Frontiers in immunology
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Frontiers in immunology · Jan 2020
ReviewImmunomodulation for Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia: The State of the Art.
COVID-19 has become a worldwide pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Severe cases of COVID-19 have accounted for 10-20% of all infections, leading to more than 500,000 deaths. Increasing evidence has suggested that the inflammatory cytokine storm originating from the anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune response plays an important role in the pathogenesis of critically ill patients with COVID-19, which leads to mixed antagonistic response syndrome (MARS). ⋯ Therefore, precise immunomodulation will be beneficial for patients with severe COVID-19, and immunosuppressive or immune enhancement therapy will depend on the disease course and immune status. This review summarizes the current understanding of the immunopathogenesis of severe COVID-19, especially the role of the inflammatory cytokine storm in disease progression. Immune indicators and immunotherapy strategies for severe COVID-19 are reviewed and the potential implications discussed.
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Frontiers in immunology · Jan 2020
ReviewSARS-CoV-2: Immune Response Elicited by Infection and Development of Vaccines and Treatments.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in March a pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This new infectious disease was named Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19), and at October 2020, more than 39,000,000 cases of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected worldwide leading to near 1,100,000 deaths. Clinically, COVID-19 is characterized by clinical manifestations, such as fever, dry cough, headache, and in more severe cases, respiratory distress. ⋯ Moreover, monoclonal antibody therapy is also under development to neutralize the virus and prevent infection. In this article, we describe the clinical manifestations and the immunological information available about COVID-19 disease. Furthermore, we discuss current therapies under study and the development of vaccines to prevent this disease.
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Frontiers in immunology · Jan 2020
ReviewWill Hydroxychloroquine Still Be a Game-Changer for COVID-19 by Combining Azithromycin?
Recent small-scale clinical trials have shown promising results in the use of hydroxychloroquine, an FDA approved anti-malaria drug, for the treatment of COVID-19. However, large scale, randomized and double-blind clinical trials are needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients. Here, we review the progress of using hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine as anti-viral agents, failed clinical trials of chloroquine in treatment of dengue virus and influenza infection, and especially the mechanism of azithromycin in inhibiting viral replication, so as to shed light on the ongoing clinical trials and further researches of hydroxychloroquine on SARS-CoV-2 infected patients.
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Coronaviruses were first discovered in the 1960s and are named due to their crown-like shape. Sometimes, but not often, a coronavirus can infect both animals and humans. An acute respiratory disease, caused by a novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 or SARS-CoV-2 previously known as 2019-nCoV) was identified as the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as it spread throughout China and subsequently across the globe. ⋯ The early recognition of this immunological phenotype could assist prompt recognition of patients who will progress to severe disease. Here we review the data of the immune response during COVID-19 infection. The current review summarizes our understanding of how immune dysregulation and altered cytokine networks contribute to the pathophysiology of COVID-19 patients.
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Frontiers in immunology · Jan 2020
ReviewNeurotoxicity and Cytokine Release Syndrome After Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy: Insights Into Mechanisms and Novel Therapies.
Chimeric antigen receptor T (CART) cell immunotherapy has been remarkably successful in treating certain relapsed/refractory hematological cancers. However, CART cell therapy is also associated with toxicities which present an obstacle to its wider adoption as a mainstay for cancer treatment. ⋯ New insights into the mechanisms of these toxicities have spurred novel treatment options. In this review, we summarize the available literature on the clinical manifestations, mechanisms, and treatments of CART-associated CRS and ICANS.