Day1

Abstract

Backgound: The immune system is profoundly affected by uremia. End stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients may be more vulnerable to infections and may have suboptimal response to vaccination. For the SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19), patients with ESKD are at increased risk of infection and mortality. However, the representation of patients with CKD and ESKD in clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines is low.
Patients and methods: We investigated dialysis patients and a control group that had completed 2 doses vaccination with the mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine for anti-spike protein antibody response. Results: One hundred sixty chronic dialysis patients (127 hemodialysis,33 peritoneal dialysis) and one hundred thirty-two control group persons were analyzed. 90 % of the dialysis group and 100% of the control group were positive for anti-spike antibodies, (p<0. 0001). The median level of anti-spike antibody was 116.5 AU/ml (IQR 66-160 AU/ml) in the dialysis group and 176.5 AU/ml (IQR 142-235 AU/ml) in the control group, (p<0.001). Six hemodialysis patients (3.75%) and none in the control group developed COVID-19 new infection (confirmed by positive COVID-19 RT-PCR) more than 7 days after completion of the recommended vaccination regimen, (P=0.033). Discussion: In this study Our main findings for the dialysis population as compared to a control group, are:1. Lower response rate to the vaccine,2. Lower anti-spike antibodies level and 3. Higher rate of COVID-19 infection after completion of vaccination. Other preliminary reports on the immunogenicity of the COVID- 19 BNT162b2 vaccine report similar findings. Considering the results of our study, and while many limitations related to COVID-19 are expected to ease, we may consider maintaining physical distancing and other recommended measures in place for better protection of the dialysis population. Biography: Noa Berar Yanay, MD, MHA, Specialist in Nephrology, specialist in Internal Medicine, Head of nephrology, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Hadera, Israel

Abstract

Illicit drug use can cause a variety of effects including alterations in the immune system. The goal of our study was to evaluate the impact of illicit drug use on inflammation and oxydative stress status in people living with HIV (PLHIV) or not. Circulating lipopolysaccharide (LPS), inflammatory and regulatory cytokines, oxidative stress markers and cellular imune response were investigated in the blood of those groups using or not cannabis and/or cocaine.

Biography

Dr Pfrimer is professor at Pontifical Catholic University of Goias, Goiania, Brazil. She did her postdoctoral research at Federal University of Sao Paulo. She has published research articles, and book chapters in the field of HIV, Zika and Viral Hepatitis.

Abstract

The bioconvection of gravitactic microorganisms, through linear analysis and numerical simulation is presented. Using the basic state as initial condition for both microorganisms and streamlines, the critical Rayleigh number and the bioconvection are predicted. The dynamic microorganisms’ behavior is influenced by the initial spatial distribution. The stability of the system is dependent on the horizontal wave component that is inversely related to wavelength. The pattern length and the instability of the process are associated with the horizontal component of the wave number and the characteristic wavelength, respectively. Using complex and real eigenvalues, five unstable and three stable rolls are found, respectively. The three stable rolls is the dominant pattern when varying the principal variables of this bioconvective process.

Biography

Dr. Rubén Mil-Martínez received his Ph.D. from the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Professor in the Department of Industrial Military Engineers, at the Military School Engineers of Mexico, since 2016. He is currently working as a full-time professor performing research in the areas of exterior ballistic, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, rheology, and pattern formations of microorganisms. He has the distinction of being a candidate of the National System of Researchers of Mexico.

Abstract

Candida-associated gastric ulcer occurs not only in debilitated but healthy individuals. Though had been reported to demonstrate nothing but nonspecific endoscopic features, it occasionally exhibits a typical finding I designated a candidarium. The natural history of the disease had not been clarified and the recurrence had not been described: the fungus had been reported to become undetectable once the ulcers were healed.
However, I demonstrated that the ulcer not only occurs but also recurs in a different site with a different shape in a non-diabetic, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-negative patient, who has not been given non- steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, antineoplastic agents, or systemic corticosteroids, advocating that, contrary to the prevailing opinion, Candida is no innocuous bystander but an etiologic perpetrator: intragastric inoculation of C. albicans causes epithelial necrosis through activation of IL- 23/IL-17 pathway in mice. In the oropharyngeal field, the fungus has recently been shown to secrete a cytolytic pore-forming toxin (PFT), candidalysin, into a pocket in the epithelium after penetrating into it to activate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/MAPK phosphatase 1 (MKP1)/c-Fos pathway, triggering release of damage as well as immune cytokines. Similar phenomenon is also observed in vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). While candidalysin, exerting an effect even on the adjacent oropharyngeal cells, directly injures the tissue with damage cytokines, immune counterparts activate polymorphonuclear leukocytes to eventually terminate inflammation. Though the epithelial response to the fungus is different from organ to organ, it invades into and induces necrotic cellular damage to the intestinal mucosa through the toxin to translocate: the action of candidalysin is proven not only on the stratified squamous mucosa but on the single layer of the columnar epithelium. Since, by analogy with intestinal candidiasis, it is never difficult to speculate that the PFT inflicts such damage to the gastric mucosa, a theoretically strong possibility has come up that Candida-associated gastric ulcer is actually Candida-induced ulcer.

Biography

Kenji Sasaki received his MD in 1973 and PhD in 1977 from Tohoku University. He is a Board Certified Fellow and Preceptor of the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society, Board Certified Gastroenterologist of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology, Board Certified Member of the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine and Editorial Board Member of CRIM. He has given presentations at international medical congresses and published papers on gastroenterology in international journals.
Acclaimed by Prof Tarnawski at DDW 2012, he published his article “Candida-associated gastric ulcer relapsing in a different position in a different appearance.” in World J Gastroenterol 2012 Aug 28; 18 (32): 4450-4453, which was featured in the section of Infection and Immunity of World Biomedical Frontiers in September, 2013 and recommended by an associate research scientist on PubAdvanced in December, 2013. Invited to participate in a special issue titled “Candidiasis – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Diagnosis” by Gynecol Reprod Med, he published a review article, an extended version of the above article titled “Candida-associated gastric ulcer until yesterday, today, and from tomorrow — In
quest of the etiology” in SciTz Gynecol Reprod Med 2017; 1(1): 1002. He served as a reviewer for CRIM, JMM, JPP and J Gastrointest Dig Syst.

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Traditional cancer treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, have demonstrated very limited efficacy for patients with late-stage disease. Cancer immunotherapy has shown great promise in the treatment of patients with late-stage disease. CAR T cell application has produced impressive antitumor responses, but it is still associated with several safety concerns about the side-effects it may cause. We designed and screened a T cell-specific chimeric promoter, which was only active after antigen engagement. We placed this promoter upstream of the anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD1) antibody gene, and this construct was co-transfected with the CAR construct into T cells. In vitro and in vivo, CAR T cells showed increased secretion of anti-PD-1 antibody under control of the promoter. The chimeric promoter may be a promising strategy to manipulate the content of immune checkpoint inhibitors or other proteins in future therapeutic approaches for cancer treatment.

Biography

Dr. Haixia Gao is currently the director of Nucleic Acid Center at Shanghai Cell Therapy Group, a company focuses on the development of cell therapy technology. She joined Shanghai Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital as an assistant researcher in 2010, and joined Shanghai Cell Therapy Group CO., LTD in 2017. With years of experience in basic research of cancer immunology, she is dedicated to develop innovative CAR T therapy for treatment of cancer. Her current research focuses on tumor immunotherapy with non-viral vector and mRNA-based therapeutics.

Abstract

Preventing bacterial infections from becoming the leading cause of death by the year 2050 requires the development of novel, infection-control strategies, building heavily on biomaterials science, including nanotechnology. Pre-clinical (animal) studies are indispensable for this development. Often, animal infection outcomes bear little relation to human clinical outcome. Here, we review
conclusions from pathogen-inoculum dose-finding pilot studies for evaluation of novel infectioncontrol strategies in murine models. Pathogen-inoculum doses are generally preferred that produce the largest differences in quantitative infection outcome parameters between a control and an experimental group, without death or termination of animals due to having reached an inhumane
end-point during the study. However, animal death may represent a better end-point for evaluation than large differences in outcome parameters or number of days over which infection persists. The clinical relevance of lower pre-clinical outcomes, such as bioluminescence, colony forming units (CFUs) retrieved or more rapid clearance of infection is unknown, as most animals cure infection
without intervention, depending on pathogen-species and pathogen-inoculum dose administered. In human clinical practice, patients suffering from infection present to hospital emergency wards, frequently in life-threatening conditions. Animal infection-models should therefore use prevention of death and recurrence of infection as primary efficacy targets to be addressed by novel strategies.
To compensate for increased animal morbidity and mortality, animal experiments should solely be conducted for pre-clinical proof of principle and safety. With the advent of sophisticated in vitro models, we advocate limiting use of animal models when exploring pathogenesis or infection mechanisms.

Biography
Willem Woudstra is a first year PhD student in the biomedical engineering department at the University Medical Center Groningen. His main research goal is developing new strategies for (biomaterial associated) infections in animal models and therewith reduce the number of animals used in future infection studies. After finishing his Bachelor Degree, he started working as a technician and is co-author of several papers in the field of biomedical engineering. His research interests are biofilms, biomaterials associated infections, antimicrobials and animal infection studies.

Abstract

The advent of drug-eluting stents and drug-coated balloons have significantly improved the clinical outcome of patients with vascular occlusions. However, ischemic vascular disease remains the most common cause of death worldwide. Although the next generation of devices is aimed at improving the safety and efficacy of the treatment, current experimental methods are unable to capture the influence of atherosclerosis on these modalities. To address this, in our study, we use in-silico models to numerically evaluate the influence of an atheroma, nature of an excipient and discuss the possibility of an optimal therapeutic time. This study aims to demonstrate that the use of such computational models, could potentially lead to treatment modalities that are tailored to the needs of individual patients.

Biography

Karthic Anbalakan is a researcher at the National University of Singapore and has presented his findings at TCT-Connect: Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics and ICBME 2019. His research explores various interventional cardiovascular treatments, computational modelling, and experimental techniques.

Abstract

Tuberculosis has attracted increased attention worldwide due to its high morality and its resistance to treatment with traditional antibacterial drugs. The L,D-transpeptidase LdtMt2 confers resistance to traditional b-lactams and is considered a target for anti-Tuberculosis treatment. Carbapenems are pro posed to inhibit Mycobacterium tuberculosis by repressing the activity of LdtMt2. The interaction mech anisms between LdtMt2 and carbapenems have been revealed by LdtMt2-carbapenem adduct structures along with various biochemical assays. Interestingly, the lack of the 1-b-methyl group in imipenem may be related to its high binding ability to LdtMt2. However, there is limited evidence on the interaction mode of LdtMt2 and panipenem, another carbapenem lacking the 1-b-methyl group. Herein, we identified the biochemical features of panipenem binding to LdtMt2. We further suggest that the presence of the 1-b-methyl group in carbapenems is indeed related to the ligand affinity of LdtMt2 and that the presence of the Y308 and Y318 residues in LdtMt2 stabilized the conformation of the LdtMt2-carbepenem adduct. Our research provides a structural basis for the development of novel carbapenems against
L,D transpeptidases.

Biography

Dr. Kai Deng received his Bachelor degree from Wuhan University in 2007 and PhD from Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2012, respectively. Since 2012, he has been a faculty member as a Lecturer (2012-2014) and Associate Professor (2014-2020) in Hubei University of Medicine. Currently, he is the Director of department of Biological Sciences. He served for the Expert Evaluation Committee for the National
Natural Science Foundation of China. He won the honor of Chutian scholar in Hubei Province in 2018.

Abstract

In dairy cattle, mastitis is a disease of the mammary gland caused by pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and algae. Mastitis causes economic losses to dairy farms, as well as public health concerns. The reproductive efficiency of commercial dairy herds has important implications for the economic success of dairy operations and is tightly associated with the health status of cows. Mastitis has previously been linked with decreased fertility of dairy cows, but the effect of specific pathogens on the severity of this fertility reduction is still unclear. In this study, cows diagnosed with mastitis caused by major pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Mycoplasma spp., and environmental Streptococcus) needed more artificial inseminations (AI) than cows with mastitis caused by minor pathogens (Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium spp.) and healthy cows. Cows diagnosed with mastitis, independent of what pathogen was causing mastitis, had more days open compared with non-mastitic cows. The percentage of cows that successfully established pregnancy at the first AI was greater in the control group compared with cows in the major pathogens group, but not significantly different from cows in the minor pathogens group. Pregnancy loss was lower in the control group compared with that in the major pathogens group; however, there was no difference upon comparison with the minor pathogen group. Mastitis caused by gram-negative bacteria decreased percentage of pregnancy per first AI and increased days open and pregnancy loss compared with those in the control group. Cows with mastitis caused by gram-positive bacteria also had increased days open when compared with control cows. This study shows that different mastitis-causing bacteria can affect the fertility of cows differently. Mastitis events caused by major pathogens and gram-negative bacteria were associated with the greatest decrease in reproductive efficiency.

Biography

Helio Langoni -Sanitarist veterinary, graduated in Veterinary Medicine by Sao Paulo State University – UNESP (1976), specialization in Public health by University of Sao Paulo – USP (1980), and PhD in Virology by The University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (1982-1985). Senior internship in University of Wisconsin, USA. Actually, is titular retired professor of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, UNESP, Botucatu, Sao Paulo. Permanent external professor of Animal Science program in University of Vila Velha-UVV. Was president of Brazilian Council of Milk Quality (CBQL). Brazilian representative in the International Society for Animal Hygiene (ISAH). Scientific reviewer of 24 periodicals. Has experience in Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Public Health, with emphasis in zoonosis, acting mainly in the following subjects: mastitis and milk quality, leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, leishmaniosis, rabid, and another zoonosis. Is the editor-in-chief of the journal Revista Veterinaria e Zootecnia.