The prospects of single-cell analysis in autoimmunity.

In the last decade, there has been a tremendous development of technologies focused on analysing various molecular attributes in single cells, with an ever-increasing number of parameters becoming available at the DNA, RNA and protein levels. Much of this progress has involved cells in suspension, but also in situ analysis of tissues has taken great leaps. Paralleling the development in the laboratory, and because of increasing complexity, the analysis of single-cell data is also constantly being updated with new algorithms and analysis platforms. Our immune system shares this complexity, and immunologists have therefore been in the forefront of this technological development. These technologies clearly open new avenues for immunology research, maybe particularly within autoimmunity where the interaction between the faulty immune system and the thymus or the target organ is important. However, the technologies currently available can seem overwhelming and daunting. The aim of this review is to remedy this by giving a balanced overview of the prospects of using single-cell analysis in basal and clinical autoimmunity research, with an emphasis on endocrine autoimmunity.

Functional immune response to influenza H1N1 in children and adults after live attenuated influenza virus vaccination.

Influenza virus is a major respiratory pathogen, and vaccination is the main method of prophylaxis. In 2012, the trivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) was licensed in Europe for use in children. Vaccine-induced antibodies directed against the main viral surface glycoproteins, haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) play important roles in limiting virus infection. The objective of this study was to dissect the influenza-specific antibody responses in children and adults, and T cell responses in children induced after LAIV immunization to the A/H1N1 virus. Blood samples were collected pre- and at 28 and 56 days post-vaccination from 20 children and 20 adults. No increase in micro-neutralization (MN) antibodies against A/H1N1 was observed after vaccination. A/H1N1 stalk-specific neutralizing and NA-inhibiting (NI) antibodies were boosted in children after LAIV. Interferon γ-producing T cells increased significantly in children, and antibody-dependent cellular-mediated cytotoxic (ADCC) cell activity increased slightly in children after vaccination, although this change was not significant. The results indicate that the NI assay is more sensitive to qualitative changes in serum antibodies after LAIV. There was a considerable difference in the immune response in children and adults after vaccination, which may be related to priming and previous influenza history. Our findings warrant further studies for evaluating LAIV vaccination immunogenicity.

Single cell characterization of blood and expanded regulatory T cells in autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1.

Immune tolerance fails in autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) because of AIRE mutations. We have used single cell transcriptomics to characterize regulatory T cells (Tregs) sorted directly from blood and from in vitro expanded Tregs in APS-1 patients compared to healthy controls. We revealed only CD52 and LTB (down) and TXNIP (up) as consistently differentially expressed genes in the datasets. There were furthermore no large differences of the TCR-repertoire of expanded Tregs between the cohorts, but unique patients showed a more restricted use of specific clonotypes. We also found that in vitro expanded Tregs from APS-1 patients had similar suppressive capacity as controls in co-culture assays, despite expanding faster and having more exhausted cells. Our results suggest that APS-1 patients do not have intrinsic defects in their Treg functionality, and that their Tregs can be expanded ex vivo for potential therapeutic applications.

Text messaging to improve retention in hypertension care in Bangladesh.

Visit non-attendance is a common barrier to hypertension control in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mobile text messaging in improving visit attendance among patients with hypertension in primary healthcare facilities in Bangladesh. A randomized A/B testing study was conducted with two patient groups: (1) patients regularly attending visits (regular patients) and (2) patients overdue for their follow-up clinic visit (overdue patients). Regular patients were randomized into three groups: a cascade of three text reminders, a single text reminder, or no text reminder. Overdue patients were randomized into two groups: a single text reminder or no text reminder. 20,072 regular patients and 12,708 overdue patients were enrolled. Among regular patients, visit attendance was significantly higher in the cascade reminder group and the single reminder group compared to the no reminder group (78.2% and 76.6% vs. 74.8%, p < 0.001 and 0.027, respectively). Among overdue patients, the single reminder group had a 5.8% higher visit attendance compared to the no reminder group (26.5% vs. 20.7%, p < 0.001). The results remained consistent in multivariable analysis; adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) was 1.04 (95% CI 1.02-1.06) for the cascade reminder group and 1.02 (95% CI 1.00-1.05) for the single reminder group among regular patients. The adjusted PR for the single reminder group vs. the no reminder group among overdue patients was 1.23 (95% CI 1.15-1.33). Text message reminders are an effective strategy for improving retention of patients in hypertension treatment in LMICs, especially for patients overdue to care.

Landscape of team-based care to manage hypertension: results from two surveys in low/middle-income countries.

OBJECTIVES: Team-based care is essential for improving hypertension outcomes in low-resource settings. We assessed perceptions of country representatives and healthcare workers (HCWs) on team-based hypertension care in low/middle-income countries. DESIGN: Two cross-sectional surveys. SETTING: The first survey (Country Profile Survey) was conducted in 17 countries and eight in-country regions: Algeria, Bangladesh, Burundi, Chile, China (Beijing, Henan, Shandong), Cuba, Ethiopia, India (Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Telangana), Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda and Vietnam. The second survey (HCW Survey) was conducted in four countries: Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia and Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS: Using convenience sampling, participants for the Country Profile Survey were representatives from 17 countries and eight in-country regions, and the HCW Survey was administered to HCWs in Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia and Nigeria. OUTCOME MEASURES: Country-level use of team-based hypertension care framework, comprising administrative, basic and advanced clinical tasks. Current practices of different HCW cadres, perspectives on team-based management of hypertension, barriers and facilitators. RESULTS: In the Country Profile Survey, all (23/23, 100%) countries/regions surveyed integrated team-based care for basic clinical hypertension management tasks, less for advanced tasks (7/23, 30%). In the HCW Survey, 854 HCWs participated, 47% of whom worked in rural settings. Most HCWs in the sample acknowledged the value of team-based hypertension care. Although there were slight variations by country in the study sample, overall, barriers to team-based hypertension care were identified as inadequate training (83%); regulatory issues (76%); resistance by patients (56%), physicians (42%) and nurses (40%). Facilitators identified were use of treatment algorithms (94%), telehealth/m-health technology (92%) and adequate compensation for HCWs (80%). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed key lessons for health systems and governments regarding team-based care implementation. Specifically, policies to facilitate additional training, optimise HCWs' roles within care teams, use of hypertension treatment protocols and telehealth/m-health technology will be essential to promote team-based care.

Influenza A haemagglutinin specific IgG responses in children and adults after seasonal trivalent live attenuated influenza vaccination.

Influenza is a major respiratory pathogen and vaccination is the main method of prophylaxis. In 2012, the trivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV3) was licensed in Europe for use in children. Vaccine-induced antibodies directed against the main viral surface glycoprotein, haemagglutinin (HA), play an important role in virus neutralization through different mechanism. The objective of this study was to dissect the HA specific antibody responses induced after LAIV3 immunization to the influenza A viruses in children and adults. Plasma was collected from 20 children and 20 adults pre- and post-LAIV3 vaccination (up to ayear) and analysed by the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) and ELISA assays. We found that LAIV3 boosted the HA specific IgG response against the head and the full-length of H3N2 in children, but not adults. Adults had higher levels of pre-existing stalk antibodies (towards H3N2 and H1N1), but these were not boosted by LAIV3. Importantly, we observed a trend in boosting of H1N1 HA stalk specific antibodies in children after LAIV3. Whereas, heterosubtypic H5 and H7 full-length HA specific antibodies were not boosted in either children or adults. In conclusion, LAIV3 elicited H3-head and low levels of H1 stalk specific antibody responses in children, supporting the prophylactic use of LAIV in children.

Altered DNA methylation profile in Norwegian patients with Autoimmune Addison's Disease.

Autoimmune Addison's Disease (AAD) is an endocrine and immunological disease of uncertain pathogenesis resulting from the immune system's destruction of the hormone producing cells of the adrenal cortex. The underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown, but it is commonly accepted that a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental impact is critical. In the present study, we identified multiple hypomethylated gene promoter regions in patients with isolated AAD using DNA isolated from CD4+ T cells. The identified differentially methylated regions were distributed evenly across the 10.5-kb-promoter regions covered by the array, and a substantial number localized to promoters of genes involved in immune regulation and autoimmunity. This study reveals a hypomethylated status in CD4+ T cells from AAD patients and indicates differential methylation of promoters of key genes involved in immune responses.