The serological diversity of serum IgG/IgA/IgM against SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein, spike, and receptor-binding domain and neutralizing antibodies in patients with COVID-19 in Japan.

Background: We compared the temporal changes of immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG, and IgA antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleoprotein (N), spike 1 subunit (S1), and receptor-binding domain (RBD), and neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against SARS-CoV-2 in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to understand the humoral immunity in COVID-19 patients for developing drugs and vaccines for COVID-19. Methods: A total of five confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nissan Tamagawa Hospital in early August 2020 were recruited in this study. Using a fully automated chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer, we measured the levels of IgG, IgA, and IgM against SARS-CoV-2 N, S1, and RBD and NAbs against SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients' sera acquired multiple times in individuals from 0 to 76 days after symptom onset. Results: IgG levels against SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins increased over time in all cases but IgM and IgA levels against SARS-CoV-2 showed different increasing trends among individuals in the early stage. In particular, we observed IgA increasing before IgG and IgM in some cases. The NAb levels were more than cut-off value in 4/5 COVID-19 patients some of whose antibodies against RBD did not exceed the cut-off value in the early stage. Furthermore, NAb levels against SARS-CoV-2 increased and kept above cut-off value more than around 70 days after symptom onset in all cases. Conclusion: Our findings indicate COVID-19 patients should be examined for IgG, IgA, and IgM against SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins and NAbs against SARS-CoV-2 to analyze the diversity of patients' immune mechanisms.

Serologic Survey of IgG Against SARS-CoV-2 Among Hospital Visitors Without a History of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Tokyo, 2020-2021.

BACKGROUND: Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is a densely populated city of >13 million people, so the population is at high risk of epidemic severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. A serologic survey of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG would provide valuable data for assessing the city's SARS-CoV-2 infection status. Therefore, this cross-sectional study estimated the anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence in Tokyo. METHODS: Leftover serum of 23,234 hospital visitors was tested for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 using an iFlash 3000 chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer (Shenzhen YHLO Biotech, Shenzhen, China) with an iFlash-SARS-CoV-2 IgG kit (YHLO) and iFlash-SARS-CoV-2 IgG-S1 kit (YHLO). Serum samples with a positive result (≥10 AU/mL) in either of these assays were considered seropositive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG. Participants were randomly selected from patients visiting 14 Tokyo hospitals between September 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. No participants were diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and none exhibited COVID-19-related symptoms at the time of blood collection. RESULTS: The overall anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence among all participants was 1.83% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.66-2.01%). The seroprevalence in March 2021, the most recent month of this study, was 2.70% (95% CI, 2.16-3.34%). After adjusting for population age, sex, and region, the estimated seroprevalence in Tokyo was 3.40%, indicating that 470,778 individuals had a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated number of individuals in Tokyo with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 3.9-fold higher than the number of confirmed cases. Our study enhances understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Tokyo.

Atomic oxygen effects on silvered polyimide films and their surface modification by poly(siloxane amic acid) ammonium salts.

The tolerance of silvered polyimide films synthesized by an in situ self-metalization method against atomic oxygen (AO) was evaluated. The results showed that the mass loss of R-Ag/PI was markedly increased as the AO fluence increased; Ag/PI showed an identical trend. SEM data showed that the silver particles on the surfaces of R-Ag/PI and Ag/PI disappeared. The surfaces achieved a "carpet condition" that was more obvious as the AO fluence increased. Poly(siloxane amic acid) ammonium salt was synthesized and made via imidization to produce a flexible organic coating that was characterized by ATR-FTIR, 1HNMR, TGA, and XPS. This could be used to improve the tolerance of silvered polyimide films against AO. The AO resistance and the impacts on mass loss, surface morphology, and surface compositions were also evaluated after surface modification by poly(siloxane amic acid) ammonium salts. 20 wt% Foc/Ag/PI had a lower mass loss and smoother surface than the others due to the formation of a compact surface-SiO2-type layer. This flexible organic coating can be produced via an environmentally-friendly method, and it maintains the inherent thermal stability of the polyimide which cannot be achieved by other anti-AO coatings.

Penile and intramuscular metastases from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A rare case report and review of the literature.

We present a case with penile and intramuscular metastases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. A 61-year-old male had undergone a total esophagectomy and later developed metastatic nodules of the penis and intramuscular metastasis of the thigh. We believe this is the first report of this rare case. We describe the clinical manifestation and offer therapeutic regimen; we also summarize the relevant literature.

Ganglioneuroma with leiomyomatosis of the urinary bladder: A rare tumour causing frequent micturition and dysuria.

We present the case of a 34-year-old female, complaining of frequent micturition and progressive dysuria. By cystoscopy and computerized tomography, we found that she had multiple sub-mucosal protuberant lesions in the entire bladder. After surgical excision, she has thus far showed no further signs of the disease. The postoperative histopathologic examination revealed a ganglioneuroma and leiomyomatosis. Urinary bladder paraganglioma is an unusual tumour; when it is combined with leiomyomatosis, it is extremely rare. We describe the main clinical presentation, diagnostic procedures, and pathologic features. We also review the English literature.