We previously demonstrated that the pleural levels of proteins (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin/NGAL, calprotectin, bactericidal permeability-increasing/BPI, azurocidin 1/AZU-1) were valuable markers for identifying complicated PPE (CPPE). Herein, this study was performed to evaluate whether these proteins are useful as serological markers for identifying CPPE and empyema.

Despite the known association of perioperative stroke with perioperative mortality, the prevalence of stroke following neck dissection in elderly patients remains unclear. This study compared the incidence of neck dissection-associated perioperative stroke in elderly and younger patients.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) facilitates neuronal growth and plasticity, and is crucial for learning and memory. Contactin-1 (CNTN1) is a member of the subfamily of neural immunoglobulin and is involved in the formation of axon connections in the developing nervous system. This cross-sectional study investigates whether BDNF and CNTN1 affect susceptibility to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A total of 136 drug-naïve patients with ADHD (108 boys and 28 girls) and 71 healthy controls (45 boys and 26 girls) were recruited. Blood samples were obtained to measure the plasma levels of BDNF and CNTN1 in each child. We found that BDNF levels in the ADHD boys exceeded those in the control boys, but BDNF levels in the ADHD girls were lower than those in the control girls. Boys who had higher BDNF levels performed worse on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition, but girls who had higher BDNF levels made fewer omission errors in the Conners' Continuous Performance Test. However, CNTN1 level did not differ significantly between patients and controls, and were not correlated to ADHD characteristics, regardless of gender. The findings suggest BDNF may influence sex-specific susceptibility to ADHD, but CNTN1 was not associated with ADHD pathophysiology.

Considering the urgent demand for faster methods to quantify neutralizing antibody titers in patients with coronavirus (CoV) disease 2019 (COVID-19), developing an analytical model or method to replace the conventional virus neutralization test (NT) is essential. Moreover, a "COVID-19 immunity passport" is currently being proposed as a certification for people who travel internationally. Therefore, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was designed to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-neutralizing antibodies in serum, which is based on the binding affinity of SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein 1 (S1) and the viral spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) to antibodies. The RBD is considered the major binding region of neutralizing antibodies. Furthermore, S1 covers the RBD and several other regions, which are also important for neutralizing antibody binding. In this study, we assessed 144 clinical specimens, including those from patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections and healthy donors, using both the NT and ELISA. The ELISA results analyzed by spline regression and the two-variable generalized additive model precisely reflected the NT value, and the correlation between predicted and actual NT values was as high as 0.917. Therefore, our method serves as a surrogate to quantify neutralizing antibody titer. The analytic method and platform used in this study present a new perspective for serological testing of SARS-CoV-2 infection and have clinical potential to assess vaccine efficacy. IMPORTANCE Herein, we present a new approach for serological testing for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using innovative laboratory methods that demonstrate a combination of biology and mathematics. The traditional virus neutralization test is the gold standard method; however, it is time-consuming and poses a risk to medical personnel. Thus, there is a demand for methods that rapidly quantify neutralizing antibody titers in patients with COVID-19 or examine vaccine efficacy at a biosafety level 2 containment facility. Therefore, we used a two-variable generalized additive model to analyze the results of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and found the method to serve as a surrogate to quantify neutralizing antibody titers. This methodology has potential for clinical use in assessing vaccine efficacy.

A community COVID-19 outbreak caused by the B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant occurred in Taiwan in May 2021. High-risk populations such as people living with HIV (PLWH) were recommended to receive two doses of COVID-19 vaccines. While SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have demonstrated promising results in general population, real-world information on the serological responses remains limited among PLWH.

How the hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen (HCVcAg) assay performs in detecting recently acquired HCV infection among people living with HIV (PLWH) and HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) is rarely assessed in the Asia-Pacific region. High-risk participants, including PLWH with sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HCV clearance by antivirals or spontaneously, or elevated aminotransferases, HIV-negative MSM with STIs or on HIV preexposure prophylaxis, and low-risk PLWH were enrolled. Blood samples were subjected to 3-stage pooled-plasma HCV RNA testing every 3 to 6 months until detection of HCV viremia or completion of the 1-year follow-up. The samples at enrollment and all of the archived samples preceding the detection of HCV RNA during follow-up were tested for HCVcAg. During June 2019 and February 2021, 1,639 blood samples from 744 high-risk and 727 low-risk PLWH and 86 HIV-negative participants were tested for both HCV RNA and HCVcAg. Of 62 samples positive for HCV RNA, 54 (87.1%) were positive for HCVcAg. Of 1,577 samples negative for HCV RNA, 1,568 (99.4%) were negative for HCVcAg. The mean HCV RNA load of the 8 individual samples positive for HCV RNA but negative for HCVcAg was 3.2 (range, 2.5 to 3.9) log10 IU/mL, and that of the remaining 54 samples with concordant results was 6.2 (range, 1.3 to 8.5) log10 IU/mL. The positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of HCVcAg were 85.7% and 99.5%, respectively. In at-risk populations, HCVcAg has a high specificity and NPV but lower sensitivity and PPV, particularly in individuals with low HCV RNA loads. IMPORTANCE The HCV core antigen assay has a high specificity of 99.4% and negative predictive value of 99.5% but a lower sensitivity of 87.1% and positive predictive value of 85.7% in the diagnosis of recently acquired HCV infection in high-risk populations. Our findings are informative for many countries confronted with limited resources to timely identify acute HCV infections and provide effective direct-acting antivirals to halt onward transmission.

Background: Cedrol is a natural sesquiterpene alcohol found in Cedrus atlantica, which has been proven to have a broad spectrum of biological activities, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anxiolytic, and anti-cancer effects. However, the underlying anticancer mechanisms and in vivo inhibitory effects of cedrol on colorectal cancer (CRC) have not been elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the anti-CRC potential of cedrol using in vitro and in vivo models. Methods: The effects of cedrol on cell viability, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis of HT-29 and CT-26 cells were detected by MTT, flow cytometry, and TUNEL assays. Western blotting was used to measure protein expression for molecular signaling analyses. Results: Cedrol inhibited HT-29 and CT-26 cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner, with IC50 values of 138.91 and 92.46 µM, respectively. Furthermore, cedrol induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase by regulating the expression of cell cycle regulators, such as CDK4 and cyclin D1, and triggered apoptosis through extrinsic (FasL/caspase-8) and intrinsic (Bax/caspase-9) pathways. In addition, cedrol in combination with the clinical drug 5-fluorouracil exhibited synergistic inhibitory effects on CRC cell growth. Importantly, cedrol treatment suppressed the progression of CRC and improved the survival rate of animals at a well-tolerated dose. Conclusion: These results suggest that cedrol has an anti-cancer potential via induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and it could be considered as an effective agent for CRC therapy.

Influenza A virus is transmitted through a respiratory route and has caused several pandemics throughout history. The NS1 protein of influenza A virus, which consists of an N-terminal RNA-binding domain and a C-terminal effector domain, is considered one of the critical virulence factors during influenza A virus infection because the viral protein can downregulate the antiviral response of the host cell and facilitate viral replication. Our previous study identified an N-terminus-truncated NS1 protein that covers the C-terminus effector domain. To comprehensively explore the role of the truncated NS1 in cells, we conducted immunoprecipitation coupled with LC-MS/MS to identify its interacting cellular proteins. There were 46 cellular proteins identified as the components of the truncated NS1 protein complex. As for our previous results for the identification of the full-length NS1-interacting host proteins, we discovered that the truncated NS1 protein interacts with the γ isoform of the 14-3-3 protein family. In addition, we found that the knockdown of 14-3-3γ in host cells reduced the replication of the influenza A/PR8 wild-type virus but not that of the PR8-NS1/1-98 mutant virus, which lacks most of the effector domain of NS1. This research highlights the role of 14-3-3γ, which interacts with the effector domain of NS1 protein, in influenza A viral replication.

Purpose: Preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is the standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer patients. However, the poor therapeutic efficacy of CCRT was found in rectal cancer patients with hyperglycemia. This study investigated how hyperglycemia affects radiochemotherapy resistance in rectal cancer. Methods and Materials: We analyzed the correlation between prognosis indexes with hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) in rectal cancer patients with preoperative CCRT. In vitro, we investigated the effect of different concentrated glucose of environments on the radiation tolerance of rectal cancers. Further, we analyzed the combined HIF-1α inhibitor with radiation therapy in hyperglycemic rectal cancers. Results: The prognosis indexes of euglycemic or hyperglycemic rectal cancer patients after receiving CCRT treatment were investigated. The hyperglycemic rectal cancer patients (n = 13, glycosylated hemoglobin, HbA1c > 6.5%) had poorer prognosis indexes. In addition, a positive correlation was observed between HIF-1α expression and HbA1c levels (p = 0.046). Therefore, it is very important to clarify the relationship between HIF-1α and poor response in patients with hyperglycemia receiving pre-operative CCRT. Under a high glucose environment, rectal cancer cells express higher levels of glucose transport 1 (GLUT1), O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), and HIF-1α, suggesting that the high glucose environment might stimulate HIF-1α expression through the GLUT1-OGT-HIF-1α pathway promoting tolerance to Fluorouracil (5-FU) and radiation. In the hyperglycemic rectal cancer animal model, rectal cancer cells confirmed that radiation exposure reduces apoptosis by overexpressing HIF-1α. Combining HIF-1α inhibitors was able to reverse radioresistance in a high glucose environment. Lower HIF-1α levels increased DNA damage in tumors leading to apoptosis. Conclusions: The findings here show that hyperglycemia induces the expression of GLUT1, OGT, and HIF-1α to cause CCRT tolerance in rectal cancer and suggest that combining HIF-1α inhibitors could reverse radioresistance in a high glucose environment. HIF-1α inhibitors may be useful for development as CCRT sensitizers in patients with hyperglycemic rectal cancer.

Patients with complicated parapneumonic effusion (CPPE)/empyema have high morbidity and mortality, particularly when adequate management is delayed. We aimed to investigate novel dysregulated cytokines that can be used as biomarkers for infectious pleural effusions, especially for CPPE/empyema. Expression of 40 cytokines in parapneumonic effusions (PPE) was screened in the discovery phase, involving 63 patients, using a multiplex immunobead-based assay. Six cytokines were subsequently validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). We then used ELISA to further evaluate the diagnostic values and cutoff values of these cytokines as potential biomarkers in an expanded group that included 200 patients with uncomplicated parapneumonic effusion (UPPE), CPPE, empyema, transudates, other exudates, and malignant pleural effusion (MPE). The pleural levels of four cytokines (MIF, MIP-3α, IL-1β, ENA-78) were highest and significantly increased in CPPE/empyema compared with those in other etiologies. According to receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the four cytokines (MIF, MIP-3α, IL-1β, and ENA-78) had areas under the curve (AUCs) greater than 0.710 for discriminating parapneumonic pleural effusion from noninfectious pleural effusions. In a comparison of nonpurulent CPPE with UPPE, logistic regression analysis revealed that pleural fluid MIF ≥ 12 ng/ml and MIP-3α ≥ 4.3 ng/ml had the best diagnostic value; MIF also displayed the highest odds ratio of 663 for nonpurulent CPPE, with 97.5% specificity, 94.44% sensitivity, and an AUC of 0.950. In conclusion, our results show that elevated MIF and MIP-3α may be used as novel biomarkers for PPE diagnosis, particularly in patients with CPPE/empyema; the findings indicate that dysregulated cytokine expression may provide clues about the pathogenesis of pleural infection.

Ractopamine has been authorized as a feed additive and permitted in animal husbandry. With the establishment of the regulation to limit the concentration of ractopamine, a rapid screening method for ractopamine is urgently needed. Additionally, how to combine the screening and confirmatory tests of ractopamine is also critical to maximizing the efficiency of testing. Here, we developed a lateral flow immunoassays-based method for the screening of ractopamine in foods and proposed a cost-benefit analysis approach to optimize cost allocation between screening and confirmatory tests. After verifying the analytical and clinical performances of the screening method, a mathematical model was established to calculate the screening and confirmatory test results with various parameter settings, such as cost allocation, false-negative tolerance, and total budget size. The developed immunoassay-based screening test could successfully distinguish gravy samples with ractopamine levels over and lower than maximum residue limits (MRL). The area under curve (AUC) value of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is 0.99. For the cost-benefit analysis, mathematical simulation indicated that when the samples are allocated to screening and confirmatory tests at the optimized cost allocation, the number of confirmed positive samples can increase by 26 times compared to the scenarios entirely relying on confirmatory testing. While conventional wisdom considers that screening should be carried out at low false-negative rates, such as 0.1%, our results indicated that the cutoff value of a screening test with a 20% false-negative rate at MRL could capture the maximum number of confirmed positive samples at a limited budget. Our work indicated that the participation of the screening method in ractopamine analysis and optimized cost allocation between screening and confirmatory tests could enhance the efficiency in detecting the positive samples, which provides a rational basis for decision-making in food safety enforcement for public health.

Data regarding the durability of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) in maintaining hepatitis B virus (HBV) viral suppression among HIV/HBV-coinfected patients are limited. Between February and October 2018, 274 HIV/HBV-coinfected participants who had achieved HIV RNA of <50 copies/mL with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)-containing ART and switched to elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/TAF were prospectively enrolled. Serial plasma HIV and HBV viral loads, HBV and hepatitis D virus (HDV) serology, renal parameters, metabolic profiles, and bone mineral density (BMD) were assessed through 96 weeks. At baseline and weeks 48, 72, and 96, 5.8%, 5.1%, 5.8%, and 5.1% of the participants had plasma HBV DNA of ≥20 IU/mL, and 0%, 0.7%, 1.5%, and 2.2% had HIV RNA of ≥50 copies/mL, respectively. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss occurred in 1.5% of 274 participants, and hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) loss or seroconversion occurred in 14.3% of 35 HBeAg-positive participants. Compared with baseline, the median urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (79 versus 63 mg/g, P < 0.001) and β2-microglobulin-to-creatinine ratio (165 versus 83 μg/g, P < 0.001) continued to decrease at week 96. BMD of the spine and hip slightly increased (mean change, +0.9% and +0.5%, respectively). The median triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol increased from baseline to week 96 (116 versus 141, 166 versus 190, 99 versus 117, and 42 versus 47 mg/dL, respectively; all P < 0.001), and most of the increases occurred in the first 48 weeks of the switch. Our study showed that switching from TDF-containing ART to elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/TAF maintained HBV and HIV viral suppression through 96 weeks among HIV/HBV-coinfected patients. Proteinuria continued to improve, while fasting lipids increased and BMD stabilized at 96 weeks after the switch. IMPORTANCE Elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide as a maintenance therapy showed durable and high rates of viral suppression for HIV/HBV-coinfected patients, with only 5.1% and 2.2% of patients having HBV DNA of ≥20 IU/mL and HIV RNA of ≥50 copies/mL, respectively, at 96 weeks. Our study fills the data gap on the long-term clinical effectiveness of tenofovir alafenamide-containing antiretroviral therapy in people living with HIV who have HBV coinfection.

Testing and treatment of tuberculosis infection (TBI) are recommended for people living with HIV (PLWH). We aimed to evaluate the care cascade of TBI treatment among PLWH in the era of antiretroviral therapy (ART) scale-up. This retrospective study included adult PLWH undergoing interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA)-based TBI screening during 2019-2021. PLWH testing IGRA-positive were advised to receive directly-observed therapy for TBI after active TB disease was excluded. The care cascade was evaluated to identify barriers to TBI management. Among 7951 PLWH with a median age of 38 years and CD4 count of 616 cells/mm3, 420 (5.3%) tested positive and 38 (0.5%) indeterminate for IGRA. The TBI treatment initiation rate was 73.6% (309/420) and the completion rate was 91.9% (284/309). More than 80% of PLWH concurrently received short-course rifapentine-based regimens and integrase strand transfer inhibitor (InSTI)-containing ART. The main barrier to treatment initiation was physicians' concerns and patients' refusal (85.6%). The factors associated with treatment non-completion were older age, female, anti-HCV positivity, and higher plasma HIV RNA. Our observation of a high TBI completion rate among PLWH is mainly related to the introduction of short-course rifapentine-based regimens in the InSTI era, which can be the strategy to improve TBI treatment uptake.

The aberrant subcellular translocation and distribution of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) represent a major yet currently underappreciated cancer development mechanism in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, we investigated the subcellular interactome of EGFR by using a spectral counting-based approach combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to understand the associated protein networks involved in the tumorigenesis of NSCLC. A total of 54, 77, and 63 EGFR-interacting proteins were identified specifically in the cytosolic, mitochondrial, and nuclear fractions from a NSCLC cell line, respectively. Pathway analyses of these proteins using the KEGG database shown that the EGFR-interacting proteins of the cytosol and nucleus are involved in the ribosome and spliceosome pathways, respectively, while those of the mitochondria are involved in metabolizing propanoate, fatty acid, valine, leucine, and isoleucine. A selected nuclear EGFR-interacting protein, hnRNP A3, was found to modulate the accumulation of nuclear EGFR. Downregulation of hnRNP A3 reduced the nuclear accumulation of EGFR, and this was accompanied by reduced tumor growth ability in vitro and in vivo. These results indicate that variations in the subcellular translocation and distribution of EGFR within NSCLC cells could affect tumor progression.

A one-year-old male Maltese terrier presented with mild ataxia and disorientation for 4 months. Over time, clinical signs progressed from paraparesis to non-ambulatory tetraparesis, voice change and dysphagia. Histological examination revealed concurrent leukoencephalomyelitis and polyneuritis. Infectious etiologies, including dengue, Japanese encephalitis, Zika, canine distemper, pseudorabies, rabies, toxoplasmosis, neosporosis, leishmaniasis, and encephalitozoonosis, were ruled out by PCR and/or immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. IHC tested on neurological tissues highlighted a heterogeneous population of infiltrating T and B lymphocytes admixed macrophages. Therefore, this case was diagnosed with current leukoencephalomyelitis and polyneuritis, resembling combined central and peripheral demyelination (CCPD), an autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease affecting both the CNS and PNS in humans.

Piplartine (or Piperlongumine) is a natural alkaloid isolated from Piper longum L., which has been proposed to exhibit various biological properties such as anti-inflammatory effects; however, the effect of piplartine on sepsis has not been examined. This study was performed to examine the anti-inflammatory activities of piplartine in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo using murine J774A.1 macrophage cell line, peritoneal macrophages, bone marrow-derived macrophages and an animal sepsis model. The results demonstrated that piplartine suppresses iNOS and COX-2 expression, reduces PGE2, TNF-α and IL-6 production, decreases the phosphorylation of MAPKs and NF-κB and attenuates NF-κB activity by LPS-activated macrophages. Piplartine also inhibits IL-1β production and suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation by LPS/ATP- and LPS/nigericin-activated macrophages. Moreover, piplartine reduces the production of nitric oxide (NO) and TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β, decreases LPS-induced tissue damage, attenuates infiltration of inflammatory cells and enhances the survival rate. Collectively, these results demonstrate piplartine exhibits anti-inflammatory activities in LPS-induced inflammation and sepsis and suggest that piplartine might have benefits for sepsis treatment.

To reach the WHO target of hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination by 2025, Taiwan started to implement free-of-charge direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment programme in 2017. Evaluating the progress of HCV microelimination among people living with HIV (PLWH) is a critical step to identify the barriers to HCV elimination. PLWH seeking care at a major hospital designated for HIV care in Taiwan between January 2011 and December 2021 were retrospectively included. For PLWH with HCV-seropositive or HCV seroconversion during the study period, serial HCV RNA testing was performed using archived samples to confirm the presence of HCV viremia and estimate the prevalence and incidence of HCV viremia. Overall, 4199 PLWH contributed to a total of 27,258.75 person-years of follow-up (PYFU). With the reimbursement of DAAs and improvement of access to treatments, the prevalence of HCV viremia has declined from its peak of 6.21% (95% CI, 5.39-7.12%) in 2018 to 2.09% (95% CI, 1.60-2.77%) in 2021 (decline by 66.4% [95% CI, 55.4-74.7%]); the incidence has declined from 25.94 per 1000 PYFU (95% CI, 20.44-32.47) in 2019 to 12.15% per 1000 PYFU (95% CI, 8.14-17.44) (decline by 53.2% [95% CI, 27.3-70.6%]). However, the proportion of HCV reinfections continued to increase and accounted for 82.8% of incident HCV infections in 2021. We observed significant declines of HCV viremia among PLWH with the expansion of the DAA treatment programme in Taiwan. Further improvement of the access to DAA retreatments is warranted to achieve the goal of HCV microelimination.

Early detection of bladder cancer remains challenging because patients with early-stage bladder cancer usually have no incentive to take cytology or cystoscopy tests if they are asymptomatic. Our goal is to find non-invasive marker candidates that may help us gain insight into the metabolism of early-stage bladder cancer and be examined in routine health checks.

Studies on immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) in people living with HIV (PLWH) and presenting with interstitial pneumonitis (IP) are limited in the era of rapid antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation, particularly with integrase strand-transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-containing regimens. Adult PLWH presenting with IP in whom ART was initiated within 30 days of IP diagnosis between 2015 and 2021 were retrospectively identified. The primary outcome was the occurrence of IRIS within 30 days after admission. Of 88 eligible PLWH with IP (median age, 36 years; CD4 count, 39 cells/mm3), Pneumocystis jirovecii and cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA were detected via polymerase-chain-reaction assay in 69.3% and 91.7% of respiratory specimens, respectively. 22 PLWH (25.0%) had manifestations that met French's IRIS criteria for paradoxical IRIS. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of the all-cause mortality (0.0% versus 6.1%, P = 0.24), the occurrence of respiratory failure (22.7% versus 19.7%, P = 0.76), and pneumothorax (9.1% versus 7.6%, P = 0.82) between PLWH with and those without paradoxical IRIS. In a multivariable analysis, the factors associated with IRIS were the decline of the 1 month plasma HIV RNA load (PVL) with ART (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] per 1 log decrease, 3.45; 95% CI, 1.52 to 7.81), a baseline CD4-to-CD8 ratio of <0.1 (aHR, 3.47; 95% CI, 1.16 to 10.44), and the rapid initiation of ART (aHR, 7.95; 95% CI, 1.04 to 60.90). In conclusion, we found a high rate of paradoxical IRIS among PLWH with IP in the era of rapid ART initiation with INSTI-containing ART and this was associated with immune depletion at baseline, a rapid decline of PVL, and an interval of <7 days between the diagnosis of IP and the initiation of ART. IMPORTANCE Our study of PLWH who presented with IP mainly due to Pneumocystis jirovecii demonstrates that a high rate of paradoxical IRIS and a rapid decline of PVL with the initiation of ART, a CD4-to-CD8 ratio of <0.1 at baseline, and a short interval (<7 days) between the diagnosis of IP and the initiation of ART were associated with paradoxical IP-IRIS in PLWH. Paradoxical IP-IRIS was not associated with mortality or respiratory failure with heightened awareness among the HIV-treating physicians, rigorous investigations to exclude the possibilities of concomitant infections, or the malignancies and adverse effects of medications, including the cautious use of corticosteroids.

Vitiligo, a psychologically distressing pigmentary disorder characterized by white depigmented patches due to melanocyte loss, necessitates non-invasive tools for early detection and treatment response monitoring. High-cellular-resolution full-field optical coherence tomography (CRFF-OCT) is emerging in pigmentary disorder assessment, but its applicability in vitiligo repigmentation after tissue grafting remains unexplored. To investigate the feasibility of CRFF-OCT for evaluating vitiligo lesions following tissue grafting, our investigation involved ten vitiligo patients who underwent suction blister epidermal grafting and laser ablation at a tertiary center between 2021 and 2022. Over a six-month period, clinical features, dermoscopy, and photography data were recorded. Utilizing CRFF-OCT along with artificial intelligence (AI) applications, repigmentation features were captured and analyzed. The CRFF-OCT analysis revealed a distinct dark band in vitiligo lesion skin, indicating melanin loss. Grafted areas exhibited melanocytes with dendrites around the epidermal-dermal junction and hair follicles. CRFF-OCT demonstrated its efficacy in the early detection of melanocyte recovery and accurate melanin quantification. This study introduces CRFF-OCT as a real-time, non-invasive, and in vivo evaluation tool for assessing vitiligo repigmentation, offering valuable insights into pigmentary disorders and treatment responses.