Background: The mass vaccination campaign against SARS-CoV-2 was started in Tunisia on 13 March 2021 by using progressively seven different vaccines approved for emergency use. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the humoral and cellular immunity in subjects aged 40 years and over who received one of the following two-dose regimen vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, namely mRNA-1273 or Spikevax (Moderna), BNT162B2 or Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech), Gam-COVID-Vac or Sputnik V (Gamaleya Research Institute), ChAdOx1-S or Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), BIBP (Sinopharm), and Coronavac (Sinovac). Material and methods: For each type of vaccine, a sample of subjects aged 40 and over was randomly selected from the national platform for monitoring COVID-19 vaccination and contacted to participate to this study. All consenting participants were sampled for peripheral blood at 3–7 weeks after the second vaccine dose to perform anti-S and anti-N serology by the Elecsys^® (Lenexa, KS, USA) anti-SARS-CoV-2 assays (Roche^® Basel, Switzerland). The CD4 and CD8 T cell responses were evaluated by the QuantiFERON^® SARS-CoV-2 (Qiagen^® Basel, Switzerland) for a randomly selected sub-group. Results: A total of 501 people consented to the study and, of them, 133 were included for the cellular response investigations. Both humoral and cellular immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 antigens differed significantly between all tested groups. RNA vaccines induced the highest levels of humoral and cellular anti-S responses followed by adenovirus vaccines and then by inactivated vaccines. Vaccines from the same platform induced similar levels of specific anti-S immune responses except in the case of the Sputnik V and the AstraZeneca vaccine, which exhibited contrasting effects on humoral and cellular responses. When analyses were performed in subjects with negative anti-N antibodies, results were similar to those obtained within the total cohort, except for the Moderna vaccine, which gave a better cellular immune response than the Pfizer vaccine and RNA vaccines, which induced similar cellular immune responses to those of adenovirus vaccines. Conclusion: Collectively, our data confirmed the superiority of the RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, in particular that of Moderna, for both humoral and cellular immunogenicity. Our results comparing between different vaccine platforms in a similar population are of great importance since they may help decision makers to adopt the best strategy for further national vaccination programs.

The interplay between the cytokine network and antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the impact of psychotropic medications on serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, TGF-β1, IL-17, and BAFF, and to explore their relationship with psychopathological features. We recruited 63 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in the acute phase, all of whom were either drug-naïve or had been drug-free for at least three months. Serum levels of IL-4, IFN-γ, TGF-β1, IL-17, and BAFF were measured at baseline and after six months of antipsychotic treatment. The severity of symptoms was assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). Fifty-two patients completed the six-month follow-up for immunoassay analysis. Antipsychotic treatment led to a significant decrease in serum levels of IFN-γ, TGF-β1, and IL-17, alongside a significant increase in BAFF levels. Changes in IFN-γ were positively correlated with SANS scores and negatively correlated with Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores. Changes in TGF-β1 were negatively correlated with GAF scores. Changes in BAFF were negatively correlated with SAPS scores. Multivariable regression models were used to explore the association between cytokine level changes (IL-17, BAFF, IFN-γ, and TGF-β1) and independent variables, including demographic (gender, age), behavioral (tobacco use), clinical (schizophrenia type, disease course, date of onset, prior treatment), and biological (C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)) factors, as well as standardized assessment scores. No significant associations were found, except for a significant negative correlation between TGF-β1 changes and GAF scores, as well as a positive correlation with age. Interestingly, advanced statistical analyses revealed that only changes in IL-17 and BAFF levels were significantly associated with antipsychotic treatment. Our findings suggest that antipsychotic drugs exert both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects on the cytokine network. The observed modulation of IL-17 and BAFF highlights their potential as future therapeutic targets in schizophrenia.

(1) Background: This study aimed to compare the immunogenicity of the mix-and-match CoronaVac/BNT162b2 vaccination to the homologous CoronaVac/CoronaVac regimen. (2) Methods: We conducted a simple-blinded randomized superiority trial to measure SARS-CoV-2 neutralization antibodies and anti-spike receptor binding domain (RBD) IgG concentrations in blood samples of participants who had received the first dose of CoronaVac vaccine followed by a dose of BNT162b2 or CoronaVac vaccine. The primary endpoint for immunogenicity was the serum-neutralizing antibody level with a percentage of inhibition at 90% at 21–35 days after the boost. A difference of 25% between groups was considered clinically relevant. (3) Results: Among the 240 eligible participants, the primary endpoint data were available for 100 participants randomly allocated to the mix-and-match group versus 99 participants randomly allocated to the homologous dose group. The mix-and-match regimen elicited significantly higher levels of neutralizing antibodies (median level of 96%, interquartile range (IQR) (95–97) versus median level of 94%, IQR (81–96) and anti-spike IgG antibodies (median level of 13,460, IQR (2557–29,930) versus median level of 1190, IQR (347–4964) compared to the homologous group. Accordingly, the percentage of subjects with a percentage of neutralizing antibodies > 90% was significantly higher in the mix-and-match group (90.0%) versus the homologous (60.6%). Interestingly, no severe events were reported within 30 days after the second dose of vaccination in both groups. (4) Conclusions: Our data showed the superiority of the mix-and-match CoronaVac/BNT162b2 vaccination compared to the CoronaVac/CoronaVac regimen in terms of immunogenicity, thus constituting a proof-of-concept study supporting the use of inactivated vaccines in a mix-and-match strategy while ensuring good immunogenicity and safety.

Background: Female soccer continues to gain global popularity. Selected components of physical fitness (e.g., muscle power, change-of-direction [CoD] speed) and cognitive function (e.g., attentional demand, training-induced) play an important role in soccer performance and should, therefore, be systematically developed. Objectives: In this study, we examined the effects of 12 weeks of strength training (ST) on selected measures of physical fitness, soccer performance, cognitive function, and selected markers of neuroplasticity in young female soccer players. Methods: Twenty-two highly-trained female soccer players with Tier 3 training and performance caliber aged 14.9±0.8 years were randomly assigned to a strength training group (SG: n = 11) or an active control group (CG: n = 11). During the training period, SG performed two weekly upper and lower body ST sessions (3 sets, 12 repetitions per set) at an intensity of 60–80% of the one-repetition-maximum (1-RM) and three soccer-specific training sessions (tactical–technical drills). Players from CG continued their regular soccer-specific training routine consisting of five weekly sessions. Training volumes were similar between groups. Pre- and post-training tests were conducted for the assessment of body composition (e.g., body mass, skinfold site measurements), muscle strength (1-RM bench press/Lat pull-down/leg press),the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test (LSPT), cognitive function (Stroop test), and selected markers of blood neurotrophins, such as basal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) serum concentrations. Results: The following findings from post hoc analyses are based on significant ( p <.05) group-by-time interactions. Post hoc analyses revealed ST-related increases in muscle strength for 1-RM bench press ( p <0.001; η _p ² =0.41), lat pull-down ( p <0.001; η _p ² =0.43), and leg press ( p <0.001; η _p ² =0.36) and improvements in soccer-specific performance for the LSPT in the SG ( p =0.007; η _p ² =0.22). Post hoc tests indicated improved cognitive function (Stroop test) in the SG ( p 0.05; η _p ² =0.00–0.04). Conclusions: A 12-week in-season ST program with two weekly sessions improved measures of physical fitness, soccer-specific performance, and cognitive function but not biomarkers of neuroplasticity in young highly-trained female soccer players. Accordingly, we recommend ST should be implemented to improve physical fitness and cognitive function of young female soccer athletes.

Introduction: Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) have been reported in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Their clinical significance remains unclear especially in the African populations. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, antigenic targets, and clinical correlations of ANCAs in SLE patients in a Tunisian (North African) cohort. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional case-control study involving 30 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 30 healthy controls. Blood samples were screened for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) using indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) (FA 1201-1005-13, Euroimmun^®). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Euroimmun^®) was performed on IIF-positive samples to assess six ANCA antigenic targets: proteinase 3, lactoferrin, myeloperoxidase, elastase, cathepsin G, and bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI). Clinical and immunological evaluations were conducted for all SLE patients at the time of the study. No ANCA- associated vasculitis-SLE overlap cases were identified.Results and discussion: ANCAs were detected in 16 of 30 SLE patients (53%) and in 1 of 30 healthy controls (3%). Among the ANCA-positive patients, nine showed reactivity to lactoferrin, while the antigenic target remained undetermined in 7 cases. The median SLEDAI-2K score at inclusion was 8 [1.75–12]. In univariate study, ANCA positivity was significantly associated with acute cutaneous manifestations (p=0.021), lupus nephritis (p=0.001), as well as use of glucocorticoids (p=0.014) and mycophenolate mofetil (p=0.009). Besides, it was associated with lower C3 (p=0.0036) and C4 (p=0.0032) titers and higher anti-dsDNA titers (p<0.0001). In multivariate analysis, ANCA positivity was correlated to anti-ds DNA (p=0.008). When comparing anti-LF positive and anti-LF negative patients, univariate analysis found an association with articular involvement (p=0.011), renal activity index (p=0.036) and ELISA titers (p=0.0004). ANCAs were frequent in our SLE cohort, with lactoferrin as the only identifiable antigenic target, unlike previous reports, which suggests a role to ethnicity and environment components. Their presence was associated with higher disease activity and more severe renal involvement.