International immunopharmacology
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Nov 2020
Oxygen-ozone (O2-O3) immunoceutical therapy for patients with COVID-19. Preliminary evidence reported.
This study evaluated the potential efficacy of a novel approach to treat COVID-19 patients, using an oxygen-ozone (O2-O3) mixture, via a process called Oxygen-Ozone- Immunoceutical Therapy. The methodology met the criteria of a novel, promising approach to treat successfully elderly COVID-19 patients, particularly when hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs) Experimental design: We investigated the therapeutic effect of 4 cycles of O2-O3 in 50 hospitalized COVID-19 subjects suffering from acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS), aged more than 60 years, all males and undergoing non invasive mechanical ventilation in ICUs. ⋯ Our results show that O2-O3 treatment would be a promising therapy for COVID-19 patients. It leads patients to a fast recovery from ARDS via the improvement of major respiratory indexes and blood gas parameters, following a relatively short time of dispensed forced ventilation (about one to two weeks). This study may encourage the scientific community to further investigate and evaluate the proposed method for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Nov 2020
Meta AnalysisSarcopenia affects clinical efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
The clinical impact of sarcopenia on the immune checkpoint inhibitor's (ICI) efficacy and immune-related adverse events in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between sarcopenia and clinical outcomes of ICI immunotherapy. ⋯ Sarcopenia was associated with worse treatment response and shorter long-term efficacy in NSCLC patients treated with ICI immunotherapy. Moreover, sarcopenia does not increase the rate of immune-related adverse events.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Nov 2020
Chebulanin exerts its anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects via inhibiting NF-κB and MAPK activation in collagen-induced arthritis mice.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation and progressive joint destruction. Chebulanin is a natural polyphenol acid isolated from the traditional Tibetan medicine Terminalia chebula Retz that has previously been reported to possess anti-inflammatory properties. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects of chebulanin and explore its underlying mechanisms in vivo and in vitro using a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW264.7 cell inflammation model. ⋯ Furthermore, chebulanin reduced the levels of excised phosphorylated (p)-p38, phosphorylated-c-JUN N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), p-p65 and phosphorylated NF-κB inhibitor alpha (p-IκBα) in CIA mice, but did not affect the level of phosphorylated extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK). In addition, chebulanin could inhibit the nuclear translocation of p38 and p65 in LPS-stimulated macrophages in dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that chebulanin exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Nov 2020
Clinical TrialPromising effects of tocilizumab in COVID-19: A non-controlled, prospective clinical trial.
The clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection ranges from mild symptoms to severe complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome. In this syndrome, inflammatory cytokines are released after activation of the inflammatory cascade, with the predominant role of interleukin (IL)-6. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of tocilizumab, as an IL-6 antagonist, in patients with severe or critical SARS-CoV-2 infection. ⋯ Based on the current results, tocilizumab may be a promising agent for patients with severe or critical SARS-CoV-2 infection, if promptly initiated during the severe stage.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Nov 2020
ReviewOverview of the current promising approaches for the development of an effective severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. There is a gap in our understanding regarding the immunopathogenesis of COVID-19. However, many clinical trials are underway across the world for screening effective drugs against COVID-19. ⋯ The vaccines are deemed as a significant part of disease prevention for emerging viral diseases, since, in several cases, other therapeutic choices are limited or non-existent, or that diseases result in such an accelerated clinical worsening that the efficacy of treatments is restricted. Therefore, effective vaccines against COVID-19 are urgently required to overcome the tremendous burden of mortality and morbidity correlated with SARS-CoV-2. In this review, we will describe the latest evidence regarding outstanding vaccine approaches and the challenges for vaccine production.