Transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 on airplanes and high-speed trains

Modern transportation plays a key role in the long-distance and rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, little is known about the transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 on confined vehicles, such as airplanes and trains. Based on the itinerary and epidemiological data of COVID-19 cases and close contacts among 9,265 airline passengers on 291 airplanes and 29,335 passengers on 830 high-speed trains in China from December 20, 2019 to March 17, 2020, we estimated that the upper bound of overall attack rate of COVID-19 among passengers was 0.60% (95% confidence interval: 0.43%-0.84%) for airplanes and 0.35% (0.28%-0.44%) for trains departing from Wuhan before its lockdown, respectively. The reproduction number during travel ranged from 0.12 to 0.19 on airplanes and from 0.07 to 0.12 on trains, with the risk varying by seat distance from the index case and joint travel time, but the difference in risk was not significant between the types of aircraft and train. Overall, the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission on planes and high-speed trains with high efficiency air filtration devices was relatively low. Our findings improve understanding of COVID-19 spread during travel and may inform response efforts, such as lifting travel restrictions, and resuming transportation in the pandemic.

Inulin Can Alleviate Metabolism Disorders in ob/ob Mice by Partially Restoring Leptin-related Pathways Mediated by Gut Microbiota / 基因组蛋白质组与生物信息学报·英文版

Inulin has been used as a prebiotic to alleviate glucose and lipid metabolism disorders in mice and humans by modulating the gut microbiota. However, the mechanism underlying the alleviation of metabolic disorders by inulin through interactions between the gut microbiota and host cells is unclear. We use ob/ob mice as a model to study the effect of inulin on the cecal microbiota by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and its interaction with host cells by transcriptomics. The inulin-supplemented diet improved glucose and lipid metabolism disorder parameters in ob/ob mice, alleviating fat accumulation and glucose intolerance. The α diversity of gut microbial community of ob/ob mice was reduced after inulin treatment, while the β diversity tended to return to the level of wild type mice. Interestingly, Prevotellaceae UCG 001 (family Prevotellaceae) was obviously enriched after inulin treatment. A comparative analysis of the gene expression profile showed that the cecal transcriptome was changed in leptin gene deficiency mice, whereas the inulin-supplemented diet partially reversed the changes in leptin gene-related signaling pathways, especially AMPK signaling pathway, where the levels of gene expression became comparable to those in wild type mice. Further analysis indicated that Prevotellaceae UCG 001 was positively correlated with the AMPK signaling pathway, which was negatively correlated with markers of glycolipid metabolism disorders. Our results suggest that the inulin-supplemented diet alleviates glucose and lipid metabolism disorders by partially restoring leptin related pathways mediated by gut microbiota.

Effects of ginkgo biloba extract on CRP and TNF-α in rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 实用医学杂志

Objective To study the effects of ginkgo biloba extract(GBE)on c-reactive protein(CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in serum and alveolar lavage fluid(BALF)from rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD). Methods 90 rats were randomly divided into groups A,B,C,D,E and F. There were 15 rats in each group. The rat model of COPD were established in groups B,C,D,E and F. Groups C and D were given intraperitoneal injections with GBE from day l to day l4 and day 29 to day 42. Groups E and F weregiven intraperitoneal injections with erythromycin from day l to day l4 and day 29 to day 42. After the end of experi-ment ,the contents of CRP and TNF-α in serum and BALF were detected in all groups. Results The contents of CRP and TNF-α in the serum and the BALF were markedly lower in groups C,D,E and F than in group B (P<0.05);and the contents of CRP in the serum and the BALF and TNF-αin the BALF were lower in groups C, E and F than in group D(P<0.05). Conclusions GBE can inhibit the airway and systemic inflammatory response in COPD rats. Early intervention is more effective.