Article
Infectious Diseases
Andrea Magalhaes, Lucas P. Carvalho, Rubia Costa, Monica S. Pita, Thiago Marconi Cardoso, Paulo R. L. Machado, Edgar M. Carvalho, Sergio Arruda, Augusto M. Carvalho
Summary: This study showed that high levels of anti-Leishmania IgG and IgG2 are characteristic of disseminated leishmaniasis (DL), with IgG correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokines and IgG2 directly correlated with the number of lesions in DL.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Walker N. Oliveira, Andreza S. Dorea, Pedro P. Carneiro, Mauricio T. Nascimento, Lucas P. Carvalho, Paulo R. L. Machado, Albert Schriefer, Olivia Bacellar, Edgar M. Carvalho
Summary: The results suggest that DL isolates infected more monocytes, induced greater respiratory burst, and more cytokine production compared to isolates from CL patients. However, greater parasite multiplication and higher TLR2 and TLR4 expression were seen in monocytes from DL patients compared to CL following infection with DL isolates.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Taina Lago, Lucas P. Carvalho, Mauricio Nascimento, Luiz H. Guimaraes, Jamile Lago, Lea Castellucci, Augusto M. Carvalho, Alex Lago, Edgar M. Carvalho
Summary: Obesity modifies the clinical presentation of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania braziliensis and is associated with greater failure in therapy, as obese patients may present hypertrophic ulcers rather than typical oval, ulcerated lesions and have lower cure rates compared to overweight and normal weight individuals.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hasara Nuwangi, Thilini Chanchala Agampodi, Helen Philippa Price, Thomas Shepherd, Kosala Gayan Weerakoon, Suneth Buddhika Agampodi
Summary: Leishmaniasis has three main types: cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL), and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). CL and MCL can cause disfiguring skin pathology and are highly stigmatizing. This systematic review aims to identify and synthesize evidence on the stigma associated with CL and MCL, as well as any preventive strategies/interventions adopted to address this condition. The review will help fill the knowledge gap in CL-associated stigma and inform future interventions.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ilka Grewe, Thomas Theo Brehm, Benno Kreuels, Oliver M. Steinmetz, Bernhard Dumoulin, Anne Marie Asemissen, Dennis Tappe, Michael Ramharter, Stefan Schmiedel
Summary: We report a case of Leishmania infantum reactivation in an immunocompetent patient who developed visceral leishmaniasis with secondary IgA nephropathy nine years after an initial episode of mucosal leishmaniasis, which had been treated with liposomal amphotericin B.
JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Michal Solomon, Inbal Fuchs, Yael Glazer, Eli Schwartz
Summary: Leishmaniasis is more common in males in Israel. There may be no real gender difference in leishmanial infection, but rather a result of reporting bias or differences in risk-taking behaviors and adherence to preventive measures by men.
TROPICAL MEDICINE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Daniel Holanda Barroso, Otavio de Toledo Nobrega, Carla Nunes de Araujo, Gustavo Subtil Magalhaes Freire, Sofia Sales Martins, Bruna Cortes Rodrigues, Ciro Martins Gomes, Raimunda Nonata Ribeiro Sampaio
Summary: Leishmania braziliensis DNA was detected in the nasal mucosa of 30% of CL patients, and its presence was associated with reduced IL-12 levels, increased IL-6 levels, and a higher number of affected body segments. Early dissemination to the nasal mucosa was observed at a higher rate than previously described. Enhanced Th1 profile characterized by higher IL-12 levels may be important for preventing dissemination of L. braziliensis to the mucosa.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Beatriz Coutinho de Oliveira, Ailton Alvaro da Silva, Marton Kaique de Andrade Cavalcante, Maria Edileuza Felinto de Brito, Maria Carolina Accioly Brelaz de Castro, Vanessa Lucilia Silveira de Medeiros, Rafael de Freitas e Silva, Valeria Rego Alves Pereira
Summary: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a skin ulcer disease caused by protozoans, and there is no vaccine available. Previous research identified T cell epitopes of Leishmania braziliensis and tested their ability to rescue memory T cells during natural infection. The study found increased frequencies of TCM and TEM, especially in the CD8 compartment, during CL. These results suggest a potentially immunogenic profile of the peptides and support the development of anti-Leishmania formulations.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Andres Rodriguez-Vega, Monica Losada-Barragan, Luiz Ricardo Berbert, Camila Mesquita-Rodrigues, Ana Cristina Souza Bombaca, Rubem Menna-Barreto, Priscila Aquino, Paulo C. Carvalho, Gabriel Padron, Jose Batista de Jesus, Patricia Cuervo
Summary: The study demonstrates that secretomes of Leishmania braziliensis strains can increase susceptibility of macrophages to infection, with different strains modulating the cytokine profile of the cells. The DL strain's secretome is rich in deactivating molecules, while the LCL strain's secretome stimulates a proinflammatory response.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Paulo R. L. Machado, Fernanda V. O. Prates, Viviane Boaventura, Taina Lago, Luiz H. Guimaraes, Albert Schriefer, Temis W. F. Corte, Gerson Penna, Aldina Barral, Manoel Barral-Netto, Edgar M. Carvalho
Summary: The study showed that miltefosine is more effective than pentavalent antimony for treating cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. braziliensis in Brazil, and it accelerates healing time. However, combining miltefosine with GM-CSF did not improve therapeutic outcome but did shorten the healing time.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Fabio C. Peixoto, Dalila L. Zanette, Thiago M. Cardoso, Mauricio T. Nascimento, Rodrigo C. O. Sanches, Mateus Aoki, Phillip Scott, Sergio C. Oliveira, Edgar M. Carvalho, Lucas P. Carvalho
Summary: Studies showed that Leishmania exosomes can stimulate macrophages, leading to an exacerbated inflammatory response and potentially enhancing parasite proliferation. Furthermore, L. braziliensis exosomes can cause the consumption/regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome components in macrophages, contributing to the inflammatory state.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Augusto M. Carvalho, Olivia Bacellar, Edgar M. Carvalho
Summary: The study explores the pathogenesis of American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) and suggests that individuals with subclinical L. braziliensis infection exhibit lower respiratory burst and IFN-γ production, but more efficient killing of the parasite. Increased inflammation and cytotoxic gene expression in CL tissue samples contribute to additional damage to skin and mucosal tissues.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Michal Solomon, Ariel Gimple, Inbal Fuchs, Assi Cicurel, Tal Meninger, Dror Avni, Abed Nasereddin, Charles L. Jaffe, Eli Schwartz
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Leishmania in the blood of patients with active or previous cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). The findings of this pilot study suggest that people with active or recent CL caused by L. major and L. tropica do not harbor parasites in their blood. Hence, their exclusion from blood donation should be revisited.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Augusto M. Carvalho, Luiz H. Guimaraes, Rubia Costa, Maira G. Saldanha, Iana Prates, Lucas P. Carvalho, Sergio Arruda, Edgar M. Carvalho
Summary: In patients with negative LST, there is a lower cure rate and impaired Th1 response, as well as an increased frequency of CD8(+) T cells and reduced inflammation in lesions. Restoration of Th1 response is associated with cure of the disease. Increased production of inflammatory cytokines, granzyme B, and MMP-9 contributes to immunopathology in LST-negative patients.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Clara Monica F. de Lima, Andrea S. Magalhaes, Rubia Costa, Carolina C. Barreto, Paulo R. L. Machado, Edgar M. Carvalho, Marcus M. Lessa, Lucas P. Carvalho
Summary: Mucosal leishmaniasis patients in advanced stages had higher levels of IgG and IgG1 antibodies, with reductions in IgG and IgG2 antibodies post-treatment. This suggests a link between IgG antibody levels and disease severity, with potential for assessing therapeutic response.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Luana G. Sousa, Kaiwen Wang, Danice Torman, Bailee J. Binks, Maria Laura Rubin, Clark R. Andersen, Whitney E. Lewis, Melvin J. Rivera, Diana Kaya, Adel K. El-Naggar, Ehab Y. Hanna, Bita Esmaeli, Steven J. Frank, Diana Bell, Bonnie S. Glisson, Jordi Rodon, Funda Meric-Bernstam, J. Jack Lee, Renata Ferrarotto
Summary: Retrospective study found that adding systemic therapy to local treatment may improve outcomes for patients with locoregionally advanced SDC or adeno-NOS, but response to palliative systemic therapy is limited. Apart from HER2-targeted therapy, other systemic treatments show poorer efficacy.
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Felippe Lazar Neto, Luana G. Sousa, Whitney E. Lewis, Bonnie Glisson, John Heymach, Anne S. Tsao, Renata Ferrarotto
Summary: This retrospective study analyzed the clinical outcomes of critically ill NSCLC patients receiving ICI or targeted therapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The findings suggest a possible benefit of targeted therapy, but a lack of clinical utility of PD-1 ICI for critically ill metastatic NSCLC patients. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these results.
JOURNAL OF INTENSIVE CARE MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Luana Guimaraes de Sousa, Kimal Rajapakshe, Jaime Rodriguez Canales, Renee L. Chin, Lei Feng, Qi Wang, Tomas Z. Barrese, Erminia Massarelli, William William, Faye M. Johnson, Renata Ferrarotto, Ignacio Wistuba, Cristian Coarfa, Jack Lee, Jing Wang, Cornelis J. M. Melief, Michael A. Curran, Bonnie S. Glisson
Summary: The combination of ISA101 and nivolumab shows promising long-term clinical outcomes in patients with incurable HPV-16(+) cancer. Increased infiltration of CD8(+) T cells and macrophages is predictive of treatment response.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Luana Guimaraes de Sousa, Felippe Lazar Neto, Jessica Lin, Renata Ferrarotto
Summary: In this review, the available therapies for recurrent/metastatic (R/M) adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) were discussed. Recent studies have revealed two molecular subtypes of ACC, which offer potential therapeutic targets. However, the current treatment for R/M ACC is not personalized and limited, and there is a need for biomarkers and new therapies development.
CURRENT ONCOLOGY REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Luana Guimaraes de Sousa, Daniel J. McGrail, Kaiyi Li, Mario L. Marques-Piubelli, Cipriano Gonzalez, Hui Dai, Sammy Ferri-Borgogno, Myrna Godoy, Jared Burks, Shiaw-Yih Lin, Diana Bell, Renata Ferrarotto
Summary: COVID-19 vaccination may stimulate anticancer immunity and lead to tumor regression.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Luana G. de Sousa, Felippe Lazar Neto, Eduardo A. Dal Lago, Andrew Sikora, Ehab Hanna, Amy Moreno, Jack Phan, Bonnie S. Glisson, Diana Bell, Renata Ferrarotto
Summary: This study retrospectively analyzed the prognostic factors for patients with oropharyngeal HG-NEC and found that HPV infection and smoking were not significantly associated with survival outcomes. The study also found a high rate of distant recurrence in HG-NEC patients, suggesting the use of multimodality treatment including systemic therapy to improve prognosis.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Helin G. Hernandez, Grant D. Brown, Iraci D. Lima, Jose F. Coutinho, Mary E. Wilson, Eliana L. T. Nascimento, Selma M. B. Jeronimo, Christine A. Petersen, Jacob J. Oleson
Summary: This study aimed to estimate regions of high visceral leishmaniasis (VL) risk in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil from 2007 to 2020. Lower socioeconomic status was found to be associated with higher VL risk. Additionally, there is a high probability of increasing VL risk in the municipalities of Natal, Patu, and Pau dos Ferros, highlighting the need for specific public health interventions.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Nicholas A. Ettinger, Amy Kiskaddon, Lindsay McNeely, Justin Craycraft, Amber Rogers, Barbara-Jo Achuff, Danielle Guffey, Matthew Musick
Summary: This study investigated the use of chloral hydrate (CH) in mechanically-ventilated, critically ill children in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The findings showed that CH-exposed children were younger and had longer duration of mechanical ventilation and hospital admission compared to those who did not receive CH.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Diogo Garcia Valadares, Owen Scott Clay, Yani Chen, Breanna Mary Scorza, Suzanne Louise Cassel, Fayyaz Shiraz Sutterwala, Mary Edythe Wilson
Summary: The NLR protein NLRP12 is important for innate immunity, but its mechanism is still not fully understood. In this study, mice lacking Nlrp12 showed higher levels of parasite replication in the liver after infection with Leishmania infantum compared to wild-type mice, and the parasites failed to disseminate to the spleen. Most of the parasites in the liver were found in dendritic cells (DCs), while the number of infected DCs in the spleen was reduced. Furthermore, Nlrp12(-/-) DCs showed lower expression of CCR7, failed to migrate towards CCL19 or CCL21 in chemotaxis assays, and migrated poorly to draining lymph nodes after sterile inflammation. Leishmania-infected Nlpr12(-/-) DCs were also less effective at transporting parasites to lymph nodes compared to wild-type DCs. These findings suggest that Nlrp12-expressing DCs are necessary for efficient dissemination and immune clearance of L. infantum from the site of initial infection, partly due to defective CCR7 expression.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicholas A. Ettinger, Danielle Guffey, Shaniqua J. Anum, Titilope Fasipe, Julie Katkin, Saleh Bhar, Gladstone Airewele, Arun Saini, Venee N. Tubman
Summary: This study provides the first comprehensive report on interventions and outcomes for critically ill children with sickle cell disease (SCD) admitted to pediatric intensive care units (PICU). The study found that the risk of mortality increased in children who required invasive respiratory support (IRS), while the risk of stroke increased in children over the age of 2. These findings help identify high-risk patients and emphasize the importance of early referral to pediatric institutions providing comprehensive care for SCD patients.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Critical Care Medicine
N. Ettinger, N. Serazin, R. Nguyen, J. Werdenberg, M. Huibers, S. Torrey
PEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Roland Ssemakula, Miracle Giraura, Joshi Evelyne, Peter Wasswa, Joseph Lubega, Nathan Serazin, Nicholas Ettinger, Susan Torrey
PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Shani Johnson Anum, Andy Yu, Jonathan Flanagan, Julie Katkin, Nicholas Ettinger, Saleh Bhar, Gladstone Airewele, Danielle Guffey, Venee Tubman
PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Shani Johnson Anum, Venee Tubman, Titilope Fasipe, Julie Katkin, Nicholas Ettinger, Jonathan Flanagan
PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Pediatrics
Susan B. Torrey, Nicholas A. Ettinger, Nathan A. Serazin, Minke Huibers, Ruth Bvalani, Fanuel Betchani, Memory Sabantini, Joseph Ssenyondwa, Nmazuo Ozuah, Joseph Lubega