Transcriptome and targeted metabolome analysis revealed the effects of combined red and blue light on the growth and secondary metabolism of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is a medicinal plant commonly used in China and other parts of East Asia. A high flavonoid content endows it with multiple beneficial biological activities that have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-COVID19 properties. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been recognized as effective artificial lights to enhance plant growth and the accumulation of secondary metabolites for commercial plant production. However, little is known regarding the effects of LEDs on S. baicalensis. Here, we explored the effects of monochromatic blue light (B, 460 nm), monochromatic red light (R, 660 nm), white light (CK), and different combinations of R and B (R9B1, R7B3, R5B5, R3B7, and R1B9) on the growth of, and flavonoid accumulation in S. baicalensis. The results revealed that under R:B ratios of 9:1 or 7:3, the whole plant and roots of S. baicalensis seedlings had a higher biomass and flavonoid content. Targeted metabolomics analysis showed that 48 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were verified between different groups, and the number of upregulated DEMs, particularly flavonoids, were higher in the R9B1 and R7B3 groups compared with the CK. Transcriptome data identified 1412 and 1508 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the R9B1 and R7B3 groups, respectively, in contrast to the CK. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that DEGs in both the R9B1 and R7B3 groups were primarily enriched in the phenylpropane biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, flavonoid biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, galactose metabolism, cartenoid biosynthesis, zeatin biosynthesis, and nitrogen metabolism pathways. The qRT-PCR results showed that SbPAL, SbCLL-7, SbCHI, SbFNS, and SbOMT encoding enzymes for the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway were significantly upregulated in S. baicalensis, which was consistent with the transcriptome data. Finally, based on correlation analysis between the main flavonoids in S. baicalensis and the genes encoding transcription factors and enzymes for the flavonoid metabolism pathway, a co-expression network map was developed, which provided a basis for the mining of light responsive genes related to flavonoids biosynthesis in S. baicalensis. This is the first report to articulate how the combination of red light and blue light influences the growth and secondary metabolism of S. baicalensis.

Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for coronavirus disease 2019 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Although the application of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is accumulating, the feasibility and safety of this therapy remain controversial. We aimed to evaluate the effect of VV-ECMO in the treatment of these patients. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and International Clinical Trials Registry Platform databases through November 2021. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the included studies were screened, and meta-analysis was performed by R software (version 4.0.2). RESULTS: Forty-two studies including 2037 COVID-19 patients supported with VV-ECMO due to ARDS were identified. The pooled analysis revealed that 30-, 60-, and 90-day mortality among patients were respectively 46% (95% CI 37%-57%, I2 = 66%), 46% (95% CI 30%-70%, I2 = 93%), and 49% (95% CI 43%-58%, I2 = 52%), and the pooled incidence rate of in-hospital mortality, major bleeding, hemorrhagic stroke, thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, deep venous thrombosis, and renal replacement therapy were respectively 35%, 39%, 11%, 40%, 15%, 21%, and 44%. CONCLUSION: Although COVID-19 patients may have a higher risk of bleeding, hemorrhagic stroke, and acute kidney injury during ECMO therapy, the survival rate was more than half of the cases. Our data may support the application of VV-ECMO in COVID-19 patients.

Comparison of throat swab and sputum specimens for viral nucleic acid detection in four cases of 2019-nCoV infection

To comparatively analyze the detection effect of viral nucleic acid in throat swab and sputum sample of 2019-nCoV cases. GAPDH housekeeping genes, viral ORF 1ab genes, N genes, and S genes were tested and compared by real-time RT-PCR in throat swabs and sputum specimens from 4 confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV. In the throat swabs and sputum samples of 4 cases, the human cell housekeeping gene GAPDH showed obvious and typical amplification signal curves. In the detection of viral ORF 1ab gene, N gene, and S gene, the amplification signal of sputum samples was stronger than that of throat swab, and the CT value of amplification curve was lower than that of throat swab, especially in case 1 and case 4, and the throat swab of case 4 showed negative results using commercial real-time RT-PCR kits, while the sputum specimens showed clear positive results. Therefore, in the viral nucleic acid testing of 2019-nCoV laboratory detection, the virus content in sputum specimens was higher than that in throat swab specimens, and the detection effect was better than that in throat swab specimens.

Nucleic acid detection of fecal samples from confirmed cases of COVID-19

To investigate the status of viral infection in the feces of confirmed COVID-19, cases fecal samples or anal swabs from 36 confirmed cases were collected, 2019-nCoV was detected by real-time fluorescence RT-PCR, and the infection rates of the cases were compared by statistical analysis software SPSS 19.0. Among the 36 samples, 20 (55.56%) were positive for 2019-nCoV. The positive rate of critical cases (2/3) and severe cases(6/9) were both 66.67%, the positive rate of common pneumonia was 62.50% (10/16), and the positive rate of mild pneumonia was 25.00% (2/8). The 36 confirmed COVID-19 cases included 22 males and 14 females, with a detection rate of 54.55% and 57.14%, respectively. The age distribution range of the cases was ranging between 17 and 86 years old, with an average age of 48.75 years. Among the 36 samples, 2 positive specimens in 5 anal swab specimens and 18 positive specimens in 31 fecal specimens were detected. There were no statistically significant differences in the positive detection rates among clinical types, genders, ages and specimen types, respectively. From these results, we deduced that fecal samples of confirmed COVID-19 cases contained 2019-nCoV, which can cause infection through potential fecal-oral transmission and be significant for clinical treatment and epidemiological study.

Unidirectional Elimination of Hydrogen by a Giant Local Field Saves First- and Last-Mile Performances of Semiconductor Devices.

Hydrogen, the smallest element, easily forms bonds to host/dopant atoms in semiconductors, which strongly passivates the original electronic characteristics and deteriorates the final reliability. Here, we demonstrate a concept of unidirectional elimination of hydrogen from semiconductor wafers as well as electronic chips through a giant local electric field induced by compact chloridions. We reveal an interactive behavior of chloridions, which can rapidly approach and take hydrogen atoms away from the device surface. A universal and simple technique based on a solution-mediated three-electrode system achieves efficient hydrogen elimination from various semiconductor wafers (p-GaN, p-AlGaN, SiC, and AlInP) and also complete light emitting diodes (LEDs). The p-type conductivity and light output efficiency of H-eliminated UVC LEDs have been significantly enhanced, and the lifetime is almost doubled. Moreover, we confirm that under a one-second irradiation of UVC LEDs, bacteria and COVID-19 coronavirus can be completely killed (>99.93%). This technology will accelerate the further development of the semiconductor-based electronic industry.

Predictive Analysis of Factors Influencing Depression Status of Nurses in the COVID-19 Pandemic Intensive Care Unit.

Purpose: Understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on depression in intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, analyze high-risk factors, and propose appropriate measures to maintain physical and mental health. Methods: A total of 78 nurses in ICU of Beijing Ditan Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University (Beijing area, COVID-19 patient designated hospital) were investigated with self-rating depression scale (SDS). The Cronbach'sαcoefficient was 0.874, the content validity was 0.853, and the internal consistency was good. General information for the questionnaire: gender, marriage, education, age, title, length of service, ICU years of service, COVID-19 pandemic training, concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, and current health status. Results: According to the SDS scale score, ICU nurses had a total depression score of 51.36 ± 11.667, and the prevalence rate of depression was 44.9% (35/78). Multi-line regression analysis shows that stress perception, work experience in critical diseases, education and other total scores are risk factors for the occurrence of depression. Conclusion: Work experience in critical illness (ß = 9.930, P < 0.001) had a positive predictive effect on the total score of depression, while stress perception (ß = -0.884, P < 0.001) and education (ß = -6.061, P < 0.001) had a negative predictive effect on the total score of depression, and explained 52.7% variation. These findings point to the need for interventions to address psychological distress and provide the necessary support.

Challenges in interpreting cytokine data in COVID-19 affect patient care and management.

Challenges in using cytokine data are limiting Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient management and comparison among different disease contexts. We suggest mitigation strategies to improve the accuracy of cytokine data, as we learn from experience gained during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Yield and Consistency of the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Multiple Respiratory Specimens.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have compared the yield of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays in nasopharyngeal swabs, oropharyngeal swabs, and sputum for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection. METHODS: We conducted an observational study in Beijing Ditan Hospital, China. Specimens including nasopharyngeal swabs, oropharyngeal swabs, and sputum from confirmed coronavirus 2019 patients were collected for RT-PCR testing. Disease duration was calculated from the date of symptom onset to the date of specimen collection and divided into 3 groups: ≤14 days, 14-21 days, and >21 days. We compared positive rates across the 3 specimens collected. The kappa coefficient was used to evaluate the consistency of RT-PCR results between different specimens. RESULTS: A total of 291 specimens were collected and tested from 43 confirmed patients. Among specimens collected with a disease duration of ≤14 days, the positive rate was highest in sputum (79.2%); this rate was significantly higher than that in nasopharyngeal swabs (37.5%; P = .003) and oropharyngeal swabs (20.8%; P < .001). Similar findings were observed with the disease durations of 14-21 days and >21 days. The consistency of testing results between nasopharyngeal swabs and oropharyngeal swabs was low with the disease durations of ≤14 days and >21 days. The consistency between the sputum and oropharyngeal swabs and between the sputum and nasopharyngeal swabs was very low across all 3 disease durations, with statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with nasopharyngeal swabs and oropharyngeal swabs, sputum had the highest yield of SARS-CoV-2 detection. Nasopharyngeal swabs and oropharyngeal swabs had a similar yield. If sputum is not feasible, a nasopharyngeal swab can be recommended for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, and early testing is needed.

Isolation and genome sequence analyses of 2019-nCoV from COVID-19 patients in Fujian Province, China

To explore genomic characteriation of 2019-nCoV, throat swab specimens from COVID-19 patients were inoculated on Vero-E6 cells. Six days post-inoculation, supernatants of cell cultures were collected, tested, and sequenced on the Ion Torrent S5 Next-Generation Sequencing system. Two strains viruses were isolated from 12 specimens (eight of them were positive in ORF1ab gene and N gene, one of them was positive in N gene and three of them were negative in ORF1ab gene and N gene), as confirmed by online BLAST search at NCBI website. Genetic similarity of more than 99.9% were observed, from genomic level to structure genes including E, M, N and S genes, between the 2 isolates and the 2019-nCoV reference strain Wuhan-Hu-1 that isolated from Wuhan, Hubei province. Therefore, these results indicated that 2019-nCoV isolates in Fujian province have not mutated significantly yet so far.