A SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody discovery by single cell sequencing and molecular modeling.

Although vaccines have been developed, mutations of SARS-CoV-2, especially the dominant B.1.617.2 (delta) and B.1.529 (omicron) strains with more than 30 mutations on their spike protein, have caused a significant decline in prophylaxis, calling for the need for drug improvement. Antibodies are drugs preferentially used in infectious diseases and are easy to get from immunized organisms. The current study combined molecular modeling and single memory B cell sequencing to assess candidate sequences before experiments, providing a strategy for the fabrication of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. A total of 128 sequences were obtained after sequencing 196 memory B cells, and 42 sequences were left after merging extremely similar ones and discarding incomplete ones, followed by homology modeling of the antibody variable region. Thirteen candidate sequences were expressed, of which three were tested positive for receptor binding domain recognition but only one was confirmed as having broad neutralization against several SARS-CoV-2 variants. The current study successfully obtained a SARS-CoV-2 antibody with broad neutralizing abilities and provided a strategy for antibody development in emerging infectious diseases using single memory B cell BCR sequencing and computer assistance in antibody fabrication.

Characteristics of 12-Month Readmission for Hospitalized Patients with COPD: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis of Prospective Multicenter Study.

Purpose: Hospitalization for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is considered as severe exacerbations. Readmission for severe exacerbations is a crucial event for COPD patients. However, factors associated with readmission for severe exacerbations are incomplete. The study aimed to investigate different characteristics between the severe and non-severe exacerbation groups. Patients and Methods: Patients hospitalized for severe AECOPD were included in multi-centers, and their exacerbations in next 12 months after discharge were recorded. According to exacerbations, patients were separated into the severe-exacerbation group and the non-severe exacerbation group. Propensity-score matching (PSM) and multivariable analyses were performed to compare the baseline characteristics of two groups. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test and receiver operating characteristic curve were applied to evaluate how well the model could identify clusters. Results: The cohort included 550 patients with severe AECOPD across 27 study centers in China, and 465 patients were finally analyzed. A total of 41.5% of patients underwent readmission for AECOPD within 1 year. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between groups after PSM. Severe exacerbations in the 12 months were related to some factors, eg, the duration of COPD (13 vs 8 years, P<0.001), the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score (20 vs 17, P<0.001), the blood eosinophil percentage (1.5 vs 2.0, P<0.05), and their inhaler therapies. Patients readmitted with AECOPD had a longer time of diagnosis (≥9 years), more symptoms (CAT ≥10), and lower blood eosinophils (Eos <2%). A clinical model was derived to help identify patients at risk of readmission with severe exacerbations. Conclusion: These analyses confirmed the relevance of COPD at admission with future severe exacerbations. A lower blood eosinophils percentage appears to be related to readmission when combined with clinical history. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether this study can predict the risk of exacerbations.

Combined cooling, heating, power and oxygen for hospital buildings employing photovoltaic power and liquefied methane

To enhance the energy and gas supply security and reduce the greenhouse gas emission simultaneously, this paper presents a new cryogen-based co-production concept of combined cooling, heating, power and oxygen (CCHPO) for hospital buildings. By integrating with local photovoltaic power generation, two cryogenic liquids of liquefied methane and liquefied oxygen are used to store and produce multiple energies and medical gas. Detailed system modeling and performance analysis are carried out regarding the actual energy and gas consumption data from hospital buildings. The results obtained show the proposed CCHPO solution can be expected to fulfill the simultaneous requirements of energy conservation during normal operation and sustainable energy and gas supply during emergency operations.

Hospital-oriented quad-generation (HOQG)-A combined cooling, heating, power and gas (CCHPG) system.

Along with the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of hospitals are operating in the over-loaded state, which results in the ever-increasing requirements of cooling, heating, power, and medical gas supplies. This paper investigates a novel concept of hospital-oriented quad-generation (HOQG) to produce a combined cooling, heating, power and gas (CCHPG) system. Local renewable energy source (RES), high temperature superconducting (HTS) power cable and superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) device are used as the low-carbon electricity producer, carrier and regulator, respectively. Compared to the conventional copper cable and electrochemical battery, HTS terminal power units have superior advantages of high-efficiency power delivery and high-quality power compensation. To accommodate the surplus electricity from local RESs and guarantee emergency supply for the targeted hospital buildings, three cryogenic fluids of liquefied methane gas, liquefied oxygen and liquefied nitrogen are used as back-ups for both energy fuel and medical gas. By adopting a series of cascade energy utilization and thermally-activated energy conversion facilities, multiple clean energies of cooling, heating and power are produced to supply medical devices, and multiple medical gases of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide are delivered to hospitals for patient treatments. Compared to conventional diesel oil and compressed gas back-ups, these three cryogenic liquids have advantages of high-capacity, high-security storage and low-pollution utilization. Another possible benefit can be the low-temperature environment of these medical gases offers vaccines an appropriate delivering pathway against the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the proposed HOQG can be expected to fulfill the demand of energy conservation and emission reduction simultaneously during the normal operation, as well as the demand of sustainable energy and medical gas supply under severe conditions such as natural and man-made disasters.