COVID-19 is associated with 5.1% mortality. Although the virological, epidemiological, clinical, and management outcome features of COVID-19 patients have been defined rapidly, the inflammatory and ...immune profiles require definition as they influence pathogenesis and clinical expression of COVID-19. Here we show lymphopenia, selective loss of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and NK cells, excessive T-cell activation and high expression of T-cell inhibitory molecules are more prominent in severe cases than in those with mild disease. CD8+ T cells in patients with severe disease express high levels of cytotoxic molecules. Histochemical studies of lung tissue from one fatality show sub-anatomical distributions of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and massive infiltration of T cells and macrophages. Thus, aberrant activation and dysregulation of CD8+ T cells occur in patients with severe COVID-19 disease, an effect that might be for pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and indicate that immune-based targets for therapeutic interventions constitute a promising treatment for severe COVID-19 patients.
Sodium‐ion batteries capable of operating at rate and temperature extremes are highly desirable, but elusive due to the dynamics and thermodynamics limitations. Herein, a strategy of ...electrode–electrolyte interfacial chemistry modulation is proposed. The commercial hard carbon demonstrates superior rate performance with 212 mAh g−1 at an ultra‐high current density of 5 A g−1 in the electrolyte with weak ion solvation/desolvation, which is much higher than those in common electrolytes (nearly no capacity in carbonate‐based electrolytes). Even at −20 °C, a high capacity of 175 mAh g−1 (74 % of its room‐temperature capacity) can be maintained at 2 A g−1. Such an electrode retains 90 % of its initial capacity after 1000 cycles. As proven, weak ion solvation/desolvation of tetrahydrofuran greatly facilitates fast‐ion diffusion at the SEI/electrolyte interface and homogeneous SEI with well‐distributed NaF and organic components ensures fast Na+ diffusion through the SEI layer and a stable interface.
In a THF‐based electrolyte with a weak solvation structure, Na+ desolvation is fast and a uniform solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) with abundant NaF and organic compounds is generated on the commercial hard carbon anode. This greatly enhances the interface stability and enables the rapid migration of Na+ in the SEI, thus realizing the high rate capability, long‐term stability and good low‐temperature performance for the hard carbon anode.
In coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the relationship between disease severity and the host immune response is not ...fully understood. Here we performed single-cell RNA sequencing in peripheral blood samples of 5 healthy donors and 13 patients with COVID-19, including moderate, severe and convalescent cases. Through determining the transcriptional profiles of immune cells, coupled with assembled T cell receptor and B cell receptor sequences, we analyzed the functional properties of immune cells. Most cell types in patients with COVID-19 showed a strong interferon-α response and an overall acute inflammatory response. Moreover, intensive expansion of highly cytotoxic effector T cell subsets, such as CD4
effector-GNLY (granulysin), CD8
effector-GNLY and NKT CD160, was associated with convalescence in moderate patients. In severe patients, the immune landscape featured a deranged interferon response, profound immune exhaustion with skewed T cell receptor repertoire and broad T cell expansion. These findings illustrate the dynamic nature of immune responses during disease progression.
Background
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a noninvasive biomarker for dynamically monitoring tumors. However, published data on perioperative ctDNA in patients with operable non–small ...cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are currently limited.
Methods
This prospective study recruited 123 patients with resectable stage I to IIIA NSCLC. Preoperative and postoperative plasma samples and tumor tissue samples were subjected to next‐generation sequencing with a panel of 425 cancer‐related genes. Peripheral blood samples were collected before surgery, postoperatively within 1 month, and every 3 to 6 months for up to 3 years.
Results
After 4 exclusions, 119 eligible patients were enrolled from June 2016 to February 2019. Presurgical ctDNA was detectable in 29 of 117 patients (24.8%) and was associated with inferior recurrence‐free survival (RFS; hazard ratio HR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.11‐5.27; P = .022) and inferior overall survival (OS; HR, 5.54; 95% CI, 1.01‐30.35; P = .026). Similarly, ctDNA was detected in 12 of 116 first postsurgical samples (10.3%) and was associated with shorter RFS (HR, 3.04; 95% CI, 1.22‐7.58; P = .012). During surveillance after surgery, longitudinal ctDNA–positive patients (37 of 119; 31.1%) had significantly shorter RFS (HR, 3.46; 95% CI, 1.59‐7.55; P < .001) and significantly shorter OS (HR, 9.99; 95% CI, 1.17‐85.78; P = .010) in comparison with longitudinal ctDNA–negative patients. Serial ctDNA detection preceded radiologic disease recurrence by a median lead time of 8.71 months.
Conclusions
These results suggest that perioperative ctDNA analyses can predict recurrence and survival, and serial ctDNA analyses can identify disease recurrence/metastasis earlier than routine radiologic imaging in patients with resectable NSCLC.
Lay Summary
The utility of serial circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) monitoring for predicting disease recurrence and survival for early‐stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been well characterized.
The detection of ctDNA before and after surgery is associated with the identification of a high risk of disease recurrence and long‐term patient outcomes for resectable NSCLC.
Perioperative ctDNA analyses identify disease recurrence earlier than routine radiologic imaging. ctDNA analyses can detect minimal residual disease for resectable NSCLC and thus can facilitate early intervention.
Perioperative circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analyses identify disease recurrence earlier than routine radiologic imaging. ctDNA analyses can detect minimal residual disease for resectable non–small cell lung cancer and thus can facilitate early intervention.
Abstract
The quantum spin Hall effect lays the foundation for the topologically protected manipulation of waves, but is restricted to one-dimensional-lower boundaries of systems and hence limits the ...diversity and integration of topological photonic devices. Recently, the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence of band topology has been extended to higher-order cases that enable explorations of topological states with codimensions larger than one such as hinge and corner states. Here, we demonstrate a higher-order quantum spin Hall effect in a two-dimensional photonic crystal. Owing to the non-trivial higher-order topology and the pseudospin-pseudospin coupling, we observe a directional localization of photons at corners with opposite pseudospin polarizations through pseudospin-momentum-locked edge waves, resembling the quantum spin Hall effect in a higher-order manner. Our work inspires an unprecedented route to transport and trap spinful waves, supporting potential applications in topological photonic devices such as spinful topological lasers and chiral quantum emitters.
There is increasing evidence that bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) are involved in the proliferation and drug tolerance of kidney cancer. However, the molecular mechanism of BMP8A in renal cell ...proliferation and drug tolerance is not clear. Here we showed that BMP8A was highly expressed in renal cell carcinoma, which suggests a poor prognosis of ccRCC. Promotion of cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis were detected by CCK‐8 assay, Trypan Blue staining, flow cytometry and bioluminescence. BMP8A promoted resistance of As2O3 by regulating Nrf2 and Wnt pathways in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, BMP8A enhanced phosphorylation of Nrf2, which, in turn, inhibited Keap1‐mediated Nrf2 ubiquitination and, ultimately, promoted nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity of Nrf2. Nrf2 regulates the transcription of TRIM24 detected by ChIP‐qPCR. BMP8A was highly expressed in ccRCC, which suggests a poor prognosis. BMP8A was expected to be an independent prognostic molecule for ccRCC. On the one hand, activated Nrf2 regulated reactive oxygen balance, and on the other hand, by regulating the transcription level of TRIM24, it was involved in the regulation of the Wnt pathway to promote the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of ccRCC and the resistance of As2O3. Taken together, our findings describe a regulatory axis where BMP8A promotes Nrf2 phosphorylation and activates TRIM24 to promote survival and drug resistance in ccRCC.
BMP8A can promote Nrf2 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation to exert antioxidative stress and transcriptional activity. At the same time, Nrf2 acts as a transcription factor of TRIM24, promotes the expression of TRIM24, activates the Wnt pathway and increases chemotherapy tolerance.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents an unprecedented threat to global public health. Herein, we utilized a combination of targeted and untargeted tandem mass spectrometry to ...analyze the plasma lipidome and metabolome in mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. A panel of 10 plasma metabolites effectively distinguished COVID-19 patients from healthy controls (AUC = 0.975). Plasma lipidome of COVID-19 resembled that of monosialodihexosyl ganglioside (GM3)-enriched exosomes, with enhanced levels of sphingomyelins (SMs) and GM3s, and reduced diacylglycerols (DAGs). Systems evaluation of metabolic dysregulation in COVID-19 was performed using multiscale embedded differential correlation network analyses. Using exosomes isolated from the same cohort, we demonstrated that exosomes of COVID-19 patients with elevating disease severity were increasingly enriched in GM3s. Our work suggests that GM3-enriched exosomes may partake in pathological processes related to COVID-19 pathogenesis and presents the largest repository on the plasma lipidome and metabolome distinct to COVID-19.
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•Quantitative lipidomic and metabolomic profiling of COVID-19 plasma•Plasma metabolite panel distinguished COVID-19 from healthy controls (AUC = 0.975)•Differential correlation analyses uncovered metabolic dysregulation in COVID-19•GM3-enriched exosomes are positively correlated with COVID-19 pathogenesis
Plasma metabolite panel effectively distinguished COVID-19 patients from healthy controls (AUC = 0.975). Plasma monosialodihexosyl gangliosides (GM3s) were negatively correlated with CD4+ T cell count in COVID-19 patients, and GM3-enriched exosomes were positively correlated with disease severity. These observations suggest that GM3-enriched exosomes may participate in pathological processes associated with COVID-19 progression.
Polyimide (PI) aerogels have attracted great attention owing to their low density and excellent thermal stability. However, hydrophobic surface modification is required for PI aerogels to improve ...their ability in oil/water separation due to their amphiphilic characteristic. Two-dimensional MXenes (transition metal carbides/nitrides) can be utilized as nanofillers to enhance the properties of polymers because of their unique layered structure and versatile interface chemistry. Herein, the robust, lightweight, and hydrophobic PI/MXene three-dimensional architectures were fabricated via freeze-drying of polyamide acid/MXene suspensions and thermal imidization. Polyamide acid was synthesized using N-N-dimethylacetamide and 4,4′-oxydianiline. MXene (Ti3C2T x ) dispersion was obtained via the etching of Ti3AlC2 and ultrasonic exfoliation. Taking advantage of the strong interaction between PI chains and MXene nanosheets, the interconnected, highly porous, and hydrophobic PI/MXene aerogels with low density were fabricated, resulting in the improved compressive performance, remarkable oil absorption capacity, and efficient separation of oil and water. For the PI/MXene-3 aerogel (weight ratio, 5.2:1) without any surface modification, the water contact angle was 119° with a density of 23 mg/cm3. This aerogel can completely recover to its original height after 50 compression–release cycles, exhibiting superelasticity and exceptional fatigue-resistant ability. It also showed high absorption capacities to various organic liquids ranging from approximately 18 to 58 times of their own weight. This hybrid aerogel can rapidly separate the chloroform, soybean oil, and liquid paraffin from the water–oil system. The thermally stable hybrid aerogel also exhibited excellent fire safety properties and outstanding reusability under an extreme environment.
AIM To analyze the diagnostic value of a circular RNA(circR NA), circ-LDLRAD3, in pancreatic cancer.METHODS Expression levels of circ-LDLRAD3 were tested in both cells and clinical samples; the ...latter included 30 paired pancreatic cancer tissues and adjacent non-tumorous tissues, 31 plasma samples from patients with pancreatic cancer, and 31 plasma samples from healthy volunteers. Real-time quantitative reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction(q RT-PCR) was performed to measure expression levels of circ-LDLRAD3 in cells and clinical samples; then, the relationship between clinicopathological factors of patient samples and expression of circ-LDLRAD3 in pancreatic cancer was analyzed. The diagnostic value of circ-LDLRAD3 was verified by receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve analysis.RESULTS Circ-LDLRAD3 was up-regulated in pancreatic cancer cell lines(P < 0.01), pancreatic cancer tissues(P < 0.01), and plasma samples from patients with pancreatic cancer(P < 0.01). High expression of circLDLRAD3 was significantly associated with venous invasion, lymphatic invasion, and metastasis. The area under the ROC curve of circ-LDLRAD3 alone or combination with CA19-9 was 0.67 and 0.87, respectively, with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.5738(alone) and 0.7049(alone), and 0.8033(combination) and 0.9355(combination), respectively.CONCLUSION These data suggest that circ-LDLRAD3 may be a biomarker in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
Cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy is the standard of care for patients with resected stage II–IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). RADIANT and SELECT trial data suggest patients with ...EGFR-mutant stage IB–IIIA resected NSCLC could benefit from adjuvant EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment. We aimed to compare the efficacy of adjuvant gefitinib versus vinorelbine plus cisplatin in patients with completely resected EGFR-mutant stage II–IIIA (N1–N2) NSCLC.
We did a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial at 27 centres in China. We enrolled patients aged 18–75 years with completely resected (R0), stage II–IIIA (N1–N2), EGFR-mutant (exon 19 deletion or exon 21 Leu858Arg) NSCLC. Patients were stratified by N stage and EGFR mutation status and randomised (1:1) by Pocock and Simon minimisation with a random element to either gefitinib (250 mg once daily) for 24 months or intravenous vinorelbine (25 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8) plus intravenous cisplatin (75 mg/m2 on day 1) every 3 weeks for four cycles. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival in the intention-to-treat population, which comprised all randomised patients; the safety population included all randomised patients who received at least one dose of study medication. Enrolment to the study is closed but survival follow-up is ongoing. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01405079.
Between Sept 19, 2011, and April 24, 2014, 483 patients were screened and 222 patients were randomised, 111 to gefitinib and 111 to vinorelbine plus cisplatin. Median follow-up was 36·5 months (IQR 23·8–44·8). Median disease-free survival was significantly longer with gefitinib (28·7 months 95% CI 24·9–32·5) than with vinorelbine plus cisplatin (18·0 months 13·6–22·3; hazard ratio HR 0·60, 95% CI 0·42–0·87; p=0·0054). In the safety population, the most commonly reported grade 3 or worse adverse events in the gefitinib group (n=106) were raised alanine aminotransferase and asparate aminotransferase (two 2% patients with each event vs none with vinorelbine plus cisplatin). In the vinorelbine plus cisplatin group (n=87), the most frequently reported grade 3 or worse adverse events were neutropenia (30 34% patients vs none with gefitinib), leucopenia (14 16% vs none), and vomiting (eight 9% vs none). Serious adverse events were reported for seven (7%) patients who received gefitinib and 20 (23%) patients who received vinorelbine plus cisplatin. No interstitial lung disease was noted with gefitinib. No deaths were treatment related.
Adjuvant gefitinib led to significantly longer disease-free survival compared with that for vinorelbine plus cisplatin in patients with completely resected stage II–IIIA (N1–N2) EGFR-mutant NSCLC. Based on the superior disease-free survival, reduced toxicity, and improved quality of life, adjuvant gefitinib could be a potential treatment option compared with adjuvant chemotherapy in these patients. However, the duration of benefit with gefitinib after 24 months might be limited and overall survival data are not yet mature.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Translational Medicine; National Health and Family Planning Commission of People's Republic of China; Guangzhou Science and Technology Bureau; AstraZeneca China.
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