The impact of liver fibrosis on the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma via a hypoxia-immune-integrated prognostic model

The impact of liver fibrosis on the deterioration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial. We hope to explore this issue through establishing a fibrosis-hypoxia-glycolysis-immune related prognostic model. Liver fibrosis-related genes from Molecular Signatures Database were used to evaluate the degree of fibrosis in HCC patients from the TCGA database. The patients were divided into two groups using the fibrosis-related expression matrix based on the algorithm uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) and evaluated for fibrosis by UMAP cluster and gene enrichment analysis. Prognostic model was constructed by differential analysis, LASSO, and multivariate regression analysis. Immune-infiltration analysis was performed by CIBERSORT. Quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry were performed to measure the gene expression levels in HCC patients from our hospital. In 365 HCC patients from the TCGA database, 111 HCC patients with high fibrosis score have a worse prognosis than those with low fibrosis based on 129 genes related to liver fibrosis, which may be caused by the interaction between fibrosis, angiogenesis, hypoxia, glycolysis, inflammatory response, and high immune infiltration. We constructed a Fibrosis-Hypoxia-Glycolysis-Immune Prognostic Model (FHGISig), which could significantly predict disease progression in HCC patients. Furthermore, we revealed a close correlation between FHGISig and immune cell infiltration level as well as immune checkpoints. Finally, PCR results found TFF3 mRNA was significantly lower in cirrhotic HCC patients compared with non-cirrhotic ones. Liver fibrosis is a poor-prognostic factor for HCC, and our FHGISig could significantly predict disease progression, which could also be a potential predictive marker for immunotherapy in HCC patients.

Association between serum soluble α-klotho and bone mineral density (BMD) in middle-aged and older adults in the United States: a population-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease defined by low bone mineral density, has a high prevalence, and causes fractures at multiple sites throughout the body, greatly affecting the quality of patients. α-Klotho is an endocrine factor involved in the regulation of various metabolic processes in humans, and its role in bone metabolism has attracted widespread attention. The relationship between α-klotho and bone mineral density has not been uniformly recognized, and no large-scale correlation analysis has been conducted in the middle-aged and elderly population.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the relationship between α-klotho and bone mineral density in middle-aged and elderly people.

METHODS

Population data of 3120 individuals aged 40-79 years were obtained from the NHANES database for the period 2011-2016. Regression analysis was performed using a general linear model with serum α-klotho as the independent variable and total bone mineral density, thoracic bone mineral density, lumbar bone mineral density, pelvic bone mineral density, and trunk bone mineral density as the dependent variables, respectively. The generalized additive model was also used for smoothing curve fitting and threshold effect analysis.

RESULTS

Serum α-klotho was positively correlated with total bone mineral density at lg (Klotho) < 2.97 and with thoracic bone mineral density at lg (Klotho) > 2.69 (β = 0.05, p = 0.0006), and negatively correlated (β = -0.27, p = 0.0341) with lumbar bone mineral density at lg (Klotho) < 2.69. It also positively correlated with trunk bone mineral density (β = 0.027, p = 0.03657) and had no segmental effect but did not correlate with pelvic bone mineral density. The positive association of serum α-klotho with those aged 40-49 years, female, non-Hispanic White, and without hypertension was clearer. In the population with diabetes, a significantly positive association between total (β = 0.15, p = 0.01), thoracic (β = 0.23, p = 0.0404), and lumbar (β = 0.22, p = 0.0424) bone mineral density and α-klotho was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

α-Klotho has different relationships with total, thoracic, lumbar, and trunk bone mineral density. Among them, the positive correlation between α-klotho and trunk bone mineral density is more valuable for predicting osteoporosis. The significant effect of α-klotho on bone mineral density in diabetes patients suggests its potential as a predictive marker of diabetes progression.

CX3CR1 regulates the development of renal interstitial fibrosis through macrophage polarization

OBJECTIVES

The binding of CX3C chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1) and its unique ligand CX3C chemokine ligand 1 (CX3CL1) can promote the migration of inflammatory cells to the lesion and affect the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to investigate whether CX3CR1 affects renal interstitial fibrosis by macrophage polarization.

METHODS

A mouse model of renal interstitial fibrosis was established by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). C57/B6 mice were divided into a CX3CR1 inhibitor group (injected with CX3CR1 inhibitor AZD8797) and a model group (injected with physiological saline). After continuous intraperitoneal injection for 5 days, the ligated lateral kidneys of mice were obtained on the 7th day. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and Masson staining were used to observe the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the collagen fiber deposition in renal interstitium, respectively. The mRNA and protein expressions of CX3CR1, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and fibronectin (FN) in the kidneys were detected by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting, respectively. Differentially expressed genes in kidney of the 2 groups were identified by whole genome sequencing and the differential expression of arginase-1 (Arg-1) was verified by RT-PCR. Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of M2 type macrophages in kidneys of the 2 groups.

RESULTS

The infiltration of inflammatory cells and the collagen fiber deposition in renal interstitium were significantly reduced in the CX3CR1 inhibitor group. The mRNA and protein levels of CX3CR1 and the mRNA levels of α-SMA and FN in the CX3CR1 inhibitor group were significantly lower than those of the model group (all P<0.05). Whole genome sequencing showed that the top 5 differentially expressed genes in kidney of the 2 groups were Ugt1a6b, Serpina1c, Arg-1, Retnla, and Nup62. RT-PCR verified that the expression level of Arg-1 in kidney of the CX3CR1 inhibitor group was significantly higher than that of the model group (P<0.001). Flow cytometry showed that the proportion of Arg1+CD206+M2 macrophages in kidney of the CX3CR1 inhibitor group was significantly higher than that of the model group (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Inhibiting CX3CR1 can effectively prevent the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis. The mechanism may be related to macrophage polarization towards M2 type and upregulation of Arg-1 expression.

Intrahepatic macrophage reprogramming associated with lipid metabolism in hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure

BACKGROUND

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a severe syndrome with high short-term mortality, but the pathophysiology still remains largely unknown. Immune dysregulation and metabolic disorders contribute to the progression of ACLF, but the crosstalk between immunity and metabolism during ACLF is less understood. This study aims to depict the immune microenvironment in the liver during ACLF, and explore the role of lipid metabolic disorder on immunity.

METHODS

Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed using the liver non-parenchymal cells (NPCs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy controls, cirrhosis patients and ACLF patients. A series of inflammation-related cytokines and chemokines were detected using liver and plasma samples. The lipid metabolomics targeted free fatty acids (FFAs) in the liver was also detected.

RESULTS

The scRNA-seq analysis of liver NPCs showed a significant increase of monocytes/macrophages (Mono/Mac) infiltration in ACLF livers, whereas the resident Kupffer cells (KCs) were exhausted. A characterized TREM2⁺ Mono/Mac subpopulation was identified in ACLF, and showed immunosuppressive function. Combined with the scRNA-seq data from PBMCs, the pseudotime analysis revealed that the TREM2⁺ Mono/Mac were differentiated from the peripheral monocytes and correlated with lipid metabolism-related genes including APOE, APOC1, FABP5 and TREM2. The targeted lipid metabolomics proved the accumulation of unsaturated FFAs associated with α-linolenic acid (α-LA) and α-LA metabolism and beta oxidation of very long chain fatty acids in the ACLF livers, indicating that unsaturated FFAs might promote the differentiation of TREM2⁺ Mono/Mac during ACLF.

CONCLUSIONS

The reprogramming of macrophages was found in the liver during ACLF. The immunosuppressive TREM2⁺ macrophages were enriched in the ACLF liver and contributed to the immunosuppressive hepatic microenvironment. The accumulation of unsaturated FFAs in the ACLF liver promoted the reprogramming of the macrophages. It might be a potential target to improve the immune deficiency of ACLF patients through regulating lipid metabolism.

Machine learning-based investigation of the relationship between immune status and left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with end-stage kidney disease

Background

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is the most frequent cardiac complication among end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients, which has been identified as predictive of adverse outcomes. Emerging evidence has suggested that immune system is implicated in the development of cardiac hypertrophy in multiple diseases. We applied machine learning models to exploring the relation between immune status and LVH in ESKD patients.

Methods

A cohort of 506 eligible patients undergoing immune status assessment and standard echocardiography simultaneously in our center were retrospectively analyzed. The association between immune parameters and the occurrence of LVH were evaluated through univariate and multivariate logistic analysis. To develop a predictive model, we utilized four distinct modeling approaches: support vector machine (SVM), logistic regression (LR), multi-layer perceptron (MLP), and random forest (RF).

Results

In comparison to the non-LVH group, ESKD patients with LVH exhibited significantly impaired immune function, as indicated by lower cell counts of CD3⁺ T cells, CD4⁺ T cells, CD8⁺ T cells, and B cells. Additionally, multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that a decrease in CD3⁺ T cell count was an independent risk factor for LVH, while a decrease in NK cell count was associated with the severity of LVH. The RF model demonstrated superior performance, with an average area under the curve (AUC) of 0.942.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate a strong association between immune parameters and LVH in ESKD patients. Moreover, the RF model exhibits excellent predictive ability in identifying ESKD patients at risk of developing LVH. Based on these results, immunomodulation may represent a promising approach for preventing and treating this disease.

The long non-coding RNA KLF3-AS1/miR-10a-3p/ZBTB20 axis improves the degenerative changes in human nucleus pulposus cells

Excessive apoptosis of intervertebral disc cells, namely nucleus pulposus (NP) cells, results in decreased cell density and extracellular matrix (ECM) catabolism, hence leading to intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). As a cell model in the present study, a commercially available human NP cell line was utilized. Long noncoding RNAs and microRNAs may regulate the proliferation or apoptosis of human NP cells, hence exerting a significant influence on the occurrence of IVDD. KLF3-AS1 was discovered to be abnormally downregulated in IVDD tissues. Overexpression of KLF3-AS1 enhanced NP cell viability, prevented cell apoptosis, boosted ECM synthesis, and lowered MMP-13 and ADAMTS4 levels. ZBTB20 and KLF3-AS1 were co-expressed in IVDD; ZBTB20 overexpression had similar effects on NP cells, ECM production, and MMP-13 and ADAMTS4 levels as KLF3-AS1 overexpression. miR-10a-3p may target KLF3-AS1 and ZBTB20 and inhibit the expression of ZBTB20. Inhibition of miR-10a-3p enhanced NP cell viability, reduced apoptosis, and enhanced ECM synthesis. KLF3-AS1 overexpression increased ZBTB20 expression, whereas miR-10a-3p overexpression decreased ZBTB20 expression; miR-10a-3p overexpression reduced the effects of KLF3-AS1 on ZBTB20. Overexpression of miR-10a-3p consistently decreased the effects of KLF3-AS1 overexpression on NP cell survival, apoptosis, and ECM synthesis. In conclusion, KLF3-AS1 overexpression may ameliorate degenerative NP cell alterations through the miR-10a-3p/ZBTB20 axis.

Immune landscape and the key role of APOE+ monocytes of lupus nephritis under the single-cell and spatial transcriptional vista

BACKGROUND

Lupus nephritis (LN) is among the most common complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with high mortality and morbidity. The analysis of LN kidney's local immune response through single-cell and spatial transcriptome enables the study of potential therapeutic targets.

METHODS

By single cell sequencing and spatial transcriptome, we profile cells from LN kidney and normal kidney tissues to characterize cellular composition and elucidate the potential upstream monocyte/macrophage (Mono/MΦ) initiating the auto-immune response. After the high-throughput synergy screening, we performed the immunofluorescence to identify the specific cells in LN patients. The function experiments were finished by flow cytometry and Elisa.

RESULTS

By immunofluorescence and spatial transcriptome, we identified differential subsets of Mono/MΦ and demonstrated that they exhibit temporal expression of TIMP1, IL1B, SPP1 and APOE. With the function experiments, we found that the APOE+ Mono may be compensatorily increased in LN, and the capacity of antigen presenting was decreased with the overexpression of APOE. Furthermore, how do the LN-specific Mono/MΦ transport in and out the glomerulus to active the local immune response remains unclear. Our results showed that lymphangiogenesis occurred in LN kidneys but not in normal kidneys, suggesting the presence of a new lymphatic vessel may serve as a 'green channel' for LN-specific Mono/MΦ.

CONCLUSIONS

In LN, APOE+ Mono are compensatorily elevated, with decreased antigen presenting ability and reduced secretion of interferons. The lymphangiogenesis in LN prompts the trafficking of Mono/MΦ in LN kidney.

Identification of the shared genes and immune signatures between systemic lupus erythematosus and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder which could lead to inflammation and fibrosis in various organs. Pulmonary fibrosis is a severe complication in patients with SLE. Nonetheless, SLE-derived pulmonary fibrosis has unknown pathogenesis. Of pulmonary fibrosis, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a typicality and deadly form. Aiming to investigate the gene signatures and possible immune mechanisms in SLE-derived pulmonary fibrosis, we explored common characters between SLE and IPF from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database.

RESULTS

We employed the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify the shared genes. Two modules were significantly identified in both SLE and IPF, respectively. The overlapped 40 genes were selected out for further analysis. The GO enrichment analysis of shared genes between SLE and IPF was performed with ClueGO and indicated that p38MAPK cascade, a key inflammation response pathway, may be a common feature in both SLE and IPF. The validation datasets also illustrated this point. The enrichment analysis of common miRNAs was obtained from the Human microRNA Disease Database (HMDD) and the enrichment analysis with the DIANA tools also indicated that MAPK pathways' role in the pathogenesis of SLE and IPF. The target genes of these common miRNAs were identified by the TargetScan7.2 and a common miRNAs-mRNAs network was constructed with the overlapped genes in target and shared genes to show the regulated target of SLE-derived pulmonary fibrosis. The result of CIBERSORT showed decreased regulatory T cells (Tregs), naïve CD4+ T cells and rest mast cells but increased activated NK cells and activated mast cells in both SLE and IPF. The target genes of cyclophosphamide were also obtained from the Drug Repurposing Hub and had an interaction with the common gene PTGS2 predicted with protein-protein interaction (PPI) and molecular docking, indicating its potential treatment effect.

CONCLUSIONS

This study originally uncovered the MAPK pathway, and the infiltration of some immune-cell subsets might be pivotal factors for pulmonary fibrosis complication in SLE, which could be used as potentially therapeutic targets. The cyclophosphamide may treat SLE-derived pulmonary fibrosis through interaction with PTGS2, which could be activated by p38MAPK.

A meta-validated immune infiltration-related gene model predicts prognosis and immunotherapy sensitivity in HNSCC

BACKGROUND

Tumor microenvironment (TME) is of great importance to regulate the initiation and advance of cancer. The immune infiltration patterns of TME have been considered to impact the prognosis and immunotherapy sensitivity in Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Whereas, specific molecular targets and cell components involved in the HNSCC tumor microenvironment remain a twilight zone.

METHODS

Immune scores of TCGA-HNSCC patients were calculated via ESTIMATE algorithm, followed by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to filter immune infiltration-related gene modules. Univariate, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and multivariate cox regression were applied to construct the prognostic model. The predictive capacity was validated by meta-analysis including external dataset GSE65858, GSE41613 and GSE686. Model candidate genes were verified at mRNA and protein levels using public database and independent specimens of immunohistochemistry. Immunotherapy-treated cohort GSE159067, TIDE and CIBERSORT were used to evaluate the features of immunotherapy responsiveness and immune infiltration in HNSCC.

RESULTS

Immune microenvironment was significantly associated with the prognosis of HNSCC patients. Total 277 immune infiltration-related genes were filtered by WGCNA and involved in various immune processes. Cox regression identified nine prognostic immune infiltration-related genes (MORF4L2, CTSL1, TBC1D2, C5orf15, LIPA, WIPF1, CXCL13, TMEM173, ISG20) to build a risk score. Most candidate genes were highly expressed in HNSCC tissues at mRNA and protein levels. Survival meta-analysis illustrated high prognostic accuracy of the model in the discovery cohort and validation cohort. Higher proportion of progression-free outcomes, lower TIDE scores and higher expression levels of immune checkpoint genes indicated enhanced immunotherapy responsiveness in low-risk patients. Decreased memory B cells, CD8+ T cells, follicular helper T cells, regulatory T cells, and increased activated dendritic cells and activated mast cells were identified as crucial immune cells in the TME of high-risk patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The immune infiltration-related gene model was well-qualified and provided novel biomarkers for the prognosis of HNSCC.

Standardization of neutrophil CD64 and monocyte HLA-DR measurement and its application in immune monitoring in kidney transplantation

Background

Infections cause high mortality in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). The expressions of neutrophil CD64 (nCD64) and monocyte HLA-DR (mHLA-DR) provide direct evidence of immune status and can be used to evaluate the severity of infection. However, the intensities of nCD64 and mHLA-DR detected by flow cytometry (FCM) are commonly measured by mean fluorescence intensities (MFIs), which are relative values, thus limiting their application. We aimed to standardize nCD64 and mHLA-DR expression using molecules of equivalent soluble fluorochrome (MESF) and to explore their role in immune monitoring for KTRs with infection.

Methods

The study included 50 KTRs diagnosed with infection, 65 immunologically stable KTRs and 26 healthy controls. The blood samples were collected and measured simultaneously by four FCM protocols at different flow cytometers. The MFIs of nCD64 and mHLA-DR were converted into MESF by Phycoerythrin (PE) Fluorescence Quantitation Kit. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and the Bland-Altman plots were used to evaluate the reliability between the four FCM protocols. MESFs of nCD64 and mHLA-DR, nCD64 index and sepsis index (SI) with the TBNK panel were used to evaluate the immune status. Comparisons among multiple groups were performed with ANOVA one-way analysis. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was performed to diagnose infection or sepsis. Univariate and multivariate logistic analysis examined associations of the immune status with infection.

Results

MESFs of nCD64 and mHLA-DR measured by four protocols had excellent reliability (ICCs 0.993 and 0.957, respectively). The nCD64, CD64 index and SI in infection group were significantly higher than those of stable KTRs group. Patients with sepsis had lower mHLA-DR but higher SI than non-sepsis patients. ROC analysis indicated that nCD64 had the highest area under the curve (AUC) for infection, and that mHLA-DR had the highest AUC for sepsis. Logistic analysis indicated that nCD64 > 3089 and B cells counts were independent risk factors for infection.

Conclusion

The standardization of nCD64 and mHLA-DR made it available for widespread application. MESFs of nCD64 and mHLA-DR had good diagnostic performance on infection and sepsis, respectively, which could be promising indicators for immune status of KTRs and contributed to individualized treatment.

Knowledge mapping of students' mental health status in the COVID-19 pandemic: A bibliometric study

Objective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the international scientific output on mental health of students during COVID-19 from 2020 to 2022 through a bibliometric analysis and to explore trend and research hotspots in this field.

Methods

We searched the Web of Science Core Collection for publications and used a variety of software to analyze and visualize the data such as R, CiteSpace, VOSviewer and Scimago.

Results

A total of 2,734 publications were retrieved as of June 4, 2022, published by 3,894 institutions from 120 countries/regions. China and the United States lead in the quantity and quality of publications in this field. According to Bradford's Law, 16 journals are considered core journals in the field. Co-cited references indicate the main psychological problems of students under the epidemic revolve around anxiety, poor sleep and financial difficulty. Their behavior might also be influenced by increased internet and alcohol use.

Conclusion

Mental health of students during COVID-19 is attracting increasing attention. It is identified that the research hotspots in this field continue to revolve around emotional anxiety and unhealthy behaviors. Due to the different troubles faced by different groups under COVID-19, further exploration of the relevant factors specific for students are needed, with a hopeful view to providing ideas for intervention measures.

Two-dimensional antiferromagnetic nodal-line semimetal and quantum anomalous Hall state in the van der Waals heterostructure germanene/Mn2S2

Materials with interactions between the topology and magnetism are triggering increasing interest. We constructed a two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals heterostructure germanene/Mn₂S₂, where the germanene is a quantum spin Hall insulator and Mn₂S₂provides antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions. In this structure, a 2D AFM nodal-line semimetal (NLSM) phase is expected without the spin-orbit coupling (SOC), which is of a high density of states around the Fermi level. The band touching rings originate from the intersection between different spin components ofporbitals of germanene. This result provides a possible 2D realization of NLSMs, which are usually realized in three-dimensional systems. When the SOC is present, a quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) state emerges with the annihilation of the band-touching rings. The nontrivial topology is determined by calculating the Chern number and Wannier charge centers. This provides an alternative platform to realize QAH states. These results could also provide the possibility of further understanding the topological states in NLSM and electronic applications.

Multivalley Superconductivity in Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

In transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), Ising superconductivity with an antisymmetric spin texture on the Fermi surface has attracted wide interest due to the exotic pairing and topological properties. However, it is not clear whether the Q valley with a giant spin splitting is involved in the superconductivity of heavily doped semiconducting 2H-TMDs. Here by taking advantage of a high-quality monolayer WS₂ on hexagonal boron nitride flakes, we report an ionic-gating induced superconducting dome with a record high critical temperature of ∼6 K, accompanied by an emergent nonlinear Hall effect. The nonlinearity indicates the development of an additional high-mobility channel, which (corroborated by first principle calculations) can be ascribed to the population of Q valleys. Thus, multivalley population at K and Q is suggested to be a prerequisite for developing superconductivity. The involvement of Q valleys also provides insights to the spin textured Fermi surface of Ising superconductivity in the large family of transition metal dichalcogenides.

Identification and validation of an immunological microenvironment signature and prediction model for epstein-barr virus positive lymphoma: Implications for immunotherapy

Background

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is considered a carcinogenic virus, which is associated with high risk for poor prognosis in lymphoma patients, and there has been especially no satisfying and effective treatment for EBV+ lymphoma. We aimed to identify the immunological microenvironment molecular signatures which lead to the poor prognosis of EBV+ lymphoma patients.

Methods

Differential genes were screened with microarray data from the GEO database (GSE38885, GSE34143 and GSE13996). The data of lymphoid neoplasm diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBC) from the TCGA database and GSE4475 were used to identify the prognostic genes. The data of GSE38885, GSE34143, GSE132929, GSE58445 and GSE13996 were used to eluate the immune cell infiltration. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue was collected for Real Time Quantitative PCR from 30 clinical samples, including 15 EBV+ and 15 EBV- lymphoma patients.

Results

Four differential genes between EBV+ and EBV- lymphoma patients were screened out with the significance of the survival and prognosis of lymphoma, including CHIT1, SIGLEC15, PLA2G2D and TMEM163. Using CIBERSORT to evaluate immune cell infiltration, we found the infiltration level of macrophages was significantly different between EBV+ and EBV- groups and was closely related to different genes. Preliminary clinical specimen verification identified that the expression levels of CHIT1 and TMEM163 were different between EBV+ and EBV- groups.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that differences in expression levels of CHIT1 and TMEM163 and macrophage infiltration levels may be important drivers of poor prognosis of EBV+ lymphoma patients. These hub genes may provide new insights into the prognosis and therapeutic target for EBV+ lymphoma.

Tuning 4f-Center Electron Structure by Schottky Defects for Catalyzing Li Diffusion to Achieve Long-Term Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Battery

Lithium metal is considered as the most prospective electrode for next-generation energy storage systems due to high capacity and the lowest potential. However, uncontrollable spatial growth of lithium dendrites and the crack of solid electrolyte interphase still hinder its application. Herein, Schottky defects are motivated to tune the 4f-center electronic structures of catalysts to provide active sites to accelerate Li transport kinetics. As experimentally and theoretically confirmed, the electronic density is redistributed and affected by the Schottky defects, offering numerous active catalytic centers with stronger ion diffusion capability to guide the horizontal lithium deposition against dendrite growth. Consequently, the Li electrode with artificial electronic-modulation layer remarkably decreases the barriers of desolvation, nucleation, and diffusion, extends the dendrite-free plating lifespan up to 1200 h, and improves reversible Coulombic efficiency. With a simultaneous catalytic effect on the conversions of sulfur species at the cathodic side, the integrated Li-S full battery exhibits superior rate performance of 653 mA h g^-1 at 5 C, high long-life capacity retention of 81.4% at 3 C, and a high energy density of 2264 W h kg^-1 based on sulfur in a pouch cell, showing the promising potential toward high-safety and long-cycling lithium metal batteries.

A first-principles study on crystal structures and metallization of sodium-rich sulfides under high pressure

We performed systematical theoretical simulations on phase diagrams, crystal structures, electron properties, and phonon features of Na-S system under high pressures. NaS, Na₂S, and Na₄S, were found to be stable under pressures. The superconducting transition critical temperature was estimated to nearly 0 K at 100 GPa in Na₃S due to the weak electron-phonon coupling. Furthermore, by the comparison on the structures, the electron features, and alkali metal ions of stoichiometric proportion, we found that not only the pressure but also the number of sodium atoms in the formula unit of alkali metal atoms can promote the insulator-metal transformation in the alkali metal sulfides, such as Li-S, Na-S, and K-S systems.

The Combined Model of CX3CR1-Related Immune Infiltration Genes to Evaluate the Prognosis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Background

High expression of chemokine (C-X3-C motif) receptor 1 (CX3CR1) was shown to contribute to the progression of many fibrotic diseases. However, there is still no study for the role of CX3CR1 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Therefore, we aimed to identify CX3CR1-related immune infiltration genes (IIGs) in IPF and establish a combined risk model to evaluate the prognosis of IPF.

Methods

A discovery cohort of IPF patients (GSE70867) was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus dataset. We identified the composition of 22 kinds of immune cells infiltration by CIBERSORT. The Cox regression model with the LASSO method was used for identifying prognostic genes and developing CX3CR1-related IIGs. Kaplan–Meier was applied to plot the survival curve of prognosis model. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected to be tested by quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR (qRT-PCR) from 15 clinical samples, including 8 healthy controls (HC), 4 patients with usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) and 3 patients with pulmonary fibrosis (FIB).

Results

We found that high expression of CX3CR1 in BALF contributed to the poor prognosis in IPF patients. ALR4C, RAB37, GPR56, MARCKS, PXN and RASSF2 were identified as CX3CR1-related IIGs, which were highly expressed in PBMC of UIP/FIB patients than that of HC. Moreover, the expression of PXN was higher in FIB patients’ PBMC than that of UIP ones. In the cohort of IPF patients, high infiltration of activated NK cells in BALF caused poor survival compared to low infiltration group. The infiltration of activated NK was regulated by CX3CR1-related IIGs. The combined risk model predicted that high expression of CX3CR1-related IIGs and high infiltrated activated NK cells caused poor prognosis in IPF patients.

Conclusion

We identified a group of CX3CR1-related IIGs in IPF patients. This combined risk model provided new insights in the prognosis and therapy of IPF.

The Expansion of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Correlates With the Severity of Pneumonia in Kidney Transplant Patients

Background

Pneumonia is one of the most frequent but serious infectious complications post kidney transplantation. Severe pneumonia induces sustained immunosuppression, but few parameters concerning immune status are used to assess the severity of pneumonia. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are induced under infection and have the strong immunosuppressive capacity, but the correlation between MDSCs and pneumonia in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) is unknown.

Methods

Peripheral blood MDSCs were longitudinally detected in 58 KTRs diagnosed with pneumonia using flow cytometry and in 29 stable KTRs as a control. The effectors of MDSCs were detected in the plasma. Spearman's rank correlation analysis was performed to determine the correlation between MDSCs and the severity of pneumonia as well as lymphopenia.

Results

The frequency of MDSCs and effectors, including arginase-1, S100A8/A9, and S100A12, were significantly increased in the pneumonia group compared with the stable group. CD11b⁺CD14⁺HLA-DR^low/−CD15⁻ monocytic-MDSCs (M-MDSCs) were higher in the pneumonia group but showed no significant difference between the severe and non-severe pneumonia subgroups. CD11b⁺CD14⁻CD15⁺ low-density granulocytic-MDSCs (G-MDSCs) were specifically increased in the severe pneumonia subgroup and correlated with the severity of pneumonia as well as lymphopenia. During the study period of 2 weeks, the frequencies of MDSCs and G-MDSCs were persistently increased in the severe pneumonia subgroup.

Conclusions

MDSCs and G-MDSCs were persistently increased in KTRs with pneumonia. G-MDSCs were correlated with the severity of pneumonia and could thus be an indicator concerning immune status for assessing pneumonia severity.

Diagnostic Significance of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing for Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Southern China

Background

The morbidity and mortality of community-acquired pneumonia are relatively high, but many pneumonia pathogens cannot be identified accurately. As a new pathogen detection technology, metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has been applied more and more clinically. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic significance of mNGS for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the south of China.

Methods

Our study selected CAP patients who visited the 3rd Xiangya Hospital from May 2019 to April 2021. Pathogens in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) specimens were detected using mNGS and traditional microbiological culture. mNGS group: detected by both mNGS and BALF culture; control group: detected only by BALF or sputum culture. The diagnostic performance of pathogens and the antibiotic adjustments were compared within mNGS group.

Results

The incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was 28.3% in the mNGS group and 17.3% in the control group. Within the mNGS group, the positive rate of pathogens detected by mNGS was 64%, thus by BALF culture was only 28%. Pathogens detected by mNGS were consisted of bacteria (55%), fungi (18%), special pathogens (18%), and viruses (9%). The most detected pathogen by mNGS was Chlamydia psittaci. Among the pathogen-positive cases, 26% was not pathogen-covered by empirical antibiotics, so most of which were made an antibiotic adjustment.

Conclusions

mNGS can detect pathogens in a more timely and accurate manner and assist clinicians to adjust antibiotics in time. Therefore, we recommend mNGS as the complementary diagnosis of severe pneumonia or complicated infections.

Models to predict the short-term survival of acute-on-chronic liver failure patients following liver transplantation

Background

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is featured with rapid deterioration of chronic liver disease and poor short-term prognosis. Liver transplantation (LT) is recognized as the curative option for ACLF. However, there is no standard in the prediction of the short-term survival among ACLF patients following LT.

Method

Preoperative data of 132 ACLF patients receiving LT at our center were investigated retrospectively. Cox regression was performed to determine the risk factors for short-term survival among ACLF patients following LT. Five conventional score systems (the MELD score, ABIC, CLIF-C OFs, CLIF-SOFAs and CLIF-C ACLFs) in forecasting short-term survival were estimated through the receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Four machine-learning (ML) models, including support vector machine (SVM), logistic regression (LR), multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and random forest (RF), were also established for short-term survival prediction.

Results

Cox regression analysis demonstrated that creatinine (Cr) and international normalized ratio (INR) were the two independent predictors for short-term survival among ACLF patients following LT. The ROC curves showed that the area under the curve (AUC) ML models was much larger than that of conventional models in predicting short-term survival. Among conventional models the model for end stage liver disease (MELD) score had the highest AUC (0.704), while among ML models the RF model yielded the largest AUC (0.940).

Conclusion

Compared with the traditional methods, the ML models showed good performance in the prediction of short-term prognosis among ACLF patients following LT and the RF model perform the best. It is promising to optimize organ allocation and promote transplant survival based on the prediction of ML models.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12876-022-02164-6.

Pre-Transplant Peripheral Lymphocyte Subsets Predict Pneumonia After Renal Transplantation

Background

Kidney transplantation (KTx) has been considered as the most effective therapeutic method for end-stage renal disease. Immune monitoring of peripheral lymphocyte subsets (PLS) reflects the real immune status and has been used for diagnosis of pneumonia after KTx. We aimed to investigate the association between pre-transplant PLS and pneumonia in renal allograft recipients.

Material/Methods

A total of 152 patients receive donation after citizen’s death (DCD) kidney allografts in our center between January 2018 and December 2019. Among them, 114 patients were enrolled in our study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. During the first-year follow-up after KTx, 32 recipients developed pneumonia, and the other 82 recipients did not (stable group). The pre-clinical information and PLS (including the percentages and absolute numbers (Ab No.) of peripheral T, B, and NK cells, as well as CD4/CD8 ratio) results in these 2 groups were calculated by the Mann-Whitney test and receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify risk factors.

Results

Compared to the stable group, the Ab No. of CD3+, CD8+, and CD4+ T cells, as well as B cells and NK cells, were notably reduced in the pneumonia patients. The area under the curve (AUC) of CD3+ T cell Ab No. was 0.7022. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that pre-transplant B cell Ab No. was the independent risk factor for pneumonia progression after KTx (OR=0.353, P=0.037).

Conclusions

Pre-transplant Ab No. of PLS were closely related to pneumonia after KTx. Monitoring pre-transplant PLS could provide more timely and effective prevention and therapy for post-operative pneumonia after KTx.

Investigation of an FGFR-Signaling-Related Prognostic Model and Immune Landscape in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: There is accumulating evidence on the clinical importance of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signal, hypoxia, and glycolysis in the immune microenvironment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), yet reliable prognostic signatures based on the combination of the fibrosis signal, hypoxia, and glycolysis have not been systematically investigated. Herein, we are committed to establish a fibrosis–hypoxia–glycolysis–related prediction model for the prognosis and related immune infiltration of HNSCC.

Methods: Fibrotic signal status was estimated with microarray data of a discovery cohort from the TCGA database using the UMAP algorithm. Hypoxia, glycolysis, and immune-cell infiltration scores were imputed using the ssGSEA algorithm. Cox regression with the LASSO method was applied to define prognostic genes and develop a fibrosis–hypoxia–glycolysis–related gene signature. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was conducted to identify the expression of specific genes in the prognostic model. Protein expression of several signature genes was evaluated in HPA. An independent cohort from the GEO database was used for external validation. Another scRNA-seq data set was used to clarify the related immune infiltration of HNSCC.

Results: Six genes, including AREG, THBS1, SEMA3C, ANO1, IGHG2, and EPHX3, were identified to construct a prognostic model for risk stratification, which was mostly validated in the independent cohort. Multivariate analysis revealed that risk score calculated by our prognostic model was identified as an independent adverse prognostic factor (p < .001). Activated B cells, immature B cells, activated CD4⁺ T cells, activated CD8⁺ T cells, effector memory CD8⁺ T cells, MDSCs, and mast cells were identified as key immune cells between high- and low-risk groups. IHC results showed that the expression of SEMA3C, IGHG2 were slightly higher in HNSCC tissue than normal head and neck squamous cell tissue. THBS1, ANO1, and EPHX3 were verified by IHC in HPA. By using single-cell analysis, FGFR-related genes and highly expressed DEGs in low-survival patients were more active in monocytes than in other immune cells.

Conclusion: A fibrosis–hypoxia–glycolysis–related prediction model provides risk estimation for better prognoses to patients diagnosed with HNSCC.

Immune and Metabolic Alterations in Liver Fibrosis: A Disruption of Oxygen Homeostasis?

According to the WHO, “cirrhosis of the liver” was the 11th leading cause of death globally in 2019. Many kinds of liver diseases can develop into liver cirrhosis, and liver fibrosis is the main pathological presentation of different aetiologies, including toxic damage, viral infection, and metabolic and genetic diseases. It is characterized by excessive synthesis and decreased decomposition of extracellular matrix (ECM). Hepatocyte cell death, hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, and inflammation are crucial incidences of liver fibrosis. The process of fibrosis is also closely related to metabolic and immune disorders, which are usually induced by the destruction of oxygen homeostasis, including mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and hypoxia pathway activation. Mitochondria are important organelles in energy generation and metabolism. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are key factors activated when hypoxia occurs. Both are considered essential factors of liver fibrosis. In this review, the authors highlight the impact of oxygen imbalance on metabolism and immunity in liver fibrosis as well as potential novel targets for antifibrotic therapies.

Receptor Interacting Protein Kinases 1/3: The Potential Therapeutic Target for Cardiovascular Inflammatory Diseases

The receptor interacting protein kinases 1/3 (RIPK1/3) have emerged as the key mediators in cell death pathways and inflammatory signaling, whose ubiquitination, phosphorylation, and inhibition could regulate the necroptosis and apoptosis effectually. Recently, more and more studies show great interest in the mechanisms and the regulator of RIPK1/3-mediated inflammatory response and in the physiopathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. The crosstalk of autophagy and necroptosis in cardiomyocyte death is a nonnegligible conversation of cell death. We elaborated on RIPK1/3-mediated necroptosis, pathways involved, the latest regulatory molecules and therapeutic targets in terms of ischemia reperfusion, myocardial remodeling, myocarditis, atherosclerosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and cardiovascular transplantation, etc.

A preliminary study of KAT2A on cGAS-related immunity in inflammation amplification of systemic lupus erythematosus

Previous studies demonstrated that cGAS pathway is related to the inflammation amplification in a variety of autoimmune diseases. Lysine acetyltransferase family (KATs) can regulate the nuclear transcription or cytoplasmic activation of cGAS through different mechanisms. However, its role and related immunity patterns in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have not been explored. In this study, RNA-seq and scRNA-seq profiling were performed for peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with SLE. R packages were used for bioinformatic analysis. Cell culture, RT-PCR, western blotting, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and ELISA were used to explore gene expression in vitro or clinical specimens. Plasmid transfection and mass spectrometry were used to detect protein modifications. Eight acetyltransferase and deacetylase family members with significantly differential expression in SLE were found. Among them, KAT2A was abnormally upregulated and positively correlated with disease activity index. Further, KAT2A-cGAS pathway was aberrantly expressed in specific immune cell subsets in SLE. In vitro studies showed KAT2A modulated cGAS through increasing expression and post-translational modification. Our research provides novel insights for accurately positioning specific immune-cell subgroups in which KAT2A-cGAS reaction mainly works and KAT2A regulation patterns.

Delayed-Onset PTSD and Coping Strategies of Chinese College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a pandemic, and many Chinese college students both in China and abroad were house-quarantined. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and symptoms of delayed-onset post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and coping strategies among Chinese overseas and domestic college students during this pandemic. A questionnaire was opportunistically distributed to Chinese college students studying both domestically and abroad six months after the COVID-19 outbreak. The questionnaire consisted of IES-R, SCSQ, and SSRS. The average score of delayed-onset PTSD in our population was 21.411 (full mark, 88 points), which reflected a total high level of delayed-onset PTSD symptoms. Statistical differences were shown between students who have been back to universities during the pandemic or not in the hyperarousal dimension (p = 0.016). Three coping strategies were recognized to influence the respondent's delayed-onset PTSD symptoms, and there was a significant correlation between social support and the coping strategies students chose. A moderate to high level of delayed-onset PTSD was observed among both Chinese overseas and domestic college students 6 months after the COVID-19 outbreak. The useful coping strategies and powerful social supports are significantly important to help them stay mentally healthy and alleviate delayed-onset PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis of Peripheral Blood Reveals a Novel B-Cell Subset in Renal Allograft Recipients With Accommodation

Background: Kidney transplantation (KTx) is a preeminent treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). After the application of immunosuppressants (IS), renal allograft recipients could reach a state called accommodation which means they are neither rejected nor infected. This study aimed to describe the details of this immune accommodation and reveal a novel mechanism of IS on immune cell subpopulations.

Methods: We analyzed multiple cell subgroups and their gene expression of peripheral T, B, myeloid, and NK cells from renal allograft recipients with accommodation and healthy control (HC) by single-cell transcriptomics sequencing (scRNA-seq) and flow cytometry.

Results: A total of 8,272 cells were isolated and sequenced from three individuals, including 2,758 cells from HC, 2,550 cells from ESRD patient, and 2,964 cells from KTx patient, as well as 396 immune response–related genes were detected during sequencing. 5 T-cell, 4 NK-cell, 5 myeloid, and 4 B-cell clusters were defined. Among them, a B-cell subset (CD19⁺IGLC3^lowIGKC^highTCL1A^-CD127⁺) of renal transplant recipients with accommodation was significantly lower than that of HC and verified by flow cytometry, and this B-cell subset showed an activated potential because of its high expression of CD127. Furthermore, we found that IL32 might be the key cytokine to induce the differentiation of this B-cell cluster.

Conclusion: We found a novel B-cell subset (CD19⁺IGLC3^lowIGKC^highTCL1A^-CD127⁺) which was inhibited and decreased in renal allograft recipients with accommodation. This study might reveal the effect of commonly used IS in clinical practice on B-cell subsets and related mechanism.

Proposed Superconducting Electride Li_{6}C by sp-Hybridized Cage States at Moderate Pressures

The combination of electride state and superconductivity within the same compound, e.g., [Ca_{24}Al_{28}O_{6}]^{4+}(4e^{-}), opens up a new category of conventional superconductors. However, neither the underlying causations to explain superconducting behaviors nor effects of interstitial quasiatoms (ISQs) on superconductivity remain unclear. Here we have designed an efficient and resource-saving method to identify superconducting electrides only by chemical compositions and bonding characteristics. A representative superconducting electride Li_{6}C with a noteworthy T_{c} of 10 K below 1 Mbar among the known binary electrides has been revealed. Our first-principles studies unveil that the anomalous sp-hybridized cage-state ISQs, as a guest in Li_{6}C, exhibit unexpected ionic and covalent bonds, which act as a chemical precompression to lower dynamically stable pressure. More importantly, we uncover that, contrary to common expectations, the high T_{c} is attributed to the strong electron-phonon coupling derived from the synergy of interatomic coupling effect, phonon softening caused by Fermi surface nesting, and phonon-coupled bands, which are mainly dominated by host sp-hybridized electrons, rather than the ISQs. Our present results elucidate a new superconducting mechanism of electrides and shed light on the way for seeking a high-T_{c} superconductor at lower pressures in cage-state electrides.

Late-onset PTSD and coping strategies for frontline nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic in China

Aim

To evaluate the late‐onset post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) situation, coping strategies and social supports for frontline clinical nurses 6 months after involvement in fighting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–19) outbreak in China.

Design

A cross‐sectional design.

Methods

We recently randomly distributed a questionnaire online to Chinese nurses who had taken care of COVID‐19 patients since the end of January 2020. The questionnaire was made up of three professional scales, the impact of event scale‐revised, simplified coping style questionnaire and social support rating scale included.

Results

The general prevalence of late‐onset PTSD among frontline nurses was 88.19%. Nurses who worked in Hubei Province (the kindle place of the COVID‐19 outbreak) showed lower risk of late‐onset PTSD symptoms than those who did not. We also found that positive coping strategies were correlated with less late‐onset PTSD symptoms. Meanwhile, getting more social supports could help these nurses to obtain positive coping strategies.

Investigation of a Hypoxia-Immune-Related Microenvironment Gene Signature and Prediction Model for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Background

There is growing evidence found that the role of hypoxia and immune status in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, there are few studies about the role of hypoxia and immune status in the lung milieu in the prognosis of IPF. This study aimed to develop a hypoxia-immune-related prediction model for the prognosis of IPF.

Methods

Hypoxia and immune status were estimated with microarray data of a discovery cohort from the GEO database using UMAP and ESTIMATE algorithms respectively. The Cox regression model with the LASSO method was used for identifying prognostic genes and developing hypoxia-immune-related genes. Cibersort was used to evaluate the difference of 22 kinds of immune cell infiltration. Three independent validation cohorts from GEO database were used for external validation. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected to be tested by Quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR (qRT-PCR) and flow cytometry from 22 clinical samples, including 13 healthy controls, six patients with non-fibrotic pneumonia and three patients with pulmonary fibrosis.

Results

Hypoxia and immune status were significantly associated with the prognosis of IPF patients. High hypoxia and high immune status were identified as risk factors for overall survival. CD8+ T cell, activated CD4+ memory T cell, NK cell, activated mast cell, M1 and M0 macrophages were identified as key immune cells in hypoxia-immune-related microenvironment. A prediction model for IPF prognosis was established based on the hypoxia-immune-related one protective and nine risk DEGs. In the independent validation cohorts, the prognostic prediction model performed the significant applicability in peripheral whole blood, peripheral blood mononuclear cell, and lung tissue of IPF patients. The preliminary clinical specimen validation suggested the reliability of most conclusions.

Conclusions

The hypoxia-immune-based prediction model for the prognosis of IPF provides a new idea for prognosis and treatment.

Improved Constraints on Global Methane Emissions and Sinks Using δ 13C-CH4

We study the drivers behind the global atmospheric methane (CH4) increase observed after 2006. Candidate emission and sink scenarios are constructed based on proposed hypotheses in the literature. These scenarios are simulated in the TM5 tracer transport model for 1984-2016 to produce three-dimensional fields of CH4 and δ 13C-CH4, which are compared with observations to test the competing hypotheses in the literature in one common model framework. We find that the fossil fuel (FF) CH4 emission trend from the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research 4.3.2 inventory does not agree with observed δ 13C-CH4. Increased FF CH4 emissions are unlikely to be the dominant driver for the post-2006 global CH4 increase despite the possibility for a small FF emission increase. We also find that a significant decrease in the abundance of hydroxyl radicals (OH) cannot explain the post-2006 global CH4 increase since it does not track the observed decrease in global mean δ 13C-CH4. Different CH4 sinks have different fractionation factors for δ 13C-CH4, thus we can investigate the uncertainty introduced by the reaction of CH4 with tropospheric chlorine (Cl), a CH4 sink whose abundance, spatial distribution, and temporal changes remain uncertain. Our results show that including or excluding tropospheric Cl as a 13 Tg/year CH4 sink in our model changes the magnitude of estimated fossil emissions by ∼20%. We also found that by using different wetland emissions based on a static versus a dynamic wetland area map, the partitioning between FF and microbial sources differs by 20 Tg/year, ∼12% of estimated fossil emissions.

The networks of m6A-SARS-CoV-2 related genes and immune infiltration patterns in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive lung disease with a poor prognosis. The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shares some similarities with IPF. SARS-CoV-2 related genes have been reported to be broadly regulated by N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) RNA modification. Here, we identified the association between m⁶A methylation regulators, COVID-19 infection pathways, and immune responses in IPF. The characteristic gene expression networks and immune infiltration patterns of m⁶A-SARS-CoV-2 related genes in different tissues of IPF were revealed. We subsequently evaluated the influence of these related gene expression patterns and immune infiltration patterns on the prognosis/lung function of IPF patients. The IPF cohort was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus dataset. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to identify the correlations among genes or cells. The CIBERSORT algorithm was used to assess the infiltration of 22 types of immune cells. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and proportional hazards model (Cox model) were used to develop the prognosis prediction model. Our research is pivotal for further understanding of the cellular and genetic links between IPF and SARS-CoV-2 infection in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may contribute to providing new ideas for prognosis assessment and treatment of both diseases.

Nitrogen and oxygen tailoring of a solid carbon active site for two-electron selectivity electrocatalysis

The second nearest C atoms of pyridinic N were predicted to be an active site for 2e⁻ ORR using DFT calculations, and were experimentally demonstrated to possess a tailoring function of a pyridinic N structure and O dopants on carbon materials.

Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells: The Pearl of Immunotherapy in Organ Transplantation

Over a half century, organ transplantation has become an effective method for the treatment of end-stage visceral diseases. Although the application of immunosuppressants (IS) minimizes the rate of allograft rejection, the common use of IS bring many adverse effects to transplant patients. Moreover, true transplant tolerance is very rare in clinical practice. Dendritic cells (DCs) are thought to be the most potent antigen-presenting cells, which makes a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. Among their subsets, a small portion of DCs with immunoregulatory function was known as tolerogenic DC (Tol-DC). Previous reports demonstrated the ability of adoptively transferred Tol-DC to approach transplant tolerance in animal models. In this study, we summarized the properties, ex vivo generation, metabolism, and clinical attempts of Tol-DC. Tol-DC is expected to become a substitute for IS to enable patients to achieve immune tolerance in the future.

The study of the association between immune monitoring and pneumonia in kidney transplant recipients through machine learning models

Background

Kidney transplantation is the optimal treatment to cure the patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, the infectious complication, especially pneumonia, is the main cause of mortality in the early stage. Immune monitoring by relevant biomarkers provides direct evidence of immune status. We aimed to study the association between immune monitoring and pneumonia in kidney transplant patients through machine learning models.

Methods

A total of 146 patients receiving the immune monitoring panel in our center, including 46 pneumonia recipients and 100 stable recipients, were retrospectively reviewed to develop the models. All the models were validated by external data containing 10 pneumonia recipients and 32 stable recipients. The immune monitoring panel consisted of the percentages and absolute cell counts of CD3⁺CD4⁺ T cells, CD3⁺CD8⁺ T cells, CD19⁺ B cells and natural killer (NK) cells, and median fluorescence intensity (MFI) of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR on monocytes and CD64 on neutrophils. The machine learning models including support vector machine (SVM), logistic regression (LR), multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and random forest (RF) were applied for analysis.

Results

The pneumonia and stable groups showed significant difference in cell counts of each subpopulation and MFI of monocyte HLA-DR and neutrophil CD64. The SVM model by monocyte HLA-DR (MFI), neutrophil CD64 (MFI), CD8⁺ T cells (cells/μl), NK cells (cell/μl) and TBNK (T cells, B cells and NK cells, cells/μl) had the best performance with the average area under the curve (AUC) of 0.940. The RF model best predicted the patients who would progress into severe pneumonia, with the average AUC of 0.760. All the models had good performance validated by external data.

Conclusions

The immune monitoring panel was tightly associated with pneumonia in kidney transplant recipients. The models developed by machine learning techniques identified patients at risk and predicted the prognosis. Based on the results of immune monitoring, better individualized therapy might be achieved.

Mitochondrial dysfunction in fibrotic diseases

Although fibrosis is a common pathological feature of most end-stage organ diseases, its pathogenesis remains unclear. There is growing evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to the development and progression of fibrosis. The heart, liver, kidney and lung are highly oxygen-consuming organs that are sensitive to mitochondrial dysfunction. Moreover, the fibrotic process of skin and islet is closely related to mitochondrial dysfunction as well. This review summarized emerging mechanisms related to mitochondrial dysfunction in different fibrotic organs and tissues above. First, it highlighted the important elucidation of mitochondria morphological changes, mitochondrial membrane potential and structural damage, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage and reactive oxidative species (ROS) production, etc. Second, it introduced the abnormality of mitophagy and mitochondrial transfer also contributed to the fibrotic process. Therefore, with gaining the increasing knowledge of mitochondrial structure, function, and origin, we could kindle a new era for the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies of many fibrotic diseases based on mitochondrial dysfunction.

A comparison of COVID-19, SARS and MERS

In mid-December 2019, a novel atypical pneumonia broke out in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China and was caused by a newly identified coronavirus, initially termed 2019 Novel Coronavirus and subsequently severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of 19 May 2020, a total of 4,731,458 individuals were reported as infected with SARS-CoV-2 among 213 countries, areas or territories with recorded cases, and the overall case-fatality rate was 6.6% (316,169 deaths among 4,731,458 recorded cases), according to the World Health Organization. Studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 is notably similar to (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus) SARS-CoV that emerged in 2002–2003 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) that spread during 2012, and these viruses all contributed to global pandemics. The ability of SARS-CoV-2 to rapidly spread a pneumonia-like disease from Hubei Province, China, throughout the world has provoked widespread concern. The main symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) include fever, cough, myalgia, fatigue and lower respiratory signs. At present, nucleic acid tests are widely recommended as the optimal method for detecting SARS-CoV-2. However, obstacles remain, including the global shortage of testing kits and the presentation of false negatives. Experts suggest that almost everyone in China is susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and to date, there are no effective treatments. In light of the references published, this review demonstrates the biological features, spread, diagnosis and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 as a whole and aims to analyse the similarities and differences among SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV to provide new ideas and suggestions for prevention, diagnosis and clinical treatment.

Genetic investigation of nodal melanocytic nevi in cases of giant congenital melanocytic nevus

Nodal melanocytic nevi are common incidental findings in lymph nodes that have been removed during sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma. They can also occur in the local lymph nodes of the giant congenital nevus (GCN), but very little is known regarding nodal melanocytic nevi in the giant congenital nevus, especially at the genetic level. There are two theories that explain the possible pathogenesis of nodal melanocytic nevi, mechanical transport and arrested migration during embryogenesis. However, there have been few tests of these two theories at the molecular biology level until now. We used whole-exon sequencing to test these two theories at the gene level for the first time. In clonal evolution analysis of patient 1, whose tumor mutation burden (TMB) value was relatively stable, showed that the GCN and nodal nevus had the same initial origin and then diverged into two branches as a result of gene mutations. In contrast, analysis indicated that in the other patient, whose TMB value declined from 68.02/Mb in a GCN to 17.55/Mb in associated nodal nevi, these two samples were from different origins at the beginning, each with its own gene mutation. These results are consistent with the two respective theories at the molecular biological level. We provided the first tests of the two theories of pathogenesis of nodal melanocytic nevi at the gene level, and these findings may provide some clues for further study. In addition, not all nodal nevi should be treated as lymph node metastasis in clinical diagnosis, and we should make a comprehensive assessment and judgment of nodal melanocytic nevi based on morphology, immunological characteristics and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) tests.

[Genetic changes and biological potential of proliferative nodule in congenital pigmented nevus]

Objective: To study the genetic changes and biological potential of proliferative nodule in congenital melanocytic nevus. Methods: Whole-exome sequencing was carried out using the technique of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in order to detect the genomic alterations of two cases of proliferative nodules (PN) in congenital melanocytic nevi (CMN). Twelve cases of CMN and ten cases of malignant melanoma were used as benign and malignant controls, respectively. Mutated genes that possessed statistically significant difference between benign and malignant controls were listed, according to what benign and malignant statuses were classified and clustered. The heatmaps of clustering analyses were depicted using heatmap package. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was also used to validate the above results. Results: Eighty-six common somatic gene mutations were detected in two samples of PN. Compared with CMN, PN had 52 more mutated genes. Furthermore, 22 of these 52 mutated genes were also detected in malignant melanoma samples. Two cases of PN fell between benign CMN and malignant melanoma in germline mutation clustering. Both cases of PN were positive in the FISH tests. Conclusions: The genetic changes of PN partially overlap with those of CMN and malignant melanoma. Therefore, although most of the PN manifest as a benign lesion clinically, it may have certain malignant potential at the genetic level, and warrant long-term monitoring and follow-up.

Psychological Impact and Coping Strategies of Frontline Medical Staff in Hunan Between January and March 2020 During the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‑19) in Hubei, China

Background

Throughout China, during the recent epidemic in Hubei province, frontline medical staff have been responsible for tracing contacts of patients infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to investigate the psychological impact and coping strategies of frontline medical staff in Hunan province, adjacent to Hubei province, during the COVID-19 outbreak between January and March 2020.

Material/Methods

A cross-sectional observational study included doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff throughout Hunan province between January and March 2020. The study questionnaire included five sections and 67 questions (scores, 0–3). The chi-squared χ² test was used to compare the responses between professional groups, age-groups, and gender.

Results

Study questionnaires were completed by 534 frontline medical staff. The responses showed that they believed they had a social and professional obligation to continue working long hours. Medical staff were anxious regarding their safety and the safety of their families and reported psychological effects from reports of mortality from COVID-19 infection. The availability of strict infection control guidelines, specialized equipment, recognition of their efforts by hospital management and the government, and reduction in reported cases of COVID-19 provided psychological benefit.

Conclusions

The COVID-19 outbreak in Hubei resulted in increased stress for medical staff in adjacent Hunan province. Continued acknowledgment of the medical staff by hospital management and the government, provision of infection control guidelines, specialized equipment and facilities for the management of COVID-19 infection should be recognized as factors that may encourage medical staff to work during future epidemics.

Long non-coding RNA TCL6 enhances preferential toxicity of paclitaxel to renal cell carcinoma cells

Background: Recent findings have shown long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are dysregulated in a variety of cancer cells. In this report, we investigate the effect of T-cell leukemia lymphoma 6 (TCL6) on paclitaxel (PTX)-induced apoptosis in Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells. Methods: Expression levels of TCL6 in RCC tissues were analyzed via The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed to detect the expression of TCL6 in RCC tissues and cells. Two pairs of cell lines were used: TCL6-silenced 786-O cell line and scrambled 786-O cell line, TCL6-overexpressed Caki-1 cell line and Caki-1 scrambled cell line. Cell viability was detected using the MTT assay. Apoptosis was examined by flow cemetery. Dual reporter gene assay was performed to confirm the direct downstream target miRNA of TCL6. Results: Based on RNA sequencing expression data of RCC tissues from TCGA and GEO datasets, the expression deficiency of TCL6 was observed in RCC tissues. Low level of TCL6 was associated with worse overall and disease-free survival of RCC patients. The FISH showed similar results with low expression of TCL6 in RCC tissues and cells. After PTX treatment, a time-dependent decrease in cell viability was observed in TCL6-overexpressed RCC cells and an increase in cell viability was observed in TCL6-silenced cells compared to control cells. Apoptosis induced by PTX was significantly increased in TCL6-overexpressed cells. Inhibition of TCL6 showed a significant decrease in apoptosis. Furthermore, luciferase reporter assay revealed that TCL6 is a direct target gene of miR-221. Conclusions: TCL6 effectively sensitizes RCC to PTX mainly through downregulation of miR-221. Our results suggest that PTX combined with TCL6 might be a potentially more effective chemotherapeutic approach for renal cancer.

Evaluation of psychological stress in scientific researchers during the 2019-2020 COVID-19 outbreak in China

BACKGROUND

Beginning in December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused an outbreak of infectious pneumonia. The Chinese government introduced a series of grounding measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The living and working patterns of many scientific researchers also underwent significant changes during this period.

METHODS

An opportunity sample (n = 251) was obtained in China using a questionnaire with 42 questions on scientific research progress and psychological stress during the COVID-19 epidemic.

RESULTS

Of the 251 participants, 76.9% indicated that their research was affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, and participants who were affected by the outbreak had higher stress levels than those who were not affected. Participants who conducted COVID-19 research and indicated concern that they would fail to finish the research on time were more likely to indicate high levels of stress. Respondents indicated that extending deadlines (64.1%), receiving support from superiors for research (51.8%), and increasing benefits for researchers (51.0%) would likely relieve outbreak-related stress.

CONCLUSION

The COVID-19 outbreak had a major impact on the experiments of researchers in the life sciences, especially in basic and clinical medicine. It has also caused high levels of psychological stress in these populations. Measures should be taken to relieve psychological pressure on basic medical researchers and students who will soon complete their degrees (e.g., Master's and PhD candidates in graduation years).