(1, 3)-beta-D-Glucan in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid: a useful biomarker in diagnosis of invasive pulmonary infection caused by Hormographiella aspergillata?

Hormographiella aspergillata is a rare hyaline mold causing invasive fungal infection in humans, until the frequent use of antifungal prophylaxis in immunocompromised hosts. Due to the high mortality of H. aspergillata infection, early recognition and treatment are crucial.

ICOS-expressing CAR-T cells mediate durable eradication of triple-negative breast cancer and metastasis.

Background: The failure of conventional therapies and the propensity for recurrence and metastasis make triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) a formidable challenge with grim prognoses and diminished survival rates. Immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint blockade and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, presents innovative and potentially more effective strategies for addressing TNBC. Within this context, the inducible costimulator (ICOS), a member of the CTLA4/CD28 family, plays a crucial role in regulating immune responses and T-cell differentiation by binding to its ligand ICOSL.

Rapid Diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia and Respiratory Tract Colonization by Next-Generation Sequencing.

Objectives: To describe the epidemiology of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia and colonization diagnosed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and explore the usefulness of the number of P. jirovecii sequence reads for the diagnosis of P. jirovecii pneumonia.

Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Rebound of Macrolide-Resistant Infection: A Descriptive Study.

The rebound characteristics of respiratory infections after lifting pandemic control measures were uncertain. From January to November 2023, patients presenting at a teaching hospital were tested for common respiratory viruses and using a combination of antigen, nucleic acid amplification, and targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) tests. The number and rate of positive tests per month, clinical and microbiological characteristics were analyzed.

Can the use of azithromycin during labour reduce the incidence of infection among puerperae and newborns? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated whether the use of azithromycin during labour or caesarean section reduces the incidence of sepsis and infection among mothers and newborns.

Data Sources: We independently searched the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and EMBASE databases for relevant studies published before February, 2024.

Methods: We included RCTs that evaluated the effect of prenatal oral or intravenous azithromycin or placebo on intrapartum or postpartum infection incidence.

Identification and validation of anoikis-related lncRNAs for prognostic significance and immune microenvironment characterization in ovarian cancer.

Anoikis, a form of apoptotic cell death resulting from inadequate cell-matrix interactions, has been implicated in tumor progression by regulating tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. However, the potential roles of anoikis-related long non-coding RNAs (arlncRNAs) in the tumor microenvironment are not well understood. In this study, five candidate lncRNAs were screened through least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and multivariate Cox regression analysis based on differentially expressed lncRNAs associated with anoikis-related genes (ARGs) from TCGA and GSE40595 datasets.

Hsa_circ_0007321 regulates Zika virus replication through miR-492/NFKBID/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Over the past decade, increasing evidence has shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play important regulatory roles in viral infection and host antiviral responses. However, reports on the role of circRNAs in Zika virus (ZIKV) infection are limited. In this study, we identified 45 differentially expressed circRNAs in ZIKV-infected A549 cells by RNA sequencing.

miR-124 delivered by BM-MSCs-derived exosomes targets MCT1 of tumor-infiltrating Treg cells and improves ovarian cancer immunotherapy.

Metabolic rewiring of tumor cells leads to an enrichment of lactate in the tumor microenvironment (TME). This lactate-rich environment of solid tumors has been reported to support tumor-infiltrating regulatory T (Treg) cells. Therefore, agents that modify the lactate metabolism of Treg cells have therapeutic potential.

Analysis of single-cell sequencing results of an elderly patient with myeloid leukemia reveals high expression of multiple oncogenes in monocytes and hematopoietic stem cells.

Objective: Older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) face a higher risk of death. This study analyzed the gene sequencing results of an elderly AML patient to provide new ideas for treatment.

Methods: This study performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) bioinformatics analysis of blood cells in the peripheral blood and bone marrow of a 64-year-old AML-M5 patient before chemotherapy.

Mitophagy Activation Targeting PINK1 Is an Effective Treatment to Inhibit Zika Virus Replication.

Mitophagy is a selective degradation mechanism that maintains mitochondrial homeostasis by eliminating damaged mitochondria. Many viruses manipulate mitophagy to promote their infection, but its role in Zika virus (ZIKV) is unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of mitophagy activation on ZIKV replication by the mitochondrial uncoupling agent niclosamide.

Whipple's disease presenting as weight gain and constipation in a Chinese woman.

Background: Whipple's disease is a chronic infection due to Tropheryma whipplei, commonly reported in the Caucasian but not in the Chinese population.

Case Presentation: A 52-year-old female with good past health, was diagnosed with Whipple's disease, presenting with constipation, unintentional weight gain, and fleeting polyarthralgia. Investigations prior to admission showed raised CA125 and computed tomography of the abdomen showed multiple retroperitoneal mesenteric lymphadenopathies.

Cutaneous Mycobacterium szulgai infection in a patient with Cushing's syndrome: a case report and literature review.

Background: Opportunistic infection is an under-recognized complication of Cushing's syndrome, with infection due to atypical mycobacterium rarely reported. Mycobacterium szulgai commonly presents as pulmonary infection, with cutaneous infection seldom reported in the literature.

Case Presentation: 48-year-old man with a newly-diagnosed Cushing's syndrome secondary to adrenal adenoma presented with a subcutaneous mass on the dorsum of his right hand, was diagnosed with cutaneous Mycobacterium szulgai infection.

Study on the Mechanism of Qing-Fei-Shen-Shi Decoction on Asthma Based on Integrated 16S rRNA Sequencing and Untargeted Metabolomics.

Qing-Fei-Shen-Shi decoction (QFSS) consists of L., , , L., , L.

Comparative mitogenomics of the genus (Aves, Passeriformes) and its phylogenetic implications.

The genus belongs to Motacillidae (Passeriformes), where mitochondrial features are poorly understood and phylogeny is controversial. Whole mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) data and large taxon sampling are considered to be ideal strategies to obtain this information. We generated four complete mitogenomes of , , and , and made comparative analyses of species combined with mitogenome data from GenBank, and then reconstructed phylogenetic trees based on 37 mitochondrial genes.

Analysis of Data on Fludarabine, Cyclophosphamide, and Rituximab Chemoimmunotherapy for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Shows High Patient Heterogeneity and the Need for More Consideration of Individualized Treatment.

Methods: Data from single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of CLL patients were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The R package was utilized to analyze the data, and the relation of results was predicted via the GeneMANIA website. The information of 7 samples covered three stages: observation stage, pretreatment by CIT with rituximab, fludarabine, and cyclophosphamide (pre-CIT), and post-CIT.

Resveratrol reduces lactate production and modifies the ovarian cancer immune microenvironment.

Tumor cells show deregulated metabolism leading to an enrichment of lactate in the tumor microenvironment (TME). This lactate-rich environment has been reported to impair effector T cells. However, T-regulatory cells (Tregs) show metabolic advantages in lactate-rich TME that maintain a strong suppression of effector T cells, which leads to tumor immune evasion.

Relationship of serum copper and zinc with kidney function and urinary albumin to creatinine ratio: Cross-sectional data from the NHANES 2011-2016.

Background & Objective: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common condition in worldwide with underlying causes. The role of trace elements such as copper and zinc in CKD is uncertain. We aimed to examine the relationship of serum copper and zinc with kidney function status and explore its possible effect modifiers in the general population.

Case Report: First-Line Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Plus Chemotherapy for Oral Metastasis in a Patient with Ultra High-Risk Gestational Choriocarcinoma.

Choriocarcinoma (CC) tends to metastasize early into various organs and may exhibit peculiar clinical behaviors specific to metastases. Although chemotherapy has revolutionized the survival of most patients, the mortality rate remains high in cases at ultra high-risk, which may be associated with multiple organs involvement and intolerable toxicity resulting from combination chemotherapy. Here, we illustrate a 46-year-old woman patient with oral and lung lesions whose clinical and morphological heterogeneity misled the preliminary diagnosis.

Diverse and atypical manifestations of Q fever in a metropolitan city hospital: Emerging role of next-generation sequencing for laboratory diagnosis of Coxiella burnetii.

Although Q fever has been widely reported in the rural areas of China, there is a paucity of data on the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of this disease in large metropolitan cities. In this study, we profile the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of Q fever from a tertiary hospital in Shenzhen, a Southern Chinese metropolitan city with a large immigrant population from other parts of China. A total of 14 patients were confirmed to have Q fever during a nine-year-and-six-month period, five of whom were retrospectively diagnosed during case review or incidentally picked up because of another research project on unexplained fever without localizing features.

Radix ranunculus temate saponins sensitizes ovarian cancer to Taxol via upregulation of miR-let-7b.

A common cause of treatment failure in ovarian cancer is acquired drug resistance. Therefore, effective novel drugs against chemoresistance need to be developed. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) serve key regulatory roles in tumorigenesis and chemoresistance.

MiR-103a-3p Promotes Zika Virus Replication by Targeting OTU Deubiquitinase 4 to Activate p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling Pathway.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in regulating virus infection and replication. However, the mechanism by which miRNA regulates Zika virus (ZIKV) replication remains elusive. We aim to explore how the differentially expressed miR-103a-3p regulates ZIKV replication and to clarify the underlying molecular mechanism.

Pyoderma gangrenosum with pulmonary involvement: a pulmonary special report and literature review.

Introduction: Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is the prototypical neutrophilic dermatosis, commonly associated with inflammatory bowel disease, with pulmonary involvement being the commonest extracutaneous manifestation. PG with tracheobronchial involvement may present as upper airway obstruction and can be life-threatening.

Areas Covered: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and predictors of PG with pulmonary involvement, we reported a case of PG with tracheobronchial involvement in China, and performed a literature retrieval on PG with pulmonary involvement.