Critical patients with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), even those whose nucleic acid test results had turned negative and those receiving maximal medical support, have been noted to progress ...to irreversible fatal respiratory failure. Lung transplantation (LT) as the sole therapy for end-stage pulmonary fibrosis related to acute respiratory distress syndrome has been considered as the ultimate rescue therapy for these patients.
From February 10 to March 10, 2020, three male patients were urgently assessed and listed for transplantation. After conducting a full ethical review and after obtaining assent from the family of the patients, we performed three LT procedures for COVID-19 patients with illness durations of more than one month and extremely high sequential organ failure assessment scores.
Two of the three recipients survived post-LT and started participating in a rehabilitation program. Pearls of the LT team collaboration and perioperative logistics were summarized and continually improved. The pathological results of the explanted lungs were concordant with the critical clinical manifestation, and provided insight towards better understanding of the disease. Government health affair systems, virology detection tools, and modern communication technology all play key roles towards the survival of the patients and their rehabilitation.
LT can be performed in end-stage patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19-related pulmonary fibrosis. If confirmed positive-turned-negative virology status without organ dysfunction that could contraindicate LT, LT provided the final option for these patients to avoid certain death, with proper protection of transplant surgeons and medical staffs. By ensuring instant seamless care for both patients and medical teams, the goal of reducing the mortality rate and salvaging the lives of patients with COVID-19 can be attained.
Since the outbreak in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic. We analyzed and compared the clinical, laboratory, and radiological ...characteristics between survivors and non-survivors and identify risk factors for mortality.
Clinical and laboratory variables, radiological features, treatment approach, and complications were retrospectively collected in two centers of Hubei province, China. Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify the risk factors for mortality.
A total of 432 patients were enrolled, and the median patient age was 54 years. The overall mortality rate was 5.09% (22/432). As compared with the survivor group (n = 410), those in the non-survivor group (n = 22) were older, and they had a higher frequency of comorbidities and were more prone to suffer from dyspnea. Several abnormal laboratory variables indicated that acute cardiac injury, hepatic damage, and acute renal insufficiency were detected in the non-survivor group. Non-surviving patients also had a high computed tomography (CT) score and higher rate of consolidation. The most common complication causing death was acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (18/22, 81.8%). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that hemoglobin (Hb) <90 g/L (hazard ratio, 10.776; 95% confidence interval, 3.075-37.766; p<0.0001), creatine kinase (CK-MB) >8 U/L (9.155; 2.424-34.584; p = 0.001), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) >245 U/L (5.963; 2.029-17.529; p = 0.001), procalcitonin (PCT) >0.5 ng/ml (7.080; 1.671-29.992; p = 0.008), and CT score >10 (39.503; 12.430-125.539; p<0.0001) were independent risk factors for the mortality of COVID-19.
Low Hb, high LDH, PCT, and CT score on admission were the predictors for mortality and could assist clinicians in early identification of poor prognosis among COVID-19 patients.
In cancer, T cells become dysfunctional owing to persistent antigen exposure. Dysfunctional T cells are characterized by reduced proliferative capacity, decreased effector function, and ...overexpression of multiple inhibitory receptors. Due to the presence of various inhibitory signals in the complex tumor microenvironment, tumor-specific T cells have distinct dysfunction states. Therapeutic reactivation of tumor-specific T cells has yielded good results in cancer patients. Here, we review the hallmarks of T cell dysfunction in cancer. Also, we discuss the relationship between T cell dysfunction and cancer immunotherapy.
Accumulating evidence has supported the significance of lncRNAs in tumorigenesis. Recently, some studies indicate the oncogenic role of lncRNA Nuclear Enriched Abundant Transcript 1 (NEAT1) in ...hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In our present study, we focused on the biological mechanisms through which NEAT1 can regulate HCC development. We found that NEAT1 was greatly upregulated in human HCC cell lines including Huh7, Hep3B, HepG2, Bel‐7404, and SK‐Hep1 cells compared to the normal human liver cell line LO2. In addition, we observed that miR‐485 was significantly downregulated in HCC cells. It was implied that miR‐485 was increased by sh‐NEAT1 and miR‐485 can modulate NEAT1 expression negatively. Meanwhile, NEAT1inhibiton can repress HCC growth, migration, and invasion capacity in HepG2 and Hep3B cells. Through performing bioinformatic analysis, dual‐luciferase reporter test, RNA‐binding protein immunoprecipitation, and RNA pull‐down assay, miR‐485 was confirmed as a interacting target of NEAT1. Additionally, STAT3 was recognized as a direct target of miR‐485 and miR‐485 mimics can inhibit STAT3 expression. It was demonstrated that NEAT1 can increase STAT3 levels while miR‐485 mimics can repress STAT3. Moreover, we found that sh‐STAT3 was able to restrain HCC cell migration and invasion process. NEAT1 can act as a competing endogenous lncRNA (ceRNA) to regulated STAT3 by sponging miR‐485 in HCC. Taken these together, NEAT1 can be used as an important biomarker in HCC diagnosis and treatment.
Our data revealed that NEAT1 can exert an oncogenic role to promote HCC development. We found that NEAT1/miR‐485/STAT3 axis was involved in HCC progression and NEAT1 might be provided as a biological indicator for HCC diagnosis or treatment.
The global monkeypox outbreak in 2022 has severely affected the life and health of people. Currently, partial smallpox vaccines have been approved for monkeypox prevention. Considering the potential ...occupational health risks of monkeypox infection among healthcare workers (HCWs), this study explored the willingness of Chinese HCWs to receive the monkeypox vaccine and analyzed the factors influencing their decision. We conducted an online cross‐sectional survey among HCWs of 10 Chinese hospitals from May 30th, 2022 to August 1st, 2022. Specifically, a self‐report questionnaire was administered to evaluate the attitude and acceptance of HCWs toward the monkeypox vaccine, followed by a multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine the independent predictors of vaccination. The survey included 1032 participants, of whom 90.12% expressed their willingness for vaccination (vaccine hesitancy rate = 9.88%). Univariate analysis showed that 11 variables differed significantly between the vaccine acceptance and vaccine hesitancy groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the age of 30–40 years (odds ratio OR = 0.504, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.284–0.893, p = 0.019 vs. age of <30 years old), working in a secondary hospital (OR = 0.449, 95% CI: 0.249–0.808, p = 0.019 vs. working in a tertiary hospital), considering vaccination necessary for controlling monkeypox infection (OR = 4.135, 95% CI: 2.109–8.106, p < 0.001 vs. not considering it necessary), willingness to pay for the monkeypox vaccine (OR = 2.125, 95% CI: 1.206–3.745, p = 0.009 vs. no willingness to pay), considering implementation of mandatory vaccination necessary (OR = 1.990, 95% CI: 1.023–3.869, p = 0.043 vs. not considering it necessary), and recommending family members and friends to take the vaccine (OR = 13.847, 95% CI: 7.487–25.609, p < 0.001 vs. not recommending) were crucial independent predictors of the willingness to receive monkeypox‐related vaccination. This study evaluated the acceptance and hesitancy rates of Chinese HCWs toward the monkeypox vaccine and found that the willingness to receive vaccination was mainly correlated to age, hospital level, and attitude toward vaccination. Therefore, to promote vaccine absorption, we recommend expanding publicity, formulating reasonable policies, and improving the recognition of vaccines.
LASP: Fast global potential energy surface exploration Huang, Si‐Da; Shang, Cheng; Kang, Pei‐Lin ...
Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Computational molecular science,
November/December 2019, 2019-11-00, 20191101, Volume:
9, Issue:
6
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Here we introduce the LASP code, which is designed for large‐scale atomistic simulation of complex materials with neural network (NN) potential. The software architecture and functionalities of LASP ...will be overviewed. LASP features with the global neural network (G‐NN) potential that is generated by learning the first principles dataset of global PES from stochastic surface walking (SSW) global optimization. The combination of the SSW method with global NN potential facilitates greatly the PES exploration for a wide range of complex materials. Not limited to SSW‐NN global optimization, the software implements standard interfaces to dock with other energy/force evaluation packages and can also perform common tasks for computing PES properties, such as single‐ended and double‐ended transition state search, the molecular dynamics simulation with and without restraints. A few examples are given to illustrate the efficiency and capabilities of LASP code. Our ongoing efforts for code developing and G‐NN potential library building are also presented.
This article is categorized under:
Software > Simulation Methods
LASP is an atomistic simulation package targeted for solving the complex PES problems using the global neural network potentials.
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) endows epithelial cells with enhanced motility and invasiveness, allowing them to participate in many physiological and pathological processes. ...Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition contributes to the generation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in epithelial cancers because it increases tumor cell invasiveness, promotes tumor cell intravasation and ensures tumor cell survival in the peripheral system. Although the contribution of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition to tumor cell invasiveness has been confirmed, the role epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition plays in metastasis remains debated. As a favorable material for a "liquid biopsy", circulating tumor cells have been shown to have promising values in the clinical management of tumors. Furthermore, an increasing number of studies have begun to explore the value of CTC-related biomarkers, and some studies have found that the expression of EMT and stemness markers in circulating tumor cells, in addition to CTC detection, can provide more information on tumor diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and research.
Oral cancer is a common and aggressive cancer with high morbidity, mortality, and recurrence rate globally. Early detection is of utmost importance for cancer prevention and disease management. ...Currently, tissue biopsy remains the gold standard for oral cancer diagnosis, but it is invasive, which may cause patient discomfort. The application of traditional noninvasive methods-such as vital staining, exfoliative cytology, and molecular imaging-is limited by insufficient sensitivity and specificity. Thus, there is an urgent need for exploring noninvasive, highly sensitive, and specific diagnostic techniques. Nano detection systems are known as new emerging noninvasive strategies that bring the detection sensitivity of biomarkers to nano-scale. Moreover, compared to current imaging contrast agents, nanoparticles are more biocompatible, easier to synthesize, and able to target specific surface molecules. Nanoparticles generate localized surface plasmon resonances at near-infrared wavelengths, providing higher image contrast and resolution. Therefore, using nano-based techniques can help clinicians to detect and better monitor diseases during different phases of oral malignancy. Here, we review the progress of nanotechnology-based methods in oral cancer detection and diagnosis.
Microscale cell carriers have recently garnered enormous interest in repairing tissue defects by avoiding substantial open surgeries using implants for tissue regeneration. In this study, the highly ...open porous microspheres (HOPMs) are fabricated using a microfluidic technique for harboring proliferating skeletal myoblasts and evaluating their feasibility toward cell delivery application in situ. These biocompatible HOPMs with particle sizes of 280–370 µm possess open pores of 10–80 µm and interconnected paths. Such structure of the HOPMs conveniently provide a favorable microenvironment, where the cells are closely arranged in elongated shapes with the deposited extracellular matrix, facilitating cell adhesion and proliferation, as well as augmented myogenic differentiation. Furthermore, in vivo results in mice confirm improved cell retention and vascularization, as well as partial myoblast differentiation. These modular cell‐laden microcarriers potentially allow for in situ tissue construction after minimally invasive delivery providing a convenient means for regeneration medicine.
Highly open porous microspheres (HOPMs) are conveniently designed using a microfluidic setup and evaluated for their feasibility toward minimally invasive cell delivery‐based tissue regeneration. These biocompatible HOPMs with interconnected paths facilitate a high cell proliferation rate, and partial differentiation of skeletal myoblasts. These modular cells‐laden microcarriers provide a convenient means for in situ repair of tissue defects and applications in regenerative medicine.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignant tumor and constitutes a major health threat globally. Intermediate HCC (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Staging, stage B) encompasses a ...wide range of patients and is characterized by substantial heterogeneity with varying tumor burdens and liver functions. Therefore, it is paramount to evaluate the patient's overall conditions and to select the most appropriate therapy based on available evidence. Transarterial chemoembolization is the recommended first‐line therapy for intermediate HCC patients. However, in clinical practice, other treatment options are also used as alternative therapies, such as hepatic resection, percutaneous thermal ablation, radiotherapy (RT), systemic treatment, immunotherapy, and so forth. In this review, we will introduce current treatment strategies for intermediate HCC, discuss their advantages and disadvantages, and propose future directions.
Intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Staging, stage B) encompasses a wide range of patients and is characterized by substantial heterogeneity with varying tumor burdens and liver functions. Transarterial chemoembolization is the recommended first‐line therapy for intermediate HCC patients. In clinic practice, other treatment options are also used as alternative therapies, such as hepatic resection, percutaneous thermal ablation, radiotherapy, systemic treatment, immunotherapy, and so forth.
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