Increased risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 compared with Delta in vaccinated and previously infected individuals, the Netherlands, 22 November 2021 to 19 January 2022.

Infections with the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant are rapidly increasing worldwide. Among 174,349 SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals (≥ 12 years), we observed an increased risk of S gene target failure, predictive of the Omicron variant, in vaccinated (odds ratio (OR): 3.6; 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.4-3.7) and previously infected individuals (OR: 4.2; 95% CI: 3.8-4.7) compared with infected naïve individuals. This suggests vaccine- or infection-induced immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infections is less effective against the Omicron than the Delta variant.

Shorter serial intervals in SARS-CoV-2 cases with Omicron BA.1 variant compared with Delta variant, the Netherlands, 13 to 26 December 2021.

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has a growth advantage over the Delta variant because of higher transmissibility, immune evasion or shorter serial interval. Using S gene target failure (SGTF) as indication for Omicron BA.1, we identified 908 SGTF and 1,621 non-SGTF serial intervals in the same period. Within households, the mean serial interval for SGTF cases was 0.2-0.6 days shorter than for non-SGTF cases. This suggests that the growth advantage of Omicron is partly due to a shorter serial interval.

Multi-OMIC profiling of survival and metabolic signaling networks in cells subjected to photodynamic therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an established palliative treatment for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma that is clinically promising. However, tumors tend to regrow after PDT, which may result from the PDT-induced activation of survival pathways in sublethally afflicted tumor cells. In this study, tumor-comprising cells (i.e., vascular endothelial cells, macrophages, perihilar cholangiocarcinoma cells, and EGFR-overexpressing epidermoid cancer cells) were treated with the photosensitizer zinc phthalocyanine that was encapsulated in cationic liposomes (ZPCLs). The post-PDT survival pathways and metabolism were studied following sublethal (LC50) and supralethal (LC90) PDT. Sublethal PDT induced survival signaling in perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (SK-ChA-1) cells via mainly HIF-1-, NF-кB-, AP-1-, and heat shock factor (HSF)-mediated pathways. In contrast, supralethal PDT damage was associated with a dampened survival response. PDT-subjected SK-ChA-1 cells downregulated proteins associated with EGFR signaling, particularly at LC90. PDT also affected various components of glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle as well as metabolites involved in redox signaling. In conclusion, sublethal PDT activates multiple pathways in tumor-associated cell types that transcriptionally regulate cell survival, proliferation, energy metabolism, detoxification, inflammation/angiogenesis, and metastasis. Accordingly, tumor cells sublethally afflicted by PDT are a major therapeutic culprit. Our multi-omic analysis further unveiled multiple druggable targets for pharmacological co-intervention.