Artificial intelligence and clinical data suggest the T cell-mediated SARS-CoV-2 nonstructural protein intranasal vaccines for global COVID-19 immunity

Advanced computational methodologies suggested SARS-CoV-2, nonstructural proteins ORF1AB, ORF3a, as the source of immunodominant peptides for T cell presentation. T cell immunity is long-lasting and compatible with COVID-19 pathology. Based on the supporting clinical data, nonstructural SARS-CoV-2 protein vaccines could provide global immunity against COVID-19.     

Midterm Outcomes of Angioplasty for Pediatric Renovascular Hypertension

PurposeTo evaluate the midterm outcomes of percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) for pediatric renovascular hypertension (RVH).Materials and MethodsThe clinical data of patients who underwent PTRA for RVH in the authors’ hospital from 2012 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Postprocedural blood pressure, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of the affected kidney, restenosis, and complications were closely monitored.ResultsPTRA was performed in a total of 30 children (20 boys and 10 girls), with a mean age of 7.3 years ± 0.7 (range, 40 days to 13.9 years) and a mean weight of 25.0 kg ± 2.3 (range, 3.4–53 kg). The median follow-up period was 26.5 months (range, 1 month to 7.5 years). Technical success was achieved in 26 (86.7%) of the 30 patients. Restenosis developed in 3 patients (10.0%). Only 1 patient underwent stent implantation, and the stent fractured 8 months later, requiring further intervention. There were no other complications. In terms of clinical benefit of blood pressure control after the initial PTRA procedure, 15 patients (50%) were cured and 7 patients (23.3%) showed improvement. There was no significant difference in the etiology, lesion location, and lesion length between patients with clinical benefit and failure (P = .06, P = .202, and P = .06, respectively). GFR of the affected kidney was significantly improved from 19.9 mL/min ± 11.2 to 38.1 mL/min ± 11.9 at the 6-month follow-up after PTRA (P < .001).ConclusionsThe overall results of PTRA for pediatric RVH caused by different etiologies are promising. PTRA not only provided a clinical benefit of blood pressure control in 73.3% of the patients but also significantly improved the function of the affected kidney.     

白内障术后生物学参数变化及IOL计算公式的准确性研究

目的：运用新型光学生物测量仪IOL Master 700测量白内障超声乳化手术前后眼部生物学参数的变化，并探讨人工晶状体(IOL)屈光度数计算公式的选择。

方法：前瞻性研究。收集2021-01/06在苏州大学附属第一医院就诊的白内障患者52例57眼。术前和术后3mo使用IOL Master 700完成眼轴长度(AL)、前房深度(ACD)、角膜曲率(Km)的测量并分析。对不同IOL公式计算时预留的目标屈光值与术后3mo全自动验光仪实际屈光值结果进行比较并分析。

结果：手术前后测量的AL平均值分别为24.20±1.86、24.09±1.86mm，术后AL缩短了0.11mm； ACD值分别为3.08±0.44、4.55±0.36mm(P<0.001)，术后ACD加深1.49mm； Km值分别为44.14±1.86、44.14±1.82D(P>0.05)。术前选用Barrett Universal Ⅱ公式所测结果的屈光误差最小，其次是Holladay Ⅱ及SRK/T公式，Holladay Ⅰ公式所测结果的误差最大(P<0.05)。

结论：白内障术后AL缩短以及ACD加深，度数测算时可考虑增加0.1mm的校正因子。IOL屈光度数计算公式中Barrett Universal Ⅱ公式预测性最佳，其次是Holladay Ⅱ及SRK/T公式。     

Optimal Respiratory Syncytial Virus intervention programmes using Nirsevimab in England and Wales

IntroductionRespiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a major cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRI) in infants. There are no licensed vaccines and only one monoclonal antibody available to protect infants from disease. A new and potentially longer-lasting monoclonal antibody, Nirsevimab, showed promising results in phase IIb/III trials. We evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Nirsevimab intervention programmes in England and Wales.MethodsWe used a dynamic model for RSV transmission, calibrated to data from England and Wales. We considered a suite of potential Nirsevimab programmes, including administration to all neonates (year-round); only neonates born during the RSV season (seasonal); or neonates born during the RSV season plus infants less than six months old before the start of the RSV season (seasonal + catch-up).ResultsIf administered seasonally to all infants at birth, we found that Nirsevimab would have to be priced at £63 or less per dose for at least 50% certainty that it could cost-effectively replace the current Palivizumab programme, using an ICER threshold of £20,000/QALY. An extended seasonal programme which includes a pre-season catch-up becomes the optimal strategy at a purchasing price of £32/dose or less for at least 50% certainty. At a purchasing price per dose of £5-32, the annual implementation costs of a seasonal programme could be as high as £2 million before a switch to a year-round strategy would be optimal.DiscussionNirsevimab has the potential to be cost-effective in England and Wales not only for use in high-risk infants.     

Pharmacokinetics and Early Tumor Response to Conventional Transarterial Chemoembolization with Sorafenib and Doxorubicin in a VX2 Rabbit Tumor Model

PurposeTo investigate the pharmacokinetics (PK) and early effects of conventional transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) using sorafenib and doxorubicin on tumor necrosis, hypoxia markers, and angiogenesis in a rabbit VX2 liver tumor model.Materials and MethodsVX2 tumor-laden New Zealand White rabbits (N = 16) were divided into 2 groups: 1 group was treated with hepatic arterial administration of ethiodized oil and doxorubicin emulsion (DOX-TACE), and the other group was treated with ethiodized oil, sorafenib, and doxorubicin emulsion (SORA-DOX-TACE). Animals were killed within 3 days of the procedure. Levels of sorafenib and doxorubicin were measured in blood, tumor, and adjacent liver using mass spectrometry. Tumor necrosis was determined by histopathological examination. Intratumoral hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1α, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and microvessel density (MVD) were determined by immunohistochemistry.ResultsThe median intratumoral concentration of sorafenib in the SORA-DOX-TACE group was 17.7 μg/mL (interquartile range [IQR], 7.42–33.5 μg/mL), and its maximal plasma concentration (C_max) was 0.164 μg/mL (IQR, 0.0798–0.528 μg/mL). The intratumoral concentration and C_max of doxorubicin were similar between the groups: 4.08 μg/mL (IQR, 3.18–4.79 μg/mL) and 0.677 μg/mL (IQR, 0.315–1.23 μg/mL), respectively, in the DOX-TACE group and 1.68 μg/mL (IQR, 0.795–4.08 μg/mL) and 0.298 μg/mL (IQR, 0.241–0.64 μg/mL), respectively, in the SORA-DOX-TACE group. HIF-1α expression was increased in the SORA-DOX-TACE group than in the DOX-TACE group. Tumor volume, tumor necrosis, VEGF expression, and MVD were similar between the 2 groups.ConclusionsThe addition of sorafenib to DOX-TACE delivered to VX2 liver tumors resulted in high intratumoral and low systemic concentrations of sorafenib without altering the PK of doxorubicin.     

Post-aggression suicide under the influence of new psychoactive substances AMB–FUBINACA and U-47700

The objective of the present study was the development and validation of the method for determining AMB-FUBINACA and its metabolite - AMB-FUBINACA O-desmethyl acid – in blood samples, followed by verification of the method in toxicological judicial and forensic medicine practice employing the example of post-aggression suicide. Most likely in consequence of development of adverse effects resulting in psychotic symptoms, a male being under the influence of the synthetic cannabinoid AMB-FUBINACA and the new synthetic opioid U-47700, mortally wounded his female partner and subsequently committed suicide. Identification and determination of the afore-mentioned xenobiotics in blood samples collected from the male and female victims were performed employing high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The analytes were isolated from blood samples using the solid phase extraction (SPE) method. The blood samples collected from the male and female demonstrated respectively 110 and 196 ng/mL of AMB-FUBINACA O-desmethyl acid metabolite, 1935 and 357 ng/mL of U-47700, 250 and 200 ng/mL of N-desmethyl-U-47700, as well as 410 and 200 ng/mL of N,N-didesmethyl-U-47700. The concentration values of new psychoactive substances (NPS’s) in blood samples originating from the male and female were within the ranges encountered in cases of poisoning, including these resulting in death. Nevertheless, the evident signs of exsanguination proof that the woman was alive when she sustained lethal injuries. The presented cases illustrate the difficult to be anticipated effect exerted on the users by NPS’s.     

基于网络药理学和分子对接技术分析筒鞘蛇菰多糖治疗肝损伤的作用机制及体内实验研究＊

目的 基于网络药理学探讨并分析筒鞘蛇菰（Balanophora involucrata Hook. f.，BIH）治疗肝损伤的作用及分子机制，并通过大鼠体内实验验证相关预测靶点及筒鞘蛇菰提取物-蛇菰多糖（Polysaccharides of Balanophora involucrata Hook. f.，BPS）对实验性肝损伤的保护作用。方法 化学专业数据库、TCMID和TCMSP平台检索筒鞘蛇菰组成的化合物及可能靶点，以肝损伤为关键词检索GeneCards和网站，获得相关靶点，绘制Venn图，选交集靶点，将“化合物-靶点和疾病-靶点”关系导入Cytoscape V3.7.2软件，获得化合物-靶点-疾病的三重网络，对化合物及相关靶点蛋白行分子对接，并用交集靶点绘制蛋白互作网络图及进行GO生物功能和KEGG信号途径富集分析。结果 筒鞘蛇菰主要成分有11个化合物，其中与肝损伤有37个交集靶点，高度关联靶点包括NOS3、ESR1、TNF、MAOA、PTGS2、IL10等，GO和KEGG富集分析发现筒鞘蛇菰治疗肝损伤的分子机制，可能与调节肾上腺素能信号通路、cGMP-PKG信号及神经活性配体-受体交互通路等有关，而且ADRA1B、ADRA2A、ADRA2C、ADRB1/2等基因高度富集于这些通路中。动物体内实验发现BPS灌胃处理可减轻肝组织损伤、调控血清炎症因子肿瘤坏死因子α（Tumor necrosis factor， TNF-α）和白细胞介素10（IL-10）水平、提高抗氧化酶超氧化物歧化酶（superoxide dismutase，SOD）活性，并增强肝组织内氧化应激相关蛋白核因子E2相关因子2（NF-E2-related factor 2，NRF2）和醌NADH脱氢酶1（NQO1）的表达，从而抑制大鼠体内氧化应激损伤、减轻炎症反应和细胞凋亡，达到保护实验性肝损伤的作用。结论 本研究初步确定筒鞘蛇菰治疗肝损伤的有效成分、“化合物-蛋白-靶点”关联网络及发挥作用的分子机制，并通过动物体内实验证实蛇菰多糖保护肝损伤的机制与上调NRF2/NQO1通路来减轻氧化应激反应性损伤、减轻肝细胞凋亡有关。