In a multicenter prospective cohort study of 3,777 participants with suspected nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), anti–Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) BNLF2b total antibody (P85-Ab) demonstrated superior diagnostic performance compared to EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA)-immunoglobulin A, EBV early antigen-IgA, and EBV nuclear antigen 1-IgA.

P85-Ab showed high sensitivity and specificity across outpatient populations, particularly among asymptomatic individuals and those with NPC-nonspecific symptoms.

For patients with NPC-specific symptoms, a triplet-antibody strategy combining P85-Ab, VCA-IgA, and EBNA1-IgA further improved sensitivity, supporting distinct diagnostic approaches based on clinical presentation.

This multicenter, observational cohort study with prospective sample collection was conducted at 5 medical centers across 4 provinces in China. Participants were consecutively recruited from the ENT or oncology outpatient clinics of the following institutions: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Centre (SYSUCC), Zhongshan City People’s Hospital (ZSCPH), Tongji Hospital affiliated with Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (TJH-HUST), Wuzhou Red Cross Hospital (WZRCH), and Fujian Cancer Hospital (FJCH).

Key inclusion criteria included participants with symptoms or signs suggestive of possible NPC, non-NPC head and neck diseases, EBV-associated diseases, and positive results from commercially available EBV-based tests without signs or symptoms in medical examination centers or screening initiatives and subsequently seeking further differential diagnosis of NPC. Key exclusion criteria included previous radiotherapy or systemic chemotherapy (detailed in eMethods 1 in Supplement 2).

Adults with prediabetes randomized to 8-weeks of walking realized gut microbiome changes suggestive of more resilience, growth, and enhanced metabolic activity. DOCM

Read here ➡️ doi.org/10.2337/doc25-0067

American Diabetes Association American Diabetes Association – DiabetesPro

OBJECTIVE. To test the effect of physical activity on the gut microbiome and circulating short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) among sedentary adults with prediabetes and overweight or obesity.

Year 2023 face_with_colon_three

Scientists have figured out a way to detonate the ‘doors’ that lead to the heart of cancerous tumors, blowing them wide open for drug treatments.

The strategy works by triggering a ‘timer bomb’ on the cells that line a tumor’s associated blood vessels.

These vessels control access to the tumor tissue, and until they are opened, engineered immune cells can’t easily gain entry to the cancer to fight it off.

The researchers also discovered a tiny antibody, called a nanobody, which mimics NPC1 at the receptor-binding site and can slip past a protective cap on Marburg’s entry protein, bind to it and block its attachment to the receptor. In lab tests, this nanobody prevented Marburg virus from entering cells. ScienceMission sciencenewshighlights.

In a new study published in Nature the researchers found that the Marburg virus (MBV), one of the world’s deadliest pathogens with an average 73% fatality rate, is unusually efficient at getting inside human cells. They also showed that the virus’s entry protein contains structural features that explain this efficiency and point to a strategy for blocking infection.

The researchers designed a tightly controlled system that enables a fair comparison of the entry proteins of Marburg and its relative Ebola. The team further found that the two viruses share the same human receptor. The authors determined structures of MBV glycoprotein (GP) in three states: unbound; bound to its endosomal receptor NPC1; and complexed with a neutralizing nanobody.

Marburg’s entry protein binds this receptor in a distinct orientation and with higher affinity, then changes shape in ways that help the virus enter cells. The authors show that the glycan cap shields the receptor-binding site from NPC1 but only partially from the nanobody, enabling limited immune evasion. After glycan cap cleavage, NPC1 binds to MBV GP in a distinct orientation compared with EBOV GP, providing an additional anchor and enhancing receptor affinity. NPC1 engagement also induces substantial conformational changes in MBV GP, probably facilitating membrane fusion. Using this approach, they showed that Marburg’s entry protein can drive viral entry into human cells up to 300 times more efficiently than Ebola’s.