Search

BackgroundGut microbiota is closely related to the occurrence and development of sepsis. However, the causal effects between the gut microbiota and sepsis, and whether circulating inflammatory proteins act as mediators, remain unclear.MethodsGut microbiota, circulating inflammatory proteins, and four sepsis-related outcomes were identified from large-scale genome wide association studies (GWAS) summary data. Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW) was the primary statistical method. Additionally, we investigated whether circulating inflammatory proteins play a mediating role in the pathway from gut microbiota to the four sepsis-related outcomes.ResultsThere were 14 positive and 15 negative causal effects between genetic liability in the gut microbiota and four sepsis-related outcomes. Additionally, eight positive and four negative causal effects were observed between circulating inflammatory proteins and the four sepsis-related outcomes. Circulating inflammatory proteins do not act as mediators.ConclusionsGut microbiota and circulating inflammatory proteins were causally associated with the four sepsis-related outcomes. However, circulating inflammatory proteins did not appear to mediate the pathway from gut microbiota to the four sepsis-related outcomes.

BackgroundFollowing COVID-19, reports suggest Long COVID and autoimmune diseases (AIDs) in infected individuals. However, bidirectional causal effects between Long COVID and AIDs, which may help to prevent diseases, have not been fully investigated.MethodsSummary-level data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of Long COVID (N = 52615) and AIDs including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (N = 377277), Crohn’s disease (CD) (N = 361508), ulcerative colitis (UC) (N = 376564), etc. were employed. Bidirectional causal effects were gauged between AIDs and Long COVID by exploiting Mendelian randomization (MR) and Bayesian model averaging (BMA).ResultsThe evidence of causal effects of IBD (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.00–1.11, p = 3.13E-02), CD (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.01–1.19, p = 2.21E-02) and UC (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.03–1.13, p = 2.35E-03) on Long COVID was found. In MR-BMA, UC was estimated as the highest-ranked causal factor (MIP = 0.488, MACE = 0.035), followed by IBD and CD.ConclusionThis MR study found that IBD, CD and UC had causal effects on Long COVID, which suggests a necessity to screen high-risk populations.

BackgroundLong COVID is a major challenge facing the public. Gut microbiota is closely related to Long COVID. However, the causal effects between gut microbiota and Long COVID remains unclear.MethodsUsing summary statistics from Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS), Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were performed to investigate the relationship between gut microbiota and Long COVID. The primary statistical method employed was Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW). Sensitivity analyses were then conducted to evaluate the reliability of the findings and account for potential confounding variables. Finally, a reverse MR analysis was conducted to examine potential associations between Long COVID and genetically predicted gut microbiota compositions.ResultsThere were 2 positive and 1 negative causal effect between gut microbiota and Long COVID. Meta-analysis results show that genus Parasutterella (OR = 1.145, 95%CI = 1.035 ∼ 1.266, P = 0.008) and genus Oscillospira (OR = 1.425, 95%CI = 1.235 ∼ 1.645, P < 0.001) significantly increased the risk of Long COVID. And genus Eisenbergiella (OR = 0.861, 95%CI = 0.785 ∼ 0.943, P = 0.001) significantly decreased the risk of Long COVID. Neither the pleiotropy nor the heterogeneity was observed. Reverse causal effect does not hold.ConclusionOur research has provided genetic evidence that establishes multiple causal relationships between the gut microbiota and Long COVID, supporting the role of the gut microbiota in Long COVID. It is possible that different taxa play a role in the development of Long COVID. The causal relationships identified in this study require further investigation.

Abstract Background Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection and hospitalization, especially in children. Highly mutagenic nature and antigenic diversity enable the RSV to successfully survive in human population. We conducted a molecular epidemiological study during 2017–2021 to investigate the prevalence and genetic characteristics of RSV. Methods A total of 6499 nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs were collected from hospitalized children at Department of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. All NP swab specimens were preliminary screened for common respiratory viruses and then tested for RSV using specific PCR assays. Partial G genes of RSV were amplified for phylogenetic analysis and genetic characterization. Results The overall detection rate for common respiratory viruses was 16.12% (1048/6499). Among those, 405 specimens (6.20%, 405/6499) were found positive for RSV. The monthly distribution of RSV and other respiratory viruses was variable, and the highest incidence was recorded in Autumn and Winter. Based on the sequencing of hypervariable region of G gene, 93 RSV sequences were sub-grouped into RSV-A (56, 60.2%) and RSV-B (37, 39.8%). There was no coinfection of RSV-A and RSV-B in the tested samples. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that RSV-A and RSV-B strains belonged to ON1 and BA9 genotypes respectively, indicating predominance of these genotypes in Guangzhou. Several substitutions were observed which may likely change the antigenicity and pathogenicity of RSV. Multiple glycosylation sites were noticed, demonstrating high selection pressure on these genotypes. Conclusion This study illustrated useful information about epidemiology, genetic characteristics, and circulating genotypes of RSV in Guangzhou China. Regular monitoring of the circulating strains of RSV in different parts of China could assist in the development of more effective vaccines and preventive measures.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of death worldwide, while conventional treatments such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have limitations. This review aims to explore the potential of nanoparticles loaded with Chinese medicine in the treatment of CAD. We conducted a comprehensive literature search to summarize the characteristics of nanovehicle systems, targeting strategies, and administration methods of various nanoparticles containing Chinese medicine for CAD treatment. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, capable of delivering Chinese medicine, offer several advantages, including high targeting efficiency, prolonged half-life, and low systemic toxicity, making them promising for CAD treatment. Overall, nanoparticles containing Chinese medicine present a promising approach for the treatment of CAD.

BackgroundAnti-type 2 inflammation therapy has been proposed as a treatment strategy for eosinophil-associated chronic airway disorders that could reduce exacerbations and improve lung function. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to assess the effectiveness of type 2 monoclonal antibodies (anti-T2s) for eosinophil-associated chronic airway disorders.MethodsPubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched from their inception to 21 August 2022. Randomized clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of anti-T2s versus placebo in the treatment of chronic airway diseases were selected. The outcomes were exacerbation rate and change in pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) from baseline. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool 1.0 was used to evaluate the risk of bias, and the random-effects or fixed-effect model were used to pool the data.ResultsThirty-eight articles concerning forty-one randomized clinical trials with 17,115 patients were included. Compared with placebo, anti-T2s therapy yielded a significant reduction in exacerbation rate in COPD and asthma (Rate Ratio (RR)=0.89, 95%CI, 0.83-0.95, I2 = 29.4%; RR= 0.59, 95%CI, 0.52-0.68, I2 = 83.9%, respectively) and improvement in FEV1 in asthma (Standard Mean Difference (SMD)=0.09, 95%CI, 0.08-0.11, I2 = 42.6%). Anti-T2s therapy had no effect on FEV1 improvement in COPD (SMD=0.05, 95%CI, -0.01-0.10, I2 = 69.8%).ConclusionDespite inconsistent findings across trials, anti-T2s had a positive overall impact on patients’ exacerbation rate in asthma and COPD and FEV1 in asthma. Anti-T2s may be effective in treating chronic airway illnesses related to eosinophils.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42022362280.

BackgroundA stent for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) provides a requirement for a long-term antiplatelet therapy because of the high possibility of the development of stent thrombosis. It was against this background that both Cobra and Catania Polyzene-F (PzF) stents were designed to reduce the occurrence of stent thrombosis (ST). In this study, we review the safety and effectiveness of a PzF-nanocoated stent.MethodsThis systematic review with the title was registered in PROSPERO (No.398781). The inclusion criteria were including studies among patients with PzF-nanocoated coronary stents and reported target vessel failure (TVF) and ST as the outcomes, and the exclusion criteria were excluding reported patients who could not receive the adjunctive medical therapies or without the necessary endpoints. Reports about PzF-nanocoated stents were searched in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science and other sources. Because of the existence of few reports and a lack of comparison groups, a single-arm meta-analysis was conducted in R software (v3.6.2), using a random-effects model with the generic inverse variance method. After a heterogeneity test, assessment of evidence quality was conducted by using GRADE software. A funnel plot Egger's test was performed to evaluate publication bias, and a sensitivity analysis was done to determine the robustness of the overall effects.ResultsSix studies of 1,768 subjects were included. The primary endpoint that pooled the TVF rate was 8.9% (95% CI 7.5%–10.2%), which comprised the pooled cardiac death (CD) rate (1.5%, 95% CI 0%–3%), myocardial infarction (MI) rate (2.7%, 95% CI 0.4%–5.1%), target vessel revascularization (TVR) (4.8%, 95% CI 2.4%–7.2%), or target lesion revascularization (TLR) (5.2%, 95% CI 4.2%–6.4%), while the secondary endpoint ST was 0.4% (95% CI 0.1%–0.9%). The funnel plots of TVF, CD, TVR, and TLR did not show any serious publication bias, and TVF, TVR, and TLR showed evidence of moderate quality in GRADE assessment. The sensitivity analysis showed that TVF, TLR, and ST exhibited good stability (I2 = 26.9%, 16.4%, and 35.5%, respectively), while the other endpoints showed moderate instability.ConclusionThese data indicated that the PzF-nanocoated coronary stents of the Cobra and Catania systems demonstrated good safety and efficacy in clinical application. However, the sample size of patients included in the reports was relatively small, and this meta-analysis will be updated if more studies are published in the future.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier: CRD42023398781

Background. The predictive factors of prognosis in patients with pneumonia complicated with heart failure (HF) have not been fully investigated yet, especially with the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) of metagenome. Methods. Patients diagnosed with pneumonia complicated with HF were collected and divided into control group and NGS group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression and LASSO regression analysis were conducted to screen the predictive factors for the prognosis, followed by nomogram construction, ROC curve plot, and internal validation. Data analysis was conducted in SPSS and R software. Results. The NGS of metagenome detected more microbial species. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression and LASSO regression analysis revealed that Enterococcus (χ2 = 7.449, P = 0.006), Hb (Wals = 6.289, P = 0.012), and ProBNP (Wals = 4.037, P = 0.045) were screened out as potential predictive factors for the prognosis. Nomogram was constructed with these 3 parameters, and the performance of nomogram was checked in ROC curves (AUC = 0.772). The specificity and sensitivity of this model were calculated as 0.579 and 0.851, respectively, with the threshold of 0.630 in ROC curve. Further internal verification indicated that the predictive value of our constructed model was efficient. Conclusion. This study developed a preliminary clinical prediction model for the prognosis of pneumonia complicated with HF based on NGS of metagenome. More objects will be collected and tested to improve the predictive model in the near future.

Background. In-stent restenosis (ISR) is a common complication after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) surgery for patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CHD). Reports indicate alprostadil may reduce ISR, and this study aimed at reviewing and summarizing the effect of nanoliposome alprostadil on ISR by meta-analysis. Methods. Articles were searched from databases, and meta-analysis was performed in Review Manager software. Funnel plots were performed to evaluate the publication bias, and sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the robustness of the overall treatment effects. Results. Initially, 113 articles were identified, and 5 studies of 463 subjects were included for analysis eventually. The primary endpoint, i.e., the occurrence of ISR after PCI, occurred in 11.91% of the alprostadil treatment group (28 from 235 patients) vs. 21.49% of the conventional treatment group (49 from 228 patients) and showed a statistical significance in our pooled data (χ2 = 7.654, P=0.006), while there was no statistically significant difference in all of the separate studies. We observed no statistical methodological heterogeneity among the studies (P=0.64, I2 ≈ 0%). The pooled odds ratio (OR) of the occurrence of ISR was 49% in a fixed-effect model, and the 95% confidence boundary (95% CI) was 29% to 81%. The funnel plot did not show serious publication bias, and sensitivity analysis showed well robustness of the overall treatment effect. Discussion. In conclusion, the early application of nanoliposome alprostadil after PCI could effectively reduce the occurrence of ISR, and the overall effect of alprostadil treatment in reducing ISR after PCI was relatively stable.

Heart failure (HF) is the terminal stage of multifarious heart diseases and is responsible for high hospitalization rates and mortality. Pathophysiological mechanisms of HF include cardiac hypertrophy, remodeling and fibrosis resulting from cell death, inflammation and oxidative stress. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) can ameliorate folding of proteins, maintain protein structure and stability upon stress, protect the heart from cardiac dysfunction and ameliorate apoptosis. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) regulates expression of HSPs and has beneficial therapeutic effect in HF. In this review, we summarized the function of HSPs in HF and the role of TCM in regulating expression of HSPs. Studying the regulation of HSPs by TCM will provide novel ideas for the study of the mechanism and treatment of HF.