A new cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, (1E,4E)-1,5-bis(2-bromophenyl)penta-1,4-dien-3-one (GL63) suppresses cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression in human lung epithelial cancer cells: coupled mRNA stabilization and posttranscriptional inhibition

Lung cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression is upregulated in lung carcinomas and is considered an attractive therapeutic target. In this study, the effect of curcumin and curcumin analogues on COX-2 expression induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) were investigated. We found that a novel curcumin analogue (GL63) inhibited PMA-induced COX-2 mRNA and protein levels in H460 cells to a greater degree than curcumin. To understand the molecular mechanisms governing COX-2 regulation, the effect on COX-2 mRNA degradation was examined; we found that GL63 significantly decreased COX-2 mRNA stability by reducing cytoplasmic localization and protein abundance of human antigen R (HuR). The 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) report gene assay also showed GL63 substantially reduced the 3'-UTR green fluorescent protein values, indicating that the destabilizing effect on COX-2 mRNA may be couple with the posttranscriptional inhibition of COX-2. Taken together, our results provide evidence that the novel curcumin analogue can effectively inhibit PMA-induced COX-2 expression in H460 cells, a mechanism associated with COX-2 mRNA stability and post-transcriptional regulation.

Molecular Characteristics, Virulence Gene and Wall Teichoic Acid Glycosyltransferase Profiles of Staphylococcus aureus: A Multicenter Study in China

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) constantly evolves under host and environment pressures. The monitoring network is essential in assessing the epidemiology of S. aureus infections. A total of 555 S. aureus isolates were collected from five hospitals in three different geographical regions of China for the investigation of molecular characteristics, antibiotic resistance, virulence gene, and wall teichoic acid (WTA) glycosyltransferase gene profiles. 233 (42.0%) isolates were identified as MRSA, and 323 (58.2%) were defined as multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates. MRSA prevalence showed no significant difference among the three regions. In contrast, the MDR prevalence was significantly higher in central China than that in northern China (63.5% vs. 50.8%, P < 0.05). Thirty-eight sequence types (STs) belonging to 17 clone complexes (CCs) and 126 distinct spa-types were identified. The most prevalent clone was ST59-t437 (9.7%, 54/555), followed by ST22-t309 (7.6%, 42/555) and ST5-t2460 (7.2%, 40/555). Most ST59-t437 and ST5-t2460 were MRSA isolates, whereas most ST22-t309 was MSSA isolates. The predominant clones varied in different geographical areas. The distribution of the pvl, etb, tsst, clfb, sdrC, sdrD, hlg, fnbA, and hla genes showed significant differences among different regions. We found five WTA glycosyltransferase gene profiles, with tarP-/tarS+/tarM-/tagN- being the most common combination. Remarkably, the tarP gene was identified in more CCs than just CC5 and CC398. All of 16 tarP-positive isolates also contained the tarS. Moreover, tarS was present in almost all S. aureus isolates except 10 ST630 isolates. The tagN gene was only detected in 10 of 12 ST630 S. aureus isolates without tarS. The tarM gene was absent in CC5 and CC398. In brief, there were regional differences among molecular characteristics, antibiotic resistance, and virulence gene profiles. The tarS-negative ST630 lineage carried the tagN, which was never found before, indicating that it may be capable of expressing GroP-α-GalNAc WTA and exchanging mobile genetic elements with coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS).

Prevalence and Characteristics of Rheumatoid-Associated Autoantibodies in Patients with COVID-19

OBJECTIVE

Patients with rheumatic immune diseases were more likely to develop severe or critical COVID-19. We aimed to determine whether rheumatoid factor antibodies were present in COVID patients and the level and type of rheumatoid factor antibodies produced in COVID-19 patients were related to the degree of the patient's condition. The study also aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of rheumatoid factor antibodies in patients with COVID-19.

METHODS

Sera collected from 129 patients with COVID-19 were tested for rheumatoid factor antibodies by ELISA. Five patients were tracked for several months to monitor dynamic changes of these antibodies.

RESULTS

Rheumatoid-associated autoantibodies were detected in 20.16% of patients (26/129) following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In addition, IgM-RF was primarily present in critically ill patients, while IgA-RF was mainly present in mild patients. Five patients were able to track for several months to monitor dynamic changes of these antibodies. Rheumatoid factor antibodies peaks in the later phase of the disease and last for longer time. Anti-Jo-1 antibody was found in one of the five patients.

CONCLUSION

This was the case series report that rheumatoid-associated autoantibodies are present in patients with COVID-19. The clinical significance of these antibodies was not fully understood and needed further characterization. These autoantibodies are related to the severity of the patient's disease and exist for a long time in the patient's body, while their impact on the patient's health is unknown.

Analysis of Lymphocyte Subpopulations and Cytokines in COVID-19-Associated Pneumonia and Community-Acquired Pneumonia

BACKGROUND

The 2019 novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 caused large outbreaks of COVID-19 worldwide. COVID-19 resembles community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Our aim was to identify lymphocyte subpopulations to distinguish between COVID-19 and CAP.

METHODS

We compared the peripheral blood lymphocytes and their subsets in 296 patients with COVID-19 and 130 patients with CAP. Parameters for independent prediction of COVID-19 were calculated by logistic regression.

RESULTS

The main lymphocyte subpopulations (CD3+CD4+, CD16+CD56+, and CD4+/CD8+ ratio) and cytokines (TNF-α and IFN-γ) of COVID-19 patients were significantly different from that of CAP patients. CD16+CD56+%, CD4+/CD8+ratio, CD19+, and CD3+CD4+ were identified as predictors of COVID-19 diagnosis by logistic regression. In addition, the CD3+CD4+counts, CD3+CD8+ counts, andTNF-α are independent predictors of disease severity in patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Lymphopenia is an important part of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and lymphocyte subsets and cytokines may be useful to predict the severity and clinical outcomes of the disease.

High Performance of SARS-Cov-2N Protein Antigen Chemiluminescence Immunoassay as Frontline Testing for Acute Phase COVID-19 Diagnosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Objectives: COVID-19 emerged and rapidly spread throughout the world. Testing strategies focussing on patients with COVID-19 require assays that are high-throughput, low-risk of infection, and with small sample volumes. Antigen surveillance can be used to identify exposure to pathogens and measure acute infections. Methods: A total of 914 serum samples, collected from 309 currently infected COVID-19 patients, 48 recovered ones, and 410 non-COVID-19 patients, were used to measure N protein antigen levels by a chemilumineseent immunoassay. Diagnostic performances were analyzed in different periods after onset. Results: There was a high level of N protein antigen in COVID-19 patients (0.56 COI), comparing to the recovered patients (0.12 COI) and controls (0.19 COI). In receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, the area under the curve of serum N protein antigen was 0.911 in the first week after onset. In this period, Sensitivity and specificity of serologic N protein antigen testing was 76.27 and 98.78%. Diagnosis performance of specific antibodies became better from the third week after onset. Subgroup analysis suggested that severe patients had higher levels of antigens than mild patients. Conclusions: High level of serum antigen suggested early infection and serious illness. Serum N protein antigen testing by chemiluminescence immunoassay is considered as a viable assay used to improve diagnostic sensitivity for current patients.

A hospital based retrospective study of factors influencing therapeutic leukapheresis in patients presenting with hyperleukocytic leukaemia

Therapeutic leukapheresis is a rapid and effective method to reduce early mortality of patients with hyperleukocytic leukaemia (HLL). However, few studies on factors influencing the efficiency have been reported. In this study, 67 cases who underwent leukapheresis were retrospectively analysed and factors related to the collection efficiency of leukapheresis (CEWBC) were also evaluated. Paired t test showed that there was a significant decrease in statistics of white blood cell (WBC) counts after apheresis. The results of two independent samples nonparametric test suggested that WBC counts, platelet (PLT) counts, haematocrit (HCT), hemoglobin (HGB), serum chlorine (Cl) and globulin (GLB) before leukapheresis correlated with the CEWBC. Multiple linear regression analysis with background stepwise variable selection indicated that only WBC and HCT before leukapheresis had an influence on CEWBC significantly. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression model indicated that lymphocyte (LY) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) pre-apheresis as independent factors significantly affected the prognostic survival of patients with HLL. Moreover, platelets and red blood cell were contaminated in the product of leukapheresis. It is an urgent problem to be solved in order to realise higher efficacy and higher purity of WBC collection to improve the survival of patients with HLL through optimising instruments.

lncRNA and mRNA signature for prognosis prediction of glioblastoma

Aims: We aimed to find out potential novel biomarkers for prognosis of glioblastoma (GBM). Materials & methods: We downloaded mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles of 169 GBM and five normal samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas and 129 normal brain samples from genotype-tissue expression. We use R language to perform the following analyses: differential RNA expression analysis of GBM samples using 'edgeR' package, survival analysis taking count of single or multiple gene expression level using 'survival' package, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis using Cox function plugged in 'survival' package. Gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway analysis were performed using FunRich tool online. Results and conclusion: We obtained differentially DEmRNAs and DElncRNAs in GBM samples. Most prognostically relevant mRNAs and lncRNAs were filtered out. 'GPCR ligand binding' and 'Class A/1' are found to be of great significance. In short, our study provides novel biomarkers for prognosis of GBM.

A novel curcuminoid exhibits enhanced antitumor activity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Curcumin shows growth-inhibition against tumor cells through multi-target mechanisms. Nevertheless, the poor stability and pharmacokinetics considerably limit its clinical functions. Increased effort has been put into the chemical alteration of curcumin to find potential analogues with improved bioavailability and antitumor activities. In this study, the antitumor activity of a novel curcuminoid (B63) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) was examined. The MTT and colony formation assays were used to detect NPC cell viability and proliferation. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell cycle distribution. The Annexin V/PI staining assay and cleavage PARP and cleavage caspase-3 expression were used to examine apoptosis. Western blotting was used to examine the protein expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway markers, XBP-1, ATF-4 and CHOP. The suppressive effect of B63 on tumor growth was examined in vivo by subcutaneously inoculated NPC in a tumor model using nude mice. Treatment with B63 potentially caused growth inhibition and apoptosis in NPC cells in a dose- and time-responsive manner. Its antitumor effect was associated with the ER stress activation. Nevertheless, the same dose of curcumin did not activate ER stress. In addition, knockdown of Chop attenuated B63-induced cell viability inhibition, suggesting that the apoptotic pathway is ER stress-dependent. The tumor volume and weight were significantly reduced by pretreating the NPC cells with B63 before implantation in the in vivo mouse model. B63 exhibited a more potent antitumor action than curcumin in NPC. These observations on the novel compound B63 indicate a novel candidate for NPC therapy.

Leptin-LepRb Expressed in Gastric Cancer Patients and Related to Cancer-Related Depression

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder among cancer patients. Studies have not only highlighted that leptin and its receptor (LepRb) are independent poor prognostic factors in gastric cancer (GC) patients but also shown that the leptin-LepRb is necessary for antidepressant-like behaviors. In this study, we examined the serum and tissue leptin-LepRb expression in GC patients. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that depressive GC patients had significantly higher serum leptin-LepRb than healthy donors. Leptin-LepRb levels in GC tissues were also significantly higher than in matched paracarcinoma tissues using real-time RT-PCR. Moreover, we observed that both serum and tissue leptin-LepRb were significantly higher in depressive GC patients than those in nondepressive GC patients. Further, the patients with high tumor stage tend to have higher leptin-LepRb mRNA levels than that with low tumor stage. Together, our findings suggest that leptin-LepRb plays an important role in the pathogenesis and depression in GC. Leptin-LepRb therefore could be a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target in GC patients with depression.

Antiproliferative and Immunoregulatory Effects of Azelaic Acid Against Acute Myeloid Leukemia via the Activation of Notch Signaling Pathway

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a common type of hematological malignancy that can progress rapidly. AML has a poor prognosis and a high incidence of relapse due to therapeutic resistance. Azelaic acid (AZA), a small molecular compound is known to exhibit antitumor effect on various tumor cells. This study aimed to evaluate the antiproliferative and immunoregulatory effects of AZA against AMLviathe activation of the notch signaling pathway. We found that AZA can inhibit the proliferation of AML cells. In addition, laser confocal microscopy showed AZA-treated AML cells began to swelling and undergo cytoplasmic vacuolization. Importantly, AZA promoted the proliferation of NK and T cells and increased the secretion of TNF-αand IFN-γ. AZA also increased the expression levels of CD107a and TRAIL in NK cells, and CD25 and CD69 in T cells to influence their activation and cytotoxic ability. AZA-treated NK cells can kill AML cells more efficiently at the single-cell level as observed under the microfluidic chips. Further mechanistic analysis using protein mass spectrometry analysis and Notch signaling reporter assay demonstrated that Notch1and Notch2 were up-regulated and the Notch signaling pathway was activated. Moreover, combining AZA with the Notch inhibitor, RO4929097, decreased the expression of Notch1and Notch2, and downstream HES1 and HEY1, which rendered AML cells insensitive to AZA-induced apoptosis and alleviated AZA-mediated cytotoxicity in AML. In vivo, AZA relieved the leukemic spleen infiltration and extended the survival. The percentage of CD3-CD56+NK cells and CD4+CD8+T cells as well as the secretion of cytotoxic cytokines was increased after the treatment of AZA. The overall findings reveal that AZA is a potential Notch agonist against AML in activating the Notch signaling pathway.

Identification of lncRNA Signature of Tumor-Infiltrating T Lymphocytes With Potential Implications for Prognosis and Chemotherapy of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Purpose: We systematically analyzed HNSCC-infiltrating T lymphocytes lncRNAs (HILTlncRNAs) to assess their predictive value for the survival outcome and immunotherapy response of patients with anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) therapy and to evaluate their predictive power to chemotherapeutic agents. Methods: HNSCC transcriptome and clinical information was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Immunocell microarray data were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. T-cell-specific lncRNAs were identified by differential expression analysis. Prognostic paired HILTlncRNAs (PHILTlncRNAs) were filtered and modeled by univariate cox, lasso and multivariate cox regression analysis. To construct lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks, differentially expressed mRNAs in HNSCC patients were incorporated, microRNAs and differentially expressed mRNAs interacting with T-cell-specific lncRNAs were filtered out based on miRcode, miRDB, miRTarBase, and TargetScan databases. Results: 75 T-cell-specific lncRNAs and 9 prognostic PHILTlncRNAs were identified. Low-risk HNSCC patients had a better prognosis and significant immune cell infiltration, driving the immune response. Differential expression of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), PD-1 and programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) was demonstrated in the high and low risk groups of HNSCC patients. In the high risk group, high expression of PD-1 improved patient prognosis, whereas the opposite was observed in the low-risk group. The promoter methylation levels of two RBPs (DNMT1 and ZC3H12D) were decreased in HNSCC patients compared with normal samples, their expression levels were positively correlated with PD-1 and PD-L1 levels and T-cell infiltration. Finally, we screened the sensitivity of HNSCC patients to chemotherapeutic agents and found it differed between high and low risk groups. Conclusion: HILTlncRNAs provided a theoretical basis for immune targeted therapy and drug development.

Efficacy of SXN in the Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia: A Phase IV Clinical Trial

Shengxuening (SXN) tablet is extracted from the excrement of the silkworm and has effects on hematopoiesis. The main components of SXN are chlorophyll derivatives and sodium iron chlorophyllin (SIC). The present study aims to investigate the efficiency and safety of SXN on iron deficiency anemia. This phase IV, multicenter, open-label, randomized clinical trial was conducted in 31 hospitals in China from June 2001 to April 2002. Adults and children were randomly divided into low-dose (L-SXN), medium-dose (M-SXN), and high-dose (H-SXN) groups, respectively. The course of treatment was 1 month. Peripheral hemogram levels and iron status were examined before and after treatment. Adults in all three dose groups demonstrated a significant increase in hemoglobin (HGB) concentration. Children who received SXN treatment in medium and high doses also demonstrated increased HGB concentration. Reticulocyte counts increased at the end of treatment in the M-SXN and H-SXN adult groups and in the M-SXN child group. For both children and adults, SXN in the three dose groups was found to significantly elevate red blood cell level, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. The total effective rate in the SXN-treated group reached 84.8%. The incidence of adverse events was 4.07%. The most common side effects were nausea (2.83%), diarrhea (0.74%), and rash (0.25%). SXN was proved to be efficient and safe for adults and children with iron deficiency anemia.

Current treatment options of T cell-associated immunotherapy in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a complex disease and is presently an incurable malignant plasma cell tumor. Although the introduction of proteasome inhibitor and the immunomodulators markedly improved the effect of myeloma therapy, most patients still suffer from relapse even with an initially effective therapy. Accumulating evidence suggests that immunotherapy is a promising option in treating MM. And T cell plays crucial role through inducing sustained immune response in vivo in the immunotherapy of tumors. In this article, we will discuss progress of several T cell-based immunotherapies with insight into how they eradicate myeloma cells and their disadvantages.

Predictive Value of IL-6 Combined with NLR in Inflammation and Cancer

The strong association between inflammation and cancer is reflected by the high interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in the tumor microenvironment, where it promotes carcinogenesis by regulating all hallmarks of cancer and multiple signaling pathways. In this study, we investigated the prognostic value of IL-6 and other clinical indexes in inflammatory and cancer patients. All the patients were divided into the inflammation group (n = 400) and the cancer group (n = 672) composed of hematological malignancies group (n = 338) and solid tumors group (n = 334). Continuous variables were measured by one-way ANOVA and t-test, and the independent risk factors for carcinogenesis were determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves subsequently performed the predictive value of significant serological parameters and the Corheatmaps illustrated the correlation of these parameters in every case. Our retrospective study revealed that various serological indexes could reflect carcinogenesis in inflammatory patients, as significant differences existed in many indexes between them. It was notable that indicator composed of IL-6 and neutrophils/lymphocytes ratio (NLR) occupied the superior position of Area Under Curve (AUC) values in cancer cases, especially in patients with solid tumors (AUC = 0.85). The newly-found indicator could also be referred as an independent risk factor, which provided us with novel clues on the investigation of more reliable and affordable clinical indexes in tumor prediction.

Increased Jab1/COPS5 is associated with therapeutic response and adverse outcome in lung cancer and breast cancer patients

Adjuvant chemotherapy has been established as standard treatment for advanced cancer among multidisciplinary therapies. A simple and instructive biomarker for therapeutic response and recurrence is needed to evaluate the therapeutic effect. Jab1/COPS5 level has been shown to be associated with tumor progression and poor outcomes in many types of cancer patients. This study aims to further evaluate the clinical and prognostic value of Jab1/COPS5 level as a biomarker in lung and breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. In this study, data of 88 lung cancer and 76 breast cancer patients were retrospectively collected and analyzed to identify the relationship between the Jab1/COPS5 level and the clinical progression and outcome of these patients. Lung cancer patients with increased Jab1/COPS5 level tend to be non-responsive to chemotherapy. Relapsed breast cancer patients had an increased Jab1/COPS5 level and breast cancer patients with increased Jab1/COPS5 level had significantly shorter disease-free survival and overall survival. In a multivariate survival analysis, histological type and Jab1/COPS5 were associated with disease-free survival and overall survival. The Jab1/COPS5 level was found to be a possible biomarker for clinical response to chemotherapy in lung cancer patients and for postoperative relapse in breast cancer patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy. In conclusion, this study identified Jab1/COPS5 as novel prognostic markers for lung cancer and breast cancer.

Functional crosstalk and regulation of natural killer cells in tumor microenvironment: Significance and potential therapeutic strategies

Natural killer (NK) cells eliminate a large variety of tumor cells and abnormal cells. However, NK cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are often functionally depleted. A few subsets of NK cells even promote tumor growth. This study reviewed the biological properties of NK cells, the dynamic phenotypic changes of NK cells in the TME, and the communication between NK cells and other immune and nonimmune cells.

Exploration of spatial heterogeneity of tumor microenvironment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma via transcriptional digital spatial profiling

The heterogeneity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) leads to mixed clinical outcomes. We collected 92 regions of interest from 41 biopsies of patients with untreated NPC and obtained their transcripts using GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) technology. Spatial heterogeneity was determined by measuring the expression of marker genes in tumor cell-enriched (PanCK-expressing), immune cell-enriched (CD45-expressing), and normal epithelial (Endo) regions. We screened 16 prognostic markers in tumor cell-enriched regions and 4 prognostic markers in immune cell-enriched regions. The levels of CD8+ T follicular helper T cells, activated NK cells, and M0 macrophage contents were higher in tumor cell-enriched regions than in immune cell-enriched regions. Conversely, plasma cell and M2 macrophage levels were lower. The follicular helper T cells in tumor cell-enriched regions were negatively correlated with resting NK cells and positively correlated with activated NK cells. In immune cell-enriched regions, this relationship was reversed. We also explored the heterogeneity of HLA gene families, immune checkpoints, and metabolism-related genes in the three regions. In tumor cell-enriched regions, we obtained 19 prognosis-related metabolism genes via univariate cox analysis. We used multiplex immunofluorescence to verify the elevated expression of SLC8A1 and MDH1 in immune cell-enriched regions and tumor cell-enriched regions, respectively, both of which were associated with prognosis of NPC. In conclusion, we explored the spatial heterogeneity of the NPC tumor environment and found specific diagnostic and prognostic markers that can be used to differentiate tumor cell-enriched regions from immune cell-enriched regions in NPC.

Rhabdomyosarcoma of the breast: Report of a rare malignancy

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an uncommon type of soft-tissue malignancy which mainly influences children. RMS rarely occurs in breast and little of the clinical behavior and treatment strategies were reported. Here, we describe a case of adult female patient with breast RMS. A 34-years-old Chinese woman visited to our hospital complaining palpable mass in her left breast. Seven months ago, the patient was diagnosed as lymphocytic mastitis and received surgical excision in the left breast. Five months later, she noticed a palpable mass again in the left breast. Ultrasonography suspected a malignant lesion and a diagnosis of RMS was made after segmental mastectomy and immunohistochemical staining. Therapy consisted of mastectomy and following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The patient has remained disease free 30 months post-operatively. We should consider RMS when we see a breast mass. Tissue biopsy and immunohistochemical staining are recommended for diagnosis of RMS in young women. Oncologists should take immediate and active treatment on RMS.

Correction: Stat3 inhibitor stattic exhibits potent antitumor activity and induces chemo- and radio-sensitivity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054565.].

Pan-cancer analyses of Jab1/COPS5 reveal oncogenic role and clinical outcome in human cancer

Jab1/COPS5 is associated with the progression of some cancers, however, its role in most cancers is still unclear.This study systematically explored the action and clinical application value of Jab1/COPS5 in different tumors based on large clinical data. We first identified by differential and survival analysis that Jab1/COPS5 was highly expressed as a high-risk gene in most cancers and was closely related to prognostic survival of patients based on the TCGA, GEO and CPTAC databases. Mutation analysis suggested that missense mutations were the main mutation type of Jab1. TMB and MSI were positively correlated with Jab1/COPS5 in most tumors, and patients with Jab1/COPS5 mutations had a poorer prognosis in prostate adenocarcinoma. By immune infiltration analysis, Jab1/COPS5 expression was positively correlated with the infiltration of CD8+ T cells in thymoma and uveal melanoma, and Jab1/COPS5 expression in testicular germ cell tumors was negatively correlated with the infiltration of cancer-associated fibroblasts. Correlation and enrichment analysis suggested that ARMC1, TCEB1 and UBE2V2 were positively correlated with Jab1/COPS5 expression and involved in multiple biological effects. In summary, this study systematically investigated the role of Jab1/COPS5 in different tumors, providing a theoretical basis for Jab1/COPS5 as a new biomarker in unresearched cancers and paving the way for targeted therapy and drug development.

The clinical outcome of COVID-19 is strongly associated with microbiome dynamics in the upper respiratory tract

OBJECTIVES

The respiratory tract is the portal of entry for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Although a variety of respiratory pathogens other than SARS-CoV-2 have been associated with severe cases of COVID-19 disease, the dynamics of the upper respiratory microbiota during disease the course of disease, and how they impact disease manifestation, remain uncertain.

METHODS

We collected 349 longitudinal upper respiratory samples from a cohort of 65 COVID-19 patients (cohort 1), 28 samples from 28 recovered COVID-19 patients (cohort 2), and 59 samples from 59 healthy controls (cohort 3). All COVID-19 patients originated from the earliest stage of the epidemic in Wuhan. Based on a modified clinical scale, the disease course was divided into five clinical disease phases (pseudotimes): "Healthy" (pseudotime 0), "Incremental" (pseudotime 1), "Critical" (pseudotime 2), "Complicated" (pseudotime 3), "Convalescent" (pseudotime 4), and "Long-term follow-up" (pseudotime 5). Using meta-transcriptomics, we investigated the features and dynamics of transcriptionally active microbes in the upper respiratory tract (URT) over the course of COVID-19 disease, as well as its association with disease progression and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

Our results revealed that the URT microbiome exhibits substantial heterogeneity during disease course. Two clusters of microbial communities characterized by low alpha diversity and enrichment for multiple pathogens or potential pathobionts (including Acinetobacter and Candida) were associated with disease progression and a worse clinical outcome. We also identified a series of microbial indicators that classified disease progression into more severe stages. Longitudinal analysis revealed that although the microbiome exhibited complex and changing patterns during COVID-19, a restoration of URT microbiomes from early dysbiosis toward more diverse status in later disease stages was observed in most patients. In addition, a group of potential pathobionts were strongly associated with the concentration of inflammatory indicators and mortality.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed strong links between URT microbiome dynamics and disease progression and clinical outcomes in COVID-19, implying that the treatment of severe disease should consider the full spectrum of microbial pathogens present.

A rapid advice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infected pneumonia (standard version)

In December 2019, a new type viral pneumonia cases occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province; and then named "2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)" by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 12 January 2020. For it is a never been experienced respiratory disease before and with infection ability widely and quickly, it attracted the world's attention but without treatment and control manual. For the request from frontline clinicians and public health professionals of 2019-nCoV infected pneumonia management, an evidence-based guideline urgently needs to be developed. Therefore, we drafted this guideline according to the rapid advice guidelines methodology and general rules of WHO guideline development; we also added the first-hand management data of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University. This guideline includes the guideline methodology, epidemiological characteristics, disease screening and population prevention, diagnosis, treatment and control (including traditional Chinese Medicine), nosocomial infection prevention and control, and disease nursing of the 2019-nCoV. Moreover, we also provide a whole process of a successful treatment case of the severe 2019-nCoV infected pneumonia and experience and lessons of hospital rescue for 2019-nCoV infections. This rapid advice guideline is suitable for the first frontline doctors and nurses, managers of hospitals and healthcare sections, community residents, public health persons, relevant researchers, and all person who are interested in the 2019-nCoV.

Influence of Immune Microenvironment on Diagnosis and Prognosis of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an immunosuppressive malignancy accompanied by noted alterations in various immune cells and cytokines. Recognition of the immune system's role in contributing to cancer development is an important advancement in our original understanding of carcinoma. We obtained HNSCC gene expression and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We assessed the relative proportion of 22 Infiltrating immune cell types in both HNSCC and adjacent non-cancer tissues using Cell-type Identification By Estimating Relative Subsets Of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT) method, identifying the influence of the immune cells content in tumor staging and survival prediction. We further predicted the tumor purity, and the presence of infiltrating stromal/immune cells in HNSCC tissues using Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in Malignant Tumor tissues using Expression data (ESTIMATE) algorithm, identifying its potential correlation with patient survival. Stromal and immune score-associated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were subsequently verified and their roles in immune response were displayed by functional enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Our research demonstrated the underlying association between the immune microenvironment and HNSCC, and the results were intended to serve as valuable terms for HNSCC diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted immune therapy.

Potential of Immune-Related Therapy in COVID-19

At the beginning of 2020, a sudden outbreak of new coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), infections led to anxiety, panic, and crisis among people worldwide. The outbreak first occurred in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019 and then spread rapidly across the globe, thus becoming a major public health emergency. Although the current epidemic situation in China tends to be stable, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread globally. At present, no specific therapeutic drugs and vaccines are available against COVID-19. Also, the pathogenesis of the SARS-CoV-2 is not fully clear. Human immunity is important in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Studies have shown that excessive inflammation caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsequent induced uncontrolled cytokine storm are the main causes of disease deterioration and death of severe patients. Therefore, immune-related research is of great significance for the prevention, control, and prognosis of COVID-19. This study aimed to review the latest research on immune-related treatment of COVID-19.

Prognosis and antibody profiles in survivors of critical illness from COVID-19: a prospective multicentre cohort study

BACKGROUND

There is a need to assess the long-term outcomes of survivors of critical illness from COVID-19.

METHODS

Ninety-two survivors of critical illness from COVID-19 from four hospitals in Hubei Province, China participated in this prospective cohort study. Multiple characteristics, including lung function (lung volumes, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, chest computed tomography scores, and walking capacity); immune status (SARS-CoV-2-neutralising antibody and all subtypes of immunoglobulin (Ig) G against SARS-CoV-2, immune cells in response to ex vivo antigen peptide stimuli, and lymphocyte count and its subtypes); liver, coagulation, and kidney functions; quality of life; cognitive function; and mental status, were assessed after 3, 6, and 12 months of follow-up.

RESULTS

Amongst the 92 enrolled survivors, 72 (78%) patients required mechanical ventilation. At 12 months, the predicted percentage diffusing capacity of lung for carbon monoxide was 82% (inter-quartile range [IQR]: 76-97%) with a residual volume of 77 (64-88)%. Other lung function parameters and the 6-min walk test improved gradually over time and were almost back to normal by 12 months. The titres of IgG and neutralising antibody to COVID-19 remained high at 12 months compared with those of controls who were not infected with COVID-19, although IgG titres decreased significantly from 34.0 (IQR: 23.8-74.3) to 15.0 (5.8-24.3) AU ml-1 (P<0.001), whereas neutralising antibodies decreased from 29.99 (IQR: 19.43-53.93) AU ml-1 at 6 months to 19.75 (13.1-29.8) AU ml-1 (P<0.001) at 12 months. In general, liver, kidney, physical, and mental functions also improved over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Survivors of critical illness from COVID-19 show some persistent long-term impairments in lung function. However, a majority of these tests were normal by 12 months. These patients still had detectable levels of neutralising antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and all types of IgG at 12 months, but the levels had declined over this time period.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

None.