Emerging roles of extracellular vesicles in COVID-19, a double-edged sword?

The sudden outbreak of SARS-CoV-2-infected disease (COVID-19), initiated from Wuhan, China, has rapidly grown into a global pandemic. Emerging evidence has implicated extracellular vesicles (EVs), a key intercellular communicator, in the pathogenesis and treatment of COVID-19. In the pathogenesis of COVID-19, cells that express ACE2 and CD9 can transfer these viral receptors to other cells via EVs, making recipient cells more susceptible for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

TIPE Regulates DcR3 Expression and Function by Activating the PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway in CRC.

Tumor necrosis factor-induced protein-8 (TIPE) is highly expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC). Decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) is a soluble secreted protein that can antagonize Fas ligand (FasL)-induced apoptosis and promote tumorigenesis. It remains unclear whether TIPE can regulate DcR3 expression.

Astrocyte-derived extracellular vesicles: A double-edged sword in central nervous system disorders.

Recent studies suggest that astrocytes released a great quantity of extracellular vesicles (AEVs) to communicate with other brain cells. Under pathological conditions, AEVs are widely associated with the pathogenesis of neurobiological diseases by horizontally transferring pathogenic factors to neighboring cells or peripheral immune cells. Their beneficial role is also evident by the fact that they are involved in neuroprotection and neuroregeneration through alleviating apoptosis, maintaining neuronal function, and repairing neural injuries.

Long-term and continuous administration of during remission effectively maintains the remission of inflammatory bowel disease by protecting intestinal integrity, regulating epithelial proliferation, and reshaping microbial structure and function.

Gut microbiota takes part in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Clinical research has found that probiotics have a beneficial effect on active ulcerative colitis, but to date, significant efficacy has rarely been found in the use of probiotics in the remission phase of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. More studies are needed to assess the utilization of probiotics in IBD remission.

Use of non-contact infrared thermometers in rehabilitation patients: a randomized controlled study.

Objective: In this randomized controlled study, we aimed to determine whether non-contact infrared thermometers (NCITs) are more time-efficient and create less patient distress than mercury axillary thermometers (MATs) and infrared tympanic thermometers (ITTs).

Methods: Forty-five rehabilitation inpatients were randomly assigned to one of three groups (NCIT, MAT, and ITT). Time required to measure body temperature with an NCIT, MAT, and ITT was recorded.

Nonrandom DNA Segregation Detection under Replication Stress.

Nonrandom DNA segregation (NDS) is a mitotic event in which sister chromatids carrying the old (parent) DNA strands are distributed exclusively to one of the two daughter cells. Although this phenomenon occurs in multiple organisms, the low frequency poses an obstacle to observation. Here, we present an improved protocol to induce NDS under replication stress.

Hepatic Steatosis Is Associated with Elevated Serum Iron in Patients with Obesity and Improves after Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Background: Iron is closely related to metabolism. However, the relationship between iron and hepatic steatosis has not been fully elucidated.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the triangular relationship between iron and hepatic steatosis and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in patients with obesity.

Glutaminase in microglia: A novel regulator of neuroinflammation.

Neuroinflammation is the inflammatory responses that are involved in the pathogenesis of most neurological disorders. Glutaminase (GLS) is the enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of glutamine to produce glutamate. Besides its well-known role in cellular metabolism and excitatory neurotransmission, GLS has recently been increasingly noticed to be up-regulated in activated microglia under pathological conditions.

Histamine-4 receptor antagonist ameliorates Parkinson-like pathology in the striatum.

Growing evidence indicates that microglia activation and a neuroinflammatory trigger contribute to dopaminergic cell loss in Parkinson's disease (PD). Furthermore, increased density of histaminergic fibers and enhanced histamine levels have been observed in the substantia nigra of PD-postmortem brains. Histamine-induced microglial activation is mediated by the histamine-4 receptor (HR).

Prognosis of Neurological Improvement in Inpatient Acute Ischemic Stroke Survivors: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

Objectives: Stroke has become a national concern in China. Early prediction of stroke benefits patients and aids medical professionals in clinical decision making and rehabilitation plans to improve successful outcomes. To identify prediction factors influencing short-term outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

A study of multinucleated giant cells in esophageal cancer.

Objectives: To evaluate the occurrence, abundance, distribution, nature and clinical significance of multinucleated giant cell (MGC) in esophageal cancer.

Materials And Methods: MGCs were examined with conventional pathology, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence in 107 esophageal cancer tissues. The findings were correlated to pathological diagnosis and clinical behavior of the cancers.

Early-life stress alters affective behaviors in adult mice through persistent activation of CRH-BDNF signaling in the oval bed nucleus of the stria terminalis.

Early-life stress (ELS) leads to stress-related psychopathology in adulthood. Although dysfunction of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) mediates chronic stress-induced maladaptive affective behaviors that are historically associated with mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, it remains unknown whether ELS affects CRH function in the adult BNST. Here we applied a well-established ELS paradigm (24 h maternal separation (MS) at postnatal day 3) and assessed the effects on CRH signaling and electrophysiology in the oval nucleus of BNST (ovBNST) of adult male mouse offspring.

Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of COVID-19 Vaccines: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

We aimed to summarize reliable medical evidence by the meta-analysis of all published clinical trials that investigated the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of vaccine candidates against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and medRxiv databases were used to select the studies. 7094 articles were identified initially and 43 were retrieved for more detailed evaluation.

Wnt/β-catenin signalling controls bile duct regeneration by regulating differentiation of ductular reaction cells.

Recently, the incidence of bile duct-related diseases continues to increase, and there is no effective drug treatment except liver transplantation. However, due to the limited liver source and expensive donations, clinical application is often limited. Although current studies have shown that ductular reaction cells (DRCs) reside in the vicinity of peribiliary glands can differentiate into cholangiocytes and would be an effective alternative to liver transplantation, the role and mechanism of DRCs in cholangiole physiology and bile duct injury remain unclear.

Human oral microbiome dysbiosis as a novel non-invasive biomarker in detection of colorectal cancer.

The oral microbiome may play an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis. However, few studies have investigated the association between oral microbiome and the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). We aimed to investigate whether oral health-colorectal tumor association has an underlying microbial basis, in the quest for novel non-invasive biomarkers for CRC.

The microRNA-17 ~ 92 Family as a Key Regulator of Neurogenesis and Potential Regenerative Therapeutics of Neurological Disorders.

miR-17 ~ 92, an miRNA family containing three paralogous polycistronic clusters, was initially considered as an oncogene and was later demonstrated to trigger various physiological and pathological processes. Emerging evidence has implicated miR-17 ~ 92 family as a master regulator of neurogenesis. Through targeting numerous genes that affect cell cycle arrest, stemness deprivation, and lineage commitment, miR-17 ~ 92 family controls the proliferation and neuronal differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells in both developmental and adult brains.

Precision functional sphincter-preserving surgery (PPS) for ultralow rectal cancer: a natural orifice specimen extraction (NOSE) surgery technique.

Background: In patients with ultralow rectal cancer, surgical resection of the tumor without impairing sphincter function remains a technical challenge. The purpose of this study was to describe a new technique of transanal natural orifice specimen extraction (NOSE) surgery using our independently developed devices, aiming to achieve precise cancer resection and preserve sphincter function in patients with ultralow rectal cancer.

Methods: Precision functional sphincter-preserving surgery (PPS) was performed on nineteen patients with ultralow rectal cancer between June 2019 and April 2020.

Long noncoding RNA H19 regulates the therapeutic efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells in rats with severe acute pancreatitis by sponging miR-138-5p and miR-141-3p.

Background: Patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), which is characterized by high morbidity and mortality, account for an increasing medical burden worldwide. We previously found that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could attenuate SAP and that expression of long noncoding RNA H19 (LncRNA H19) was upregulated in rats receiving MSCs. In the present study, we investigated the mechanisms of LncRNA H19 regulating the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs in the alleviation of SAP.

Laparoscopic versus open resection for elderly patients with gastric cancer: a double-center study with propensity score matching method.

Purpose: The applicability of laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy for elderly patients with gastric cancer is still not well clarified. The aim of this double-center study was to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy on elderly patients with gastric cancer.

Methods: We prospectively collected data of patients who underwent gastrectomy for cancer in two centers from June 2016 to December 2019.

Antibiotic administration shortly before or after immunotherapy initiation is correlated with poor prognosis in solid cancer patients: An up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have recently achieved inspiring performance in improving the prognosis of various solid tumors. Gut microbiome plays a crucial modulatory role in the efficacy of ICIs, which can be influenced by antibiotic (ATB) administration. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to clarify the correlations of ATB administration with the prognosis of solid cancer patients receiving ICI treatment.

Clinical Characteristics and Eosinophils in Young SARS-CoV-2-Positive Chinese Travelers Returning to Shanghai.

The COVID-19 outbreak, which was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, began to spread throughout the world, and now involves over 200 countries. A total of 37 overseas young and middle-aged people, who tested as SARS-CoV-2 positive upon their return to Shanghai, were enrolled for an analysis of their clinical symptoms, blood routine indexes, and lung CT images. The clinical symptoms were characterized by fever (51.

Opportunities, risks and challenges in global mental health and population neuroscience: a case of Sino-German cooperation.

Large scale prospective cohorts have now been established across several countries, and continents, and among the aims include an assessment of the developmental trajectory of mental disorders. This level of international cooperation helps transfer research findings to new social contexts as well as enabling an assessment of which findings can be replicated, and which interventions are most effective, in different social and cultural settings. However, data sharing across different regional and national health care systems requires a careful consideration of different standards in ethical research, data protection and patient care, including respect for patients' rights, in cooperating jurisdictions.

Comparison of Three Instruments for Activity Disability in Acute Ischemic Stroke Survivors.

Background: Disabilities in physical activity and functional independence affect the early rehabilitation of stroke survivors. Moreover, a good instrument for assessing activity disability allows accurate assessment of physical disability and assists in prognosis determination.

Objective: To compare three assessment tools for physical activity in acute-phase stroke survivors.

The epidemiologic and clinical features of suspected and confirmed cases of imported 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in north Shanghai, China.

Background: A recent cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan (China) is known to be caused by a novel beta-coronavirus named the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and can be spread through human-to-human transmission.

Methods: Data of 21 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and 84 patients with suspected COVID-19 were analyzed by RT-PCR. The epidemiologic and clinical features as well as clinical outcomes were compared between the confirmed and suspected cases.