SARS-CoV-2 triggers Dickkopf-1(Dkk-1)modulation of T helper cells and lung pathology in mice

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARSCov-2)is the etiologic agent of the coronavirus disease 19(COVID-19)pandemic.In viral infections like SARS-CoV-2,a robust anti-viral type 1 immune response,including upregulation of type 1 CD4+T helper cells(Th1),is required for effective viral clearance while minimizing end-organ pathology and collateral tissue damage.

Whatever happened to China’s neglected tropical diseases?

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China 70 years ago,both extreme poverty and parasitic infections and other neglected tropical diseases were highly prevalent.Owing to social development,particularly economic reforms since the 1980s,poverty has since been dramatically reduced,and China became increasingly urbanized and industrialized.In parallel,China's economic transformation translated into similar and remarkable reductions in neglected tropical diseases.Qian and colleagues report in their review published in Infectious Diseases of Poverty,the elimination or near elimination as a public health problem of lymphatic filariasis,trachoma,soil-transmitted helminth infections,schistosomiasis and other neglected tropical diseases.Of note,neglected tropical disease control and poverty reduction each appear to reinforce the other.China's formula for success in parasitic and neglected tropical disease control might translate to other parts of the world,such as in sub-Saharan Africa through China's new Belt and Road Initiative.

Investigation of temporal and spatial heterogeneities of the immune responses to Bordetella pertussis infection in the lung and spleen of mice via analysis and modeling of dynamic microarray gene expression data

Bordetella pertussis(B.pertussis)is the causative agent of pertussis,also referenced as whooping cough.Although pertussis has been appropriately controlled by routine immunization of infants,it has experienced a resurgence since the beginning of the 21st century.Given that elucidating the immune response to pertussis is a crucial factor to improve therapeutic and preventive treatments,we re-analyzed a time course microarray dataset of B.pertussis infection by applying a newly developed dynamic data analysis pipeline.Our results indicate that the immune response to B.pertussis is highly dynamic and heterologous across different organs during infection.Th1 and Th17 cells,which are two critical types of T helper cell populations in the immune response to B.pertussis,and follicular T helper cells(TFHs),which are also essential for generating antibodies,might be generated at different time points and distinct locations after infection.This phenomenon may indicate that different lymphoid organs may have their unique functions during infection.These findings provide a better understanding of the basic immunology of bacterial infection,which may provide valuable insights for the improvement of pertussis vaccine design in the future.