Decentralized study of COVID Vaccine Antibody Response (STOPCoV): Results of a participant satisfaction survey.

The Covid-19 pandemic required many clinical trials to adopt a decentralized framework to continue research activities during lock down restrictions. The STOPCoV study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines in those aged 70 and above compared to those aged 30-50 years of age. In this sub-study we aimed to determine participant satisfaction for the decentralized processes, accessing the study website and collecting and submitting study specimens. The satisfaction survey was based on a Likert scale developed by a team of three investigators. Overall, there were 42 questions for respondents to answer. The invitation to participate with a link to the survey was emailed to 1253 active participants near the mid-way point of the main STOPCoV trial (April 2022). The results were collated and answers were compared between the two age cohorts. Overall, 70% (83% older, 54% younger cohort, no difference by sex) responded to the survey. The overall feedback was positive with over 90% of respondents answering that the website was easy to use. Despite the age gap, both the older cohort and younger cohort reported ease of performing study activities through a personal electronic device. Only 30% of the participants had previously participated in a clinical trial, however over 90% agreed that they would be willing to participate in future clinical research. Some difficulties were noted in refreshing the browser whenever updates to the website were made. The feedback attained will be used to improve current processes and procedures of the STOPCoV trial as well as share learning experiences to inform future fully decentralized research studies.

Comprehensive Analysis of Potential Biomarkers of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Children by Using a Competing Endogenous RNA Network.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most serious hematological carcinoma in adolescents. The significance of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and their regulative role in the proliferation and differentiation of myeloid cells in cancer has been recently reported. Nevertheless, key RNAs and the regulatory mechanism of competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network affected by pediatric ALL are not fully illustrated. In this study, phase 2 and 3 pediatric ALL RNA profiles were extracted from the TARGET database and used to identify lncRNAs, microRNAs, and messenger RNAs in high-risk ALL and reconstruct the sponge ceRNA regulatory network. Results indicated that 44 lncRNAs, 25 miRNAs, and 115 mRNA were up/downregulated. Functional analysis with differentially expressed RNAs (DERNAs) showed enriched significant signaling pathways, including PI3K-Akt and p53 signaling cascades and other pathways associated with the tumor. Seventeen differential hub RNAs, including LINC00909, BZRAP1-AS1, C17orf76-AS1, HCG11, MIAT, SNHG5, SNHG15, and TP73-AS1, were identified. The Cox model of correlation indicated that 14 of these RNAs were associated with the progression of pediatric ALL. These findings would help clarify the regulatory role of several lncRNAs as well as provide insights into the leukemogenesis of pediatric ALL to further explore novel prognostic markers/therapeutic targets for ALL.

Correlation of respiratory oscillometry with CT image analysis in a prospective cohort of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Markers of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) severity are based on measurements of forced vital capacity (FVC), diffusing capacity (DLCO) and CT. The pulmonary vessel volume (PVV) is a novel quantitative and independent prognostic structural indicator derived from automated CT analysis. The current prospective cross-sectional study investigated whether respiratory oscillometry provides complementary data to pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and is correlated with PVV. METHODS: From September 2019 to March 2020, we enrolled 89 patients with IPF diagnosed according to international guidelines. We performed standard spectral (5-37 Hz) and novel intrabreath tracking (10 Hz) oscillometry followed by PFTs. Patients were characterised with the gender-age-physiology (GAP) score. CT images within 6 months of oscillometry were analysed in a subgroup (26 patients) using automated lung texture analysis. Correlations between PFTs, oscillometry and imaging variables were investigated using different regression models. FINDINGS: The cohort (29F/60M; age=71.7±7.8 years) had mild IPF (%FVC=70±17, %DLCO=62±17). Spectral oscillometry revealed normal respiratory resistance, low reactance, especially during inspiration at 5 Hz (X5in), elevated reactance area and resonance frequency. Intrabreath oscillometry identified markedly low reactance at end-inspiration (XeI). XeI and X5in strongly correlated with FVC (r2=0.499 and 0.435) while XeI was highly (p=0.004) and uniquely correlated with the GAP score. XeI and PVV exhibited the strongest structural-functional relationship (r2=0.690), which remained significant after adjusting for %FVC, %DLCO and GAP score. INTERPRETATION: XeI is an independent marker of IPF severity that offers additional information to standard PFTs. The data provide a cogent rationale for adding oscillometry in IPF assessment.

The Clinical Efficacy of Three Different Follicle-Stimulating Hormones for Follicle Growth and Development in Long-Protocol Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation Treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the use and clinical efficacy of three different follicle-stimulating hormones (FSHs) for follicle growth and development in long-protocol controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). METHODS: A total of 540 gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists' long protocol treatment cycles at our hospital between January 2015 and May 2020 and met the inclusion criteria were retrospectively analyzed. The cycles were divided into three groups based on their indexes (groups A, B, and C). Each of the groups received a different type of FSH during treatment. A cross-group comparison was then undertaken to evaluate the growth and development of the three largest follicles and the patients' pregnancy-related indexes between the normal-response and high-response populations. RESULTS: In the normal-response populations, the number of high-quality embryos obtained in groups A and B was significantly higher than in group C, and the FSH dosage was significantly lower than in group C (P < 0.05). There were more follicles with a diameter of 16-18 mm found in group A than in group C on the day of hCG injection (hCG day) (P < 0.05), but there were no significant differences in the groups in other indicators. In the high-response populations, the number of oocytes retrieved and high-quality embryos obtained in group A were significantly higher than in group C (P < 0.05), and the total dosage and duration of FSH stimulation in group C were significantly higher than groups A and B (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Three different types of FSH led to comparable growth rates of the three largest follicles and clinical pregnancy rates per fresh cycle in long-protocol COH treatment.

[Values of MCV,MCH,ROFT and HbA2 for Screening α-Thalassemia in Guangdong Area].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the values of mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), red cell osmotic fragility test(ROFT) and hemoglobin A2(HbA2) in screening of α-thalassemia in Guangdong area. METHODS: A total of 285 peripheral blood samples in patients treated in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2017 were collected. The detection of thalassemia gene was used as the gold standard, while blood routine examination, hemoglobin electrophoresis, and red cell osmotic fragility test were simultaneously performed. The optimal cut-off values in MCV, MCH, ROFT and HbA2 in α-thalassemia were determined by receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve). RESULTS: The most common types of α-thalassemia gene was --SEA/αα (54.59%). Compared with the control group, the differences in MCV, MCH, ROFT and HbA2 showed statistically significantce between different types of α-thalassemia (P<0.05). The best cut-off values of MCV, MCH, ROFT, and HbA2 in the diagnosis of α-thalassemia were 81.45 fl, 27.35 pg, 79.95%, and 2.55% respectively. CONCLUSION: For different laboratories, the cut-off values need to be established for screening α-thalassemia suitable in their own local region．The values of MCV, MCH, ROFT and HbA2 shows higher accuracy and sensitivity in the diagnosis of α-thalassemia. It is recommended to use MCV<81.45fl, MCH<27.35 pg, ROFT<79.95% and HbA2<2.55% as the standards for screening α-thalassemia in Guangdong area.

Impact of endometrial thickness during menstruation and endometrial scratching on the pregnancy in frozen-thawed embryo transfer.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the impact of endometrial thickness (EMT) during menstruation and endometrial scratching on the pregnancy in frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET). METHODS: About 1298 patients receiving FET were retrospectively analyzed and divided according to EMT on the 4th or 5th day of menstruation. Group A: EMT ≤ 3.0 mm; Group B: EMT 3.1-5.0 mm; Group C: EMT 5.1-7.0 mm and Group D: EMT > 7.0 mm. Patients in Group D were further divided to scratching group and nonscratching group. Endometrial growth was defined as the change in EMT from 4th or 5th day of menstruation to the day of embryo transferred. RESULTS: We found no significant differences in general conditions among four groups (P > 0.05). The average EMT during menstruation and differences in inter-group endometrial growth of four groups had statistical significance (P < 0.05). The pregnancy rate and implantation rate of Group D were significantly lower than other groups (P < 0.001). Pregnancy rate (68.29% vs 53.26%) and implantation rate (52.67% vs 36.34%) in endometrial scratching group were higher than those in nonscratching group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Higher EMT during menstruation adversely affects pregnancy outcomes following FET. Endometrial scratching may improve the receptivity of endometrium and increase the rate of embryo implantation and pregnancy.