Convergent dysbiosis of upper aerodigestive microbiota between patients with esophageal and oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.

The bidirectional association between primary esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) suggests common risk factors and oncogenic molecular processes but it is unclear whether these two cancers display similar patterns of dysbiosis in their upper aerodigestive microbiota (UADM). We conducted a case-control study to characterize the microbial communities in esophageal lavage samples from 49 ESCC patients and oral rinse samples from 91 OSCC patients using 16S rRNA V3-V4 amplicon sequencing. Compared with their respective non-SCC controls from the same anatomical sites, 32 and 45 discriminative bacterial genera were detected in ESCC and OSCC patients, respectively. Interestingly, 20 of them were commonly enriched or depleted in both types of cancer, suggesting a convergent niche adaptation of upper aerodigestive SCC-associated bacteria that may play important roles in the pathogenesis of malignancies. Notably, Fusobacterium, Selenomonas, Peptoanaerobacter and Peptostreptococcus were enriched in both ESCC and OSCC, whereas Streptococcus and Granulicatelia were commonly depleted. We further identified Fusobacterium nucleatum as the most abundant species enriched in the upper aerodigestive SCC microenvironment, and the higher relative abundances of Selenomonas danae and Treponema maroon were positively correlated with smoking. In addition, predicted functional analysis revealed several depleted (eg, lipoic acid and pyruvate metabolism) and enriched (eg, RNA polymerase and nucleotide excision repair) pathways common to both cancers. Our findings reveal a convergent dysbiosis in the UADM between patients with ESCC and OSCC, suggesting a shared niche adaptation of host-microbiota interactions in the pathogenesis of upper aerodigestive tract malignancies.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease following SARS-CoV-2 infection: A rare disease with increased incidence during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease (KFD), also known as Kikuchi disease or Kikuchi histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, is a rare and self-limiting condition characterized by cervical lymphadenopathy and fever, primarily affecting young Asian adults. The aetiology of KFD remains unknown, although various infectious agents have been suggested as potential triggers. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, cases of post-COVID-19 KFD and post-COVID-19 vaccine KFD have been reported. In this article, we present the first case of post-COVID-19 KFD in Hong Kong. A 24-year-old man developed fever and painful neck swelling 1 month after recovering from COVID-19. Diagnostic evaluation, including ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), confirmed the diagnosis of KFD. The patient's symptoms resolved spontaneously with supportive care. This case underscores the importance of considering KFD as a potential differential diagnosis in patients presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy and fever following COVID-19 recovery or vaccination.

A Single Lung Abscess Caused by Panton-Valentine Leukocidin-Producing Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

This case report presents a rare occurrence of a single lung abscess caused by Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-producing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a 38-year-old immunocompetent man. The patient, of Southeast Asian origin, presented with symptoms of fever, chest pain, cough, and shortness of breath following a recent flu-like illness. Imaging indicated a cavitary lung lesion in the left lower lobe, suggestive of a lung abscess. Initial antibiotic treatment failed, and drainage of the abscess confirmed MRSA with the PVL gene, indicating a community-acquired MRSA infection. The patient received intravenous vancomycin followed by oral linezolid, leading to the resolution of the abscess. Contact tracing and decolonization measures were implemented. This case highlights the importance of considering PVL-producing S. aureus as a potential pathogen in severe necrotizing pneumonia or sepsis and underscores the need for prompt diagnosis, appropriate antibiotic therapy, and infection control measures in managing such infections.

Characterization of upper airway microbiome across severity of COVID-19 during hospitalization and treatment.

Longitudinal studies on upper respiratory tract microbiome in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) without potential confounders such as antimicrobial therapy are limited. The objective of this study is to assess for longitudinal changes in the upper respiratory microbiome, its association with disease severity, and potential confounders in adult hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Serial nasopharyngeal and throat swabs (NPSTSs) were taken for 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing from adults hospitalized for COVID-19. Alpha and beta diversity was assessed between different groups. Principal coordinate analysis was used to assess beta diversity between groups. Linear discriminant analysis was used to identify discriminative bacterial taxa in NPSTS taken early during hospitalization on need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission. A total of 314 NPSTS samples from 197 subjects (asymptomatic = 14, mild/moderate = 106, and severe/critical = 51 patients with COVID-19; non-COVID-19 mechanically ventilated ICU patients = 11; and healthy volunteers = 15) were sequenced. Among all covariates, antibiotic treatment had the largest effect on upper airway microbiota. When samples taken after antibiotics were excluded, alpha diversity (Shannon, Simpson, richness, and evenness) was similar across severity of COVID-19, whereas beta diversity (weighted GUniFrac and Bray-Curtis distance) remained different. Thirteen bacterial genera from NPSTS taken within the first week of hospitalization were associated with a need for ICU admission (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.91-0.99). Longitudinal analysis showed that the upper respiratory microbiota alpha and beta diversity was unchanged during hospitalization in the absence of antimicrobial therapy.

Limited Impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the Human Naso-Oropharyngeal Microbiota in Hospitalized Patients.

Numerous studies have reported dysbiosis in the naso- and/or oro-pharyngeal microbiota of COVID-19 patients compared with healthy individuals; however, only a few small-scale studies have also included a disease control group. In this study, we characterized and compared the bacterial communities of pooled nasopharyngeal and throat swabs from hospitalized COVID-19 patients (n = 76), hospitalized non-COVID-19 patients with respiratory symptoms or related illnesses (n = 69), and local community controls (n = 76) using 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 amplicon sequencing. None of the subjects received antimicrobial therapy within 2 weeks prior to sample collection. Both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 hospitalized patients differed in the composition, alpha and beta diversity, and metabolic potential of the naso-oropharyngeal microbiota compared with local controls. However, the microbial communities in the two hospitalized patient groups did not differ significantly from each other. Differential abundance analysis revealed the enrichment of nine bacterial genera in the COVID-19 patients compared with local controls; however, six of them were also enriched in the non-COVID-19 patients. Bacterial genera uniquely enriched in the COVID-19 patients included Alloprevotella and Solobacterium. In contrast, Mogibacterium and Lactococcus were dramatically decreased in COVID-19 patients only. Association analysis revealed that Alloprevotella in COVID-19 patients was positively correlated with the level of the inflammation biomarker C-reactive protein. Our findings reveal a limited impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the naso-oropharyngeal microbiota in hospitalized patients and suggest that Alloprevotella and Solobacterium are more specific biomarkers for COVID-19 detection. IMPORTANCE Our results showed that while both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 hospitalized patients differed in the composition, alpha and beta diversity, and metabolic potential of the naso-oropharyngeal microbiota compared with local controls, the microbial communities in the two hospitalized patient groups did not differ significantly from each other, indicating a limited impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the naso-oropharyngeal microbiota in hospitalized patients. Besides, we identified Alloprevotella and Solobacterium as bacterial genera uniquely enriched in COVID-19 patients, which may serve as more specific biomarkers for COVID-19 detection.

Role conflict and satisfaction in the work-family context: Age differences in the moderating effect of role commitment.

This study examined age differences in the buffering effects of role commitment on the associations between role conflicts and satisfaction from the within-domain and cross-domain perspectives. Eighty-five working mothers participated in the study. Multiple regression analyses revealed that work conflicts were negatively associated with job satisfaction of younger employees but not older employees. Commitment to both work and family buffered against the negative association between family conflicts and family satisfaction for older employees but not younger employees. These findings highlight the importance of role commitment for working mothers across adulthood to cope with the demands in the work-family interface.