Low antibody levels associated with significantly increased rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a highly vaccinated population from the US National Basketball Association

SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels may serve as a correlate for immunity and could inform optimal booster timing. The relationship between antibody levels and protection from infection was evaluated in vaccinated individuals from the US National Basketball Association who had antibody levels measured at a single time point from September 12, 2021, to December 31, 2021. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the risk of infection within 90 days of serologic testing by antibody level (<250, 250-800, and >800 AU/mL1 ), adjusting for age, time since last vaccine dose, and history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Individuals were censored on date of booster receipt. The analytic cohort comprised 2323 individuals and was 78.2% male, 68.1% aged ≤40 years, and 56.4% vaccinated (primary series) with the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine. Among the 2248 (96.8%) individuals not yet boosted at antibody testing, 77% completed their primary vaccine series 4-6 months before testing and the median (interquartile range) antibody level was 293.5 (interquartile range: 121.0-740.5) AU/mL. Those with levels <250 AU/mL (adj hazard ratio [HR]: 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5-3.7) and 250-800 AU/mL (adj HR: 1.5; 95% CI: 0.98-2.4) had greater infection risk compared to those with levels >800 AU/mL. Antibody levels could inform individual COVID-19 risk and booster scheduling.

Determination of personalized diabetes treatment plans using a two-delay model

Diabetes cases worldwide have risen steadily over the past few decades, lending urgency to the search for more efficient, effective, and personalized ways to treat the disease. Current treatment strategies, however, may fail to maintain oscillations in blood glucose concentration that naturally occur multiple times per day, an important element of normal human physiology. Building upon recent successes in mathematical modeling of the human glucose-insulin system, we show that both food intake and insulin therapy likely demand increasingly precise control over insulin sensitivity if oscillations at a healthy average glucose concentration are to be maintained. We then model and describe personalized treatment options for patients with diabetes that maintain these oscillations. We predict that for a person with type II diabetes, both blood glucose levels can be controlled and healthy oscillations maintained when the patient gets an hour of daily exercise and is placed on a combination of Metformin and sulfonylurea drugs. We note that insulin therapy and an additional hour of exercise will reduce the patient׳s need for sulfonylureas. Results of a modeling analysis suggest that, with constant nutrition and controlled exercise, the blood glucose levels of a person with type I diabetes can be properly controlled with insulin infusion between 0.45 and 0.7μU/mlmin. Lastly, we note that all suggested strategies rely on existing clinical techniques and established treatment measures, and so could potentially be of immediate use in the design of an artificial pancreas.