Copper-Catalyzed Umpolung Reactivity of Propargylic Carbonates in the Presence of Diboronates: One Stone Four Birds.

Allylation and propargylation are two powerful synthetic strategies for making new substances that have been of significant importance in chemistry, medicine, and material fields. Conventional tactics employ various preformed allylation and propargylation reagents. In this study, a conceptually novel copper-catalyzed and B2pin2-mediated Umpolung reactivity of propargylic carbonates has been achieved for the first time, realizing both allylation and propargylation of aldehydes and ketones without additional reductants. Three types of allylation products and one type of propargylation product are generated efficiently, and all allylation products are formed with syn-configurations predominantly. The choice of ligands plays a vital role in modulating the Umpolung modes. The synthetic applications have been demonstrated in a myriad of further transformations including natural product synthesis, and systematic mechanistic studies have been conducted to reveal detailed insights into the Umpolung processes.

Research progress on the measurement of insect sensitive wavelength.

Insects use subtle and complex visual systems to capture spectral information and guide life activities. Spectral sensitivity of insect describes the relationship between the threshold of insect response to light stimulation and wavelength, which is the physiological basis and necessary condition for the generation of sensitive wavelength. The sensitive wavelength is the light wave with the strong reaction at the physiological or behavioral level of insects, which is the special and specific manifestation of spectral sensitivity. Understanding the physiological basis of insect spectral sensitivity can effectively guide the determination of sensitive wavelength. In this review, we summarized the physiological basis of insect spectral sensitivity, analyzed the intrinsic influence of each link in the photosensitive process on spectral sensitivity, and summarized and compared the measurement methods and research results about the sensitive wavelength of different insect species. The optimal scheme of the sensitive wavelength measurement based on the analysis of the key influencing factors can provide references for the development and improvement of light trapping and control technology. Finally, we proposed that neurological research of spectral sensitivity of insect should be strengthened in the future.

Baicalein attenuates bleomycin-induced lung fibroblast senescence and lung fibrosis through restoration of Sirt3 expression.

CONTEXT: Fibroblast senescence was reported to contribute to the pathological development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and baicalein is reported to attenuate IPF. OBJECTIVE: This study explores whether baicalein attenuates lung fibrosis by regulating lung fibroblast senescence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were randomly assigned to control, bleomycin (BLM), baicalein and BLM + baicalein groups. Lung fibrosis was established by a single intratracheal dose of BLM (3 mg/kg). The baicalein group received baicalein orally (100 mg/kg/day). Sirtuin 3 (Sirt3) siRNA (50 µg) was injected through the tail vein once a week for 2 weeks to explore its effect on the anti-pulmonary fibrosis of baicalein. RESULTS: BLM-treated mice exhibited obvious lung fibrosis and fibroblast senescence by showing increased levels of collagen deposition (27.29% vs. 4.14%), hydroxyproline (208.05 vs. 40.16 ng/mg), collagen I (25.18 vs. 9.15 µg/mg), p53, p21, p16, MCP-1, PAI-1, TNF-α, MMP-10 and MMP-12 in lung tissues, which were attenuated by baicalein. Baicalein also mitigated BLM-mediated activation of TGF-ß1/Smad signalling pathway. Baicalein restored the BLM-induced downregulation of Sirt3 expression in lung tissues and silencing of Sirt3 abolished the inhibitory role of baicalein against BLM-induced lung fibrosis, fibroblast senescence and activation of TGF-ß1/Smad signalling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Baicalein preserved the BLM-induced downregulation of lung Sirt3 expression, and thus the suppression of TGF-ß1/Smad signalling pathway and lung fibrosis, which might provide an experimental basis for treatment of IPF.

Genome-wide identification of the BmAKR gene family in the silkworm (Bombyx mori) and their expression analysis in diapause eggs and nondiapause eggs / 生物工程学报

The aldo-keto reductase super family (AKRs) has a wide range of substrate specificity. However, the systematic identification of insect AKR gene family members has not been reported. In this study, bioinformatics methods were used to predict the phylogenetic evolution, physical and chemical properties, chromosome location, conserved motifs, and gene structure of AKR family members in Bombyx mori (BmAKR). Transcriptome data or quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to analyze the expression level of BmAKR genes during different organizational periods and silkworm eggs in different developmental states. Moreover, Western blotting was used to detect the expression level of the BmAKR in silkworm eggs. The results showed that 11 BmAKR genes were identified. These genes were distributed on 4 chromosomes of the silkworm genome, all of which had the (α/β) 8-barrel motif, and their physical and chemical characteristics were relatively similar. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the BmAKR genes could be divided into 2 subgroups (AKR1 and AKR2). Transcriptome data analysis showed that the expression of BmAKR genes were quite different in different tissues and periods. Moreover, the expression analysis of BmAKR genes in silkworm eggs showed that some genes were expressed significantly higher in nondiapause eggs than in diapause eggs; but another gene, BmAKR1-1, was expressed significantly higher in diapause eggs than in nondiapause eggs. The detection of protein level found that the difference trend of BmAKR1-1 in diapause eggs and non-diapause eggs was consistent with the results of qRT-PCR. In conclusion, BmAKR1-1 was screened out as candidates through the identification and analysis of the BmAKR genes in silkworm, which may regulate silkworm egg development is worthy of further investigation.

Characterization and immunofluorescence localization analysis of carboxypeptidase A in molt fluid of silkworm / 生物工程学报

Molting is an important physiological phenomenon of many metamorphosis insects, during which the old and new epidermis are separated by enzymes present in the molting fluid. Various proteomic studies have discovered the presence of Bombyx mori carboxypeptidase A (Bm-CPA) in the molting fluid of silkworm, but its function remains unclear. In order to better understand the role of Bm-CPA in the molting process of silkworm, Bm-CPA was analyzed by bioinformatics analysis, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, antibody preparation, immunofluorescence staining, and expression in Pichia pastoris. The results showed that Bm-CPA had a conserved M14 zinc carboxypeptidase domain and glycosylation site. Its expression was regulated by ecdysone 20E, and large expression was observed in the epidermis of the upper cluster stage. Immunofluorescence staining showed that Bm-CPA was enriched in the epidermis during the molting stage, and the inhibitor of Bm-CPA led to the larval death due to the inability to molt. We also successfully obtained a large number of recombinant Bm-CPA proteins by Pichia pastoris expression in vitro. These results may facilitate further understanding the molting development process of silkworm.

Gene expression and immunolocalization of chitin deacetylase BmCDA2 in silkworm / 生物工程学报

Deacetylation of chitin is closely related to insect development and metamorphosis. Chitin deacetylase (CDA) is a key enzyme in the process. However, to date, the CDAs of Bombyx mori (BmCDAs), which is a model Lepidopteran insect, were not well studied. In order to better understand the role of BmCDAs in the metamorphosis and development of silkworm, the BmCDA2 which is highly expressed in epidermis was selected to study by bioinformatics methods, protein expression purification and immunofluorescence localization. The results showed that the two mRNA splicing forms of BmCDA2, namely BmCDA2a and BmCDA2b, were highly expressed in the larval and pupal epidermis, respectively. Both genes had chitin deacetylase catalytic domain, chitin binding domain and low density lipoprotein receptor domain. Western blot showed that the BmCDA2 protein was mainly expressed in the epidermis. Moreover, fluorescence immunolocalization showed that BmCDA2 protein gradually increased and accumulated with the formation of larval new epidermis, suggesting that BmCDA2 may be involved in the formation or assembly of larval new epidermis. The results increased our understandings to the biological functions of BmCDAs, and may facilitate the CDA study of other insects.

Progress in TN staging of rectal cancer based on multimodal magnetic resonance imaging / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Rectal cancer is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignancies in China. Accurate and reasonable assessment of the preoperative staging of rectal cancer can significantly enhance treatment outcomes and improve patient prognosis. Magnetic resonance imaging is the technique of choice for local staging of rectal cancer and has significant advantages in the diagnosis of rectal primary tumors (T) and peri-intestinal lymph nodes (N). In this review paper, the research ideas and progress of traditional radiomics and deep learning methods for preoperative TN staging prediction of rectal cancer were reviewed around multimodal magnetic resonance images, with the aim of providing new ideas for realizing fully automated TN staging algorithms for rectal cancer.

Adverse psychological state and its influencing factors in patients with dysphagia after cerebral stroke / 中华健康管理学杂志

Objective:To analyze the adverse psychological state and its influencing factors in patients with dysphagia after cerebral stroke.Methods:In this cross-sectional survey, 120 patients with dysphagia after cerebral stroke in the Department of Neurology, Stroke Center in Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from January 2021 to March 2022 were selected with convenience sampling method for questionnaire survey. The depression anxiety stress scale-21 (DASS-21), family adaption partnership growth affection resolve index (APGAR) and social support rating scale (SSRS) were used to evaluate the adverse psychological state, family care degree and social support in those patients. And general data of the patients were collected too. A total of 120 questionnaires were sent out and reclaimed, among them 116 were valid. One patient withdrew from the study on his own. Finally, 115 patients were included as research objects. Analysis of variance and LSD-t test were used to compare the adverse psychological state of patients with different characteristics, Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between adverse psychological state and family care and social support. The multivariate linear regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of adverse psychological state in patients with dysphagia after cerebral stroke. Results:The total DASS-21 score in the 115 patients with dysphagia after stroke was (43.32±6.58) points, of which, it was (16.02±3.45) points in the depression dimension, (14.55±3.27) points in anxiety dimension, (12.75±4.01) points in stress dimension; the total score of APGAR was (5.15±0.87) points, the total score of SSRS was (28.75±5.16) points. Family care and social support were both negatively correlated with adverse psychological state in those patients ( r=-0.514, -0.433, both P<0.05). Marital status, per capita monthly income, number of complications, family care and social support were the influencing factors of adverse psychological state in patients with dysphagia after cerebral stroke (β′=0.501, -0.365, 0.234, -0.269, -0.372, all P<0.05). Conclusions:Patients with dysphagia after cerebral stroke have a higher degree of adverse psychological state. Marital status, per capita monthly income, complications, family care and social support can affect the mental health in those patients.

Gene therapy for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa / 中华皮肤科杂志

Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the COL7A1 gene encoding the α-1 chain of type Ⅶ collagen, leading to reduced or absent expression of basement membrane type Ⅶ collagen (C7) . Currently, there is no effective treatment for this rare disease, and the management is mainly palliative and supportive. Gene therapy is expected to be an effective treatment of RDEB. This review summarizes current strategies of gene therapy in clinical trials for RDEB, as well as their progress, pros and cons, and prospects.

Establishment and effect evaluation of risk prediction model for lung infection after kidney transplantation / 器官移植

Objective To establish and evaluate the predictive value of the risk prediction model for lung infection within postoperative 1 year in kidney transplant recipients. Methods Clinical data of 197 kidney transplant recipients were retrospectively analyzed. All recipients were divided into the infection group (n=42) and non-infection group (n=155) according to the incidence of lung infection within postoperative 1 year. The incidence and risk factors of lung infection after kidney transplantation were analyzed. Risk prediction model was established by multiple logistic regression analysis. Forty-five kidney transplant recipients who met the inclusion criteria, including 8 cases in the infection group and 37 cases in the non-infection group, were selected to verify the predictive effect of the established model. Results The incidence of lung infection within 1 year after kidney transplantation was 21.3% (n=42), including 38 cases (90%) of pneumonia severity index (PSI) class Ⅰ, 1 case (2%) of PSI class Ⅲ and 3 cases (8%) of PSI class Ⅴ. Lung infection occurred within 1 month after operation in 13 cases, within postoperative 2-6 months in 22 cases and after postoperative 6 months in 7 cases. Nineteen recipients were diagnosed with bacterial infection, 7 cases of fungal infection, 10 cases of viral infection and 6 cases of mixed infection. Smoking history, diabetes mellitus history, pulmonary disease history and albumin level of < 35 g/L were the independent risk factors for lung infection after kidney transplantation (all P < 0.05). The equation of risk prediction model for postoperative lung infection in kidney transplant recipients was logit (lung infection within postoperative 1 year in kidney transplant recipients)=-1.891+1.063×smoking history (yes=1, no=0)+1.398×diabetes mellitus history (yes=1, no=0)+1.732×pulmonary disease history (yes=1, no=0)+1.269×albumin level (< 35 g/L=1, ≥35 g/L=0). The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was 0.788, the sensitivity was 0.786, the specificity was 0.645, and the Youden index was 0.431, respectively. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test demonstrated that the predicted value of this model yielded relatively high consistency with the observed value. The AUC in the verification group was 0.834. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test validated high degree of calibration of this model. Conclusions The risk prediction model, consisting of smoking history, diabetes mellitus history, pulmonary disease history and albumin level as predictors, may effectively predict the incidence of lung infection within postoperative 1 year in kidney transplant recipients.

Effects of empathy nursing on negative emotion, sleep quality and health literacy of home treatment patients with pulmonary tuberculosis / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To explore the effect of empathy nursing intervention on negative emotion, sleep quality and health literacy of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.Methods:A total of 77 patients in Department of Infectious Diseases of People′s Hospital of Leshan from June 2019 to September 2020 were divided into intervention group ( n=39) and control group ( n=38) by random digits table method. The patients in the control group were given routine nursing, and the patients in the intervention group were given empathy nursing intervention on the basis of routine nursing. Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Health Literacy Management Scale (HeLMS) were used before and 12 weeks after intervention to evaluate the effects. Results:There was no significant difference in the total scores of HAMD, HAMA, PSQI and HeLMS between the two groups before intervention ( P>0.05), but after intervention, the scores of HAMD and HAMA in the intervention group were 10.64 ± 1.86, 12.64 ± 2.12, lower than those in the control group (14.63 ± 2.19, 15.11 ± 2.71). The differences were statistically significant ( t=-8.63, -4.46, P<0.05). The total score of PSQI and the scores of daytime dysfunction, use of hypnotic drugs, time of falling asleep, time of sleep, sleep quality, sleep disorder and sleep efficiency in the intervention group were 10.26 ± 1.65, 1.22 ± 0.22, 1.48 ± 0.23, 1.51 ± 0.27, 1.45 ± 0.26, 1.57 ± 0.22, 1.54 ± 0.21,1.49 ± 0.24, lower than those in the control group (13.07 ± 2.14, 1.92 ± 0.31, 1.75 ± 0.34, 1.95 ± 0.29, 2.02 ± 0.33, 1.84 ± 0.31, 1.72 ± 0.27, 1.87 ± 0.29). The differences were statistically significant ( t values were -11.45--3.27, all P<0.05). The total score of HeLMS and the scores of information acquisition, communication and interaction, and health improvement intention in the intervention group were 96.12 ± 14.71, 37.87 ± 5.83, 35.91 ± 5.13, 16.21 ± 2.53, higher than those in the control group (86.35 ± 14.12, 33.17 ± 5.27, 32.87 ± 5.42, 14.16 ± 2.19). The differences were statistically significant ( t values were 2.53-3.80, all P<0.05). Conclusions:Empathy nursing intervention can effectively alleviate the negative emotions of pulmonary tuberculosis patients, improve their sleep quality, and improve their health literacy level.

GP73 is a glucogenic hormone regulating SARS-CoV-2-induced hyperglycemia

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection induces new-onset diabetes and severe metabolic complications of pre-existing diabetes. The pathogenic mechanism underlying this is incompletely understood. Here, we provided evidence linking circulating GP73 with the exaggerated gluconeogenesis triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection. We found that SARS-CoV-2 infection or glucotoxic condition increased the cellular secretion of GP73. Secreted GP73 trafficked to the liver and kidney to stimulate gluconeogenesis through cAMP/PKA pathway. By using global phosphoproteomics, we found a drastic remodeling of PKA kinase hub exerted by GP73. Notably, COVID-19 patients showed pathologically elevated plasma GP73, and neutralization of the secreted GP73 inhibited enhanced PKA signaling and glucose production associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. GP73 blockade also reduced gluconeogenesis and lowered hyperglycemia in type 2 (T2D) diabetic mice. Therefore, our findings provide novel insight into the roles of GP73 as a key glucogenic hormone and mechanistic clues underlying the development of SARS-CoV-induced glucose abnormalities.

A study on multiparametric MRI-based radiomics approach to preoperatively estimating tumor-stroma ratio in rectal cancer / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To develop and validate a radiomics biomarker for the preoperative estimation of the tumor-stroma ratio (TSR) in rectal cancer.Methods:From January 2016 to March 2019, totally 149 patients with rectal cancer were enrolled retrospectively at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. The patients were divided into two cohorts using a random number table, 119 in the training and 30 in validation cohorts. The patients were classified into the TSR-high group (TSR>50%) and TSR-low group (TSR≤50%) according to the content of tumor stroma in pathology. All patients underwent T 2WI, enhanced T 1WI and DWI. The lesions on the T 2WI, enhanced T 1WI, DWI and ADC images were delineated and radiomics features were extracted. A radiomics signature (rad-score) was generated by using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm. The Spearman correlation coefficients were used to determine the association between rad-score and TSR. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to assess the diagnostic performance of the rad-score. The reliability of the rad-score was quantified by calculating the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of TSR. Results:With LASSO, a rad-score with 13 radiomics parameters was successfully constructed and was positively correlated with TSR score in the training ( r=0.72, P<0.001) and validation cohorts ( r=0.46, P=0.011). In the training cohort, the AUC of the rad-score was 0.940, with the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy of 100%, 87.3%, 92.4%. In the validation cohort, the AUC was 0.796, with the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy of 83.3%, 67.7%, 73.3%. Conclusions:The rad-score is of promising value for TSR estimation in rectal cancer. It is a promising supplement for patient stratification and may inform decision-making.

Application value of wide detector CT target scanning technique in the preoperative evaluation of pancreatic cancer / 中华胰腺病杂志

Objective:To explore the application value of wide detector multi-slice spiral CT target scanning technique in the preoperative evaluation of pancreatic cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 22 patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent pancreatic arterial contrast enhanced CT scanning and were diagnosed by pathology in the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University from September 2019 to October 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. The CT phantom experiment was carried out on the international standard phantom CATPHON500. By changing the scanning radiation dose, scanning mode and scanning field of view, the spatial resolution and density resolution of the image were compared and analyzed. The target scan technical parameters obtained from the experiment were applied to the late arterial phase of MDCT enhanced scan in 22 patients with pancreatic cancer. Executive current, volume scanning mode and small scanning field were used for scanning. The attenuation value (CT value) and noise value (SD value) of pancreatic cancer tissue and normal pancreatic tissue were measured at different phases, the attenuation difference and contrast signal-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the two tissues were calculated, the contrast difference between the two tissues was evaluated, and the CT values of celiac trunk, renal artery and vein, superior mesenteric artery and vein, splenic vein and portal vein were measured, and the display of tumor tissue and peripancreatic important vessels was evaluated.Results:In the phantom experiment, under the condition of the same radiation dose, the image quality of the volume scan mode was better than that of the spiral scan mode (1%@4 mm versus 1%@9 mm at 5 mGy and 1%@2 mm versus 1%@6 mm at 25 mGy). In comparison between pancreatic tumor and pancreatic tissue, the enhancement process of pancreatic tumor tissue was increased at first and then decreased, while that of pancreatic tumor tissue was slightly enhanced. The attenuation difference between pancreatic tissue and tumor tissue and CNR also increased at first and then decreased, reaching the maximum at the late arterial stage [(91.96±29.29)HU, 8.60±5.71]. The differences between each phase were statistically significant ( F values were 47.20 and 19.80 respectively, all P values <0.05). The evaluation of vascular variation and invasion showed that a better arterial phase image could be obtained on the late arterial target scan images, while taking into account the display of splenic vein, mesenteric vein and portal vein. Conclusions:The wide detector MDCT target scanning technique can improve the spatial resolution and density resolution of the image, greatly improve the contrast between tumor tissue and peripancreatic tissue and blood vessels, and provide more accurate tumor staging and resectability evaluation information for preoperative evaluation of pancreatic cancer.

Research progress in mechanisms of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury mediated by inflammatory stress / 药学学报

Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) is an unpredictable serious adverse drug reaction, which only occurs in a minority of special susceptible individuals. Although the mechanism of IDILI has not been fully understood, several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the action mode and specific mechanism of IDILI. Of these hypotheses, inflammatory stress hypothesis is one of the most important theories. Under the condition of inflammatory stress, drugs interact with inflammation and mediate the occurrence of IDILI through a variety of mechanisms, which can induce the production of inflammatory cytokines, activate coagulation system, affect the activity of metabolites, induce cholestasis, affect mitochondrial damage, and others. This review will summarize the main mechanisms and influencing factors of IDILI mediated by inflammatory stress, in order to provide a reference for preclinical drug development and basic research on drug-induced liver injury.

Proteolysis Pathways via FoxO1 Reduce the Diameter of Myotube under Hypoxia Exposure / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

The high altitude/hypoxic environment induced skeletal muscle atrophy is considered to be the interaction of multi-system and multi-organ, but the direct mechanism of hypoxia on muscle cells in this process is not clear. This study intended to investigate the effects of hypoxia exposure on proteins in ubiquitin and autophagy pathways, and explored the possible mechanism of hypoxia induced change of myotube diameter. The expression of myosin, hypoxia inducible factor-1 α (HIF-1α), forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1), and ubiquitin protease pathway (MuRF1 and Atrogin1) and autophagy lysosomal pathway (p62, Beclin1, LC3) related proteins were detected by Western blot; The integrated optical density (IOD) of Myosin and LC3 was detected by IF. The results showed that the diameters of myotube at 6 h and 12 h were significantly reduced, and the expression of myosin was significantly reduced at 6 h after hypoxia exposure (P<0. 05); the protein levels of HIF-1α and FoxO1 were significantly increased at 6 h (P<0. 05); The expression of MuRF1 in each time points of hypoxia was significantly higher than 0 h (P<0. 05), but no difference of Atrogin1 expression was detected; Compared with 0 h, the expression of p62 was reduced significantly in response to hypoxia. The protein expression of Beclin1 and the IOD of LC3 was increased significantly at 6 h, and the LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio was significantly higher at 6 h, but significantly lower at 12 h and 24 h (P<0. 05).The results above indicated that the reduction of the myotube diameter of L6 skeletal muscle cells was induced by hypoxia exposure (1% O

SARS-CoV-2 manipulates the SR-B1-mediated HDL uptake pathway for its entry

The recently emerged pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread rapidly, leading to a global COVID-19 pandemic. Binding of the viral spike protein (SARS-2-S) to cell surface receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) mediates host cell infection. In the present study, we demonstrate that in addition to ACE2, the S1 subunit of SARS-2-S binds to HDL and that SARS-CoV-2 hijacks the SR-B1-mediated HDL uptake pathway to facilitate its entry. SR-B1 facilitates SARS-CoV-2 entry into permissive cells by augmenting virus attachment. MAb (monoclonal antibody)-mediated blocking of SARS-2-S-HDL binding and SR-B1 antagonists strongly inhibit HDL-enhanced SARS-CoV-2 infection. Notably, SR-B1 is co-expressed with ACE2 in human pulmonary and extrapulmonary tissues. These findings revealed a novel mechanism for SARS-CoV-2 entry and could provide a new target to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Cholesterol Metabolism--Impact for SARS-CoV-2 Infection Prognosis, Entry, and Antiviral Therapies

In this study, we specifically addressed the connection between the SARS-CoV-2 virus with host cholesterol metabolism. Plasma lipid profile was measured in 861 COVID-19 patients classified as mild (n=215), moderate (n=364), severe (n=217) or critical (n=65) and 1108 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. We showed that the levels of both TG and HDL-C were significantly lower in patients with severe disease than in patients with moderate or mild disease. After successful treatment, cholesterol metabolism was reestablished in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The serum concentrations of TC and HDL-C can be used as indicators of disease severity and prognosis in COVID-19 patients.

Orthogonal genome-wide screenings in bat cells identify MTHFD1 as a target of broad antiviral therapy

Bats are responsible for the zoonotic transmission of several major viral diseases including the 2003 SARS outbreak and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While bat genomic sequencing studies have revealed characteristic adaptations of the innate immune system, functional genomic studies are urgently needed to provide a foundation for the molecular dissection of the tolerance of viral infections in bats. Here we report the establishment and screening of genome-wide RNAi library and CRISPR library for the model megabat, Pteropus Alecto. We used the complementary RNAi and CRISPR libraries to interrogate Pteropus Alecto cells for infection with two different viruses, mumps virus and Influenza A virus, respectively. Screening results converged on the endocytosis pathway and the protein secretory pathway as required for both viral infections. Additionally, we revealed a general dependence of the C-1-tetrahydrofolate synthase gene, MTHFD1, for viral replication in bat cells as well as in human cells. MTHFD1 inhibitor carolacton potently blocked replication of several RNA viruses including SARS-CoV-2. Our studies provide a resource for systematic inquiry into the genetic underpinnings of bat biology and a potential target for developing broad spectrum antiviral therapy.

Correlation Analysis Between Disease Severity and Inflammation-related Parameters in Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia

AimThe new coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia outbreaking at the end of 2019 is highly contagious. Crude mortality rate reached 49% in critical patients. Inflammation matters on disease progression. This study analyzed blood inflammation indicators among mild, severe and critical patients, helping to identify severe or critical patients early. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 100 patients were included and divided to mild, severe or critical groups. Correlation of peripheral blood inflammation-related indicators with disease criticality was analyzed. Cut-off values for critically ill patients were speculated through the ROC curve. ResultsSignificantly, disease severity was associated with age (R=-0.564, P<0.001), interleukin-2 receptor (IL2R) (R=-0.534, P<0.001), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (R=-0.535, P<0.001), interleukin-8 (IL-8) (R=-0.308, P<0.001), interleukin-10 (IL-10) (R=-0.422, P<0.001), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (R=-0.322, P<0.001), C-reactive protein (CRP) (R=-0.604, P<0.001), ferroprotein (R=-0.508, P<0.001), procalcitonin (R=-0.650, P<0.001), white cell counts (WBC) (R=-0.54, P<0.001), lymphocyte counts (LC) (R=0.56, P<0.001), neutrophil count (NC) (R=-0.585, P<0.001) and eosinophil counts (EC) (R=0.299, P=0.01). ConclusionWith following parameters such as age >67.5 years, IL2R >793.5U/mL, CRP >30.7ng/mL, ferroprotein >2252g/L, WBC>9.5*10^9/L or NC >7.305*10^9/L, the progress of COVID-19 to critical stage should be closely observed and possibly prevented. Inflammation is closely related to severity of COVID-19, and IL-6, TNF and IL-8 might be promising therapeutic targets.