recombinant human interferon alfa-2a

Therapy-Associated Vitiligo: Hypopigmentation Secondary to Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 Inhibitors, Interferon Alfa-2b, Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte-Associated Protein 4 Inhibitors, and B-Raf/Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Inhibitors.

Verma Kritin K KK, Reddy Sreeya S, Beckham Caleb C, Nguyen Kevin T KT et al.

Background Malignant melanoma (MM) arises from melanocytes, and vitiligo is an autoimmune condition targeting these cells. Although an association between MM and vitiligo has been proposed, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Because several melanoma treatments modulate immune responses, this study evaluated the relationship between MM and vitiligo across commonly used systemic therapies. Methods In September 2025, using the TriNetX network, patients with MM receiving programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors, interferon alpha-2b (IFN-α2b), B-Raf serine/threonine kinases (BRAF)/ mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (MEK) inhibitors, or cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitors were identified and 1:1 propensity score-matched to patients without MM receiving the same therapy. Demographics and vitiligo incidence were analyzed using risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) via Wald's method. Counts <10 were suppressed per platform guidelines. Results Baseline demographics were well balanced between MM and matched non-MM patients. MM was significantly associated with higher vitiligo risk among those treated with PD-1 inhibitors (RR: 24.84; 95% CI: 16.92-36.45), IFN-α2b (RR: 3.10; 95% CI: 1.53-6.30), and CTLA-4 inhibitors (RR: 32.04; 95% CI: 18.05-56.88). In the BRAF/MEK cohort, vitiligo occurred only in patients with MM, preventing RR calculation. Conclusions Across multiple therapeutic classes, MM consistently conferred a greater risk of developing vitiligo compared with matched non-MM patients. The strong associations observed with immune-modulating agents support vitiligo as a potential marker of antitumor immune activation rather than a coincidental adverse event. Even rare cases in BRAF/MEK-treated patients suggest that targeted therapy may also influence melanocyte-directed immunity. Further prospective studies are needed to characterize the clinical and immunologic significance of treatment-associated vitiligo.

Cutaneous lichen amyloidosis in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A.

Mir Uzair Ul Haq UUH, Bhat Mohammad Hayat MH, Mir Shahnaz A SA

Negative Interferon-gamma Release Assays and Purified Protein Derivative Does Not Exclude Tuberculosis in Inborn Errors of Immunity.

Hotaman Büşra B, Cagdas Deniz D

Development of an oral Lactobacillus casei-based recombinant vaccine expressing GCRV-II multi-epitope fusion protein and its protective efficacy against grass carp hemorrhagic disease.

Chen Xijia X, Chen Yujiao Y, Wang Danwen D, Tang Jiayi J et al.

Grass carp hemorrhagic disease caused by grass carp reovirus (GCRV) results in severe economic losses in aquaculture. Vaccination is an effective strategy for controlling viral infections. The subunit vaccines are considered promising because of their safety, strong immunogenicity, and ease of production. In this study, antigenic epitopes derived from the outer capsid proteins VP4, VP5, and NS38 of GCRV genotype II (GCRV-II) were identified, and oral Lactobacillus casei recombinant vaccines were developed to evaluate their protective efficacy in grass carp. Based on sequence homology, epitope prediction and structural analyses, three dominant epitopes, VP4274-367, VP5105-336 and NS38143-338, were selected and fused into a recombinant protein. The immunogenicity of fusion protein was confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Injection of the fusion protein significantly enhanced the expression of immune-related genes, increased serum neutralizing antibody levels and reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokines. After GCRV-II challenge, the vaccinated fish showed a survival rate of 66.7%, compared with 6.7% in the injectable control group, and exhibited the lowest tissue viral loads among all groups. To develop an oral vaccine suitable for aquaculture, the fused epitope sequence was inserted into the secretory expression vector pVE5523 and expressed in L. casei. The recombinant strain showed high tolerance to heat and acidic conditions and stably colonized the intestine for up to 14 d. Oral administration of feed containing freeze-dried recombinant L. casei significantly upregulated immune-related genes (ifn1, cd4-2, mhc-Ⅱα,igm and igt) as well as lysozyme and complement C3 levels. After GCRV-II challenge, orally vaccinated fish reached a survival rate of 70%, much higher than the 23.33% survival observed in the oral control group, with significantly decreased tissue viral loads. These results demonstrate that the recombinant L. casei vaccine LC-VP4274-367-VP5105-336-NS38143-338 is a promising oral vaccine candidate for protecting grass carp against GCRV-II infection.