Improvement of the YOLOv8 Model in the Optimization of the Weed Recognition Algorithm in Cotton Field.

Due to the existence of cotton weeds in a complex cotton field environment with many different species, dense distribution, partial occlusion, and small target phenomena, the use of the YOLO algorithm is prone to problems such as low detection accuracy, serious misdetection, etc. In this study, we propose a YOLOv8-DMAS model for the detection of cotton weeds in complex environments based on the YOLOv8 detection algorithm. To enhance the ability of the model to capture multi-scale features of different weeds, all the BottleNeck are replaced by the Dilation-wise Residual Module (DWR) in the C2f network, and the Multi-Scale module (MSBlock) is added in the last layer of the backbone. Additionally, a small-target detection layer is added to the head structure to avoid the omission of small-target weed detection, and the Adaptively Spatial Feature Fusion mechanism (ASFF) is used to improve the detection head to solve the spatial inconsistency problem of feature fusion. Finally, the original Non-maximum suppression (NMS) method is replaced with SoftNMS to improve the accuracy under dense weed detection. In comparison to YOLO v8s, the experimental results show that the improved YOLOv8-DMAS improves accuracy, recall, mAP0.5, and mAP0.5:0.95 by 1.7%, 3.8%, 2.1%, and 3.7%, respectively. Furthermore, compared to the mature target detection algorithms YOLOv5s, YOLOv7, and SSD, it improves 4.8%, 4.5%, and 5.9% on mAP0.5:0.95, respectively. The results show that the improved model could accurately detect cotton weeds in complex field environments in real time and provide technical support for intelligent weeding research.

Development of a quadruple qRT-PCR assay for simultaneous identification of hypervirulent and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae.

IMPORTANCE: Globally, the increasing number of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) and carbapenem-resistant Kp (CR-Kp) infections poses a huge public health challenge with high morbidity and mortality. Worrisomely, due to the mobility of elements carrying virulence and drug-resistance genes, the increasing prevalence of CR-hvKp has also been found with an overwhelming mortality rate in recent years. However, the current detection methods for hvKp and CR-Kp have many disadvantages, such as long turnaround time, complex operation, low sensitivity, and specificity. Herein, a more sensitive, rapid, single-reaction, and multiplex quantitative real-time PCR was developed and validated to differentiate the circulating lineages of Kp with excellent performance in sensitivity and specificity, providing a useful tool for the differential diagnosis and the surveillance of the circulating Kp.

Pyroptosis: the dawn of a new era in endometrial cancer treatment.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is a malignancy of the inner epithelial lining of the uterus. While early-stage EC is often curable through surgery, the management of advanced, recurrent and metastatic EC poses significant challenges and is associated with a poor prognosis. Pyroptosis, an emerging form of programmed cell death, is characterized by the cleavage of gasdermin proteins, inducing the formation of extensive gasdermin pores in the cell membrane and the leakage of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and interleukin-18 (IL-18), consequently causing cell swelling, lysis and death. It has been found to be implicated in the occurrence and progression of almost all tumors. Recent studies have demonstrated that regulating tumor cells pyroptosis can exploit synergies function with traditional tumor treatments. This paper provides an overview of the research progress made in molecular mechanisms of pyroptosis. It then discusses the role of pyroptosis and its components in initiation and progression of endometrial cancer, emphasizing recent insights into the underlying mechanisms and highlighting unresolved questions. Furthermore, it explores the potential value of pyroptosis in the treatment of endometrial cancer, considering its current application in tumor radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy.

High Level of Adropin Promotes the Progression of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Preliminary experiments have revealed the abnormally high expression level of adropin in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). This study investigated the role of adropin in the progression of PDA. METHODS: The paraffin-embedded samples of 20 patients with PDA were obtained from the hospital biobank, and immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate adropin expression. PDA cell lines were cultured and treated with recombinant adropin or adropin knockdown. Cell behavior was assessed, and the expression of phospho-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (p-VEGFR2) and other related proteins was detected. The cell-derived xenograft (CDX) of PDA was established, and the effects of adropin or adropin knockdown on tumor growth were observed. RESULTS: The PDA cancer tissues exhibited elevated adropin protein expression compared with the paracancerous tissues, and the expression was positively correlated with carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels in patients. Adropin significantly promoted the proliferation and migration of PDA cells and upregulated the expression of p-VEGFR2, Ki67, cyclin D1, and matrix metalloprotein 2 (MMP2). After the knockdown of adropin expression or blockade of VEGFR2, the above effects of adropin were significantly reversed. Adropin supplementation significantly accelerated tumor growth in PDA CDX; upregulated the expression of p-VEGFR2, Ki67, cyclin D1, and MMP2; and promoted angiogenesis in tumor tissue microenvironment. However, CDX inoculated with adropin knockdown cells produced the opposite results. CONCLUSION: Adropin overexpression in PDA promotes cancer cell proliferation and angiogenesis in tumor microenvironment by continuously activating VEGFR2 signaling, thereby creating conditions for tumor progression. Thus, targeting adropin may be an effective anti-PDA strategy.

Epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, and mental health status of human mpox cases: A multicenter cross-sectional study in China.

Human mpox is occurring worldwide, however, evidence from the Asian Pacific Region is limited. In this multicenter cross-sectional study, information of confirmed mpox cases diagnosed between June 1 and July 31, 2023 in China. Information included demographic and epidemiological characteristics, and clinical manifestations, laboratory results, and mental health status of mpox cases. A total of 115 confirmed mpox cases were enrolled. All cases were men. A total of 102 (90.3%) identified as homosexual. The median age was 31.0 years (interquartile range 27.0-36.5). A total of 65 (56.5%) were HIV-positive, of whom 92.3% were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). A total of 19/39 (40.4%) had a CD4 cell count <500 cells/µL. Systemic features such as fever (73.0%), lymphadenopathies (49.6%), and myalgia (28.7%) were commonly observed. Skin lesions were present in all participants: 49.6% in the genital area and 27.0% in the perianal area. Vesicular rash (78.3%) and papular rash (44.3%) were the most common lesion morphologies. People living with HIV were more likely to have anxiety than those living without HIV. The majority of mpox cases had primary genital lesions and sexual activities before diagnosis, which supports the likelihood of sexual contact transmission. Guidelines on hospitalization and isolation protocols for mpox patients necessitate further confirmation.

Analysis of multiple organ function damage in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

Background: This study aims to analyze the changes and significance of organ function indices in patients with severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia for prediction of major organ damages and guiding treatment schemes. Methods: 63 patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia were selected as the severe group and 73 patients with mild syndromes were selected as the mild group. SAS9.4 software was used for statistical analysis of the data. Results: Levels of ALT, AST, cTnI, Cr, PT, APTT and Ddimer of the severe group were significantly higher while PLT was lower than those of the mild group. The data of all quantitative variables were converted into categorical variables. Significantly higher levels of AST, ALB, D-dimer and higher proportion of bilateral lung involvement were observed from the severe group comparing to those in the mild group, while the difference in the other indices between the two groups was insignificant in statistical perspective. Conclusions: There are significant differences in the levels of multiple organ function indices between the severe group and the mild group of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia infection. Through examining the relevant indices, conditions of patients' multiple organ function damage could be predicted and used as guidance of treatment.

Abnormal blood lipid and electrocardiogram characteristics in common mental disorders.

BACKGROUND: At present, there is not enough evidence to prove the relationship between blood lipid and electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities in common mental disorders (CMD). This study aimed to explore the relationship between them, to detect and prevent arrhythmia or sudden death. METHODS: We collected 272 CMD patients (maintained a fixed drug dose pattern for 1 year or more), including 95 schizophrenias (SC), 90 bipolar disorders (BD) and 87 major depressive disorders (MDD), and 78 healthy controls (HC) from the Third People's Hospital of Foshan, China. We analyzed and compared their blood lipid and ECG indicators, to clarify the relationship between them. RESULTS: 350 participants were included. There were no significant differences in age, gender, total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and QTc (p > 0.05) among subjects. And there were significant differences in body mass index (BMI), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL), heart rate, PR interval and QRS width (p < 0.05). Person correlation analysis showed that QRS width was positively correlated with BMI and TG. And negatively correlated with HDL. Meanwhile, QTc was positively correlated with BMI. Multiple linear regional analysis further proved that TG (B = 3.849, p = 0.007) and LDL (B = 11.764, p = 0.018) were the risk factors, and HDL (B = -9.935, p = 0.025) was the protective factor for QRS width increase. CONCLUSION: Long term medication of CMD patients should strengthen weight management, and conduct regular blood lipid and ECG examinations to achieve early detection and intervention in order to promote their health.

4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide induces premature ovarian insufficiency in rats by triggering the autophagy of granule cells through regulating miR-144.

This research explored the pathological and molecular mechanisms of 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD)-induced POI model. QRT-PCR was exploited to detect miR-144 expression in the peripheral blood of POI patients. Rat and KGN cells were treated with VCD to construct POI rat or cell model, respectively. After miR-144 agomir or MK-2206 treatment, miR-144 level, follicle damage, autophagy level and expressions of key pathway-related proteins in rats were detected, and cell viability and autophagy in KGN cells were detected. MiR-144 was apparently down-regulated in the peripheral blood of POI patients. Decreased miR-144 was viewed in both the serum and ovary of rats, yet this trend was apparently reversed by miR-144 agomir. The increased concentration of Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing hormone (LH), along with decreased concentration of E2 and AMH, was observed in the serum of model rats, which was conspicuously negated by control agomir or miR-144 agomir. Increased number of autophagosomes, up-regulated PTEN, and inactivated AKT/m-TOR pathway induced by VCD in ovary tissues were strikingly offset by miR-144 agomir. Results of cytotoxicity assay revealed that 2 mM VCD prominently repressed KGN cell viability. In vitro experiments confirmed that miR-144 interfered with the effect of VCD on autophagy in KGN cells through the AKT/mTOR pathway. Taken together, VCD triggers autophagy to induce POI after targeting the AKT pathway by inhibiting miR-144, it suggest that up-regulation the expression of miR-144 may have the potential to treat POI.

A novel strategy of engineering genetically encoded probe for ultrasensitive sensing Hg2+ with unusual planar trigonometric coordination configuration.

At present, few genetically encoded fluorescent probes are currently available for the analysis of toxic heavy metal ions, and most have poor performance that cannot meet the requirements of sensitive and dynamic detection in living cells. In this study, we designed a single fluorescent protein-based probe sfGFP-MerBD, which can specifically response to Hg2+ with high binding affinity and wide dynamic range. More importantly, the developing probe can timely and reversibly monitor changes of Hg2+ concentration in living mammalian cells. The excellent performance of this probe is largely due to the recognition element of the probe, MerBD, which adopts an unusual planar trigonometric coordination configuration with Hg2+, and the coordination can cause enough conformational change to influence the fluorescence of skeleton protein sfGFP coupled with it. The small peptide MerBD was delicately designed based on the three-dimensional structure of metalloprotein MerR. This novel design strategy solves the challenging problems that there are few natural functional proteins in the process of constructing fluorescent probes for toxic metal ions and some functional proteins cannot be directly used as recognition elements. Based on the new strategy, more genetically encoded fluorescent probes of toxic heavy metal ions can be efficiently constructed and applied in the future.

Analysis of 394 COVID-19 cases infected with Omicron variant in Shenzhen: impact of underlying diseases to patient's symptoms.

OBJECTIVES: The emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 is continuously posing pressure to the epidemic prevention and control in China. The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 having stronger infectivity, immune escape ability, and capability causing repetitive infection spread to many countries and regions all over the world including South Africa, United States and United Kingdom etc., in a short time. The outbreaks of Omicron variant also occurred in China. The aim of this study is to understand the epidemiological characteristics of Omicron variant infection in Shenzhen and to provide scientific basis for effective disease control and prevention. METHODS: The clinical data of 394 imported COVID-19 cases infected with Omicron variant from 16 December 2021 to 24 March 2022 admitted to the Third People's hospital of Shenzhen were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2 of nasopharyngeal swabs and blood samples was detected using 2019-nCoV nucleic acid detection kit. Differences in Ct values of N gene were compared between mild group and moderate group. The specific IgG antibody was detected using 2019-nCoV IgG antibody detection kit. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software and graphpad prism. RESULTS: Patients were categorized into mild group and moderate group according to disease severity. The data on the general conditions, underlying diseases, COVID-19 vaccination and IgG antibody, viral load, laboratory examination results, and duration of hospitalization, etc., were compared among disease groups. Mild gorup had higher IgG level and shorter nucleic acid conversion time. Patients with underlying diseases have 4.6 times higher probability to progress to moderate infection. CONCLUSION: In terms of epidemic prevention, immunization coverage should be strengthened in the population with underlying diseases. In medical institutions, more attention needs to be paid to such vulnerable population and prevent further deterioration of the disease.

Characteristics of Physical Activities and Environmental Factor Preferences of Older Adults in Rural Resettlement Community in Ningbo, China.

As physical mobility declines, older adults become increasingly dependent on their living environment. The relationship between physical activities and community environments for older adults has been studied to help promote physical and mental health and increase social connections among older adults, thereby improving their quality of life and health status. This study analyzed the daily outdoor physical activities of older adults in Nanyu New Village, China, using behavior mapping and questionnaire research for data collection, and conducting a comprehensive analysis of the spatial, temporal, and environmental elements of the physical activities. This research showed that the physical activity choices of older adults in rural resettlement neighborhoods vary significantly by time, gender, and space. In decreasing order, surrounding support, site security, space convenience, beautiful landscape, and diverse facilities influence the outdoor physical activities of older adults. This study provides new insights into the ongoing debate on age-friendly communities and provides a useful reference for the design of age-friendly retrofitting of outdoor environments in rural resettlement communities.

Low-to-Moderate Dosage and Short-Term Use of Corticosteroids Benefit Patients With Severe COVID-19 Infections.

Although the FDA has given emergency use authorization (EUA) for some antiviral drugs for the treatment of COVID-19, no direct antiviral drugs have been identified for the treatment of critically ill patients, the most important treatment is suppression of the hyperinflammation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of corticosteroids in hospitalized severe or critical patients positive for COVID-19. This is a retrospective single-center descriptive study. Patients classified as having severe or critical COVID-19 infections with acute respiratory dysfunction syndrome in Shenzhen Third People's Hospital were enrolled from January 11th to March 30th, 2020. Ninety patients were classified as having severe or critical COVID-19 infections. The patients were treated with methylprednisolone with a low-to-moderate dosage and short duration. The days from the symptom onset to methylprednisolone were about 8 days. Eighteen patients were treated with invasive ventilation and intensive care unit (ICU) care. All the patients in the severe group and ten in the critical group recovered and were discharged. Three critical cases with invasive ventilation died. Although cases were much more severe in the corticosteroid-treated group, the mortality was not significantly increased. Early use of low-to-moderate dosage and short duration of corticosteroid may be the more accurate immune-modulatory treatment and brings more benefits to severe patients with COVID-19.

Noninvasive Ventilation in Patients With COVID-19-Related Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been used to alleviate hypoxemia and dyspnea, but there is no consensus on the application of NIV in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Some staff use NIV as the rescue therapy which might lead to the adverse outcomes. This study was to identify early factors associated with intubation to help the medical staff select appropriate patients for receiving NIV treatment. Methods: Patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were treated with NIV in emergency department or ICU of the Third People's Hospital (the only designated hospital for treating COVID-19 in Shenzhen) between January 1 and August 31, 2020, were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Thirty-nine patients with COVID-19 treated with NIV were included; of them, 16 (41%) received endotracheal intubation and 3 (8%) died. Significant differences were observed between intubated and non-intubated patients in PaO2/FiO2 before NIV initiation, hospitalization duration, NIV as the rescue therapy, and PaO2/FiO2 of ≤200 mmHg after 1-2 h of NIV initiation. Notably, 1-2 h after NIV initiation, a PaO2/FiO2 of ≤200 mmHg (odds ratio [OR], 9.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.84-47.62; P = 0.007) and NIV as the rescue therapy (OR, 5.43; 95% CI, 1.09-27.12; P = 0.039) were the risk factors for intubation. Conclusions: In patients with COVID-19-related acute hypoxemic respiratory failure receiving NIV, close attention should be paid to PaO2/FiO2 after 1-2 h of NIV initiation. Also, using NIV as rescue therapy should draw our awareness that it might delay escalation of respiratory support and lead to adverse outcomes.

Effects of gut microbiota and probiotics on Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with high morbidity, disability, and fatality rate, significantly increasing the global burden of public health. The failure in drug discovery over the past decades has stressed the urgency and importance of seeking new perspectives. Recently, gut microbiome (GM), with the ability to communicate with the brain bidirectionally through the microbiome-gut-brain axis, has attracted much attention in AD-related studies, owing to their strong associations with amyloids, systematic and focal inflammation, impairment of vascular homeostasis and gut barrier, mitochondrial dysfunction, etc., making the regulation of GM, specifically supplementation of probiotics a promising candidate for AD treatment. This article aims to review the leading-edge knowledge concerning potential roles of GM in AD pathogenesis and of probiotics in its treatment and prevention.

Laboratory Diagnosis and Monitoring the Viral Shedding of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

The worldwide epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is ongoing. Rapid and accurate detection of the causative virus SARS-CoV-2 is vital for the treatment and control of COVID-19. In this study, the comparative sensitivity of different respiratory specimen types were retrospectively analyzed using 3,552 clinical samples from 410 COVID-19 patients confirmed by Guangdong CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Except for bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), the sputum possessed the highest positive rate (73.4%-87.5%), followed by nasal swabs (53.1%-85.3%) for both severe and mild cases during the first 14 days after illness onset (d.a.o.). Viral RNA could be detected in all BALF samples collected from the severe group within 14 d.a.o. and lasted up to 46 d.a.o. Moreover, although viral RNA was negative in the upper respiratory samples, it was also positive in BALF samples in most cases from the severe group during treatment. Notably, no viral RNA was detected in BALF samples from the mild group. Despite typical ground-glass opacity observed via computed tomographic scans, no viral RNA was detected in the first three or all upper respiratory tract specimens from some COVID-19 patients. In conclusion, sputum is most sensitive for routine laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19, followed by nasal swabs. Detection of viral RNA in BALF improves diagnostic accuracy in severe COVID-19 patients.

Cardiac manifestations of COVID-19 in Shenzhen, China.

PURPOSE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has become a global public health concern; however, relatively few detailed reports of related cardiac injury are available. The aims of this study were to compare the clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of inpatients in the intensive-care unit (ICU) and non-ICU patients. METHODS: We recruited 416 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and divided them into two groups: ICU (n = 35) and non-ICU (n = 381). Medical histories, laboratory findings, and echocardiography data were compared. RESULTS: The levels of myocardial injury markers in ICU vs non-ICU patients were as follows: troponin I (0.029 ng/mL [0.007-0.063] vs 0.006 ng/mL [0.006-0.006]) and myoglobin (65.45 µg/L [39.77-130.57] vs 37.00 µg/L [26.40-53.54]). Echocardiographic findings included ventricular wall thickening (12 [39%] vs 1 [4%]), pulmonary hypertension (9 [29%] vs 0 [0%]), and reduced left-ventricular ejection fraction (5 [16%] vs 0 [0%]). Overall, 10% of the ICU patients presented with right heart enlargement, thickened right-ventricular wall, decreased right heart function, and pericardial effusion. Cardiac complications were more common in ICU patients, including acute cardiac injury (21 [60%] vs 13 [3%]) (including 2 cases of fulminant myocarditis), atrial or ventricular tachyarrhythmia (3 [9%] vs 3 [1%]), and acute heart failure (5 [14%] vs 0 [0%]). CONCLUSION: Myocardial injury marker elevation, ventricular wall thickening, pulmonary artery hypertension, and cardiac complications including acute myocardial injury, arrhythmia, and acute heart failure are more common in ICU patients with COVID-19. Cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients may be related more to the systemic response after infection rather than direct damage by coronavirus.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia with negative detection of viral ribonucleic acid from nasopharyngeal swabs: a case report.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak started in Wuhan, Hubei, China since Dec 2019 and cases of infection have been continuously reported in various countries. It is now clear that the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus is transmissible from human to human. Nucleic acid detection is considered as the gold standard for the diagnosis of COVID-19. In this case report, we describe our experience in detection of SARS-COV-2 from a confirmed patient using nucleic acid test of bronchoalveolar-lavage fluid (BALF) samples but not nasopharyngeal swabs. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of severely ill SARS-COV-2 infected 46-year-old man with fever, coughing and chest tightness. We performed viral detection using his BALF samples and imaging method (CT) for confirmation. The patient received combination of interferonalfa-1b and ribavirin, lopinavir and ritonavir for antiviral treatment at different stages. Other medication was also given to him in combination for anti-inflammation, intestinal microbial regulation, phlegm elimination, liver protection and pulmonary fibrosis prevention purposes. We provided oxygen supply to him using BIPAP ventilator and high-flow humidification oxygen therapy instrument to facilitate respiration. The patient was cured and discharged. CONCLUSION: This case report described an effective supportive medication scheme to treat SARS-COV-2 infected patient and emphasized the necessity of detection of the viral genome using BALF samples and its significance in the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease.

Plasma IP-10 and MCP-3 levels are highly associated with disease severity and predict the progression of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 was first reported in Wuhan, December 2019, and continuously poses a serious threat to public health, highlighting the urgent need of identifying biomarkers for disease severity and progression. OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify biomarkers for disease severity and progression of COVID-19. METHODS: Forty-eight cytokines in the plasma samples from 50 COVID-19 cases including 11 critically ill, 25 severe, and 14 moderate patients were measured and analyzed in combination with clinical data. RESULTS: Levels of 14 cytokines were found to be significantly elevated in COVID-19 cases and showed different expression profiles in patients with different disease severity. Moreover, expression levels of IFN-γ-induced protein 10, monocyte chemotactic protein-3, hepatocyte growth factor, monokine-induced gamma IFN, and macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha, which were shown to be highly associated with disease severity during disease progression, were remarkably higher in critically ill patients, followed by severe and then the moderate patients. Serial detection of the 5 cytokines in 16 cases showed that continuously high levels were associated with deteriorated progression of disease and fatal outcome. Furthermore, IFN-γ-induced protein 10 and monocyte chemotactic protein-3 were excellent predictors for the progression of COVID-19, and the combination of the 2 cytokines showed the biggest area under the curve of the receiver-operating characteristics calculations with a value of 0.99. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we report biomarkers that are highly associated with disease severity and progression of COVID-19. These findings add to our understanding of the immunopathologic mechanisms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, and provide potential therapeutic targets and strategies.

Profilin 1 knockdown prevents ischemic brain damage by promoting M2 microglial polarization associated with the RhoA/ROCK pathway.

Microglial polarization to the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype is essential in resolving neuroinflammation, making it a promising therapeutic strategy for stroke intervention. The actin cytoskeleton is known to be important for the physiological functions of microglia, including migration and phagocytosis. Profilin 1 (PFN1), an actin-binding protein, is involved in the dynamic transformation and reorganization of actin. However, the role of PFN1 in microglial polarization and ischemia/reperfusion injury is unclear. The role of PFN1 on microglial polarization was examined in vitro in BV2 microglial cells subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGDR) and in vivo in male mice after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Knockdown of PFN1 inhibited M1 microglial polarization and promoted M2 microglia polarization 48 hr after OGDR stimulation in BV2 cells and 7 days after MCAO-induced injury in male mice. RhoA/ROCK pathway was involved in the regulation of PFN1 during microglial polarization. Knockdown of PFN1 also significantly attenuated brain infarcts and edema, improved cerebral blood flow and neurological deficits in MCAO-injured mice. Inhibition of PFN1 effectively protected the brain against ischemia/reperfusion injuries by promoting M2 microglial polarization in vitro and in vivo.

First case of COVID-19 complicated with fulminant myocarditis: a case report and insights.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been demonstrated to be the cause of pneumonia. Nevertheless, it has not been reported as the cause of acute myocarditis or fulminant myocarditis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 63-year-old male was admitted with pneumonia and cardiac symptoms. He was genetically confirmed as having COVID-19 according to sputum testing on the day of admission. He also had elevated troponin I (Trop I) level (up to 11.37 g/L) and diffuse myocardial dyskinesia along with a decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on echocardiography. The highest level of interleukin-6 was 272.40 pg/ml. Bedside chest radiographs showed typical ground-glass changes indicative of viral pneumonia. Laboratory test results for viruses that cause myocarditis were all negative. The patient conformed to the diagnostic criteria of the Chinese expert consensus statement for fulminant myocarditis. After receiving antiviral therapy and mechanical life support, Trop I was reduced to 0.10 g/L, and interleukin-6 was reduced to 7.63 pg/mL. Moreover, the LVEF of the patient gradually recovered to 68%. The patient died of aggravation of secondary infection on the 33rd day of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 patients may develop severe cardiac complications such as myocarditis and heart failure. This is the first report of COVID-19 complicated with fulminant myocarditis. The mechanism of cardiac pathology caused by COVID-19 needs further study.