On Jan 20, 2025, WHO and the Tanzanian Government confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Kagera region, northwestern Tanzania. Esther Nakkazi reports.
Category: Immunology
Corticosteroid use linked to higher risk of lupus pericarditis recurrence
A new study of more than 2,900 patients provides evidence that it’s likely best to use as little corticosteroid medicine as possible when treating people who have lupus pericarditis, a common heart complication of the autoimmune disease Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and… Continue reading Corticosteroid use linked to higher risk of lupus pericarditis recurrence
[Obituary] Ana Gligić
Renowned virolgist and expert in medical microbiology died on Jan 4, 2025, aged 91 years.
[Newsdesk] Research in brief
In a phase 3 international trial, individuals aged 15 years and older with fluoroquinolone-susceptible, rifampin-resistant tuberculosis were randomly assigned to receive either standard 18–24-month regimens or one of five 9-month, all-oral regimens. At week 73, a favourable outcome (two negative sputum culture results plus no deaths or treatment changes), assessed in 562 participants, was non-inferior… Continue reading [Newsdesk] Research in brief
[Newsdesk] Infectious disease surveillance update
On Jan 30, 2025, the Ministry of Health in Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola disease due to Sudan virus in Kampala, Uganda, following confirmation from three national reference laboratories. According to a press release, the patient, a 32-year-old male nurse, presented to Mulago National Referral Hospital with signs and symptoms between Jan 20 and… Continue reading [Newsdesk] Infectious disease surveillance update
[Newsdesk] WHO prequalifies tools for relapsing malaria
In December, 2024, WHO prequalified a diagnostic test and two drug products to suppport safe and effective treatment of Plasmodium vivax malaria. Timothy Jesudason reports.
[Newsdesk] Global cholera resurgence—a preventable tragedy
As the latest cholera situation report from WHO shows, the global burden of cholera continues to rise, in part due to a lack of political will to address it. Vijay Shankar Balakrishnan reports.
Autophagy repression by antigen and cytokines shapes mitochondrial, migration and effector machinery in CD8 T cells
Abstract Autophagy shapes CD8 T cell fate; yet the timing, triggers and targets of this process are poorly defined. Herein, we show that naive CD8 T cells have high autophagic flux, and we identify an autophagy checkpoint whereby antigen receptor engagement and inflammatory cytokines acutely repress autophagy by regulating amino acid transporter expression and intracellular amino acid… Continue reading Autophagy repression by antigen and cytokines shapes mitochondrial, migration and effector machinery in CD8 T cells
Autophagy repression in effector T lymphocytes redefines paradigms in T cell biology
Autophagy, thought to be boosted by T cell receptor or cytokine stimulation, took an unexpected turn in the findings of Sinclair et al. — it is suppressed in activated T cells, facilitating their effector functions. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access through your institution Change institution Buy… Continue reading Autophagy repression in effector T lymphocytes redefines paradigms in T cell biology
The endogenous antigen-specific CD8+ T cell repertoire is composed of unbiased and biased clonotypes with differential fate commitments
The polyclonal CD8+ T cell response to a single antigen is the average of several hundred individual T cell clonotypes. Abdullah et al. demonstrate that most clonotypes exhibit TCR-intrinsic differentiation biases toward memory or effector fates and are unaffected by inflammatory cues and stochastic effects. They also use phylogenetic analysis to reveal plastic and stable subclonal fate biases.