Background
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection has been widely spread. We aim to investigate the clinical ...characteristic and allergy status of patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2.
Methods
Electronic medical records including demographics, clinical manifestation, comorbidities, laboratory data, and radiological materials of 140 hospitalized COVID‐19 patients, with confirmed result of SARS‐CoV‐2 viral infection, were extracted and analyzed.
Results
An approximately 1:1 ratio of male (50.7%) and female COVID‐19 patients was found, with an overall median age of 57.0 years. All patients were community‐acquired cases. Fever (91.7%), cough (75.0%), fatigue (75.0%), and gastrointestinal symptoms (39.6%) were the most common clinical manifestations, whereas hypertension (30.0%) and diabetes mellitus (12.1%) were the most common comorbidities. Drug hypersensitivity (11.4%) and urticaria (1.4%) were self‐reported by several patients. Asthma or other allergic diseases were not reported by any of the patients. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 1.4%) patients and current smokers (1.4%) were rare. Bilateral ground‐glass or patchy opacity (89.6%) was the most common sign of radiological finding. Lymphopenia (75.4%) and eosinopenia (52.9%) were observed in most patients. Blood eosinophil counts correlate positively with lymphocyte counts in severe (r = .486, P < .001) and nonsevere (r = .469, P < .001) patients after hospital admission. Significantly higher levels of D‐dimer, C‐reactive protein, and procalcitonin were associated with severe patients compared to nonsevere patients (all P < .001).
Conclusion
Detailed clinical investigation of 140 hospitalized COVID‐19 cases suggests eosinopenia together with lymphopenia may be a potential indicator for diagnosis. Allergic diseases, asthma, and COPD are not risk factors for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Older age, high number of comorbidities, and more prominent laboratory abnormalities were associated with severe patients.
Decreased eosinophil count, which was positively correlated with lymphocyte counts, may be a potential biological indicator for diagnosing
COVID‐19 patients. Low prevalence of allergic diseases, COPD and patients with smoking history indicated they may not be the predisposing
factors of COVID‐19. Elder age, high number of comorbidities and more prominent laboratory abnormalities were associated with severe
patientsz.
Molecular hydrogen is reported to be used medically to ameliorate various systemic pathological conditions. This study aimed to investigate the effect of hydrogen (H2) gas on hypertension induced by ...intermittent hypoxia in rats. The adult rats were exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) 8 hours/day for 5 weeks and/or H
2 gas 2 hours/day. We found that the systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) increased significantly in rats exposed to intermittent hypoxia, both of which were markedly attenuated after H treatment. Furthermore, intermittent hypoxia exposure elevated renal sympathetic nerve activity, consistent with plasma norepinephrine. Additionally, H
2 gas significantly improved CIH‐induced abnormal vascular relaxation. Nevertheless, inhalation of H
2 gas alone did not cause such changes. Moreover, H
2 gas‐treated rats exposed to CIH showed a significant reduction in 8‐hydroxy‐2 deoxyguanosine content and increases in superoxide dismutase activity, indicating improved oxidative stress. Taken together, these results indicate that H
2 gas has significant effects on the reduction of BP without any side effects. Mechanistically, inhibition of sympathetic activity and reduction of systemic vascular resistance may participate in this process via the antioxidant activity of H
2.
Hydrogen (H2) is effective in preventing hypertension with no significant adverse effects via antioxidation.
H2 downregulated sympathetic activity in rats with chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH).
H2 reduced the resistance of mesenteric artery in rats with CIH.
Smoking interacts with hepatitis B virus (HBV) to increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which might be explained by its role in antiviral immunity. We evaluated the potential mediating ...role of viral load and/or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the relation of smoking with HBV‐associated HCC risk. Using multiple mediation analyses to analyze data from 209 HCC cases and 1,256 controls nested within a cohort of 4,841 male HBV carriers, we found that the effect of smoking on the risk of subsequent HCC was substantially mediated through viral load (percent mediated, 31.7%; P = 0.0054), and a significant mediation effect by both viral load and ALT was also evidenced. Among the 1,143 subjects with repeated measures of viral load and ALT over periods of up to 16 years, we further observed that a higher number of pack‐years of smoking was associated with higher viral load, maintenance of a high viral load (>4.39 log copies/mL), more severe hepatotoxicity grade, and increased likelihood of ALT ≥80 U/L (odds ratio, 3.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.03‐9.64; odds ratio, 6.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.10‐33.25, respectively, for 10‐19 and ≥20 pack‐years versus nonsmokers) during follow‐up. Furthermore, plasma interferon‐γ levels were reduced in smokers compared with nonsmokers (interferon‐γ‐positive rate, 14.9% versus 28.7%; P < 0.0001) at baseline. Smoking was also associated with a reduced natural killer (NK) cell frequency in peripheral blood, characterized by reduced NK function through a systems immunology approach, after long‐term follow‐up in a subsample (n = 171). The combination of smoking and reduced NK cell frequency further increased viral load and the likelihood of ALT ≥80 U/L. Conclusion: The data highlight a role of smoking in HBV viral load, underlining the importance of smoking prevention and cessation in hepatitis B management.
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•The formation of Schottky barrier in MONC-3 can inhibit the backflow of electrons.•MONC-3 can convert the absorbed light energy into local high temperature.•Photodynamic and ...photothermal effects synergistically lead to bacterial death.•DFT calculation clarifies the charge transfer mechanism in Schottky heterojunction.
Developing green and highly efficient water disinfection technique is of great importance to public health. Herein, a near-infrared (NIR) light-triggerable thermo-sensitive defective molybdenum oxide-nitrogen doped carbon (MoO3-x/NCNs) composite was fabricated and applied to water disinfection. With the synergy of photodynamic and photothermal effects, the MoO3-x/NCNs achieve a rapid and effective inactivation of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) as compared to photocatalytic treatment or thermal catalytic alone. Particularly, MONC-3 with optimal ratio can completely inactivate 7.6 log of E. coli and S. aureus within 60 min and 100 min, respectively. The MONC-3 hybrid exhibits efficient charge separation and migration ability due to the formation of Schottky heterojunction, resulting in the highly enhanced O2− (11.34 × 10−10 M) generation activity. Meanwhile, excellent NIR light absorption and photothermal conversion efficiency (52.6%) of MONC-3 can generate local high temperature to promote photocatalytic reaction rate and destruct the bacterial integrity. The monitoring of cell damage process confirmed the irreversible death of bacteria. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculation, the antibacterial mechanism and Schottky effect were clarified. This work provides new insights for constructing a water disinfection strategy based on plasma-induced photothermal synergy catalysis.
Depression is a major mental health issue worldwide, and university students with heavy burdens of study are at a high risk for depression. While a number of studies have been conducted regarding ...depression among university students in China, there is a lack of information regarding the national prevalence of depression among Chinese university students. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to statistically pool the prevalence of depression among Chinese university students.
A systematic search of scientific databases was conducted, including Chinese Web of Knowledge, Embase, PubMed, Wanfang (a Chinese database) and Weipu (a Chinese database) to find relevant publications published between 1995 and December 2015. This was supplemented by a secondary review of the reference lists of all retrieved papers to find additional relevant citations. Studies published in either English or Chinese that provided prevalence estimates of depression in Chinese university students were considered. Prevalence estimates of each eligible study were extracted and pooled in our meta-analysis using a random-effects model.
A total of 39 studies conducted between 1997 and 2015 including 32,694 university students were analyzed. Our results indicate that the overall prevalence of depression among Chinese university students is 23.8% (95% CI: 19.9%-28.5%). Substantial heterogeneity in prevalence estimates was noted. Subgroup analysis revealed that the prevalence of depression among medical students is higher than among other students.
Overall, the prevalence of depression among Chinese university students is exceedingly high. This suggests that it is imperative that more attention be given to the development of appropriate mental healthcare strategies for university students in China.
Objective
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a T cell‐mediated inflammatory disease with uncertain etiology. Exosomes are cell‐derived vesicles containing biological cargo, being associated with the ...development of multiple inflammatory diseases. The present study aims to investigate the role of T cell‐derived exosomes in the pathogenesis of OLP.
Methods
Exosomal marker CD63 was detected in OLP lesions by immunohistochemistry. Twenty‐three cytokines in T cell‐derived exosomes were assessed using luminex xMAP‐based assay. After co‐incubating with exosomes, the apoptosis of keratinocytes and the proliferation of Jurkat cells were assessed via flow cytometry and cell counting kit‐8 assay, respectively.
Results
CD63 was highly expressed in the lymphocyte infiltrated areas of OLP lesions. OLP T cell‐derived exosomes contained upregulated interleukin‐7, ‐10, ‐12, ‐17 and downregulated interleukin‐1β, ‐5, and interferon‐γ. Both exosomes from OLP patients and controls induced the apoptosis of keratinocytes and altered their morphology. Moreover, healthy control–derived exosomes markedly inhibited the proliferation of Jurkat cells, whereas OLP‐derived exosomes exhibited no inhibitory effect.
Conclusions
OLP T cell‐derived exosomes have an aberrant cytokine profile and could trigger the apoptosis of keratinocytes in vitro, which may be involved in the pathogenesis of OLP.
Low‐cost and stable sodium‐layered oxides (such as P2‐ and O3‐phases) are suggested as highly promising cathode materials for Na‐ion batteries (NIBs). Biphasic hybridization, mainly involving P2/O3 ...and P2/P3 biphases, is typically used to boost their electrochemical performances. Herein, a P3/O3 intergrown layered oxide (Na2/3Ni1/3Mn1/3Ti1/3O2) as high‐rate and long‐life cathode for NIBs via tuning the amounts of Ti substitution in Na2/3Ni1/3Mn2/3−xTixO2 (x = 0, 1/6, 1/3, 2/3) is demonstrated. The X‐ray diffraction (XRD) Rietveld refinement and aberration‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy show the co‐existence of P3 and O3 phases, and density functional theory calculation corroborates the appearance of the anomalous O3 phase at the Ti substitution amount of 1/3. The P3/O3 biphasic cathode delivers an unexpected rate capability (≈88.7% of the initial capacity at a high rate of 5 C) and cycling stability (≈68.7% capacity retention after 2000 cycles at 1 C), superior to those of the sing phases P3‐Na2/3Ni1/3Mn2/3O2, P3‐Na2/3Ni1/3Mn1/2Ti1/6O2, and O3‐Na2/3Ni1/3Ti2/3O2. The highly reversible structural evolution of the P3/O3 integrated cathode observed by ex situ XRD, ex situ X‐ray absorption spectra, and the rapid Na+ diffusion kinetics, underpin the enhancement. These results show the important role of P3/O3 biphasic hybridization in designing and engineering layered oxide cathodes for NIBs.
P3/O3 biphasic Na2/3Ni1/3Mn1/3Ti1/3O2 cathode material is prepared for Na‐ion batteries by tuning the Ti amounts. This P3/O3 intergrown cathode delivers superior rate capability and cycling stability to those of the pristine P3 and O3 phases, which are underpinned by the observed highly reversible structural transition of P3/O3 biphase and the rapid Na+ diffusion kinetics.
Two novel pure hydrocarbon compounds, SF33 and SF34, are designed with high triplet energies and stabilities. The efficiency of an SF34/FIrpic‐based device is as high as 22.0%. Moreover, SF33 and ...SF34 are also used as hosts for thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light‐emitting diodes and achieve external quantum efficiencies in excess of 20.8% and 22.3%, respectively. The pure hydrocarbon host shows a much longer device lifetime than the traditional host 4,4′‐di(N‐carbazolyl)biphenyl.
The cell‐to‐cell transfer of α‐synuclein (α‐Syn) greatly contributes to Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis and underlies the spread of α‐Syn pathology. During this process, extracellular α‐Syn can ...activate microglia and neuroinflammation, which plays an important role in PD. However, the effect of extracellular α‐Syn on microglia autophagy is poorly understood. In the present study, we reported that extracellular α‐Syn inhibited the autophagy initiation, as indicated by LC3‐II reduction and p62 protein elevation in BV2 and cultured primary microglia. The in vitro findings were verified in microglia‐enriched population isolated from α‐Syn‐overexpressing mice induced by adeno‐associated virus (AAV2/9)‐encoded wildtype human α‐Syn injection into the substantia nigra (SN). Mechanistically, α‐Syn led to microglial autophagic impairment through activating toll‐like receptor 4 (Tlr4) and its downstream p38 and Akt‐mTOR signaling because Tlr4 knockout and inhibition of p38, Akt as well as mTOR prevented α‐Syn‐induced autophagy inhibition. Moreover, inhibition of Akt reversed the mTOR activation but failed to affect p38 phosphorylation triggered by α‐Syn. Functionally, the in vivo evidence showed that lysozyme 2 Cre (Lyz2cre)‐mediated depletion of autophagy‐related gene 5 (Atg5) in microglia aggravated the neuroinflammation and dopaminergic neuron losses in the SN and exacerbated the locomotor deficit in α‐Syn‐overexpressing mice. Taken together, the results suggest that extracellular α‐Syn, via Tlr4‐dependent p38 and Akt‐mTOR signaling cascades, disrupts microglial autophagy activity which synergistically contributes to neuroinflammation and PD development.
Autophagy‐dependent and independent machinery synergistically contribute to hα‐Syn‐caused neuroinflammation in PD. The basal autophagy activity restricts microglia inflammation. Extracellular hα‐Syn interacts with and activates Tlr4, resulting in inflammatory responses, as well as autophagy suppression in microglia via Tlr4‐dependent p38 and Akt/mTOR signaling cascades. This impairs the inhibitory effect of autophagy on inflammation, and thus aggravating hα‐Syn‐induced inflammatory responses.
A subzero‐temperature cathode material is obtained by nucleating cubic prussian blue crystals at inhomogeneities in carbon nanotubes. Due to fast ionic/electronic transport kinetics even at −25 °C, ...the cathode shows an outstanding low‐temperature performance in terms of specific energy, high‐rate capability, and cycle life, providing a practical sodium‐ion battery powering an electric vehicle in frigid regions.
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