Seven bacterial response-related genes are biomarkers for colon cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colon cancer (CC) is a common tumor that causes significant harm to human health. Bacteria play a vital role in cancer biology, particularly the biology of CC. Genes related to bacterial response were seldom used to construct prognosis models. We constructed a bacterial response-related risk model based on three Molecular Signatures Database gene sets to explore new markers for predicting CC prognosis. METHODS: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) colon adenocarcinoma samples were used as the training set, and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were used as the test set. Differentially expressed bacterial response-related genes were identified for prognostic gene selection. Univariate Cox regression analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-penalized Cox regression analysis, and multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed to construct a prognostic risk model. The individual diagnostic effects of genes in the prognostic model were also evaluated. Moreover, differentially expressed long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were identified. Finally, the expression of these genes was validated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in cell lines and tissues. RESULTS: A prognostic signature was constructed based on seven bacterial response genes: LGALS4, RORC, DDIT3, NSUN5, RBCK1, RGL2, and SERPINE1. Patients were assigned a risk score based on the prognostic model, and patients in the TCGA cohort with a high risk score had a poorer prognosis than those with a low risk score; a similar finding was observed in the GEO cohort. These seven prognostic model genes were also independent diagnostic factors. Finally, qPCR validated the differential expression of the seven model genes and two coexpressed lncRNAs (C6orf223 and SLC12A9-AS1) in 27 pairs of CC and normal tissues. Differential expression of LGALS4 and NSUN5 was also verified in cell lines (FHC, COLO320DM, SW480). CONCLUSIONS: We created a seven-gene bacterial response-related gene signature that can accurately predict the outcomes of patients with CC. This model can provide valuable insights for personalized treatment.

Human-to-human transmission of Chlamydia psittaci in China, 2020: an epidemiological and aetiological investigation.

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia psittaci can infect a wide range of avian species, occasionally causing psittacosis (also known as parrot fever) in humans. Most human psittacosis cases are associated with close contact with pet birds or poultry. In December, 2020, an outbreak of severe community-acquired pneumonia of unknown aetiology was reported in a hospital in Shandong province, China, and some of the patients' close contacts had respiratory symptoms. Our aims were to determine the causative agent of this epidemic and whether there had been human-to-human transmission. METHODS: For this epidemiological and aetiological investigation study, we enrolled patients who had community-acquired pneumonia confirmed by chest CT at two local hospitals in Shandong Province in China. We collected sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and nasopharyngeal swab samples from participants and detected pathogens by surveying for 22 target respiratory microbes using a commercial assay, followed by metagenomic next-generation sequencing, specific nested PCR, and qPCR tests. We excluded individuals who were C psittaci-negative on both tests. We recruited close contacts of the C psittaci-positive patients, and tested nasopharyngeal swabs from the close contacts and samples from ducks from the processing plant where these patients worked. We then integrated the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory data to reveal the potential chain of transmission of C psittaci that characterised this outbreak. FINDINGS: Between Dec 4 and 29, 2020, we used metagenomic next-generation sequencing and different PCR-based approaches to test 12 inpatients with community-acquired pneumonia, of whom six (50%) were workers at a duck-meat processing plant and two (17%) were unemployed people, who were positive for C psittaci and enrolled in this study. We contacted 61 close contacts of the six patients who worked at the duck-meat processing plant, of whom 61 (100%) were enrolled and tested, and we determined that the community-acquired pneumonia outbreak was caused by C psittaci. Within the outbreak cluster, 17 (77%) of 22 participants had confirmed C psittaci infections and five (23%) of 22 participants were asymptomatic C psittaci carriers. The outbreak had begun with avian-to-human transmission, and was followed by secondary and tertiary human-to-human transmission, which included transmission by several asymptomatic carriers and by health-care workers. In addition, some of the participants with confirmed C psittaci infection had no identified source of infection, which suggested cryptic bacterial transmission. INTERPRETATION: Our study data might represent the first documented report of human-to-human transmission of C psittaci in China. Therefore, C psittaci has the potential to evolve human-to-human transmission via various routes, should be considered an elevated biosecurity and emergent risk, and be included as part of the routine diagnosis globally, especially for high-risk populations. FUNDING: Academic Promotion Programme of Shandong First Medical University, National Science and Technology Major Project, ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship.

The Safety of Cold-Chain Food in Post-COVID-19 Pandemic: Precaution and Quarantine.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), cold-chain food contamination caused by the pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has attracted huge concern. Cold-chain foods provide a congenial environment for SARS-CoV-2 survival, which presents a potential risk for public health. Strengthening the SARS-CoV-2 supervision of cold-chain foods has become the top priority in many countries. Methodologically, the potential safety risks and precaution measures of SARS-CoV-2 contamination on cold-chain food are analyzed. To ensure the safety of cold-chain foods, the advances in SARS-CoV-2 detection strategies are summarized based on technical principles and target biomarkers. In particular, the techniques suitable for SARS-CoV-2 detection in a cold-chain environment are discussed. Although many quarantine techniques are available, the field-based quarantine technique on cold-chain food with characteristics of real-time, sensitive, specific, portable, and large-scale application is urgently needed.

The Safety of Cold-Chain Food in Post-COVID-19 Pandemic: Precaution and Quarantine

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), cold-chain food contamination caused by the pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has attracted huge concern. Cold-chain foods provide a congenial environment for SARS-CoV-2 survival, which presents a potential risk for public health. Strengthening the SARS-CoV-2 supervision of cold-chain foods has become the top priority in many countries. Methodologically, the potential safety risks and precaution measures of SARS-CoV-2 contamination on cold-chain food are analyzed. To ensure the safety of cold-chain foods, the advances in SARS-CoV-2 detection strategies are summarized based on technical principles and target biomarkers. In particular, the techniques suitable for SARS-CoV-2 detection in a cold-chain environment are discussed. Although many quarantine techniques are available, the field-based quarantine technique on cold-chain food with characteristics of real-time, sensitive, specific, portable, and large-scale application is urgently needed.

The occurrence and risk factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder among discharged COVID-19 patients in Tianjin, China.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event. We aimed to investigate the occurrence and risk factors of PTSD among discharged COVID-19 patients. METHODS: This study included 144 discharged COVID-19 patients. PTSD was assessed by using validated cut-offs of the impact of event scale-revised (IES-R, score ≥25). All patients completed a detailed questionnaire survey, and clinical parameters were routinely measured in the hospital. Binary logistic regression models were applied to identify factors associated with PTSD. RESULTS: Of the 144 participants with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, the occurrence of PTSD was 16.0%. In multivariable analyses, age above 40 years (adjusted OR [95% CI], 5.19 [2.17-12.32]), female sex (adjusted OR [95% CI], 7.82 [3.18-18.21]), current smoker (adjusted OR [95% CI], 6.72 [3.23-15.26]), and ≥3 involved pulmonary lobes (adjusted OR [95% CI], 5.76 [1.19-15.71]) were significantly associated with a higher risk of PTSD. Conversely, history of hypertension and serum hemoglobin levels were significantly associated with a lower risk of PTSD with adjusted ORs (95% CI) of 0.37 (0.12-0.87) and 0.91 (0.82-0.96), respectively. CONCLUSION: Old age, gender (being female), current smoking, bacterial pneumonia, and ≥3 involved pulmonary lobes were associated with an increased occurrence of PTSD among discharged COVID-19 patients.

Quantifying the effectiveness of desk dividers in reducing droplet and airborne virus transmission.

The utilization of physical dividers has been recommended as a practical approach to reducing the droplet and aerosol transmissions of the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2). This study conducted a series of experiments using video recording with a high-speed camera, particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique, and concentration measurements. The effectiveness of Perspex desk dividers impeding the transient transmission during coughing in five representative layouts was investigated. The results showed that the divider effectively protected the exposed person from an infector's cough seated in a face-to-face arrangement at a distance of 1.5 m. The aerosol concentration at the breathing zone was reduced by 99% compared to the layout without dividers. However, the reflection of aerosols from the dividers increased the exposure risk to the person seated beside the infector. Such risk was substantially reduced if the dividers were placed parallel between the infector and exposed person seated side-by-side. When the exposed person was staggered (face-to-face but displaced sideways laterally) to the infector with a 0.55-m lateral distance, the dividers reduced the potential exposure at the breathing zone by 60%. Considering the effectiveness in exposure reduction, the staggered configuration of desk dividers between the infector and exposed persons offers the best reduction to exposure.

Rapid and ultrasensitive method for determination of aflatoxin M1 in milk

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in milk is a problem of great concern. Current methods of detection require large instruments and need specific test sites. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a fast, convenient, and accurate detection method for AFM1. We established a system based on fluorescent microspheres containing a Eu³⁺ chelate named AFM1-POCT. These components comprised the AFM1-POCT kits. After refrigeration at 4 degrees C for 12 months, the intra and inter assay coefficients of variability (CVs) for the kits were 4% and 5%, respectively. AFM1-POCT compared well with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) determination in the range 0.0121-2 g/kg (paired samples test, P > 0.05). Aflatoxin B1 and G1 do not react with aflatoxin M1. By using the AFM1-POCT method, the detection time is shortened to 5 min, the accuracy is comparable to that of UHPLC, and convenience and range of application are improved.

Clinical characteristics and plasma antibody titer of patients with COVID-19 in Zhejiang, China.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which first affected humans in China on December 31, 2019 (Shi et al., 2020). Coronaviruses generally cause mild, self-limiting upper respiratory tract infections in humans, such as the common cold, pneumonia, and gastroenteritis (To et al., 2013; Berry et al., 2015; Chan et al., 2015). According to the Report of the World Health Organization (WHO)-China Joint Mission on COVID-19 (WHO, 2020), the case fatality rate of COVID-19 increases with age, while the rate among males is higher than that among females (4.7% and 2.8%, respectively). Since an effective vaccine and specific anti-viral drugs are still under development, passive immunization using the convalescent plasma (CP) of recovered COVID-19 donors may offer a suitable therapeutic strategy for severely ill patients in the meantime. So far, several studies have shown therapeutic efficacy of CP transfusion in treating COVID-19 cases. A pilot study first reported that transfusion of CP with neutralizing antibody titers above 1:640 was well tolerated and could potentially improve clinical outcomes through neutralizing viremia in severe COVID-19 cases (Chen et al., 2020). Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM are the most abundant and important antibodies in protecting the human body from viral attack (Arabi et al., 2015; Marano et al., 2016). Our study aimed to understand the aspects of plasma antibody titer levels in convalescent patients, as well as assessing the clinical characteristics of normal, severely ill, and critically ill patients, and thus provide a basis for guiding CP therapy. We also hoped to find indicators which could serve as a reference in predicting the progression of the disease.

Delayed hospital admission and high-dose corticosteroids potentially prolong SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection duration of patients with COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with the infection of SARS-CoV-2 has become a serious pandemic worldwide. However, only few studies focused on risk factors of prolonged SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection among patients with COVID-19. We included 206 adult patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from two hospitals between 23 Jan and 1 April 2020. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis was used to screen out independent risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection. By multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis and Cox regression analysis, we further determined the associations between SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection and potential risk factors. All patients had two negative SARS-CoV-2 tests with 33 days of median duration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection (interquartile range: 25.2-39 days). LASSO and binomial logistic regression analyses suggested that delayed hospital admission (adjusted OR = 3.70, 95% CI: 1.82-7.50), hypokalemia, and subpleural lesion (adjusted OR = 4.32, 95% CI: 1.10-16.97) were associated with prolonged SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection. By LASSO and multivariate Cox regression analyses, we observed that delayed hospital admission, subpleural lesion, and high-dose corticosteroid use were independent risk factors of prolonged SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection. Early hospital admission shortened 5.73 days of mean duration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection than delayed hospital admission after adjusting confounding factors. Our study demonstrated that delayed hospital admission and subpleural lesion were associated with prolonged SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection among patients with COVID-19. The use of high-dose corticosteroids should be interpreted with extreme caution in treating COVID-19.