ABSTRACT
Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and life-threatening multi-organ failure with increased levels of inflammatory mediators and viral load; however, little is known about its pathophysiology. Methods: To better understand the cellular status of COVID-19-induced ARDS, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on peripheral blood samples from patients with COVID-19-induced ARDS. Single-cell RNA sequencing combined with bioinformatics analysis was used to study dynamic changes in cell composition and transcriptional profiles. Results: The single-cell RNA sequencing data revealed significant phenotypic differences between patients with COVID-19-induced ARDS and controls, mainly in monocytes, and CD8+ T and B cells. B-cell and monocyte abundances were significant in COVID-19-induced ARDS patients compared to controls, while CD8+ T cells were depleted. These data suggest that there is an imbalance between lymphocytes and monocytes in the blood of COVID-19-induced ARDS patients. In addition, cytokine interactions between T cells, monocytes and B cells are enhanced as evidenced by the intercellular communication analysis. In particular, T cell subsets target receptors on other cells via CCL5 and may play an important role in patients with COVID-19-induced ARDS. Conclusion: Our analysis suggested that a dysregulated adaptive immune response exists in patients with COVID-19-induced ARDS. Overall, we provided a cellular picture of the peripheral immune response in patients with COVID-19-induced ARDS.
ABSTRACT
Plastic film residuals are increasingly remaining in cultivated lands. However, it is a critical issue how residual plastic type and thickness affect soil properties and crop yield. To address this issue, in situ landfill was conducted using thick polyethylene (PEt1), thin polyethylene (PEt2), thick biodegradable (BIOt1), thin biodegradable (BIOt2) residues, and CK (control) with no residues landfill in a semiarid maize field. The findings demonstrated that the impact of various treatments on soil characteristics and maize yield varied considerably. Soil water content decreased by 24.82% in PEt1 and 25.43% in PEt2, compared to BIOt1 and BIOt2, respectively. BIOt2 treatment increased soil bulk density by 1.31 g cm-3 and lowered soil porosity by 51.11%, respectively; it also elevated the silt/clay proportion by 49.42% relative to CK. In contrast, microaggregate composition in PEt2 was higher (43.02%). Moreover, BIOt2 lowered soil nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) content. Compared with other treatments, BIOt2 resulted in significantly higher soil total nitrogen (STN) and lower SOC/STN. Finally, BIOt2 exhibited the lowest water use efficiency (WUE) (20.57 kg ha-1 mm-1) and yield (6896 kg ha-1) among all the treatments. Therefore, BIO film residues exhibited detrimental impacts on soil quality and maize productivity compared to PE film ones. Considering film thickness, thin residual films more evidently influenced soil quality and maize productivity than thick film ones.
