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Streptococcus pyogenes Surveillance Through Surface Swab Samples to Track the Emergence of Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome in Rural Japan

Japan recently experienced a record surge in streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Our environmental surveillance study reveals that Streptococcus pyogenes persists seasonally, peaking in autumn and winter in rural Japan. The dominant emm1 M1UK sublineage and csrS mutations heighten virulence, highlighting the urgent need for targeted surveillance and interventions.

Complete genome sequence of Burkholderia cenocepacia bacteriophage Karil-mokiny-1

Burkholderia cepacia complex causes life-threatening respiratory infections. Here, a bacteriophage with activity against B. cenocepacia was isolated from wastewater. It has a genome size of 70,144 bp and has the taxonomic classification Irusalimvirus. It has no genes associated with lysogeny, bacterial resistance, or virulence. 

Immune checkpoint therapy responders display early clonal expansion of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes

Immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) causes durable tumour responses in a subgroup of patients, but it is not well known how T cell receptor beta (TCRβ) repertoire dynamics contribute to the therapeutic response. 

Early treatment with fluvoxamine, bromhexine, cyproheptadine, and niclosamide to prevent clinical deterioration in patients with symptomatic COVID-19: a randomized clinical trial

Repurposed drugs with host-directed antiviral and immunomodulatory properties have shown promise in the treatment of COVID-19, but few trials have studied combinations of these agents. The aim of this trial was to assess the effectiveness of affordable, widely available, repurposed drugs used in combination for treatment of COVID-19, which may be particularly relevant to low-resource countries. 

A primary cell model of the very preterm epithelium reveals barrier defects at 1 year of age

Limited evidence suggests that airway epithelial structure and function is disrupted in very preterm infants; however, the epithelial morphology and physiology has not been well characterised following discharge from neonatal intensive care. This study aimed to characterise the nasal airway epithelium from 1-year-old survivors of very preterm birth.

Conservation of gene expression patterns between the amniotic and nasal epithelium at birth

Amniotic epithelial cells are fetal-derived stem cells, capable of differentiating into all three germ layers, including mature epithelial cell populations. Here, we hypothesised that the amniotic epithelium might serve as a surrogate tissue source for investigating transcriptional profiles in the respiratory epithelium of newborns.

Tapeworm infection incidence in rural Japan points to a common environmental source of infection

Dibothriocephalus nihonkaiensis is a zoonotic tapeworm transmitted to humans through consumption of raw or undercooked fish or wild meat. Between 2022 and 2023, Yamagata Prefecture reported an increase in cases compared with 2017-2021, when none were observed. We conducted a clinical and environmental investigation to clarify infection sources.

Personal network inference identifies children at risk of recurrent wheezing and asthma

Wheezing and asthma exacerbations are leading causes of pediatric hospital admissions. Predicting which children will experience persistent exacerbations remains challenging. Prior research has identified immune endotypes in the nasal epithelium of children with acute asthma and wheezing, characterized by varying balances of interferons and inflammatory markers. Notably, children exhibiting low interferon responses coupled with high inflammation are at an increased risk for recurrent respiratory exacerbations.

Identifying SETBP1 haploinsufficiency molecular pathways to improve patient diagnosis using induced pluripotent stem cells and neural disease modelling

SETBP1 Haploinsufficiency Disorder (SETBD) is characterised by mild to moderate intellectual disability, speech and language impairment, mild motor developmental delay, behavioural issues, hypotonia, mild facial dysmorphisms, and vision impairment. Despite a clear link between SETBP1 mutations and neurodevelopmental disorders the precise role of SETBP1 in neural development remains elusive.

Exploring indoor and outdoor dust as a potential tool for detection and monitoring of COVID-19 transmission

This study investigated the potential of using SARS-CoV-2 viral concentrations in dust as an additional surveillance tool for early detection and monitoring of COVID-19 transmission. Dust samples were collected from 8 public locations in 16 districts of Bangkok, Thailand, from June to August 2021.