, respectively, in experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN) of C57BL/6J mice immunized with P0106-125 peptide. RESULTS: Disease activity was significantly suppressed by blocking CXCR7 while antagonization of CXCR4 enhanced disease activity. Enhanced disease activity was accompanied by significantly increased transcription of IFN-γ, IL-12 and TNF-α mRNA in regional lymph nodes and spleen as well as by increased serum levels of IFN-γ. Furthermore, by blocking CXCR4, expression of the cell adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 was upregulated on vascular endothelial cells of the sciatic nerve, which coincided with significantly increased infiltration of the sciatic nerve by CD4+ T cells and macrophages. Remarkably, combined antagonization of both CXCR4 and CXCR7 significantly suppressed disease activity. This was accompanied by increased frequencies of activated and highly IFN-γ-expressing, P0106-125 -specific T cells in regional lymph nodes and spleen; however, these cells were unable to infiltrate the sciatic nerve. CONCLUSION: These data suggest differential and hierarchically ordered roles for CXCR4/CXCL12- vs. CXCR7/CXCL12-dependent effects during EAN: CXCR7/CXCL12 interaction is a gatekeeper for pathogenic cells, regardless of their CXCR4/CXCL12-dependent state of activation.

Un nuevo método de evaluación diagnóstica y terapéuticade las patologías del pie basado en las plantillas instrumentadasBiofoot/IBV / A new diagnostic and therapeutic diagnostic method of the foot disease based on Biofoot/IBV instrumented insoles

Introducción: En este trabajo se realiza la puesta a punto y validación de un nuevo protocolo clínico de valoración diagnóstica de cuadros sindrómicos álgicos en el pie y de evaluación del tratamiento ortésico prescrito, basado en el uso de un sistema de registro de presiones plantares desarrollado a tal efecto Biofoot/IBV. Material y métodos: Se ha realizado un estudio prospectivo de pacientes adultos en tres etapas: una inicial en la que se estableció un protocolo clínico que fue evaluado durante la segunda etapa (piloto) y utilizado en la última fase (práctica clínica). El protocolo clínico utilizado incluye la escala de valoración funcional de Kitaoka et al1, y el sistema de medida de plantillas instrumentadas Biofoot/IBV para el diagnóstico clínico, prescripción y validación terapéutica, cuando ésta ha sido ortésica. Resultados y discusión: El 75 por ciento de los cuadros sindrómicos álgicos del pie correspondió a metatarsalgias. Se han identificado patrones de presiones tanto en la región metatarsiana como en el talón que, aunque no resultan efectivos en la detección de la presencia/ausencia de dolor (88 por ciento/ 47 por ciento), han contribuido a explicar las variaciones introducidas por el tratamiento ortésico aplicado. Los pacientes a quienes se les adjuntó a la prescripción a entregar a la ortopedia copia impresa del registro de presiones máximas presentaron evolución favorable en el 90 por ciento de los casos, frente al 50 por ciento de resultados favorables del grupo que no dispuso del registro. Conclusiones: La utilización del sistema de plantillas instrumentadas Biofoot/IBV asociado al protocolo de valoración clínica descrito es un método diagnóstico válido de cuadros sindrómicos álgicos en el pie y efectivo en la evaluación de tratamientos ortésicos (AU)

Effect of neonatal exposure to monosodium L-glutamate on regional GABA release during postnatal development.

Monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) causes neuronal lesions in certain brain regions when systemically given to young animals. Also, when glutamate (Glu) builds up in the intersynaptic space, it induces neuroexcitatory and neurocytotoxic effects, events mediated by several Glu receptors. Some of these receptors such as NMDA and AMPA receptors are present in the very earliest developmental stages of the central nervous system and play a major role in neuronal plasticity during synaptogenesis. In this paper, the GABAergic system vulnerability was determined in terms of [3H]-GABA release during postnatal development. [3H]-GABA release on days 14, 21, 30, and 60 days after birth was assessed for the cerebral cortex (CC), hippocampus (Hp) and striatum (S) in rats perinatally treated at days 1, 3, 5, and 7 after birth with MSG. The results show a major decrease in baseline [3H]-GABA release in the CC (30 and 60 days after birth) and the Hp (beginning day 21 after birth) vs the control groups [intact rats and rats given a NaCl solution equimolar to that of MSG (eqNaCl)] while in the S baseline release remained unchanged. Stimulated [3H]-GABA release was decreased in the CC on days 14 and 21 after birth and significantly increased on day 60 after birth vs the controls. In the Hp, a decrease was seen on days 14, 21, and 60 after birth vs the controls while stimulated [3H]-GABA release was decreased in the S vs the controls at all ages studied. No significant differences in stimulated [3H]-GABA release were found between the intact group and the group treated with eqNaCl on days 30 and 60 after birth. Results show that CC, Hp and S GABAergic neurones are a major target for the effect of perinatally given MSG and suggest a possible decrease in the number of Hp GABAergic neurones while these results in CC and S suggest a modified neuronal plasticity. NMDA receptor and calcium involvement are discussed as significant mediators of these events.

[Regulation of testicular steroidogenesis by nitric oxide]. / Regulación de la esteroidogenesis testicular por oxido nítrico.

Testicular macrophages as well as endothelial cells, which are intimately associated with Leydig cells, constitute a potential source of paracrine nitric oxide (NO). In the present study, we investigated the effect of NO donors on MA-10 murine Leydig tumor cell line and rat Leydig cell steroidogenesis. We observed that NO donors, reversibly inhibit hCG-induced steroidogenesis in both types of cells. We also studied NO mechanism of action. Contrary to what is observed in many other systems, NO inhibitory effect on Leydig cell steroidogenesis is not mediated by cGMP, as NO fails to increase cGMP production and cGMP analogs do not reproduce NO effect. NO does not modify the production of cAMP, the main second messenger that mediates gonadotropin action. When we studied NO effect over the steroidogenic pathway in MA-10 cells, we found that NO is inhibiting the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone. Taken together these results show an inhibitory effect of NO donors on Leydig cell steroidogenesis and suggest that NO can be directly inhibiting cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (cytochrome P-450 scc) as it does with other heme proteins, including different cytochromes P-450.