Daily Med Bites - 09/05/2025

Dear reader, here are the summaries of some of the latest papers from PubMed.

SARS-CoV-2:

• Source: Monoclonal antibody therapies are effective against SARS-CoV-2 infections caused by different variants, even in patients with RNAemia, improving clinical outcomes for high-risk individuals.

• Source: Healthy convalescent individuals have higher neutralizing antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 and less expression of co-inhibitory receptors compared to those with long COVID, suggesting a potential link between immune profile and long-term symptoms.

• Source: Genomics-based approaches reveal a higher prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 co-infections and potential recombination events, especially during periods of multiple variant co-circulation.

• Source: Targeted protein degraders could be effective antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2, potentially overcoming resistance issues associated with current therapies.

• Source: Understanding how COVID-19 vaccines generate both mucosal and systemic antibodies is crucial for optimizing vaccination strategies against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

• Source: This study highlights the diverse circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Latin America, including the predominance of Variants of Concern and recombinant cases, alongside a low sequencing rate and socio-environmental challenges. It emphasizes the need for enhanced genomic surveillance and integrated public health strategies to address future infectious disease threats in the region.

• Source: Levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG persist for at least one year in diabetes patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection, providing long-term immunity.

• Source: Pediatric solid organ transplant recipients have a lower serological response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination compared to adults, similar to adult transplant recipients.

• Source: SARS-CoV-2 hijacks CTP synthetase 1 (CTPS1) to promote nucleotide synthesis and suppress immune response, and inhibiting CTPS1 can impede viral replication and enhance antiviral defense.

• Source: IBD patients on immunosuppressive therapy showed unexpectedly reduced susceptibility to severe COVID-19, suggesting overlapping molecular mechanisms between IBD and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

• Source: Current anticoagulation recommendations may need reassessment for SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections due to unclear thrombotic risk.

• Source: Specific recurrent spike mutations in SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 descendants fine-tune viral replication fitness and immune evasion, driving their emergence and dominance.

• Source: Air pollution is associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections, even as immunity wanes and viral mutations occur.

• Source: Pediatric congenital heart disease patients undergoing cardiac surgery maintain SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral immunity but experience significant declines in T-cell immune responses postoperatively.

• Source: This study finds that many reported associations between HLA alleles and SARS-CoV-2 infection are likely due to confounding factors like socioeconomic status and exposure risk, rather than genetic predisposition. After adjusting for these factors, only a few significant HLA allele associations remain.

• Source: A needle-free, intranasal vaccine platform using albumin-fused antigens effectively induces both systemic and mucosal immune responses, providing protection against respiratory pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A.

• Source: Prior exposure to common cold coronaviruses influences immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and infection, affecting susceptibility to Omicron BA.1 infections in older adults in care homes.

Leukemia/Lymphoma Treatments:

• Source: Combining targeted therapies with immunotherapies can enhance treatment efficacy and overcome resistance in relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, potentially improving long-term patient outcomes.

• Source: Rapid changes in therapy due to targeted treatments are improving outcomes in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia, challenging traditional long-term chemotherapy approaches.

• Source: While targeted therapies are available, early treatment of asymptomatic, high-risk Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia patients does not improve overall survival, supporting the continued use of a watch-and-wait strategy.

• Source: A novel humanized CD19-directed CAR-T therapy (HCAR19) was developed and entered clinical trials for treating relapsed/refractory B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia in patients ineligible for stem cell transplant, showing promise as an alternative to existing CAR-T therapies.

• Source: Emerging molecular-targeted therapies, particularly bispecific antibodies and CAR T-cell approaches, are significantly advancing treatment options for multiple myeloma, improving patient outcomes while presenting new challenges in toxicity management.

• Source: Adapting treatment based on measurable residual disease results improves survival in patients with acute myeloid leukemia treated curatively.

• Source: Use of small molecule inhibitors in the second-line therapy followed by epigenetic modifiers in the third line improves overall survival compared to repeated cycles of cytotoxic chemotherapy for relapsed/refractory T-cell/natural killer-cell lymphomas.

• Source: Immune-related genetic polymorphisms significantly influence susceptibility, immunophenotype, and survival outcomes in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), potentially serving as valuable predictors for prognosis and treatment.

• Source: B cell-targeted therapies show significant clinical potential for managing lupus nephritis, particularly in relapsed or refractory cases.

• Source: Combination therapy using antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors shows promising efficacy in enhancing anti-tumor immunity and overcoming resistance, supported by preclinical data and early clinical trials.

• Source: The combination of atezolizumab, obinutuzumab, and venetoclax showed moderate efficacy in treating relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma but did not meet the primary endpoints for follicular lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, with manageable toxicity.

• Source: Combining whole-brain radiotherapy with CAR-T therapy significantly improves response rates and survival in patients with relapsed or refractory central nervous system B-cell lymphoma, offering a promising treatment approach.

• Source: Adhering to current guidelines for donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) intensity and timing significantly improves outcomes in patients with AML or MDS after allogeneic stem cell transplantation, including higher overall survival and leukemia-free survival rates and lower risk of severe graft-versus-host disease.

• Source: Combining hypomethylating agents with venetoclax may enhance efficacy in high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes, potentially improving the ability to bridge more patients to allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

• Source: Therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (t-MN) are a significant late complication following CD19-directed CAR T cell therapy for B cell lymphoma, with key risk factors including higher mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and increased immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) grade.

• Source: While multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors are available for frontline treatment in chronic myeloid leukemia, selection should be personalized based on ELTS risk score, comorbidities, and TFR priority. Asciminib shows superior tolerability and molecular response compared to imatinib and second-generation TKIs but has a higher rate of BCR::ABL1 mutations emerging during treatment.

• Source: Efficacy and safety data for using melphalan formulated with BSES in Chinese multiple myeloma patients before autologous stem cell transplantation are provided, contributing to the limited existing research on this patient population.

• Source: Nivolumab combined with ICE chemotherapy achieves a high complete response rate and excellent survival outcomes in patients with high-risk relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin lymphoma, effectively bridging them to autologous stem cell transplant.

• Source: Transformed indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients have significantly better progression-free and overall survival rates compared to de novo large B-cell lymphoma patients after CAR T cell therapy, with similar toxicity profiles.

• Source: Emicizumab combined with targeted anti-myeloma therapy can effectively manage bleeding in AHA patients with plasma cell disorders, offering a more durable response and reduced adverse effects compared to traditional immunosuppressive therapy.

• Source: No existing instrument captures individual patient needs when choosing treatment options for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, despite the variety of new treatments available.

• Source: Long-term survival in metastatic melanoma can be achieved with combined CTLA-4 and PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibition or PD-1 inhibition alone, supported by 10-year follow-up data. Novel treatment strategies and cellular therapies are advancing for patients resistant to current immunotherapies. Real-world evidence suggests that immune checkpoint inhibitors improve survival in the first-line setting compared to targeted BRAF/MEK inhibitors in melanoma patients without prior adjuvant therapy.

That’s enough for today, see you tomorrow!

As always, these extremely reduced summaries may be incomplete or inexact in some aspects. Make sure to always read the papers of interest.

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