Improved control of SARS-CoV-2 by treatment with a nucleocapsid-specific monoclonal antibody

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein is the main antigen in all approved COVID-19 vaccines and is also the only target for monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies. Immune responses to other viral antigens are generated after SARS-CoV-2 infection, but their contribution to the antiviral response remains unclear. Here, we interrogated whether nucleocapsid-specific antibodies can improve protection against SARS-CoV-2. We first immunized mice with a nucleocapsid-based vaccine and then transferred sera from these mice into naive mice, followed by challenge with SARS-CoV-2. We show that mice that received nucleocapsid-specific sera or a nucleocapsid-specific mAb exhibited enhanced control of SARS-CoV-2. Nucleocapsid-specific antibodies elicited NK-mediated, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against infected cells. To our knowledge, these findings provide the first demonstration in the coronavirus literature that antibody responses specific to the nucleocapsid protein can improve viral clearance, providing a rationale for the clinical evaluation of nucleocapsid-based mAb therapies to treat COVID-19.     

Basic isoferritin and hypercalcaemia in renal cell carcinoma

A 63-year-old man with iron loss anaemia and hypercalcaemia was found to have a renal cell carcinoma. Despite the iron-deficient blood and bone marrow picture, the serum ferritin concentration was markedly raised. This was mainly due to a “basic isoferritin”. The serum parathormone concentration was normal. The serum ferritin and calcium concentrations returned to normal after the tumour was removed. We propose that the renal cell carcinoma cells in this patient secreted the basic isoferritin as well as humoral factor(s) responsible for hypercalcaemia.     

Rapid MR imaging with suspended respiration: clinical application in the liver

The authors demonstrate that it is possible to obtain highly T1-weighted images of the abdomen using a suspended respiration partial saturation (SRPS) method in a breath-holding interval. T2*-weighted images, which reflect tissue T2 as well as variations in the static magnetic field, can also be rapidly obtained. The authors studied five healthy subjects and 19 patients with a variety of liver abnormalities, including benign and malignant hepatic neoplasms, fatty liver infiltration, ascites, and hematoma. On T1-weighted multisection acquisitions, the entire liver can be screened for mass lesions in a single 20-second breath-holding interval. Phase-contrast SRPS images are sensitive to fatty infiltration of the liver. SRPS images are more sensitive to variations in magnetic susceptibility than spin-echo images are, which has been proved to be of value in the detection of hemorrhage. With continued pulse sequence development and clinical study, this method has the potential to become the method of choice for evaluation of the upper abdomen.     

Short Term vs Long Term Dexamethasone Treatment: Effects on Rat Diaphragm Structure and Function

The effects of dexamethasone treatment duration (2.5 vs 10 weeks) on diaphragm myosin heavy chain isoforms, fiber types, and contractile characteristics were studied in male rats. Compared with ad libitum-fed and pair-fed controls, dexamethasone significantly decreased body weight, costal diaphragm weight, and the relative expression of myosin heavy chain isoform MHC-2B. Compared with pair-fed controls, the effect on MHC-2B expression was greater after 10 weeks than after 2.5 weeks. Type I and type II costal diaphragm fiber atrophy occurred, and type II fiber atrophy was greater after 10 weeks. Costal diaphragm-specific forces were not affected significantly by dexamethasone, regardless of the treatment duration or control group comparison. Fatigue resistance indexes were increased significantly after long term treatment compared with pair-fed controls and after both short term and long term treatment compared with ad libitum-fed controls. In conclusion, the effects of dexamethasone on MHC isoform phenotype expression, fiber type costal diaphragm atrophy, and fatigue resistance were dependent on treatment duration, with greater effects after long term (10 weeks) treatment. Accepted for publication: 24 November 1997     

Psychiatric, neuropediatric, and neuropsychological symptoms in a case of hypomelanosis of Ito

This case report presents a thirteen year-old boy who was diagnosed as having Hypomelanosis of Ito. The developmental history includes severe failure to thrive, and moderate atypical autism as well as diverse clinical and neuropsychological symptoms are present. The pattern of neuropsychological functioning, which can be partially related to the neurophysiological findings, is discussed within the context of existing neuropsychological theories about autistic disorders.