ABSTRACT
Objective Emerging evidence shows the clinical consequences of patient with COVID-19 and periodontitis are not promising, and periodontitis is a risk factor. Periodontitis and COVID-19 probably have a relationship. Hence, this study aimed to identify the common molecular mechanism that may help to devise potential therapeutic strategies in the future.Material and methods We analyzed two RNA-seq datasets for differential expressed genes, enrichment of biological processes, transcription factors (TFs) and deconvolution-based immune cell types in periodontitis, COVID-19 and healthy controls. Relationships between TFs and mRNA were established by Pearson correlation analysis, and the common TFs-mRNA regulatory network and nine co-upregulated TFs of the two diseases was obtained. The RT-PCR detected the TFs.Results A total of 1616 and 10201 DEGs from periodontitis and COVID-19 are found. Moreover, nine shared TFs and common biological processes associated with lymphocyte activation involved in immune response were identified across periodontitis and COVID-19. The cell type enrichment revealed elevated plasma cells among two diseases. The RT-PCR further confirmed the nine TFs up-regulation in periodontitis.Conclusion The pathogenesis of periodontitis and COVID-19 is closely related to the expression of TFs and lymphocyte activation, which can provide potential targets for treatment.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , PeriodontitisABSTRACT
Due to the high incidence of kidney disease, there is an urgent need to develop wearable artificial kidneys. This need is further exacerbated by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. However, the dialysate regeneration system of the wearable artificial kidney has a low adsorption capacity for urea, which severely limits its application. Therefore, nanomaterials that can effectively remove uremic toxins, especially urea, to regenerate dialysate are required and should be further investigated and developed. Herein, flower-like molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) nanosheets decorated with highly dispersed cerium oxide (CeO2) were prepared (MoS2/CeO2), and their adsorption performances for urea, creatinine, and uric acid were studied in detail. Due to the open interlayer structures and the combination of MoS2 and CeO2, which can provide abundant adsorption active sites, the MoS2/CeO2 nanomaterials present excellent uremic toxin adsorption activities. Further, uremic toxin adsorption capacities were also assessed using a self-made fixed bed device under dynamic conditions, with the aim of developing MoS2/CeO2 for the practical adsorption of uremic toxins. In addition, the biocompatibility of MoS2/CeO2 was systematically analyzed using hemocompatibility and cytotoxicity assays. Our data suggest that MoS2/CeO2 can be safely used for applications requiring close contact with blood. Our findings confirm that novel 2-dimensional nanomaterial adsorbents have significant potential for dialysis fluid regeneration.
ABSTRACT
Many new Omicron sub-lineages have been reported to evade neutralizing antibody response, including BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5. Most recently, another emerging sub-lineage BA.2.75 has been reported in multiple countries. In this study, we constructed a comprehensive panel of pseudoviruses (PsVs), including wild-type, Delta, BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.2.3.1, BA.2.10.1, BA.2.12.1, BA.2.13, BA.2.75 and BA.4/BA.5, with accumulate coverage reached 91% according to the proportion of sequences deposited in GISAID database since Jan 1st, 2022. We collected serum samples from healthy adults at day14 post homologous booster with BBIBP-CorV, or heterologous booster with ZF2001, primed with two doses of BBIBP-CorV, or from convalescents immunized with three-dose inactivated vaccines prior to infection with Omicron BA.2, and tested their neutralization activity on this panel of PsVs. Our results demonstrated that all Omicron sub-lineages showed substantial evasion of neutralizing antibodies induced by vaccination and infection, although BA.2.75 accumulated the largest number of mutations in its spike, BA.4 and BA.5 showed the strongest serum escape. However, BA.2 breakthrough infection could remarkably elevated neutralization titers against all different variants, especially titers against BA.2 and its derivative sub-lineages.
ABSTRACT
The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has been partitioned into four sub-lineages designated BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3, with BA.2 becoming dominant worldwide recently by outcompeting BA.1 and BA.1.1. We and others have reported the striking antibody evasion of BA.1 and BA.2, but side-by-side comparison of susceptibility of all the major Omicron sub-lineages to vaccine-elicited or monoclonal antibody (mAb)-mediated neutralization are urgently needed. Using VSV-based pseudovirus, we found that sera from individuals vaccinated by two doses of inactivated whole-virion vaccines (BBIBP-CorV) showed very weak to no neutralization activity, while a homologous inactivated vaccine booster or a heterologous booster with protein subunit vaccine (ZF2001) markedly improved the neutralization titers against all Omicron variants. The comparison between sub-lineages indicated that BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3 had comparable or even greater antibody resistance than BA.1. We further evaluated the neutralization profile of a panel of 20 mAbs, including 10 already authorized or approved, against these Omicron sub-lineages as well as viruses with different Omicron spike single or combined mutations. Most mAbs lost their neutralizing activity completely or substantially, while some demonstrated distinct neutralization patterns among Omicron sub-lineages, reflecting their antigenic difference. Taken together, our results suggest all four Omicron sub-lineages threaten the efficacies of current vaccines and antibody therapeutics, highlighting the importance of vaccine boosters to combat the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
ABSTRACT
The massive and rapid transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has led to the emergence of several viral variants of concern (VOCs), with the most recent one, B.1.1.529 (Omicron), which accumulated a large number of spike mutations, raising the specter that this newly identified variant may escape from the currently available vaccines and therapeutic antibodies. Using VSV-based pseudovirus, we found that Omicron variant is markedly resistant to neutralization of sera form convalescents or individuals vaccinated by two doses of inactivated whole-virion vaccines (BBIBP-CorV). However, a homologous inactivated vaccine booster or a heterologous booster with protein subunit vaccine (ZF2001) significantly increased neutralization titers to both WT and Omicron variant. Moreover, at day 14 post the third dose, neutralizing antibody titer reduction for Omicron was less than that for convalescents or individuals who had only two doses of the vaccine, indicating that a homologous or heterologous booster can reduce the Omicron escape from neutralizing. In addition, we tested a panel of 17 SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Omicron resists 7 of 8 authorized/approved mAbs, as well as most of the other mAbs targeting distinct epitopes on RBD and NTD. Taken together, our results suggest the urgency to push forward the booster vaccination to combat the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
ABSTRACT
As a background sampling site in western Japan, the Kanazawa University Wajima Air Monitoring Station (KUWAMS) continuously observes the air pollutants, including PM1, PM2.5, organic carbon (OC) and element carbon (EC). Data for September 2019 to April 2020 were compared with data for September 2018 to April 2019. The mean concentrations of both PM1 and PM2.5 were 4.10 micro g/m3 (47%) and 5.82 micro g/m3 (33%) lower, respectively in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) period (January to April) than in the same period in 2019. Notably, the average concentrations of both classes of particulate matter (PM) in the COVID-19 period were the lowest for that period in all years since 2016. OC and EC also considerably lower (by 69 and 63%, respectively) during the COVID-19 period than during the same period in 2019. All pollutants were then started to increase after the resumption of the work in 2020. The pollutant variations correspond to the measure implemented during the COVID-19 period, including the nationwide lockdown and work resumption. Furthermore, the reductions in the ratios PM1/PM2.5 and OC/EC during COVID-19 period indicate lighter pollution and fewer emission sources. This analysis of the changes in the pollutant concentrations during the epidemic and non-epidemic periods illustrates the significance of the dominant pollution emissions at KUWAMS and the impact of pollution from China that undergoes long-range transport to KUWAMS.