Clinical characteristics and risk factors for in-hospital mortality of COVID-19 patients in Hubei Province: A multicenter retrospective study.

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) remains one of the most significant factors threatening public health security worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has been ongoing for more than 3 years; however, there are few studies on the clinical characteristics and mortality risk factors in patients with COVID-19 based on comprehensive data from multiple centers.

Methods: A total of 53,030 patients with confirmed COVID-19 from 138 hospitals in Hubei Province were included in this study.

Circular RNA circ_0004630 promotes malignancy and glycolysis of nonsmall cell lung cancer by sponging microRNA-1208 and regulating leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 expression.

Emerging evidence has discovered that circular RNAs play important regulators of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the role and potential molecular mechanism of hsa_circ_100549 (circ_0004630) involved in NSCLC is poorly defined. In this study, circ_0004630, microRNA-1208 (miR-1208), and leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) expression were detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cell proliferation, colony formation, apoptosis, and invasion were assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT), 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine, colony formation, flow cytometry, and transwell assays.

Menstrual Blood-Derived Endometrial Stem Cells Ameliorate Ovarian Senescence by Relieving Oxidative Stress-Induced Inflammation.

Senescence is a degenerative process that occurs with ageing, and in the female reproductive system, senescence occurs earlier in the ovaries than in other tissues and organs, which implies a decrease in oocyte quality and exhaustion of the primordial follicular pool, leading to impaired ovarian function and an inability to maintain normal fertility. Unfortunately, the development of curative and effective treatments for ovarian senescence is still a considerable challenge. Currently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-based therapies for treating various refractory diseases, especially ovarian dysfunction, have been extensively studied and confirmed.

Timing determines programming of energy homeostasis by maternal PM exposure in mouse models.

Maternal exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM) is believed to be a risk factor of developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD), but its effect on offspring's susceptibility to obesity, a common target disease of DOHaD, remains controversial. To pinpoint the effect of maternal PM exposure on offspring's energy homeostasis, female C57BL/6J mice were exposed to filtered air (FA) or concentrated ambient PM (CAP) for 12 weeks and mated with normal male mice to produce offspring.

Carnitine is a friend in HFpEF and foe in HFrEF.

Heart failure (HF) is a global concern, particularly HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), lacking effective treatments. Understanding the differences of metabolic profiles between HFpEF and HFrEF (heart failure with reduced ejection fraction) patients is crucial for therapeutic advancements. In this study, pseudotargeted metabolomics was employed to analyze for disparities of plasma metabolic profiles between HFpEF and HFrEF in two cohorts: discovery ( = 514) and validation ( = 3368).

Ablation of the Integrin CD11b Mac-1 Limits Deleterious Responses to Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury and Improves Functional Recovery in Mice.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers microglial/monocytes activation with distinct pro-inflammatory or inflammation-resolving phenotypes, which potentiate tissue damage or facilitate functional repair, respectively. The major integrin Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18), a heterodimer consisting of CD11b and CD18 chains, is expressed in multiple immune cells of the myeloid lineage. Here, we examined the effects of CD11b gene ablation in neuroinflammation and functional outcomes after SCI.

Evaluation of plasma phytosterols in sitosterolemia, their kindreds and hyperlipidemia subjects.

Background: Patients suffering from sitosterolemia with ABCG5/8 mutation typically present with early-onset or rapidly progressive atherosclerosis. Their kindreds with partial genetic deficiencies of ABCG5/8 are often considered healthy. However, discerning sitosterolemia from its familial kindreds and hyperlipidemia subjects has remained challenging.

MiR-137 mediated high expression of TIGD1 promotes migration, invasion, and suppresses apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma.

Objectives: Tigger transposable element-derived 1 (TIGD1) expression and its underlying functions and regulatory mechanisms in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remain unknown. Therefore, we intended to explore the expression, potential functions, and regulatory mechanisms of TIGD1 in LUAD.

Materials And Methods: TIGD1 expression in LUAD tissues was determined by immunohistochemistry analysis of a tissue microarray.

A metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS)-based analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage samples in patients with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The role of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) microbiome in acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) remains unclear. The advent of the metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has made it possible to reveal the complex microbiome composition of the respiratory tract. This study aimed to explore whether there are differences in the BALF microbiome of AECOPD patients with different lung functions.

Increased Tryptophan Catabolism Provides Predictive Value to Chronic Heart Failure Patients with Low-Grade Inflammation.

Kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (KTR), which serves as an indicator for evaluating indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase activity and inflammation, has been reported to be linked with cardiovascular incidences. However, its correlation with cardiovascular outcomes in patients suffering from heart failure (HF) remains to be explored. The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of KTR in HF.

Spinal cord injury disrupts plasma extracellular vesicles cargoes leading to neuroinflammation in the brain and neurological dysfunction in aged male mice.

Aged individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are prevalent with increased mortality and worse outcomes. SCI can cause secondary brain neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. However, the mechanisms contributing to SCI-induced brain dysfunction are poorly understood.

Old age alters inflammation and autophagy signaling in the brain, leading to exacerbated neurological outcomes after spinal cord injury in male mice.

Older patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) have different features with regard to neurological characteristics after injury. Recent large-scale longitudinal population-based studies showed that individuals with SCI are at a higher risk of developing dementia than non-SCI patients, indicating that SCI is a potential risk factor for dementia. Aging is known to potentiate inflammation and neurodegeneration at the injured site leading to impaired recovery from SCI.

Sum and difference frequency generation in a valley-photonic-crystal-like topological system.

Nonlinear sum frequency generation (SFG) and difference frequency generation (DFG) are fundamental methods to obtain new light sources for various applications. However, most of the on-chip SFG and DFG are based on conventional resonators, lacking robustness against fabrication defects. Here, we demonstrate topologically protected SFG and DFG in a second-order topological photonic system.

Simultaneous quantitative LC-MS/MS analysis of 13 apolipoproteins and lipoprotein (a) in human plasma.

Numerous studies have revealed a close correlation between the levels of apolipoproteins (Apos) (including lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]) and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in recent decades. However, clinically, lipid profiling remains limited to the conventional plasma levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, ApoA1, and ApoB, which brings the necessity to quantify more apolipoproteins in human plasma. In this study, we simultaneously quantified 13 apolipoproteins and Lp(a) in 5 μL of human plasma using the LC-MS/MS platform.

Dissecting Genetic Mechanisms of Differential Locomotion, Depression, and Allodynia after Spinal Cord Injury in Three Mouse Strains.

Strain differences have been reported for motor behaviors, and only a subset of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients develop neuropathic pain, implicating genetic or genomic contribution to this condition. Here, we evaluated neuropsychiatric behaviors in A/J, BALB/c, and C57BL/6 male mice and tested genetic or genomic alterations following SCI. A/J and BALB/c naive mice showed significantly less locomotor activity and greater anxiety-like behavior than C57BL/6 mice.

Ablation of the integrin CD11b mac-1 limits deleterious responses to traumatic spinal cord injury and improves functional recovery in mice.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes long-term sensorimotor deficits and posttraumatic neuropathic pain, with no effective treatment. In part, this reflects an incomplete understanding of the complex secondary pathobiological mechanisms involved. SCI triggers microglial/macrophage activation with distinct pro-inflammatory or inflammation-resolving phenotypes, which potentiate tissue damage or facilitate functional repair, respectively.

Bi-directional neuro-immune dysfunction after chronic experimental brain injury.

Background: It is well established that traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes acute and chronic alterations in systemic immune function and that systemic immune changes contribute to posttraumatic neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. However, how TBI affects bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells chronically and to what extent such changes may negatively impact innate immunity and neurological function has not been examined.

Methods: To further understand the role of BM cell derivatives on TBI outcome, we generated BM chimeric mice by transplanting BM from chronically injured or sham (i.

Gut microbiota-dependent phenylacetylglutamine in cardiovascular disease: current knowledge and new insights.

Phenylacetylglutamine (PAGln) is an amino acid derivate that comes from the amino acid phenylalanine. There are increasing studies showing that the level of PAGln is associated with the risk of different cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we discussed the metabolic pathway of PAGln production and the quantitative measurement methods of PAGln.

Deregulation of the Glymphatic System in Alzheimer's Disease: Genetic and Non-Genetic Factors.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia and is characterized by progressive degeneration of brain function. AD gradually affects the parts of the brain that control thoughts, language, behavior and mental function, severely impacting a person's ability to carry out daily activities and ultimately leading to death. The accumulation of extracellular amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) and the aggregation of intracellular hyperphosphorylated tau are the two key pathological hallmarks of AD.

Gut microbiome and metabolic profiles of mouse model for MeCP2 duplication syndrome.

The extra copy of the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCp2) gene causes MeCP2 duplication syndrome (MDS), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability and autistic phenotypes. However, the disturbed microbiome and metabolic profiling underlying the autistic-like behavioral deficits of MDS are rarely investigated. Here we aimed to understand the contributions of microbiome disruption and associated metabolic alterations, especially the disturbed neurotransmitters in MDS employing a transgenic mouse model with MeCP2 overexpression.

Knockdown of LRRK2 inhibits the progression of lung cancer by regulating TLR4/NF-κB pathways and NLRP3 inflammasome.

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) plays an important role in a variety of inflammatory diseases, as well as peripheral and central immune responses. At present, there are few reports about the role of LRRK2 in lung cancer, and need to be further explored. The main purpose of this study is to explore the role and mechanism of LRRK2 in lung cancer.

Glimepiride, a novel soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor, protects against heart failure via increasing epoxyeicosatrienoic acids.

Background: Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which exert multiple endogenous protective effects, are hydrolyzed into less active dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs) by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). However, commercial drugs related to EETs or sEH are not yet in clinical use.

Methods: Firstly, the plasma concentration of EETs and DHETs of 316 patients with heart failure (HF) were detected and quantitated by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Myocardial injury and related mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 during the Omicron pandemic: new perspectives and insights.

Myocardial injury is one of the most common comorbidity in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, and has poor prognosis. However, the incidence of myocardial injury in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection has not been sufficiently investigated during the Omicron wave. We conducted a retrospective study of 2690 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection from Tongji Hospital.