Proteomics Investigation of Diverse Serological Patterns in COVID-19

Serum antibodies IgM and IgG are elevated during COVID-19 to defend against viral attack. Atypical results such as negative and abnormally high antibody expression were frequently observed whereas the underlying molecular mechanisms are elusive. In our cohort of 144 COVID-19 patients, 3.5% were both IgM and IgG negative whereas 29.2% remained only IgM negative. The remaining patients exhibited positive IgM and IgG expression, with 9.3% of them exhibiting over 20-fold higher titers of IgM than the others at their plateau. IgG titers in all of them were significantly boosted after vaccination in the second year. To investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms, we classed the patients into four groups with diverse serological patterns and analyzed their two-year clinical indicators. Additionally, we collected 111 serum samples for TMTpro-based longitudinal proteomic profiling and characterized 1494 proteins in total. We found that the continuously negative IgM and IgG expression during COVID-19 were associated with mild inflammatory reactions and high T cell responses. Low levels of serum IgD, inferior complement 1 activation of complement cascades, and insufficient cellular immune responses might collectively lead to compensatory serological responses, causing overexpression of IgM. Serum CD163 was positively correlated with antibody titers during seroconversion. This study suggests that patients with negative serology still developed cellular immunity for viral defense, and that high titers of IgM might not be favorable to COVID-19 recovery.

Aspirin inhibits the growth of hypertrophic scar in rabbit ears via regulating Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have certain side effects in the treatment of hypertrophic scar, and the scar recurrence is easy after withdrawal of steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. Finding reliable alternative drugs is an effective means to improve this defect. Aspirin, a traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is safe for topical use and has anti-inflammatory effects similar to those of steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which may have similar effects on the treatment of hypertrophic scar. This study aims to investigate the inhibitory effect of aspirin on the proliferation of hypertrophic scar in rabbit ears and the underlying mechanism.@*METHODS@#The rabbit ear hypertrophic scar models were prepared. The rabbits were randomly divided into a normal skin group (group A), a blank control group (group B), a 0.9% NaCl group (group C), a 0.2% aspirin group (group D), a 0.5% aspirin group (group E), a 2% aspirin group (group F), and a triamcinolone acetonide group (group G). Macroscopic observation of hyperplasia was performed 8 weeks after local injection of the scar, followed by collecting the scar tissue samples for HE staining, Masson staining, and immunohistochemistry, respectively to assess the proliferation of fibroblasts and collagen fibers, and calculate the hypertrophic index, microvessel density, and immunohistochemical score.@*RESULTS@#All rabbit ear hypertrophic scar models were successfully constructed. In groups B and C, the hypertrophic scar edge was irregular, with reddish protruding epidermis, significant contracture and hard touch. In group D, E, and F, with the increase of aspirin administration concentration, the scar became thinner and gradually flat, the proliferation of fibrocytes and collagen fibers was weakened, and the hypertrophic index was gradually decreased (P<0.05). Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of β-catenin was decreased in the group D, E and F in turn, and the immunohistochemical score was gradually decreased (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in hypertrophic index, microvessel density, and immunohistochemical score (all P>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Local injection of aspirin can reduce the generation of hypertrophic scar in a dose-dependent manner within a certain concentration range; aspirin inhibits the growth of hypertrophic scar in rabbit ears by inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway; 2% aspirin and 40 mg/mL triamcinolone acetonide have similar curative efficacy on hypertrophic scar.

Proteomic and Metabolomic Investigation of COVID-19 Patients with Elevated Serum Lactate Dehydrogenase

Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has been established as a prognostic indicator given its differential expression in COVID-19 patients. However, the molecular mechanisms underneath remain poorly understood. In this study, 144 COVID-19 patients were enrolled to monitor the clinical and laboratory parameters over three weeks. Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was shown elevated in the COVID-19 patients on admission and declined throughout disease course, and its ability to classify patient severity outperformed other biochemical indicators. A threshold of 247 U/L serum LDH on admission was determined for severity prognosis. Next, we classified a subset of 14 patients into high- and low-risk groups based on serum LDH expression and compared their quantitative serum proteomic and metabolomic differences. The results found COVID-19 patients with high serum LDH exhibited differentially expressed blood coagulation and immune responses including acute inflammatory responses, platelet degranulation, complement cascade, as well as multiple different metabolic responses including lipid metabolism, protein ubiquitination and pyruvate fermentation. Specifically, activation of hypoxia responses was highlighted in patients with high LDH expressions. Taken together, our data showed that serum LDH levels are associated COVID-19 severity, and that elevated serum LDH might be consequences of hypoxia and tissue injuries induced by inflammation.

Changes and clinical significance of serum matrix metalloproteinase-9, squamous cell carcinoma antigen, cytokeratin-19 fragment, carcinoembryonic antigen and neuron-specific enolase levels in peripheral lung cancer / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the changes and clinical significance of serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC), cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in peripheral lung cancer.Methods:Sixty-eight patients with peripheral lung cancer who received treatment in Luqiao Hospital of Taizhou Enze Medical Center (Group) between January 2017 and January 2020 were included in the observation group. Sixty-five patients with benign lung diseases who concurrently received treatment in the same hospital were included in the observation group 1, and another 65 healthy participants who concurrently received physical examination were included in the control group. Serum levels of MMP-9, CYFRA21-1, SCC, NSE and CEA were compared among the three groups. The sensitivity and specificity of using these indicators alone and in combination in the diagnosis of peripheral lung cancer were compared.Results:Serum levels of MMP-9, CYFRA21-1, SCC, NSE and CEA in the observation group (14.98 ± 2.10) ng/mL, (17.13 ± 2.71) ng/mL, (1.98 ± 0.41) μg/mL, (24.13 ± 2.10) ng/mL and (17.10 ± 2.10) ng/mL, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the observation group 1 [(9.12 ± 1.41) ng/mL, (10.12 ± 1.58) ng/mL, (1.37 ± 0.31) μg/mL, (16.31 ± 1.78) ng/mL, (12.13 ± 1.79) ng/mL] and control group [(5.10 1 ± 0.68) ng/mL, (6.02 ± 0.94) ng/mL, (0.71 ± 0.11) μg/mL, (11.10 ± 1.02) ng/mL, (8.13 ± 1.02) ng/mL] ( F1 = 932.781, F2 = 737.100, F3 = 368.591, F4 = 989.851, F5 = 462.291, all P < 0.05). Serum levels of MMP-9, CYFRA21-1, SCC, NSE and CEA in patients with stage I-II peripheral lung cancer were (11.12 ± 2.10) ng/mL, (9.12 ± 1.85) ng/mL, (1.52 ± 0.21) μg/mL, (18.12 ± 3.02) ng/mL, (7.52 ± 1.02) ng/mL, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in patients with stage III-IV peripheral lung cancer [(15. 89 ± 2.18) ng/mL, (21.56 ± 2.11) ng/mL, (2.04 ± 0.31) μg/mL, (28.15 ± 2.62) ng/mL, (15.12 ± 1.55) ng/mL, t1 = 9.013, t2 = 25.146, t3 = 7.714, t4 = 14.586, t5 = 22.705, all P < 0.05]. The sensitivity (83.33%) and specificity (86.67%) of combined detection of all indicators were significantly higher than those of single detection of MMP-9 (50.00%, 59.68%), CEA (50.00%, 61.29%), CYFRA21-1 (66.67%, 58.06%), SCC (50.00%, 54.84%) or NSE (66.67%, 58.06%) (all P < 0.05). Conclusion:Serum levels of MMP-9, CYFRA21-1, SCC, NSE and CEA in patients with peripheral lung cancer are significantly increased, which has an important value in the diagnosis of peripheral lung cancer. The combined detection of the above indicators can increase the diagnostic accuracy of peripheral lung cancer in the clinic.

Follow the law of balance to improve the clinical and scientific research level of wound repair / 中国医师杂志

Wound repair is a fundamental task that the whole field of the Burn and Plastic surgery pays urgent attention to and longs for a breakthrough. In this column, wound repair balance laws theory is expounded and we are expecting people in the field gradually began to value the use of balance law. Guided by the law of balance principle, people are required to conduct scientific research, improve clinical technique and develop new materials. The theory is designed to improve the level of scientific research and clinical diagnosis, and will set up a new milestone in the field of wound repair.

Eleven Routine Clinical Features Predict COVID-19 Severity

Severity prediction of COVID-19 remains one of the major clinical challenges for the ongoing pandemic. Here, we have recruited a 144 COVID-19 patient cohort consisting of training, validation, and internal test sets, longitudinally recorded 124 routine clinical and laboratory parameters, and built a machine learning model to predict the disease progression based on measurements from the first 12 days since the disease onset when no patient became severe. A panel of 11 routine clinical factors, including oxygenation index, basophil counts, aspartate aminotransferase, gender, magnesium, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase, platelet counts, activated partial thromboplastin time, oxygen saturation, body temperature and days after symptom onset, constructed a classifier for COVID-19 severity prediction, achieving accuracy of over 94%. Validation of the model in an independent cohort containing 25 patients achieved accuracy of 80%. The overall sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 0.70, 0.99, 0.93 and 0.93, respectively. Our model captured predictive dynamics of LDH and CK while their levels were in the normal range. This study presents a practical model for timely severity prediction and surveillance for COVID-19, which is freely available at webserver https://guomics.shinyapps.io/covidAI/.

Proteomic and Metabolomic Characterization of COVID-19 Patient Sera

Severe COVID-19 patients account for most of the mortality of this disease. Early detection and effective treatment of severe patients remain major challenges. Here, we performed proteomic and metabolomic profiling of sera from 46 COVID-19 and 53 control individuals. We then trained a machine learning model using proteomic and metabolomic measurements from a training cohort of 18 non-severe and 13 severe patients. The model correctly classified severe patients with an accuracy of 93.5%, and was further validated using ten independent patients, seven of which were correctly classified. We identified molecular changes in the sera of COVID-19 patients implicating dysregulation of macrophage, platelet degranulation and complement system pathways, and massive metabolic suppression. This study shows that it is possible to predict progression to severe COVID-19 disease using serum protein and metabolite biomarkers. Our data also uncovered molecular pathophysiology of COVID-19 with potential for developing anti-viral therapies.

The negative-pressure wound therapy promotes wound healing by enhancing angiogenesis in granulation tissue and wound healing through suppression of NLRX1 through via the up-regulation of miR-195expression by suppressing NLRX1 expression upregulation / 中国医师杂志

Objective To investigate the expression and the relationship with angiogenesis of miR-195 and NLR family member X1 (NLRX1) in granulation tissue after negative-pressure wound treatment (NPWT).Methods Six patients were collected who received negative pressure treatment with refractory wound granulation.The levels of miR-195, NLRX1 mRNA and NLRX1 proteins were measured.The expression of NLRX1 and the micro-vascular density (MVD) of CD31 were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC).Results MiR-195 and MVD were significantly higher in granulation tissue after 7 days negative pressure treatment (P＜0.05), and NLRX1 was significantly lower (P ＜0.05).In granulation tissue,the expression of miR-195 was negatively correlated with NLRX1 (r =-0.856, P ＜0.001), the expression of NLRX1 was negatively correlated with MVD (r =-0.618, P ＜0.05), and the expression of miR-195 was positively correlated with MVD (r =0.630, P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Negative pressure wound therapy can promote the formation of granulation vessels and the wound healing.The therapeutic mechanism may inhibit the expression of NLRX1 and upregulate the expression of miR-195 to promote angiogenesis.

Anatomy of the lateral perforator flap supplied by posterior intercostal artery and its clinical application / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective To provide the applied anatomy of the posterior intercostal artery perforator flap and the clinical results of repairing the soft tissue defects with lateral perforator flap. Methods Six fresh adult cadavers were injected with a lead oxide-gelatin mixture for three-dimensional visualization reconstruction using a 64-slice spiral computed tomography scanner and specialized software (Materiaise's interactive medical image control system,MIMICS).The origin,course,diameter,and distribution of the the 6-10th posterior intercostal artery perforators in the thoroax region were observed and measured.Clinically,nine cases were treated with the lateral perforator flap supplied by 7-10th posterior intercostal artery transplantation for repairing wounds in upper limbs.The flap size was 9 cm × 7 cm-16 cm × 12 cm. Results The 6-10th posterior intercostal artery perforator (outer diameter 1.70 ± 0.14 mm) were from the artery in the chest region, which pierce in deep fascia near midaxillary line. The average pedicle length from the deep fascia was (87.56 ± 6.48) mm.All of 9 cases were repaired successfully,the clinical results were satisfactory.Conclusion The posterior intercostal artery perforator flap can be used to form many kinds of axial skin flaps,it is a good option for repairing soft-tissue defect.

Use of the lateral intercostal perforator-based pedicled abdominal flap for upper-limb wounds from severe electrical injury.

BACKGROUND: Upper-extremity wounds can be covered with a variety of flaps. However, pedicled distant flaps still have a place in treatment, especially in the early stages of wound restoration after a severe electrical injury. The purpose of this clinical study was to present the use of the pedicled abdominal flap, using the blood supply of the lateral intercostal perforator vessel, to cover defects caused by severe electrical injury. METHODS: Between 2003 and 2005, 6 cases of deep burn wounds were treated with a lateral intercostal perforator-based pedicled abdominal cutaneous flap, with the blood supply originating from the lateral perforator branches of the seventh to 10th intercostal arteries. This flap was used to repair deep burn wounds on the elbow, forearms, and hands that were the result of severe electrical injuries. RESULTS: Flaps were harvested in sizes ranging from 16 cm x 12 cm to 9 cm x 7 cm. The pedicle was separated from 18 to 21 days after the operation. Five flaps survived entirely. The sixth underwent marginal necrosis (1.5 cm x 3 cm) at the distal portion of the flap because flap cutting exceeded the paraumbilical line. Results were cosmetically satisfactory for all patients. CONCLUSIONS: This flap is suitable for covering defects in hands, forearms, and elbows. The procedure was performed easily, safely, and reliably, and the flap has several advantages over other commonly used techniques for upper-limb wounds from severe electrical injury. We recommend this flap as the treatment of choice.