Torque Teno Virus (TTV) is a highly prevalent non-pathogenic DNA virus whose plasma levels may be related to the host’s immune status. TTV gained attention about 25 years ago, but its replication is not fully understood, nor is its relationship with the host's immune system. Despite this lack of knowledge, TTV is currently being investigated as a functional biomarker of the immune system in patients with immunological damage and inflammatory diseases. Monitoring TTV viral load over time may help clinicians in making therapeutic decisions regarding immunosuppression as well as the likelihood of infectious complications. This review summarizes what we do and do not know about this enigmatic virus.

Patients afflicted with melanoma show lower vitamin D serum levels (VDSL) than the healthy population. This hypothesis agrees with its well-known antiproliferative features. An observational study was carried out to collect VDSL in patients suffering from melanoma. Our aim was to identify a potential connection between low VDSL and the risk to incur melanoma. Furthermore, we studied the association between VDSL at the diagnosis of melanoma and other germane prognostic factors. The population held in regard was composed of 154 patients with a diagnosis of melanoma between 2016 and 2019. These patients were retrospectively collected from our follow-up storage. We compared VDSL to clinical and pathological parameters (age, sex, tumour location, Breslow’s depth, Clark’s level, histological subtype, ulceration, et aliqua). Moreover, we recruited a control group with negative melanoma history. Mean and median of VDSL were significantly lower in the melanoma group. Instead, we found a negative association between melanoma and VDSL > 30 ng/L (OR 0.11; p < 0.0001). No correlation between VDSL and both Breslow’s depth and Clark’s level was discovered, but the VDSL comparison between thin (depth ≤ 1 mm) and thick tumours (depth > 1 mm) revealed a statistically significant difference (21.1 ± 8.2 ng/L vs 17.8 ± 8.1; p = 0.01). Moreover, VDSL were significantly lower in melanomas with mitotic rate ≥ 1/mm² (22.1 ± 8.3 ng/L; p < 0007). Nevertheless, no connection was found between VDSL and both ulceration and positive sentinel nodes (p = 0.76; p = 0.74). Besides, our study revealed no association between VDSL and histological subtype (p = 0.161). Lower VDSL correlate with thick and high mitotic rate tumours. Future prospective studies would investigate if appropriate upkeep of suitable VDSL can decrease the risk of primary and recurrent melanoma diagnosis.

A scoping review was conducted to systematically assess the current evidence and emerging applications of regenerative medicine in the treatment of End Stage Renal Disease (ERSD), aiming to map existing knowledge and identify key research gaps. ESRD represents a major global health burden, and despite being managed primarily through dialysis and kidney transplantation, both approaches are limited by morbidity, mortality, and organ donor shortages. Regenerative medicine emerged as a promising alternative, leveraging stem cells technologies and tissue engineering to develop functional renal tissues with the potential to restore or replace damaged kidney structures. Our review protocol was developed in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and was prospectively registered on Figshare. Inclusion criteria comprised peer-reviewed articles published between 2004 and 2024, focusing on bioengineering strategies relevant to kidney regeneration and ESRD, with no restrictions on language or geographic origin. Editorials, letters, and non–peer-reviewed sources were excluded. A comprehensive literature search was performed in Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science using pre-defined search terms. Screening and selection were conducted independently by four reviewers working in pairs selected with discrepancies resolved through consensus. A standardized data extraction form was iteratively developed and piloted to collect relevant information on study characteristics and experimental models. Of the 5,869 records initially identified, 111 studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings underscore the therapeutic potential of regenerative medicine in ESRD, with kidney organoids and organ-on-a-chip platforms representing two of the most advanced and translationally relevant approaches currently under investigation. These technologies are increasingly recognized not only for their role in disease modeling and drug screening, but also as potential precursors to fully bioengineered renal replacement therapies.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: The novel coronavirus has a high mortality rate (over 1% for patients older than 50). This could be only partially ascribed to other comorbidities. Possible explanation could be something which assures the ability to prompt response to SARS-CoV-2 in younger people independently from the novelty of the virus itself. Something stimulated the immune system and it scattered immunity against more antigens. The only external stimulation, which healthy people receive, is vaccination (i.e. diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine). One hypothesis is that vaccination develops the specific immunity but generates a sprouting immunity against antigens in transit. The underlying immunological phenomena are “bystander effect” and “trained immunity”. The developed immunity gives protection for years until the natural fade out. After the fifth decade a viral infection will find immune system almost incompetent and the novel coronavirus bursts into the body, developing an ARDS. Objective: The first study’s aim is to demonstrate that monocytes, NK, CD4 + and CD8 + T cells, in patients with severe infection to SARS-CoV-2, show an overpowering hyperactivity. The secondary objectives are to correlate clinical data and vaccination history with laboratory immune pattern, to identify protective factors. Subsequently, we were also interested in characterizing the phenotype and state of degree of activation within PBMC, of monocytes, NK cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in healthy subjects vaccinated with Pfizer. Methods: Data will be collected using 3 approaches: An experimental analysis to study the innate immune response and to identify the genetic profiles; An epidemiological analysis to identify the patients’ vaccination history; A clinical analysis to detect the immunological profile. Results: The protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee on 16 April 2020 and the study started on 27 April 2020. As of February 2021, the enrollment was completed. Immunological analysis is going on and we expect to complete this analysis by December 2021. Discussion We suppose to recognize different populations of patients, each one with a specific immunological pattern in terms of cytokines, soluble factors serum level and immune cells activity. Anamnestic data such as preceding vaccinations and comorbidities, biochemical data findings as lymphocyte immunophenotyping and pre-existing persistent cytomegalovirus infection allow depicting the risk profile of severe COVID-19. Conclusions: The proof of a role of these immunological phenomena on the development of COVID-19 are bases for implementation of therapeutic immunomodulatory treatments. Clinical Trial: The protocol is available on the ClinicalTrials.gov website, its identifier is NCT04375176 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04375176?term=NCT04375176&draw=2&rank=1).