Aetiology of severe community acquired pneumonia in adults identified by combined detection methods: a multi-centre prospective study in China.

Severe Community Acquired Pneumonia (SCAP) challenges public health globally. Considerable improvements in molecular pathogen testing emerged in the last few years. Our prospective study combinedly used traditional culture, antigen tests, PCR and mNGS in SCAP pathogen identification with clinical outcomes.

Association of acute kidney injury with 1-year outcome of kidney function in hospital survivors with COVID-19: A cohort study.

Background: Kidney damage in COVID-19 patients has been of special concern. The association of acute kidney injury (AKI) with post-acute kidney function among COVID-19 survivors was not sufficiently elucidated.

Methods: An ambidirectional cohort study was conducted with enrollment of COVID-19 survivors discharged from hospital between Jan 7, and May 29, 2020.

Biosynthesis of Tasikamides Pathway Coupling and Diazonium-Mediated Hydrazone Formation.

Naturally occurring hydrazones are rare despite the ubiquitous usage of synthetic hydrazones in the preparation of organic compounds and functional materials. In this study, we discovered a family of novel microbial metabolites (tasikamides) that share a unique cyclic pentapeptide scaffold. Surprisingly, tasikamides A-C (-) contain a hydrazone group (C═N─N) that joins the cyclic peptide scaffold to an alkyl 5-hydroxylanthranilate (AHA) moiety.

A quantitative, high-throughput urease activity assay for comparison and rapid screening of ureolytic bacteria.

Urease is a dinickel enzyme commonly found in numerous organisms that catalyses the hydrolysis of urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide. The microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) process mediated by urease-producing bacteria (UPB) can be used for many applications including, environmental bioremediation, soil improvement, healing of cracks in concrete, and sealing of rock joints. Despite the importance of urease and UPB in various applications, a quantitative, high-throughput assay for the comparison of urease activity in UPB and rapid screening of UPB from diverse environments is lacking.

ACE2 can act as the secondary receptor in the FcγR-dependent ADE of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

It is unknown whether antibody-mediated enhancement (ADE) contributes to the pathogenesis of COVID-19, and the conditions for ADE needs to be elucidated. We demonstrated that without inducing an ACE2-independent ADE on Raji cells, the neutralizing antibody CB6, a mouse anti-S1 serum and convalescent plasma, induced ADE on cells expressing FcγRIIA/CD32A and low levels of endogenous ACE2. ADE occurred at sub-neutralizing antibody concentrations, indicating that unneutralized S protein was required for ADE.

Presence of Anti-MDA5 Antibody and Its Value for the Clinical Assessment in Patients With COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Striking similarities have been found between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) antibody (Ab)-related dermatomyositis, implying a shared autoinflammatory aberrance. Herein, we aim to investigate whether the anti-MDA5 Ab is present in COVID-19 and correlates with the severity and adverse outcome of COVID-19 patients.

Methods And Findings: We retrospectively recruited 274 adult inpatients with COVID-19 in this study, including 48, 164, and 62 cases of deaths, severe, and non-severe patients respectively.

The Dark Side of Microbial Processes: Accumulation of Nitrate During Storage of Surface Water in the Dark and the Underlying Mechanism.

In densely populated cities with limited land, storage of surface water in underground spaces is a potential solution to meet the rising demand of clean water. In addition, due to the imperative need of renewable solar energy and limited land resources, the deployment of floating solar photovoltaic (PV) systems over water has risen exponentially. In both scenarios, microbial communities in the water do not have access to sunlight.

The efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant nimotuzumab for gastric cancer: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies.

Introduction: The efficacy of neoadjuvant nimotuzumab for gastric cancer remained controversial. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the efficacy of neoadjuvant nimotuzumab plus chemotherapy vs chemotherapy for gastric cancer.

Methods: We have searched PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases through May 2019, and included randomized controlled trials assessing the efficacy of neoadjuvant nimotuzumab plus chemotherapy vs chemotherapy for gastric cancer.

Clinical characteristics of patients with bronchiectasis with nontuberculous mycobacterial disease in Mainland China: a single center cross-sectional study.

Background: The diagnosis and treatment of patients with bronchiectasis and nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) pulmonary disease are challenging issues and the treatment is also prolonged and depends on the species. There is limited information on patients with bronchiectasis and NTM pulmonary disease in Mainland China.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.

Key considerations on the development of biodegradable biomaterials for clinical translation of medical devices: With cartilage repair products as an example.

With the interdisciplinary convergence of biology, medicine and materials science, both research and clinical translation of biomaterials are progressing at a rapid pace. However, there is still a huge gap between applied basic research on biomaterials and their translational products - medical devices, where two significantly different perspectives and mindsets often work independently and non-synergistically, which in turn significantly increases financial costs and research effort. Although this gap is well-known and often criticized in the biopharmaceutical industry, it is gradually widening.

Extracellular DNA in Environmental Samples: Occurrence, Extraction, Quantification, and Impact on Microbial Biodiversity Assessment.

Environmental DNA, i.e., DNA extracted directly from environmental samples, has been used to understand microbial communities in the environment and to monitor contemporary biodiversity in the conservation context.

Long-Term Ozone Exposure and Small Airway Dysfunction: The China Pulmonary Health (CPH) Study.

It remains unknown whether long-term ozone exposure can impair lung function. To investigate the associations between long-term ozone exposure and adult lung function in China. Lung function results and diagnosis of small airway dysfunction (SAD) were collected from a cross-sectional study, the China Pulmonary Health Study ( = 50,991).

Sirolimus combined with oseltamivir and corticosteroid treatment for a puerpera with severe pneumonia caused by 2009 pandemic H1N1: A case report.

Severe pneumonia in patients infected with the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) virus was partially attributed to excessive immune response. Anti-virus treatment for these patients was insufficient. Here we reported the therapy effect of sirolimus, an immunosuppressor, combined with oseltamivir and corticosteroid for a puerpera with severe pneumonia caused by pH1N1 virus.

Prospective Evaluation of a Rapid Clinical Metagenomics Test for Bacterial Pneumonia.

Background: The diagnosis of bacterial pathogens in lower respiratory tract infections (LRI) using conventional culture methods remains challenging and time-consuming.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical performance of a rapid nanopore-sequencing based metagenomics test for diagnosis of bacterial pathogens in common LRIs through a large-scale prospective study.

Methods: We enrolled 292 hospitalized patients suspected to have LRIs between November 2018 and June 2019 in a single-center, prospective cohort study.

Serum CD203c+ Extracellular Vesicle Serves as a Novel Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker for Succinylated Gelatin Induced Perioperative Hypersensitive Reaction.

Background: Perioperative hypersensitivity reaction (HR) is an IgE-FcϵRI-mediated hypersensitivity reaction with degranulation and activation of mast cells and basophils. Several studies have focused on assessing the degranulation and activation of mast cells and basophils to diagnose and predict the prognosis of drug induced HR. However, it is challenging to isolate sufficiently pure mast cells and basophils from human sources to investigate.

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Ricin Inhibitors Targeting Ribosome Binding Using Fragment-Based Methods and Structure-Based Design.

Ricin toxin A subunit (RTA) is the catalytic subunit of ricin, which depurinates an adenine from the sarcin/ricin loop in eukaryotic ribosomes. There are no approved inhibitors against ricin. We used a new strategy to disrupt RTA-ribosome interactions by fragment screening using surface plasmon resonance.

Volumetric interferometric lattice light-sheet imaging.

Live cell imaging with high spatiotemporal resolution and high detection sensitivity facilitates the study of the dynamics of cellular structure and function. However, extracting high-resolution 4D (3D space plus time) information from live cells remains challenging, because current methods are slow, require high peak excitation intensities or suffer from high out-of-focus background. Here we present 3D interferometric lattice light-sheet (3D-iLLS) imaging, a technique that requires low excitation light levels and provides high background suppression and substantially improved volumetric resolution by combining 4Pi interferometry with selective plane illumination.

Selection of Imipenem Resistance Among Ceftazidime-Avibactam-Resistant, Imipenem-Susceptible Isolate With KPC-33 Carbapenemase.

We describe evolution of carbapenem and ceftazidime-avibactam resistance by analyzing four longitudinal clinical isolates from a patient with pneumonia following antimicrobial treatment. The patient had fever, cough associated with expectoration, and new infiltration was found on the chest CT. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined, and whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed to investigate its dynamic change of resistance phenotype.

Single-detecting-path high-resolution displacement sensor based onself-interference effect of a single submicrometer grating.

On the basis of the self-interference effect between ±1 st-order diffraction beams from a single optical submicrometer grating, we demonstrate a single-detecting-path optical displacement sensor with high resolution. Using a quadrant optoelectronic detector, a single-detecting-path system without any wave plates is realized experimentally. Combined with an interpolation circuit, we demonstrate the system for displacement measurement within a range of 200 µm.

Increased Arterial Stiffness as a Predictor for Onset and Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Introduction: Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an indicator of arterial stiffness, has been demonstrated to be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its vascular complications. This study was aimed at investigating the correlations of baPWV with both the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) at baseline and at exploring the predictive role of baPWV in the new onset/progression of DR in the follow-up analysis.

Methods: The prospective cohort study recruited 2,473 Chinese patients with T2DM, of whom 663 participants were finally included in the follow-up analysis.

C-reactive protein or procalcitonin combined with rhinorrhea for discrimination of viral from bacterial infections in hospitalized adults in non-intensive care units with lower respiratory tract infections.

Background: Whether procalcitonin (PCT) or C-reactive protein (CRP) combined with certain clinical characteristics can better distinguish viral from bacterial infections remains unclear. The aim of the study was to assess the ability of PCT or CRP combined with clinical characteristics to distinguish between viral and bacterial infections in hospitalized non-intensive care unit (ICU) adults with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI).

Methods: This was a post-hoc analysis of a randomized clinical trial previously conducted among LRTI patients.

MOF-Derived ZnS Nanodots/TiCT MXene Hybrids Boosting Superior Lithium Storage Performance.

ZnS has great potentials as an anode for lithium storage because of its high theoretical capacity and resource abundance; however, the large volume expansion accompanied with structural collapse and low conductivity of ZnS cause severe capacity fading and inferior rate capability during lithium storage. Herein, 0D-2D ZnS nanodots/TiCT MXene hybrids are prepared by anchoring ZnS nanodots on TiCT MXene nanosheets through coordination modulation between MXene and MOF precursor (ZIF-8) followed with sulfidation. The MXene substrate coupled with the ZnS nanodots can synergistically accommodate volume variation of ZnS over charge-discharge to realize stable cyclability.