Innate and adaptive immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and predisposing factors.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has affected all countries worldwide. Although some symptoms are relatively mild, others are still associated with severe and even fatal clinical outcomes. Innate and adaptive immunity are important for the control of SARS-CoV-2 infections, whereas a comprehensive characterization of the innate and adaptive immune response to COVID-19 is still lacking and the mechanisms underlying immune pathogenesis and host predisposing factors are still a matter of scientific debate. Here, the specific functions and kinetics of innate and adaptive immunity involved in SARS-CoV-2 recognition and resultant pathogenesis are discussed, as well as their immune memory for vaccinations, viral-mediated immune evasion, and the current and future immunotherapeutic agents. We also highlight host factors that contribute to infection, which may deepen the understanding of viral pathogenesis and help identify targeted therapies that attenuate severe disease and infection.

Occurrence and risk assessment of triclosan in freshwater lakes in the middle Yangtze River basin (Wuhan, Central China)

Triclosan (TCS) is an endocrine disrupting chemical which is commonly used as a disinfectant in pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP's). Since early 2020, the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 has increased the use of PPCP's, so the occurrence and impact of TCS on freshwater lakes should be considered. However, little attention has been given to the effect of TCS on freshwater lakes in China. This study is the first attempt at a risk assessment focusing on the temporal and spatial occurrence of TCS in freshwater lakes in the middle Yangtze River basin. The surface water and sediments of Donghu Lake and Liangzi Lake (Wuhan, Central China) were collected from October 2020 to August 2021. The maximum concentrations of TCS were 466 ng/L and 239 ng/L in surface water, 71 ng/g and 25 ng/g (dry weight) in sediments of Donghu Lake and Liangzi Lake, respectively. Significant temporal and spatial differences of TCS were observed within and between the lakes, with the highest concentrations measured in winter. Furthermore, higher concentrations of TCS were observed in areas that are more impacted by human activities. There was a significant positive correlation between TCS and nitrogen in the surface water. A risk assessment using the risk quotient (RQ) method showed that a potentially high risk (RQ > 1) was found only in surface waters from Donghu Lake, and that the sediments posed a lower risk than the surface waters. These results provide timely data on the temporal and spatial occurrence of TCS in freshwater lakes in China following the outbreak of COVID-19 and demonstrate a possible high risk of exposure to TCS for aquatic biota.

Evaluation of online game-based and traditional teaching methods in cephalometric landmarks identifications.

INTRODUCTION: Orthodontic students need to accurately identify cephalometric landmarks to perform cephalometric measurements, which is the prerequisite to proper orthodontic diagnosis and treatment. To provide insights into future cephalometric education, we compared the performance of different methods that can be used in tracing practice, including a novel online game-based method, the cephalometric training module of Uceph (version 948; Uceph, Chengdu, China). METHODS: A total of 45 first-year orthodontic graduate students were divided into 3 groups to receive different kinds of cephalometric training (module group, practicing with the cephalometric training module of Uceph; teaching group, practicing under the teacher's guidance; self-training group, practicing with traced cephalogram as reference). After training with 4 cephalograms, students completed 2 test samples in which the tracing accuracy and time were recorded and a questionnaire concerning their feelings. RESULTS: Both the teaching and module group offered performance advantages on increasing the tracing accuracy and speed of students. The module group provided a better performance on improving tracing accuracy than the teaching group. Students in the module group showed improved concentration, interest, satisfaction toward the teaching method and confidence of correctly identifying landmarks than self-training group, and enhanced interest than students in the teaching group. CONCLUSIONS: The shooting game-based cephalometric training module of Uceph has demonstrated better performance than traditional face-to-face teaching and self-learning, proving to be a viable online tool to train cephalometric tracing, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.