ABSTRACT
Spike (S) protein, a homotrimeric glycoprotein, is the most important antigen target for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. A complete simulation of the advanced structure of this homotrimer during subunit vaccine development is the most likely method to improve its immunoprotective effects. In this study, preparation strategies for the S protein receptor-binding domain, S1 region, and ectodomain trimer nanoparticles were designed using ferritin nanoparticle self-assembly technology. The Bombyx mori baculovirus expression system was used to prepare three nanoparticle vaccines with high expression levels recorded in silkworms. The results in mice showed that the nanoparticle vaccine prepared using this strategy could induce immune responses when administered via both the subcutaneous administration and oral routes. Given the stability of these ferritin-based nanoparticle vaccines, an easy-to-use and low-cost oral immunization strategy can be employed in vaccine blind areas attributed to shortages of ultralow-temperature equipment and medical resources in underdeveloped areas. Oral vaccines are also promising candidates for limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in domestic and farmed animals, especially in stray and wild animals.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To understand the barriers to abortion in Shanghai during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to compare pre-abortion mental health status before and during the crisis. METHODS: In this case-control study, two groups of women seeking abortion (age ≥18 years, pregnancy duration <98 days) were recruited from March to September, 2021 (n = 1070) and from February to April 2022 (n = 625). The evaluation included COVID-19-related abortion stress questions, the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Family Environment Scale Chinese version. The researchers conducted interviews and collected questionnaires. RESULTS: The median pregnancy duration at abortion among women during the pandemic was 65 days, compared with 51 days in the pre-pandemic group (P < 0.001). Anxiety and depression symptoms increased during the crisis (P < 0.001). Sleep disturbances were more common. Higher PSQI scores were related to increased anxiety and depression symptoms. A more negative family climate was described during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, abortion access was delayed and pre-abortion mental disorders increased. More attention should be paid to the mental health of women seeking abortions, and innovations should be promoted to ensure abortion services without delay.
ABSTRACT
On December 8,2019, the first case of unexplained pneumonia was found in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Genetic analysis and virus isolation confirmed that the disease was caused by a new coronavirus. From mid-January 2020, the epidemic rate of the disease in China has accelerated and some cases have been transmitted abroad through tourism, and by the end of mid-April, more than 200 countries and regions have reported cases of the disease imported and caused locally. As of 11:30 April 24, the number of new coronavirus infections worldwide exceeded 2.64 million, with more than 100,000 associated deaths. A brief review of the pathogen, epidemiological characteristics, clinical treatment and prevention and treatment of the disease (COVID-19) is presented.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The amygdala is vital in processing psychological stress and predicting vulnerability or resilience to stress-related disorders. This study aimed to build the link between functional magnetic resonance imaging data obtained before the stress event and the subsequent stress-related depressive symptoms. METHODS: Neuroimaging data obtained before the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic from 39 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 61 health controls (HCs) were used in this study. The participants were divided retrospectively into four groups in accordance with the severity of depressive symptoms during the pandemic: remitted patients, non-remitted patients, depressed HCs (HCd) and non-depressed HCs (HCnd). Seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) analyses of the amygdala and its subregions, including the centromedial (CM), the basolateral and the superficial (SF), were performed. RESULTS: Vulnerability to depression was suggested by decreased rsFC between the left CM amygdala and the bilateral lingual gyrus in the HCd group compared with the HCnd group, and decreased rsFC of the left CM or right SF amygdala with the precuneus and the postcentral gyrus in the HCd group compared with patients with MDD. No evidence supported the rsFC of the amygdala or its subregions as a biomarker for the resilience of patients with MDD to stress under antidepressant treatment. LIMITATIONS: Smaller sample size and no longitudinal neuroimaging data. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that the rsFC of amygdala subregions may represent a neurobiological marker of vulnerability to depression following stress.