SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine storm drives prolonged testicular injury and functional impairment in mice that are mitigated by dexamethasone.

Compromised male reproductive health, including reduced testosterone and sperm count, is one of the long COVID symptoms in individuals recovering from mild-severe disease. COVID-19 patients display testicular injury in the acute stage and altered serum fertility markers in the recovery phase, however, long-term implications on the testis remain unknown. This study characterized the consequences of SARS-CoV-2 on testis function.

RGD peptide promotes follicle growth through integrins αvβ3/αvβ5 in three-dimensional culture.

In Brief: Three-dimensional ovarian tissue culture is a unique model to define the effects of molecules on folliculogenesis. Using this model, we determined that RGD-integrin interaction plays a role in antrum formation and theca cell differentiation.

Abstract: We recently developed a three-dimensional (3D) ovarian tissue culture system supported by bacterial-derived dextran hydrogel.

Sfrp1 inhibits lung fibroblast invasion during transition to injury-induced myofibroblasts.

Background: Fibroblast-to-myofibroblast conversion is a major driver of tissue remodelling in organ fibrosis. Distinct lineages of fibroblasts support homeostatic tissue niche functions, yet their specific activation states and phenotypic trajectories during injury and repair have remained unclear.

Methods: We combined spatial transcriptomics, multiplexed immunostainings, longitudinal single-cell RNA-sequencing and genetic lineage tracing to study fibroblast fates during mouse lung regeneration.

Low-density granulocytes display immature cells with enhanced NET formation in people living with HIV.

While the protective role of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in limiting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) spread to susceptible cells has been documented, there is comparatively little insight into whether NET formation is harmful in people living with HIV (PLWH). To gain insight into neutrophil dysregulation and the pathological role of NETs in HIV, we examined expressions of NET-associated markers [cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and citrullinated histone H3 (CitH3)] in the plasmas from a cohort of the Hawaii Aging with HIV-cardiovascular and HIV-seronegative (HIV-) individuals. In a subset of participants, circulating low-density granulocyte (LDG) levels and their maturation and activation status were analyzed via flow cytometry.