Identification and correction for collider bias in a genome-wide association study of diabetes-related heart failure.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major risk factor for heart failure (HF) and has elevated incidence among individuals with HF. Since genetics and HF can independently influence T2D, collider bias may occur when T2D (i.e., collider) is controlled for by design or analysis. Thus, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of diabetes-related HF with correction for collider bias. We first performed a GWAS of HF to identify genetic instrumental variables (GIVs) for HF and to enable bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis between T2D and HF. We identified 61 genomic loci, significantly associated with all-cause HF in 114,275 individuals with HF and over 1.5 million controls of European ancestry. Using a two-sample bidirectional MR approach with 59 and 82 GIVs for HF and T2D, respectively, we estimated that T2D increased HF risk (odds ratio [OR] 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.10), while HF also increased T2D risk (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.36-1.88). Then we performed a GWAS of diabetes-related HF corrected for collider bias due to the study design of index cases. After removing the spurious association of TCF7L2 locus due to collider bias, we identified two genome-wide significant loci close to PITX2 (chromosome 4) and CDKN2B-AS1 (chromosome 9) associated with diabetes-related HF in the Million Veteran Program and replicated the associations in the UK Biobank. Our MR findings provide strong evidence that HF increases T2D risk. As a result, collider bias leads to spurious genetic associations of diabetes-related HF, which can be effectively corrected to identify true positive loci.

GWAS of longitudinal trajectories at biobank scale.

Biobanks linked to massive, longitudinal electronic health record (EHR) data make numerous new genetic research questions feasible. One among these is the study of biomarker trajectories. For example, high blood pressure measurements over visits strongly predict stroke onset, and consistently high fasting glucose and Hb1Ac levels define diabetes. Recent research reveals that not only the mean level of biomarker trajectories but also their fluctuations, or within-subject (WS) variability, are risk factors for many diseases. Glycemic variation, for instance, is recently considered an important clinical metric in diabetes management. It is crucial to identify the genetic factors that shift the mean or alter the WS variability of a biomarker trajectory. Compared to traditional cross-sectional studies, trajectory analysis utilizes more data points and captures a complete picture of the impact of time-varying factors, including medication history and lifestyle. Currently, there are no efficient tools for genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of biomarker trajectories at the biobank scale, even for just mean effects. We propose TrajGWAS, a linear mixed effect model-based method for testing genetic effects that shift the mean or alter the WS variability of a biomarker trajectory. It is scalable to biobank data with 100,000 to 1,000,000 individuals and many longitudinal measurements and robust to distributional assumptions. Simulation studies corroborate that TrajGWAS controls the type I error rate and is powerful. Analysis of eleven biomarkers measured longitudinally and extracted from UK Biobank primary care data for more than 150,000 participants with 1,800,000 observations reveals loci that significantly alter the mean or WS variability.

Engineering allorejection-resistant CAR-NKT cells from hematopoietic stem cells for off-the-shelf cancer immunotherapy.

The clinical potential of current FDA-approved chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T (CAR-T) cell therapy is encumbered by its autologous nature, which presents notable challenges related to manufacturing complexities, heightened costs, and limitations in patient selection. Therefore, there is a growing demand for off-the-shelf universal cell therapies. In this study, we have generated universal CAR-engineered NKT (UCAR-NKT) cells by integrating iNKT TCR engineering and HLA gene editing on hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), along with an ex vivo, feeder-free HSC differentiation culture. The UCAR-NKT cells are produced with high yield, purity, and robustness, and they display a stable HLA-ablated phenotype that enables resistance to host cell-mediated allorejection. These UCAR-NKT cells exhibit potent antitumor efficacy to blood cancers and solid tumors, both in vitro and in vivo, employing a multifaceted array of tumor-targeting mechanisms. These cells are further capable of altering the tumor microenvironment by selectively depleting immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages and myeloid-derived suppressor cells. In addition, UCAR-NKT cells demonstrate a favorable safety profile with low risks of graft-versus-host disease and cytokine release syndrome. Collectively, these preclinical studies underscore the feasibility and significant therapeutic potential of UCAR-NKT cell products and lay a foundation for their translational and clinical development.

Assessing the contribution of rare genetic variants to phenotypes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using whole-genome sequence data.

RATIONALE: Genetic variation has a substantial contribution to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung function measurements. Heritability estimates using genome-wide genotyping data can be biased if analyses do not appropriately account for the nonuniform distribution of genetic effects across the allele frequency and linkage disequilibrium (LD) spectrum. In addition, the contribution of rare variants has been unclear. OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess the heritability of COPD and lung function using whole-genome sequence data from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine program. METHODS: Using the genome-based restricted maximum likelihood method, we partitioned the genome into bins based on minor allele frequency and LD scores and estimated heritability of COPD, FEV1% predicted and FEV1/FVC ratio in 11 051 European ancestry and 5853 African-American participants. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In European ancestry participants, the estimated heritability of COPD, FEV1% predicted and FEV1/FVC ratio were 35.5%, 55.6% and 32.5%, of which 18.8%, 19.7%, 17.8% were from common variants, and 16.6%, 35.8%, and 14.6% were from rare variants. These estimates had wide confidence intervals, with common variants and some sets of rare variants showing a statistically significant contribution (P-value < 0.05). In African-Americans, common variant heritability was similar to European ancestry participants, but lower sample size precluded calculation of rare variant heritability. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides updated and unbiased estimates of heritability for COPD and lung function, and suggests an important contribution of rare variants. Larger studies of more diverse ancestry will improve accuracy of these estimates.

Multivariate genome-wide association analysis by iterative hard thresholding.

MOTIVATION: In a genome-wide association study, analyzing multiple correlated traits simultaneously is potentially superior to analyzing the traits one by one. Standard methods for multivariate genome-wide association study operate marker-by-marker and are computationally intensive. RESULTS: We present a sparsity constrained regression algorithm for multivariate genome-wide association study based on iterative hard thresholding and implement it in a convenient Julia package MendelIHT.jl. In simulation studies with up to 100 quantitative traits, iterative hard thresholding exhibits similar true positive rates, smaller false positive rates, and faster execution times than GEMMA's linear mixed models and mv-PLINK's canonical correlation analysis. On UK Biobank data with 470 228 variants, MendelIHT completed a three-trait joint analysis (n=185 656) in 20 h and an 18-trait joint analysis (n=104 264) in 53 h with an 80 GB memory footprint. In short, MendelIHT enables geneticists to fit a single regression model that simultaneously considers the effect of all SNPs and dozens of traits. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Software, documentation, and scripts to reproduce our results are available from https://github.com/OpenMendel/MendelIHT.jl.

The impact of heat treatment on E. coli cell physiology in rich and minimal media considering oxidative secondary stress.

AIMS: This study investigates the cell physiology of thermally injured bacterial cells, with a specific focus on oxidative stress and the repair mechanisms associated with oxidative secondary stress. METHODS AND RESULTS: We explored the effect of heat treatment on the activity of two protective enzymes, levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species, and redox potential. The findings reveal that enzyme activity slightly increased after heat treatment, gradually returning to baseline levels during subculture. The response of Escherichia coli cells to heat treatment, as assessed by the level of superoxide radicals generated and redox potential, varied based on growth conditions, namely minimal and rich media. Notably, the viability of injured cells improved when antioxidants were added to agar media, even in the presence of metabolic inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a complex system involved in repairing damage in heat-treated cells, particularly in rich media. While repairing membrane damage is crucial for cell regrowth and the electron transport system plays a critical role in the recovery process of injured cells under both tested conditions.

Biocontrol of strawberry Botrytis gray mold and prolong the fruit shelf-life by fumigant Trichoderma spp.

Objectives To screen high active volatile organic compounds (VOCs)-producing Trichoderma isolates against strawberry gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea, and to explore their antagonistic mode of action against the pathogen. VOCs produced by nine Trichoderma isolates (Trichoderma atroviride T1 and T3; Trichoderma harzianum T2, T4 and T5; T6, T7, T8 and T9 identified as Trichoderma asperellum in this work) significantly inhibited the mycelial growth (13.9-63.0% reduction) and conidial germination (17.6-96.3% reduction) of B. cinerea, the highest inhibition percentage belonged to VOCs of T7; in a closed space, VOCs of T7 shared 76.9% and 100% biocontrol efficacy against gray mold on strawberry fruits and detached leaves, respectively, prolonged the fruit shelf-life by 3 days in presence of B. cinerea, completely protected the leaves from B. cinerea infecting; volatile metabolites of T7 damaged the cell membrane permeability and integrity of B. cinerea, thereby inhibiting the mycelial growth and conidial germination. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed the VOCs contain 23 potential compounds, and the majority of these compounds were categorised as alkenes, alcohols, and esters, including PEA and 6PP, which have been reported as substances produced by Trichoderma spp. T. asperellum T7 showed high biofumigant activity against mycelial growth especially conidial germination of B. cinerea and thus protected strawberry fruits and leaves from gray mold, which acted by damaging the pathogen's plasma membrane and resulting in cytoplasm leakage, was a potential biofumigant for controlling pre- and post-harvest strawberry gray mold.

[Role of neoadjuvant rectal score in prognosis and adjuvant chemotherapy decision-making in locally advanced rectal cancer following neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy].

Objectives: To assess the prognostic impact of the neoadjuvant rectal (NAR) score following neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), as well as its value in guiding decisions for adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: Between August 2015 and August 2018, patients were eligible from the STELLAR phase III trial (NCT02533271) who received short-course radiotherapy plus consolidation chemotherapy and for whom the NAR score could be calculated. Based on the NAR score, patients were categorized into low (＜8), intermediate (8-16), and high (＞16) groups. The Kaplan-Meier method, log rank tests, and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to evaluate the impact of the NAR score on disease-free survival (DFS). Results: Out of the 232 patients, 24.1%, 48.7%, and 27.2% had low (56 cases), intermediate (113 cases), and high NAR scores (63 cases), respectively. The median follow-up period was 37 months, with 3-year DFS rates of 87.3%, 68.3%, and 53.4% (P＜0.001) for the low, intermediate, and high NAR score groups. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the NAR score (intermediate NAR score: HR, 3.10, 95% CI, 1.30-7.37, P=0.011; high NAR scores: HR=5.44, 95% CI, 2.26-13.09, P＜0.001), resection status (HR, 3.00, 95% CI, 1.64-5.52, P＜0.001), and adjuvant chemotherapy (HR, 3.25, 95% CI, 2.01-5.27, P＜0.001) were independent prognostic factors for DFS. In patients with R0 resection, the 3-year DFS rates were 97.8% and 78.0% for those with low and intermediate NAR scores who received adjuvant chemotherapy, significantly higher than the 43.2% and 50.6% for those who did not (P＜0.001, P=0.002). There was no significant difference in the 3-year DFS rate (54.2% vs 53.3%, P=0.214) among high NAR score patients, regardless of adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusions: The NAR score is a robust prognostic indicator in LARC following neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy, with potential implications for subsequent decisions regarding adjuvant chemotherapy. These findings warrant further validation in studies with larger sample sizes.

[Application of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in subclinical systemic sclerosis primary heart involvement].

Objectives: Primary cardiac involvement (SSc-PHI) in systemic sclerosis is an important prognostic factor. We aimed to characterize and identify subclinical SSc-PHI using cardiovascular MRI to determine whether disease severity and serum biomarkers are associated with subclinical SSc-PHI. Methods: A total of 26 patients with SSc who had no history of cardiovascular disease or pulmonary hypertension underwent 3 T-enhanced cardiovascular MRI. Measurements included native T1, extracellular volume, advanced gadolinium enhancement, T2 mapping, and left ventricular volume function. Troponin T and N telencephalic natriuretic peptide precursors were also determined. Results: LGE was observed in 13 of 26 patients (50.0%), suggesting focal fibrosis, and T2 mapping was significantly higher in the dcSSc group than in the lcSSc group (P=0.009). Left ventricular volume and function were within the normal range in all patients, but final systolic left ventricular volume was significantly higher in dcSSc than in lcSSc (P=0.021). The modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) was significantly higher in patients with LGE focal fibrosis (P=0.019). Logistic regression analysis confirmed the association between mRSS and LGE (OR=1.224, P=0.037). In multivariate analysis, T2 mapping was negatively correlated with disease course, and was correlated with dcSSc and fingertip ulcer (R2=0.711, P=0.018, P=0.013, P=0.030). Troponin T was correlated with T2 mapping (r=0.555, P=0.049). Conclusions: Subclinical SSc-PHI is characterized by diffuse and focal myocardial fibrosis, but preserves myocardial systolic function. Subclinical SSC-Phi is associated with TNT, SSc disease severity, and complex peripheral vascular disease. These data provide information for identifying individuals at risk of SSc-PHI.

[Clinical characteristics and prognostic analysis of thoracic SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated tumor].

Objective: To summarize and analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of thoracic SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated tumor (SMARCA4-UT). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 51 patients with SMARCA4-UT who were diagnosed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to December 2023, and 52 patients with SMARCA4-intact non-small cell lung cancer (SMARCA4-iNSCLC) expression admitted during the same period were used as controls. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank test were used to analyze the survival difference between the two groups of patients, and the Cox regression model was used to explore the factors influencing the prognosis of the two groups of patients. Results: In the SMARCA4-UT group, there were 50 males and 1 female, with the age of (63.8±9.7) years. Compared to the SMARCA4-iNSCLC group, the SMARCA4-UT group exhibited a higher proportion of male patients and smokers, as well as a higher Ki-67 level (all P<0.05). SMARCA4-UT is mainly characterized by solid lesions with poor adhesion, and some of them exhibit rhabdomyoid morphology. Immunohistochemistry revealed negative results for BRG1, thyroid transcription factor-1, P40, NapsinA, and others were mostly negative, while some patients were positive for spalt-like transcription factor 4. There were a relatively large number of cases with Ki-67≥30% (47/51, 92%). Among the 10 patients in the SMARCA4-UT group who underwent next-generation sequencing genetic testing, 6 patients were found to have SMARCA4 mutations, often accompanied by TP53 (8/10, 80%), STK 11(3/10, 30%), KRAS(2/10, 20%), with fewer common driver gene mutations. The average tumor mutation burden was 16.12 mutations/Mb. Compared with SMARCA4-iNSCLC patients, the median overall survival of SMARCA4-UT patients was significantly shorter (12 months vs 45 months, P<0.001), and the median overall survival of patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ SMARCA4-UT treated with immunotherapy was longer than that of patients without immunotherapy (23 months vs 7 months, P=0.027). The results of the multivariate Cox regression model analysis indicated that SMARCA4 deficiency is a risk factor for prognosis in patients with SMARCA4-UT and SMARCA4-iNSCLC [HR=7.954(95%CI： 2.764-22.890), P<0.001]. Conclusions: SMARCA4-UT is a rare undifferentiated tumour distinct from SMARCA4-iNSCLC, which is prevalent among elderly male smokers. It possesses high invasiveness and poor prognosis. The typical pathological characteristic is negative BRG1. Immunotherapy demonstrates a certain effect.

[Advances in electrowetting-on-dielectric digital microfluidics technology for disease diagnosis and prevention applications].

Rapid and accurate diagnostic technologies are crucial for early detection and diagnosis of diseases. Electrowetting-on-dielectric digital microfluidics, with its high-precision detection and high-throughput screening capabilities, significantly enhances the accuracy and efficiency in early disease diagnosis and personalized treatment, enabling swift disease detection and widespread screening. This article provides a comprehensive review of the working principles and fabrication processes of digital microfluidic chips based on electrowetting on dielectric method. It details the latest research progress in the areas of nucleic acids, proteins, and cells, organizes the commercialization of digital microfluidics technology, and finally discusses the current challenges and future directions of digital microfluidic chips.

Expression and Significance of BCCIP and Glutathione Peroxidase 4 in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

In this retrospective study involving 112 patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), we analyzed clinical significance and prognostic value of the expression of BCCIP protein interacting with BRCA2 and CDKN1A and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). The expressions of mRNA and the corresponding proteins were evaluated using reverse transcription PCR and immunohistochemistry. In comparison with control samples of renal peritumoral tissue, the expressions of BCCIP and its mRNA in the tumor tissues were significantly down-regulated, while the expressions of GPX4 and the corresponding mRNA were significantly up-regulated. The down-regulation of BCCIP expression was closely related to histological grade, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis (p<0.05). The GPX4 overexpression was closely related to tumor size, TNM stage, and the presence of distant metastasis. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that tumor size, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, expressions of BCCIP and GPX4 correlated with progression-free survival (p<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression showed that down-regulation of BCCIP expression and overexpression of GPX4, TNM stage, and distant metastasis were independent prognostic factors of progression-free survival. Thus, down-regulation of BCCIP expression and overexpression of GPX4 are indicatives of progression of ccRCC with poor prognosis. Hence, the control of expression of these proteins can be considered as a novel target for the treatment of ccRCC.

[A case of pleural metastasis of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor].

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) frequently metastasizes to the lungs, although pleural metastasis is rare. This article reported a case of pleural metastasis of MPNST. The patient was a young man who presented with 1 week of shortness of breath with dry cough. He had a history of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor. The patient was diagnosed with MPNST pleural metastasis after a thoracoscopic pleural biopsy, which revealed short spindle cell hyperplasia, immunohistochemical staining for S-100(+), SOX-10(+), Ki-67(+) with a positive index of 20%, and H3K27Me3(-) in the pleural pathology.

[Current status and considerations on clinical application of function-preserving pancreatic surgery].

For pancreatic neoplasms, the current clinical treatment strategy is mainly using standard surgical methods, including pancreaticoduodenectomy, distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, and total pancreatectomy. Standard surgical methods require a larger resection, including resection of some surrounding organs and a large amount of pancreatic parenchyma. The endocrine and exocrine functions of the pancreas are easily damaged. Moreover, since the standard surgical procedure involves the reconstruction of the digestive tract at multiple anastomoses, there is a high risk of pancreatic, biliary, and intestinal fistulas occurring postoperatively. Therefore, function-preserving pancreatic surgery is recommended for some benign and low-grade pancreatic neoplasms. This type of surgery can treat pancreatic diseases while preserving more peripancreatic organs, pancreatic parenchyma and relatively complete digestive tract continuity, thereby improving the patient's short-term and long-term quality of life. In addition, with the development of laparoscopy and da Vinci robotic technology, minimally invasive technology-assisted pancreatic surgery has been carried out in clinical practice. They have been shown to be sufficiently safe and effective. This article reviews several common clinical pancreatic function-preserving surgical methods and their corresponding clinical applications and technical development status from the perspectives of preserving more peripancreatic organs, preserving more pancreatic parenchyma, and promoting pancreatic function recovery.

Phase I dose escalation and expansion study of golidocitinib, a highly selective JAK1 inhibitor, in relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphomas.

BACKGROUND: Relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphomas (r/r PTCLs) are a group of rare and aggressive diseases that lack effective therapies. Constitutive activation of the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway is reported to be associated with PTCLs. Golidocitinib is an oral, potent JAK1 selective inhibitor evaluated in a phase I/II multinational study in patients with r/r PTCLs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with r/r PTCLs were eligible. The primary objectives were to assess safety and tolerability of golidocitinib and to define its recommended phase II dose (RP2D). The secondary objectives were to evaluate its antitumor activity and pharmacokinetics (PK). RESULTS: A total of 51 patients were enrolled and received golidocitinib treatment at 150 or 250 mg once daily (QD). The median prior lines of therapies were 2 (range: 1-8). Golidocitinib was tolerated at both doses tested, while a higher incidence of serious adverse events and dose modifications at 250 mg were observed. The most common grade ≥3 drug-related treatment-emergent adverse events were neutropenia (27.5%) and thrombocytopenia (11.8%). An objective response rate of 39.2% and a complete response rate of 21.6% were observed. With median follow-up time of 14.7 and 15.9 months, the median duration of response (DoR) and progression-free survival were 8.0 and 3.3 months, respectively. Based on these data, 150 mg QD was defined as the RP2D. Golidocitinib demonstrated a favorable PK profile as an oral agent. Biomarker analysis suggested a potential correlation between JAK/STAT pathway aberrations and clinical activity of golidocitinib. CONCLUSIONS: In this phase I study, golidocitinib demonstrated an acceptable safety profile and encouraging antitumor efficacy in heavily pretreated patients with r/r PTCLs. These results support the initiation of the multinational pivotal study in patients with r/r PTCLs.

High prevalence of vertebral deformity in tumor-induced osteomalacia associated with impaired bone microstructure.

PURPOSE: Patients with tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) often suffer from irreversible height loss due to vertebral deformity. However, the prevalence of vertebral deformity in TIO patients varies among limited studies. In addition, the distribution and type of vertebral deformity, as well as its risk factors, remain unknown. This study aimed to identify the prevalence, distribution, type and risk factors for vertebral deformity in a large cohort of TIO patients. METHODS: A total of 164 TIO patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. Deformity in vertebrae T4-L4 by lateral thoracolumbar spine radiographs was evaluated according to the semiquantitative method of Genant. Bone microstructure was evaluated by trabecular bone score (TBS) and high-resolution peripheral QCT (HR-pQCT). RESULTS: Ninety-nine (99/164, 60.4%) patients had 517 deformed vertebrae with a bimodal pattern of distribution (T7-9 and T11-L1), and biconcave deformity was the most common type (267/517, 51.6%). Compared with patients without vertebral deformity, those with vertebral deformity had a higher male/female ratio, longer disease duration, more height loss, lower serum phosphate, higher bone turnover markers, lower TBS, lower areal bone mineral density (aBMD), lower peripheral volumetric BMD (vBMD) and worse microstructure. Lower trabecular vBMD and worse trabecular microstructure in the peripheral bone and lower spine TBS were associated with an increased risk of vertebral deformity independently of aBMD. After adjusting for the number of deformed vertebrae, we found little difference in clinical indexes among the patients with different types of vertebral deformity. However, we found significant correlations of clinical indexes with the number of deformed vertebrae and the spinal deformity index. CONCLUSION: We reported a high prevalence of vertebral deformity in the largest cohort of TIO patients and described the vertebral deformity in detail for the first time. Risk factors for vertebral deformity included male sex, long disease duration, height loss, abnormal biochemical indexes and bone impairment. Clinical manifestation, biochemical indexes and bone impairment were correlated with the number of deformed vertebrae and degree of deformity, but not the type of deformity.

A MUC5B Gene Polymorphism, rs35705950-T, Confers Protective Effects Against COVID-19 Hospitalization but Not Severe Disease or Mortality.

Rationale: A common MUC5B gene polymorphism, rs35705950-T, is associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), but its role in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and disease severity is unclear. Objectives: To assess whether rs35705950-T confers differential risk for clinical outcomes associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection among participants in the Million Veteran Program (MVP). Methods: The MUC5B rs35705950-T allele was directly genotyped among MVP participants; clinical events and comorbidities were extracted from the electronic health records. Associations between the incidence or severity of COVID-19 and rs35705950-T were analyzed within each ancestry group in the MVP followed by transancestry meta-analysis. Replication and joint meta-analysis were conducted using summary statistics from the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative (HGI). Sensitivity analyses with adjustment for additional covariates (body mass index, Charlson comorbidity index, smoking, asbestosis, rheumatoid arthritis with interstitial lung disease, and IPF) and associations with post-COVID-19 pneumonia were performed in MVP subjects. Measurements and Main Results: The rs35705950-T allele was associated with fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations in transancestry meta-analyses within the MVP (Ncases = 4,325; Ncontrols = 507,640; OR = 0.89 [0.82-0.97]; P = 6.86 × 10-3) and joint meta-analyses with the HGI (Ncases = 13,320; Ncontrols = 1,508,841; OR, 0.90 [0.86-0.95]; P = 8.99 × 10-5). The rs35705950-T allele was not associated with reduced COVID-19 positivity in transancestry meta-analysis within the MVP (Ncases = 19,168/Ncontrols = 492,854; OR, 0.98 [0.95-1.01]; P = 0.06) but was nominally significant (P < 0.05) in the joint meta-analysis with the HGI (Ncases = 44,820; Ncontrols = 1,775,827; OR, 0.97 [0.95-1.00]; P = 0.03). Associations were not observed with severe outcomes or mortality. Among individuals of European ancestry in the MVP, rs35705950-T was associated with fewer post-COVID-19 pneumonia events (OR, 0.82 [0.72-0.93]; P = 0.001). Conclusions: The MUC5B variant rs35705950-T may confer protection in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

[Associations of genetic variations in pyroptosis related genes with acute adverse events in postoperative rectal cancer patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy].

Objective: This study aims to investigate the associations between genetic variations of pyroptosis pathway related key genes and adverse events (AEs) of postoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with rectal cancer. Methods: DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood which was collected from 347 patients before CRT. Sequenom MassARRAY was used to detect the genotypes of 43 haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNPs) in eight pyroptosis genes, including absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), caspase-1 (CASP1), caspase-4(CASP4), caspase-5 (CASP5), caspase-11 (CASP11), gasdermin D (GSDMD), gasdermin E (GSDME) and NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3). The associations between 43 htSNPs and AEs were evaluated by the odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by unconditional logistic regression models, adjusted for sex, age, clinical stage, tumor grade, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), surgical procedure, and tumor location. Results: Among the 347 patients with rectal cancer underwent concurrent CRT with capecitabine after surgery, a total of 101(29.1%) occurred grade ≥ 2 leukopenia. rs11226565 (OR=0.41, 95% CI: 0.21-0.79, P=0.008), rs579408(OR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.03-2.29, P=0.034) and rs543923 (OR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.41-0.98, P=0.040) were significantly associated with the occurrence of grade ≥ 2 leukopenia. One hundred and fifty-six (45.0%) had grade ≥ 2 diarrhea, two SNPs were significantly associated with the occurrence of grade ≥ diarrhea, including CASP11 rs10880868 (OR=0.55, 95% CI: 0.33-0.91, P=0.020) and GSDME rs2954558 (OR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.01-2.31, P=0.050). In addition, sixty-six cases (19.0%) developed grade ≥2 dermatitis, three SNPs that significantly associated with the risk of grade ≥2 dermatitis included GSDME rs2237314 (OR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.16-0.83, P=0.017), GSDME rs12540919 (OR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.27-0.99, P=0.045) and NLRP3 rs3806268 (OR=1.51, 95% CI: 1.03-2.22, P=0.037). There was no significant difference in the association between other genetic variations and AEs of rectal cancer patients (all P>0.05). Surgical procedure and tumor location had great impacts on the occurrence of grade ≥2 diarrhea and dermatitis (all P<0.01). Conclusion: The genetic variants of CASP4, CASP11, GSDME and NLRP3 are associated with the occurrence of AEs in patients with rectal cancer who received postoperative CRT, suggesting they may be potential genetic markers in predicting the grade of AEs to achieve individualized treatment of rectal cancer.

[Research progress of oral allergy syndrome].

Oral allergy syndrome (OAS) is an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity. Patients with pollen allergy will experience oropharyngeal allergy after eating fresh fruits or vegetables containing homologous pathogenesis-related allergen, occasionally accompanied by systemic symptoms, it is a special type of food hypersensitivity in which respiratory allergens and food allergens are similar structurally and lead to the cross-reactivity. At present, there is little research and attention to it in China. To master the definition, epidemiological characteristics, pathological mechanism, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of OAS is very important to the prevention and control of OAS. This article reviews the research progress of OAS, providing reference and prevention basis for clinicians to improve the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of OAS.

[Investigation of the chronic respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function of adult residents in Hongtong County, Shanxi Province].

Objective: To investigate the chronic respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function of adult residents in 3 towns of Hongtong County, Shanxi Province, and to explore their risk factors. Methods: The investigation of chronic respiratory symptoms and lung function status of adult residents in Hongdong County is based on the regional population of the entire county in Hongdong County. The project was initiated by the Science and Technology Department of Linfen City and coordinated by the Hongdong County Government. The investigation will be conducted in 3 townships in Hongdong County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province from April to November 2021: Demographic characteristics, respiratory symptoms, smoking dust exposure and other personal history were collected through questionnaires. Physical examination, routine blood tests and lung function tests were also performed on each individual. SPSS 22.0 software was used to conduct t test, χ2 test, ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test for statistical analysis of the collected information. Results: 10 945 subjects aged 18-102 years were included in the analysis, of whom 3 754 (34.3%) were male, 1 222 (11.2%) had a history of dust exposure, 7 164 (65.5%) had used straw and firewood as cooking fuel, and 3 296 (30.1%) had a history of smoking. Among the participants, 394 (3.6%), 339 (3.1%), and 1 543 (14.1%) had respiratory symptoms such as chronic cough, sputum, and dyspnea. Statistics showed that the population with chronic respiratory symptoms was more elderly and had a smoking history, and the incidence of chronic respiratory symptoms was higher in those who smoked more than 40 packs a year (all P<0.05). Men with a history of dust exposure were more likely to suffer from chronic cough and expectoration, while emaciation and biofuel use for more than 40 years were more likely to suffer from chronic expectoration and dyspnea (all P<0.05). The median values of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC in 1 second were 2.19 L/s, 3.24 L and 69.16%, respectively. Among them, the lung function of 5 801 (53.0%) respondents was lower than the expected value. The median FEV1/FVC decreased with the increase of age. The FEV1/FVC of people over 40 years old with smoking history was lower, the dust exposure history of people with decreased lung function was more than that of people with normal lung function, and the incidence of chronic expectoration and dyspnea was higher in people with decreased lung function (all P<0.05). The absolute value and ratio of eosinophils in patients with decreased ventilation function over 60 years old were significantly higher than those with normal ventilation function, but the level of body mass index (BMI) was lower (all P<0.05). Conclusion: In Hongdong County, Shanxi Province, grassroots residents have poor medical awareness, low lung function examination rate, chronic respiratory symptoms and lung function decline are associated with more risk factors. Primary medical institutions need to formulate prevention strategies and carry out lung function detection according to the actual situation, focusing on monitoring and follow-up of high-risk groups to achieve early and timely prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.