Host protection against Omicron BA.2.2 sublineages by prior vaccination in spring 2022 COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai / 医学前沿

The Omicron family of SARS-CoV-2 variants are currently driving the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we analyzed the clinical laboratory test results of 9911 Omicron BA.2.2 sublineages-infected symptomatic patients without earlier infection histories during a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Shanghai in spring 2022. Compared to an earlier patient cohort infected by SARS-CoV-2 prototype strains in 2020, BA.2.2 infection led to distinct fluctuations of pathophysiological markers in the peripheral blood. In particular, severe/critical cases of COVID-19 post BA.2.2 infection were associated with less pro-inflammatory macrophage activation and stronger interferon alpha response in the bronchoalveolar microenvironment. Importantly, the abnormal biomarkers were significantly subdued in individuals who had been immunized by 2 or 3 doses of SARS-CoV-2 prototype-inactivated vaccines, supporting the estimation of an overall 96.02% of protection rate against severe/critical disease in the 4854 cases in our BA.2.2 patient cohort with traceable vaccination records. Furthermore, even though age was a critical risk factor of the severity of COVID-19 post BA.2.2 infection, vaccination-elicited protection against severe/critical COVID-19 reached 90.15% in patients aged ≽ 60 years old. Together, our study delineates the pathophysiological features of Omicron BA.2.2 sublineages and demonstrates significant protection conferred by prior prototype-based inactivated vaccines.

Host protection against Omicron BA.2.2 sublineages by prior vaccination in spring 2022 COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai / 医学前沿

The Omicron family of SARS-CoV-2 variants are currently driving the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we analyzed the clinical laboratory test results of 9911 Omicron BA.2.2 sublineages-infected symptomatic patients without earlier infection histories during a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Shanghai in spring 2022. Compared to an earlier patient cohort infected by SARS-CoV-2 prototype strains in 2020, BA.2.2 infection led to distinct fluctuations of pathophysiological markers in the peripheral blood. In particular, severe/critical cases of COVID-19 post BA.2.2 infection were associated with less pro-inflammatory macrophage activation and stronger interferon alpha response in the bronchoalveolar microenvironment. Importantly, the abnormal biomarkers were significantly subdued in individuals who had been immunized by 2 or 3 doses of SARS-CoV-2 prototype-inactivated vaccines, supporting the estimation of an overall 96.02% of protection rate against severe/critical disease in the 4854 cases in our BA.2.2 patient cohort with traceable vaccination records. Furthermore, even though age was a critical risk factor of the severity of COVID-19 post BA.2.2 infection, vaccination-elicited protection against severe/critical COVID-19 reached 90.15% in patients aged ≽ 60 years old. Together, our study delineates the pathophysiological features of Omicron BA.2.2 sublineages and demonstrates significant protection conferred by prior prototype-based inactivated vaccines.

Integrated analysis of gut microbiome and host immune responses in COVID-19 / 医学前沿

Emerging evidence indicates that the gut microbiome contributes to the host immune response to infectious diseases. Here, to explore the role of the gut microbiome in the host immune responses in COVID-19, we conducted shotgun metagenomic sequencing and immune profiling of 14 severe/critical and 24 mild/moderate COVID-19 cases as well as 31 healthy control samples. We found that the diversity of the gut microbiome was reduced in severe/critical COVID-19 cases compared to mild/moderate ones. We identified the abundance of some gut microbes altered post-SARS-CoV-2 infection and related to disease severity, such as Enterococcus faecium, Coprococcus comes, Roseburia intestinalis, Akkermansia muciniphila, Bacteroides cellulosilyticus and Blautia obeum. We further analyzed the correlation between the abundance of gut microbes and host responses, and obtained a correlation map between clinical features of COVID-19 and 16 severity-related gut microbe, including Coprococcus comes that was positively correlated with CD3+/CD4+/CD8+ lymphocyte counts. In addition, an integrative analysis of gut microbiome and the transcriptome of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) showed that genes related to viral transcription and apoptosis were up-regulated in Coprococcus comes low samples. Moreover, a number of metabolic pathways in gut microbes were also found to be differentially enriched in severe/critical or mild/moderate COVID-19 cases, including the superpathways of polyamine biosynthesis II and sulfur oxidation that were suppressed in severe/critical COVID-19. Together, our study highlighted a potential regulatory role of severity related gut microbes in the immune response of host.

Application of phage in patients with urinary tract pandrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infection / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective:To summarize the application of phage therapy in patients with urinary tract complicated pandrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infection, and analyze its feasibility and effectiveness.Methods:To retrospectively analyze the clinical data of a patient with complicated urinary tract complex pan-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae treated by phage from August to September, 2019 in Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. The female patient, 65 years old, was admitted to the hospital on August 6, 2020. The patient repeated with frequent micturition and urgent micturition half a year before admission. These symptoms were not accompanied by back pain, fever, chills, dysuria, gross hematuria. Urinary culture results in outpatient hospital was pan-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. After the patient discontinued application of cefoperazone sulbactam, levofloxacin and other drugs, symptoms such as frequent urination could be relieved after treatment, but appeared repeatedly. In August 2019, the center innovatively applied phage therapy to treat this patient with urinary tract pandrug-resistant bacteria infection.Results:For the first time, we applied 117, 135, 178, GD168 phage mixed solution once a day, for 5 days of continuous bladder infusion. At the same time, meropenem and amikacin was intravenous administration to strengthened the anti-infection treatment. Urine culture was negative for two consecutive times after treatment. However, half a month after the end of the bladder infusion, the patient experienced discomfort such as frequent urination. Urine culture: pan-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. The second time, we applied a mixture of three phage strains 130, 131, 909, once a day, for 5 days of continuous bladder infusion. And in the afternoon of the third day of treatment, the renal pelvis was retrogradely intubated and perfused with the above three strains of phage mixture. During the second treatment follow-up until March 30, 2020, the patient's urine culture was reviewed once a month. As a result, no pan-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae was found, and the patient no longer experienced frequent urination and other symptoms of urination. The treatment process was successful and without severe complications and side effects.Conclusions:Phage urinary tract perfusion is an effective method for the treatment of pan-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae urinary tract infections. The curative effect is accurate and reliable. The patient did not show obvious complications and adverse reactions during treatment. It can be used as an alternative treatment plan for complex pan-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infection.

Durability of neutralizing antibodies and T-cell response post SARS-CoV-2 infection / 医学前沿

The ongoing pandemic of Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is caused by a newly discovered β Coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). How long the adaptive immunity triggered by SARS-CoV-2 can last is of critical clinical relevance in assessing the probability of second infection and efficacy of vaccination. Here we examined, using ELISA, the IgG antibodies in serum specimens collected from 17 COVID-19 patients at 6-7 months after diagnosis and the results were compared to those from cases investigated 2 weeks to 2 months post-infection. All samples were positive for IgGs against the S- and N-proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Notably, 14 samples available at 6-7 months post-infection all showed significant neutralizing activities in a pseudovirus assay, with no difference in blocking the cell-entry of the 614D and 614G variants of SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, in 10 blood samples from cases at 6-7 months post-infection used for memory T-cell tests, we found that interferon γ-producing CD4

Clinical application of circulating tumor cells in the diagnosis of prostate cancer / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of circulating tumor cells(CTCs) in prostate cancer (Pca) through studying the relationship between CTCs and Gleason scores and pathological TNM stage in Pca patients. Methods A total of 238 patients including 161 Pca patients as cancer group, 35 male patients with benign prostatic diseases as benign group and 42 male with non-prostate disease as control group, who were treated in our hospital from July 2016 to January 2018,were enrolled. Venous blood of every patient was collected and CTCs were enriched and identified by immunocytochemistry CD45 capturing leukocyte and fluorescence in situ hybridization with chromosome 8 (CEP8-FISH). Cells displaying CD45-/DAPI+/CEP8>2 were characterized as CTCs. One-way ANOVA was used to exam the correlations of the number of CTCs with Gleason scores and pathological TNM stage. Results CTCs ≥2 were detected in 74.53％(120/161) of Pca patients and 20.00％(7/35)of benign prostatic diseases patients and 7.14％(3/42)of control group (χ2=79.605,P<0.05). In group Gleason scores 6, the numbers of CTCs were 2.00 ± 2.42, the ratios of CTCs≥5 and tetraploid were 13.33％ (2/15)and 26.67％(4/15) respectively. In 7 scores group, the results were 3.14±2.68,17.72％(14/79) and 34.18％(27/79)respectively;In 8 scores group, the results were 3.57 ± 2.70, 33.33％(7/21)and 42.86％ (9/21)respectively; In 9 scores group, these three results were 4.65±4.41, 43.48％(20/46) and 45.65％(21/46)respectively. The numbers of CTCs in the≤pT2b (20), pT2c(27), pT3a(19), pT3b(16)and≥pT4(12) groups were 2.25±2.45, 3.56±2.79, 4.05±3.47, 4.69±2.12 and 5.17±3.21 respectively. The ratios of CTCs≥5 were 25.00％(5/20), 25.93％(7/27), 26.32％(5/19), 50.00％(8/16) and 58.33％ (7/12)respectively. The proportions of tetraploid were 20.00％(4/20), 25.93％ (7/27), 31.58％(6/19), 50.00％(8/16) and 58.33％(7/12) respectively. There were significant differences between CTC and Gleason scores (F=3.200, P<0.05)and pathological stage (F=2.673, P<0.05). The ratios of CTCs≥5 increased with the increase of Gleason scores (χ2=11.592, P<0.05). Conclusions The detection of CTCs could be used for the differential diagnosis of Pca and benign prostatic disease. There were notable correlations between the numbers of CTCs and Gleason scores and pathological stage in Pca patients, especially between CTCs≥5 and Gleason scores.

Discussion on the influence of dialysate conductivity and method of disposition / 中国医学装备

Objective: To discuss the influence of the dialysate conductivity of Several of the most common situation,and the method of disposition. Methods:To analyze the composition of each ion in the dialysate, the content of various components;The role of dialysate in the treatment process. Results:Affect the dialysate conductivity will directly affect the quality of dialysis and the safety of dialysis, it must be strictly monitored. Conclusion:In the daily inspection work, we should grasp the key and requirements about dialysate conductivity.

Identification of three saponins from leaves of Aralias elate / 中草药

Object To determine the structures of three saponins isolated from leaves of Aralia elata (Miq ) Seem Methods HPLC and electrospray ionization and tandem mass spectrometry were used for purification and structure identification Results Three saponins were identified as congmunoside Ⅴ, congmunoside Ⅶ, and congmunoside Ⅹ Conclusion These saponins are obtained from the leaves of A elate for the first time