Article
Transplantation
Rachel Hellemans, Daniel Abramowicz
Summary: CMV-related complications after kidney transplantation present a significant challenge. Tailoring preventive strategies based on individual patient risk levels can improve outcomes. CMV-specific T-cell assays can help predict CMV risk pre-transplantation. Immunosuppressive regimens including mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors can reduce CMV risk. New antiviral agents and adoptive T-cell therapy hold promise for future treatment options.
NEPHROLOGY DIALYSIS TRANSPLANTATION
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Jennifer L. Saullo, Arthur W. Baker, Laurie D. Snyder, John M. Reynolds, Lorenzo Zaffiri, Emily M. Eichenberger, Alana Ferrari, Julie M. Steinbrink, Eileen K. Maziarz, Melissa Bacchus, Holly Berry, Stylianos A. Kakoullis, Cameron R. Wolfe
Summary: A retrospective study on thoracic transplant recipients receiving Letermovir for CMV prophylaxis showed that Letermovir was well tolerated and effective during extended prophylactic courses, with minimal adverse effects and only rare breakthrough CMV infections observed.
JOURNAL OF HEART AND LUNG TRANSPLANTATION
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Lorna Neill, Karl Peggs
Summary: CMV infection is mostly harmless in immunocompetent individuals, but can cause severe consequences post HSCT. Current management strategies focus on surveillance and prophylactic antiviral drugs, with the development of CMV-specific T-cell adoptive therapy as a potential future treatment. The challenge ahead is to ensure the economic viability and maximum benefit for patients in widely adopting cellular therapy.
EXPERT OPINION ON BIOLOGICAL THERAPY
(2021)
Review
Biology
Markus J. Barten, Fausto Baldanti, Alexander Staus, Christian M. Hueber, Kyriaki Glynou, Andreas Zuckermann
Summary: This meta-analysis suggests that prophylactic CMVIG treatment in solid organ transplantation patients can reduce the risk of CMV infection. This is particularly beneficial for patients at high risk of CMV infection or disease.
Review
Infectious Diseases
Fatima Allaw, Sara F. Haddad, Johnny Zakhour, Souha S. Kanj
Summary: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common infection in immunocompromised patients, especially those undergoing allo-HSCT. Recent management strategies include pre-emptive treatment with frequent CMV PCR monitoring and the use of new drugs like letermovir. Treatment of CMV disease is challenging due to drug resistance, but promising results have been seen with maribavir and other alternative treatments such as immunotherapy, artesunate, and leflunomide.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Dipesh Kumar Yadav, Vishnu Prasad Adhikari, Rajesh Kumar Yadav, Alina Singh, Xing Huang, Qi Zhang, Prabesh Pandit, Qi Ling, Tingbo Liang
Summary: This meta-analysis compared the outcomes of antiviral prophylaxis and preemptive therapy for the prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in liver transplant recipients. The results showed that antiviral prophylaxis reduced the incidence of CMV infection in the high-risk group, while preemptive therapy reduced the incidence of late-onset CMV disease. There were no significant differences in other outcomes between the two interventions.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Hannah Rafferty, Matthew J. Murray, Jerry C. H. Tam, Alastair Macfarlane, Colette Smith, Sheila F. Lumley, Sowsan Atabani, Jane A. McKeating, Dinesh Sharma, Matthew Reeves, David Whitmore, Paul Griffiths
Summary: Using a large data set on preemptive cytomegalovirus therapy for solid-organ transplant recipients, the study found no association between time of day of transplantation and CMV viremia, but observed increased viremia in recipients of deceased-donor transplants compared with live-donor transplants. These findings provide important insights into the factors influencing CMV infection after transplantation.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Chieh-Lin Jerry Teng, Po-Nan Wang, Yee-Chun Chen, Bor-Sheng Ko
Summary: CMV infection is a common and severe complication of allo-HSCT in Taiwan due to high CMV seropositivity in the population. A CMV management strategy focusing on monitoring, prophylaxis, and treatment is proposed, including weekly monitoring with the COBAS (R) AmpliPrep system, a 14-week prophylactic course of letermovir for allo-HSCT recipients, and preemptive ganciclovir therapy when CMV viral load exceeds 1000 copies/mL. Limited availability of foscarnet is a crucial issue for patients not responsive to ganciclovir in Taiwan.
JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY IMMUNOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Eleftheria Kampouri, Danniel Zamora, Erika S. Kiem, Winnie Liu, Sarah Ibrahimi, Rachel L. Blazevic, Erika A. Lovas, Louise E. Kimball, Meei-Li Huang, Keith R. Jerome, Masumi Ueda Oshima, Marco Mielcarek, Danielle M. Zerr, Michael J. Boeckh, Elizabeth M. Krantz, Joshua A. Hill
Summary: The use of letermovir for cytomegalovirus (CMV) prophylaxis has led to a decrease in broad-spectrum anti-CMV therapy. However, the impact of letermovir on human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) epidemiology remains unknown. This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess changes in HHV-6 detection and disease after the routine use of prophylactic letermovir in CMV-seropositive allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Maria Serrano-Alonso, Paloma Martin-Moreno, Gregorio Rabago, Francisco Guillen-Grima, Jose Herrero, Mirian Fernandez-Alonso
Summary: This study compared the efficacy and safety of standard and extended primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) prophylaxis in solid organ transplantation. The results showed that extending the prophylaxis did not prevent late-onset infection, but was associated with hematological toxicity.
Article
Virology
Andrea Gilioli, Andrea Messerotti, Paola Bresciani, Angela Cuoghi, Valeria Pioli, Corrado Colasante, Francesca Bettelli, Davide Giusti, Fabio Forghieri, Leonardo Potenza, Francesca Donatelli, Rachele Giubbolini, Laura Galassi, Roberto Marasca, Federico Banchelli, Roberto D'Amico, Monica Pecorari, William Gennari, Tommaso Trenti, Patrizia Comoli, Mario Luppi, Franco Narni
Summary: The study retrospectively analyzed a cohort of patients who underwent HSCT and found that CMV clinically significant infection (CS-CMVi) occurred in 48% of prophylactically treated patients, but it did not impact relapse incidence or overall survival. Additionally, the use of CMV-IG alone as prophylactic therapy did not effectively prevent CMV reactivation.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Chao-Neng Cheng, Sin-Syue Li, Yun-Hsuan Yeh, Ching-Fen Shen, Jiann-Shiuh Chen
Summary: This study reported the cases of 11 children who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Letermovir showed promising results in cytomegalovirus prophylaxis in these children, but some cases still experienced cytomegalovirus reactivation. Further studies are needed.
JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY IMMUNOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Virology
Adnan Alsumali, Roy F. Chemaly, Jonathan Graham, Yiling Jiang, Sanjay Merchant, LaStella Miles, Jonathan Schelfhout, Joe Yang, Yuexin Tang
Summary: This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of letermovir prophylaxis versus no prophylaxis in adult cytomegalovirus-seropositive allo-HCT recipients for preventing CMV infection and disease. The results showed that letermovir prophylaxis was a cost-effective option, leading to increased quality-adjusted life years and direct medical costs compared to no prophylaxis, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $25,046/QALY gained. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated the robustness of the findings, with a high probability of letermovir being cost-effective.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Massimo Martino, Annalisa Pitino, Mercedes Gori, Benedetto Bruno, Alessandra Crescimanno, Vincenzo Federico, Alessandra Picardi, Stefania Tringali, Claudia Ingrosso, Paola Carluccio, Domenico Pastore, Gerardo Musuraca, Annalisa Paviglianiti, Adriana Vacca, Bianca Serio, Gabriella Storti, Nicola Mordini, Salvatore Leotta, Michele Cimminiello, Lucia Prezioso, Barbara Loteta, Anna Ferreri, Fabrizia Colasante, Emanuela Merla, Luisa Giaccone, Alessandro Busca, Maurizio Musso, Renato Scalone, Nicola Di Renzo, Serena Marotta, Patrizio Mazza, Pellegrino Musto, Immacolata Attolico, Carmine Selleri, Filippo Antonio Canale, Marta Pugliese, Giovanni Tripepi, Gaetana Porto, Giovanni Martinelli, Angelo Michele Carella, Claudio Cerchione
Summary: This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of letermovir for CMV prophylaxis in a real-world setting, showing significant reduction in clinically important CMV infections and diseases.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Christian Heim, Philipp P. Mueller, Rene Tandler, Wida S. Cherikh, Alice E. Toll, Josef Stehlik, Michael Weyand, Kiran K. Khush, Stephan M. Ensminger
Summary: This study aimed to compare posttransplant survival in different CMV donor:recipient serologic combinations. The results showed that CMV infection was associated with reduced short- and long-term survival after heart transplantation, but did not increase the risk of cardiac allograft vasculopathy.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Jose Manuel Vaquero, Carmen Pro, Javier Vaquero-Martinez
Summary: This note presents a simple exercise to address the common misconception among Geodesy students regarding the best reference ellipsoid. It helps them move away from a purely geometric perspective towards a more physics-based understanding, where the role of Earth's gravity is emphasized.
ACTA GEODAETICA ET GEOPHYSICA
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
V. M. S. Carrasco, J. M. Vaquero
Summary: The catalog of solar observations published by the University of Coimbra Observatory is of enormous value for studying the past solar magnetic field and long-term solar activity, as historical records of faculae, prominences, and filaments are not common and few digital versions are available.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT SERIES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Veronica Pulito-Cueto, Fernanda Genre, Raquel Lopez-Mejias, Victor Manuel Mora-Cuesta, David Iturbe-Fernandez, Virginia Portilla, Maria Sebastian Mora-Gil, Javier Gonzalo Ocejo-Vinyals, Oreste Gualillo, Ricardo Blanco, Alfonso Corrales, Ivan Ferraz-Amaro, Santos Castaneda, Jose Manuel Cifrian Martinez, Belen Atienza-Mateo, Sara Remuzgo-Martinez, Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Gay
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) as a biomarker of interstitial lung disease (ILD), and to differentiate between idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and ILD associated with autoimmune diseases (AD-ILD). The study included a large cohort of ILD patients and healthy controls, and found that ET-1 levels were increased in IPF and AD-ILD patients compared to controls. However, ET-1 levels could not differentiate between IPF and AD-ILD, and were associated with worse lung function in IPF and RA-ILD patients.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Alejandro Jesus Perez Aparicio, Victor Carrasco, Maria Cruz Gallego, Jose Manuel Vaquero
Summary: The Madrid Astronomical Observatory conducted a solar observation program from 1876 to 1986, recording sunspots and other solar features. By comparing the Madrid prominence series with records from other observatories and solar activity time series, it was found that the Madrid series had the strongest correlation with the Coimbra prominence series, and similar correlations with other solar activity time series.
JOURNAL OF SPACE WEATHER AND SPACE CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Victor M. Mora, Piedad Ussetti, Alicia de Pablo, David Iturbe, Rosalia Laporta, Rodrigo Alonso, Myriam Aguilar, Carlos A. Quezada, Jose M. Cifrian
Summary: This study compared the risk of CMV infection in lung transplant recipients between two CMV-Ig prophylaxis regimens, and found that extending the CMV-Ig prophylaxis to one year did not provide additional clinical benefits.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Eva Revilla-Lopez, Victoria Ruiz de Miguel, Manuel Lopez-Meseguer, Cristina Berastegui, Meritxell Boada-Perez, Alberto Mendoza-Valderrey, Marta Arjona-Peris, Marta Zapata-Ortega, Victor Monforte, Carlos Bravo, Antonio Roman, Susana Gomez-Olles, Berta Saez-Gimenez
Summary: The authors examined the diagnostic accuracy of various biomarkers for lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and found that the combination of MMP-2 and VEGF-D can improve the diagnostic accuracy for LAM.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Javier Montero-Martin, Manuel Anton, Jose Manuel Vaquero, Roberto Roman, Javier Vaquero-Martinez, Alejandro J. P. Aparicio, Arturo Sanchez-Lorenzo
Summary: This study analyzes the long-term temporal variability of global solar radiation in Badajoz, Spain, from 1929 to 2015. The study finds significant linear trends in global horizontal irradiation under all-sky conditions, with periods of positive and negative trends. The trends are also significant in summer for all three subperiods. The study suggests that these trends may be partially related to the changes in aerosol load.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Pablo Alvarez-Heredia, Irene Reina-Alfonso, Jose Joaquin Dominguez-del-Castillo, Carmen Gutierrez-Gonzalez, Fakhri Hassouneh, Alexander Batista-Duharte, Ana-Belen Perez, Raquel Tarazona, Rafael Solana, Alejandra Pera
Summary: Coinfection with SARS-CoV-2 and CMV leads to accelerated T cell senescence and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. SARS-CoV-2 vaccination appears to provide some protection against this phenomenon.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
V. M. S. Carrasco, A. J. P. Aparicio, M. C. Gallego, J. M. Vaquero
Summary: In this study, we digitized the hemispheric sunspot number counts recorded by the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Valencia from 1940 to 1956. By comparing with data from other observatories, such as the Madrid Astronomical Observatory, we found similar hemispheric behaviors and calculated the asymmetry index. The results show that the northern hemisphere was predominant during the study period, consistent with previous studies. Rating: 8 points.
Article
Immunology
Raquel Fernandez-Moreno, Jorge Valle-Arroyo, Aurora Paez-Vega, Ana Salinas, Angela Cano, Ana B. Perez, Julian Torre-Cisneros, Sara Cantisan
Summary: This study investigates whether patients with undetectable SARS-CoV-2 IgG are able to generate SARS-CoV-2 memory T cells with proliferative capacity upon stimulation. The results showed that the proliferative response of CD3+ and CD4+ T cells in patients without detectable antibodies was significantly lower than that in patients with antibodies. This study is helpful for distinguishing convalescent patients and negative controls, as well as identifying patients with and without SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Pedro Lopez-Lopez, Mario Frias, Ana Belen Perez-Jimenez, Carolina A. Freyre-Carrillo, Juan A. Pineda, Antonio Aguilera, Ana Fuentes, Juan Carlos Alados, Gabriel Reina, Encarnacion Ramirez-Arellano, Isabel Viciana, Joao Mesquita, Javier Caballero-Gomez, Antonio Rivero-Juarez, Antonio Rivero
Summary: The combination of two broad-range PCR assays significantly improves the diagnosis of acute Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection, especially in individuals with negative IgM antibody results but carrying viral RNA.
MICROBIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Alejandro Jesus Perez Aparicio, Javier Vaquero-Martinez, Maria Cruz Gallego, Manuel Anton, Jose Manuel Vaquero
Summary: This study investigates the potential of low-cost infrared thermometers to estimate the amount of precipitable water in the atmosphere. Calibration is conducted by comparing infrared thermometer readings with ground-based Global Navigation Satellite Systems measurements of precipitable water. The results demonstrate that infrared thermometers, when calibrated and validated, can be an effective tool for characterizing the spatial and temporal variability of water vapor.
JOURNAL OF ATMOSPHERIC AND SOLAR-TERRESTRIAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
A. J. P. Aparicio, V. M. S. Carrasco, J. M. Vaquero
Summary: In this work, the maximum amplitude of Solar Cycle 25 is predicted using the 13-month smoothed SILSO Sunspot Number (version 2) as a predictor for the slope of the inflection point during the ascending part of the cycle. The predicted value obtained is 131 ± 32. Finally, the result is discussed in the context of the ongoing debate on solar activity prediction and compared with other predictions for Solar Cycle 25 obtained by different methods.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Nieves Bravo-Paredes, Maria Cruz Gallego, Ricardo M. Trigo, Jose Manuel Vaquero
Summary: Early meteorological observations from 1788 to 1813 in Almada, Portugal have been recovered and analyzed. A quality control was conducted using modern and reanalysis datasets as references. The study focuses on the meteorological conditions of the winter of 1788/1789.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Nieves Bravo-Paredes, Maria Cruz Gallego, Ricardo M. Trigo, Jose Manuel Vaquero
Summary: This study reports an important task of collecting and studying historical meteorological data from Cadiz and San Fernando, which were connected to the Spanish Royal Navy. The dataset includes various meteorological variables such as atmospheric pressure, air temperature, precipitation, and state of the sky. Quality control, unit conversion, metadata, and data analysis were performed, and the dataset is freely available to the scientific community.
CLIMATE OF THE PAST
(2023)